COR-POSC 2604

Politics of South East Asia

Singapore Management University
Term 1, 2023/2024

Instructor Information
Instructor: Yusri Supiyan
Email: yusris@smu.edu.sg
Office Hours: Thursdays 1000-1200, outside Seminar Room B1-1

Class Information
Meeting Days & Times: Wednesdays and Fridays, 1000-1130
Venue: SOSS/CIS Classroom 1-2
Course Description
This course is designed as an introductory survey of the politics of Southeast Asia. This course
will centre heavily around themes and topics that are fundamental to the field of comparative
politics, a subfield of the discipline of political science that analyzes political phenomena and
institutions at the domestic (state and sub-state) level. We will use the country case studies of
Southeast Asia as to explore the following topics: history and colonial legacies, the modern state
and its formation, non-democratic and democratic regimes, democratic transition and breakdown,
political parties, party systems and elections, ethnicity, nationalism, religion, political violence,
and economic development. While these topics do not constitute an exhaustive list, they arguably
represent the most important ones that concern the field of comparative politics at large. This
course will only focus on the following five countries of Southeast Asia: Indonesia, Malaysia,
Myanmar, the Philippines, and Thailand.

Course Objectives
This course has been designed for students to achieve the following objectives:
1. Understand the historical legacies that have shaped contemporary Southeast Asia

2. Recognize and comprehend the causes and consequences of political, economic and social
phenomena as they relate to the study of comparative politics of Southeast Asia

3. Think critically about the issues, theories, arguments and empirical cases contained in the
course lectures and readings

4. Apply the theories and frameworks contained in the course lectures and readings to contem-
porary Southeast Asia

5. Achieve a solid intellectual foundation in preparation for other advanced political science
and social science courses

Course Themes
The following questions offer an overview of the themes that we will cover in this course:
1. Why and how did colonialism lead to a range of influences and legacies that shape states and
societies in Southeast Asia?

2. Why did the modern state emerge in the manner they did in Southeast Asia, and what con-
sequences for the future did this have?

3. Why do non-democratic regimes exist and persist in some states, while in other states democ-
racy has successfully entrenched itself?

4. Why does democratization occur, and what factors explain democratic breakdown or con-
solidation?

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 5. Why do political parties in Southeast Asia remain highly personalist, and what role do elec-
tions play in the non-democracies and democracies of Southeast Asia?

6. Why does religion play a very prominent role in the politics of Southeast Asia?

7. Why do social categories such as ‘ethnicity’ and ‘nation’ have more pull and resonance than
other types of social categories?

8. Why does violence break out in some states and societies but not others?

9. Why are the patterns of economic growth and development different across Southeast Asia,
and what consequences do they have for the domestic economies of Southeast Asian states?

Course Evaluation
The breakdown of the grading component for this course is as follows:

1. In-class Participation (20% each)

Students are expected to attend classes and make sure they are well-prepared (i.e., having
completed the scheduled readings) and participate actively and meaningfully in class dis-
cussions. Students must complete the assigned readings before the first scheduled session
for each topic. Please refer to the section of this syllabus titled ‘Course Schedule’ and take
note of the respective days and dates for each topic and prepare accordingly. Class atten-
dance itself is a necessary condition for getting participation points, but it is not a sufficient
condition for getting participation points.

2. Two Response Papers (10% each)

Students will be asked to answer a few questions that will require them to display a solid
grasp and understanding of the ideas and concepts covered in the lectures and readings.
Each response paper should be typed out in 12-size font, double-spaced, and no longer than
750 words in total (not including the bibliography). Students must submit their response
papers via eLearn before their respective deadlines.

3. Research Essay (30%)

Students will be asked to answer one question from a list of questions that will be pro-
vided. The research essay should be typed out in 12-size font, double-spaced, paginated,
and no longer than 2500 words in total (not including the cover page and the bibliography).
Students must submit their research papers via eLearn before their respective deadlines. Stu-
dents must rely on at least one reading that we have covered in this course, on top additional
external sources that they will have to rely on in order to do well in the research essay. At
any point in time during the semester, students may consult me to discuss anything at all that
is related to the research essay. In the interest of fairness to all, I will not read any drafts.
Students must submit their research essay via eLearn before the deadline.

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 4. Final Examination (30%)

Students will be tested on the materials in the lecture slides and readings. The examina-
tion will be closed-book. As we are operating on a rather tight schedule, no review sessions
before the examination will be held.

Important Dates & Deadlines

• Response Paper 1: September 11, 2023 (5:00 PM)

• Response Paper 2: October 23, 2023 (5:00 PM)

• Research Essay: November 6, 2023 (5:00 PM)

• Final Examination: November 27, 2023 (8:30 AM)

Course Materials
All the reading materials (book chapters and journal articles) for this course will be made avail-
able for download via eLearn. Students will not have to purchase any supplementary textbooks
for this course. I reserve the right to make changes to the syllabus and the list of readings as the
course progresses, and I will announce to the class accordingly if such changes become necessary.
Students are expected to have completed the readings before the lecture of the corresponding topic
so that they will get the most out of the lectures. Understanding the readings will go a long way
towards helping you to do well in the assignments and examinations for this course.
Note: This is a reading-heavy course and some of the readings can be rather dense. If you are
not prepared to do the necessary legwork by completing the readings and listening to the lectures
consistently and conscientiously, you will not be able to reap the full benefits of this course; con-
sequently, you are much less likely to do well in this course.

Policies on Grading and Attendance

I will not entertain requests for regrading your essays and examinations, unless I have made an
error in the summation of scores. This means that the grades obtained are final and not subject to
review.

Policy on Late Submission of Work

All students are expected to submit all the written assignments on time. Unless there are extenu-
ating circumstances regarding your late submission or that there has been an arrangement secured
with me ahead of time for your late submission, a 5% grade deduction penalty per day will be
imposed on your work, up to and including the day of its eventual submission.

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Policy on the Use of Technology
Students are allowed to use laptops in classes strictly for the purposes of accessing readings and
note taking. However, to minimize distraction and maintain an environment of mutual respect, I
ask that students do not access their mobile phones, tablets, and other handheld electronic devices
while classes are in session.

Academic Conduct and Plagiarism

All acts of academic dishonesty (including, but not limited to, plagiarism, cheating, fabrication,
facilitation of acts of academic dishonesty by others, unauthorized possession of exam questions,
or tampering with the academic work of other students) are serious offences. I have a zero tolerance
policy for any acts that sufficiently meets this definition of academic dishonesty. All work (whether
oral or written) submitted for purposes of assessment must be the student’s own work. Penalties
for violation of the policy range from zero marks for the component assessment to expulsion,
depending on the nature of the offense.

Copyright Infringement
Please note that only copyright holders are entitled to reproduce their work, publish their work,
perform their work in public, communicate their work to the public and make an adaption of their
work. Hence, making course materials (owned by the faculty and/or publishing company) available
for sale or posting such works on websites for gain, is strictly prohibited. Disciplinary action will
be taken against those found infringing copyright.

Emergency Preparedness for Teaching and Learning (EPTL)

As part of emergency preparedness, instructors may conduct lessons online via the WebEx platform
during the term, to prepare students for online learning. During an actual emergency, students will
be notified to access the WebEx platform for their online lessons. The class schedule will mirror
the current face-to-face class timetable unless otherwise stated.

Student Conduct
My utmost goal is to be able to create a conducive and beneficial learning environment for all of my
students. It is certainly not my policy to engage in discriminatory practices based on gender, age,
ethnicity, language background, nationality, sexual orientation, religion and faith, socio-economic
status, marital status, physical disability and political orientation. While we might all agree to
disagree on our ideas, opinions and beliefs on the topics that we will encounter in this class, it is my
hope that my students will also join me in this continuous effort to address issues related to diversity
in all forms. Each and every student is expected to uphold the standards laid out in the SMU Code
of Student Conduct: https://studentservices.smu.edu.sg/what-smu-code-student-conduct.

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Access and Accommodations
SMU has a Disability Support Services (DSS) office that serves to assist and support students with
special needs: https://www.smu.edu.sg/campus-life/health-and-safety/disability-services. Please
contact the DSS should you require assistance as a student with special needs, and inform me
accordingly as well.

Sexual Harassment
I do not condone, under any circumstances, inappropriate forms of behavior and conduct that meet
the definition of sexual harassment and/or sexual violence. For SMU’s policy on combatting sexual
harassment and violence, as well as how to report such behavior and activities should you witness
them, please refer to https://voices.smu.edu.sg for more details.

Course Schedule
Note: The dates listed in this section refer to the start and the end of the corresponding week, NOT
the first and second seminar sessions.

Week 1 (August 14 - August 20)

Introduction to the Politics of Southeast Asia
• Taylor, R. H. “Political Science and South East Asian Studies.” South East Asia Research 1,
no. 1 (1993): 5-26.

• Dayley, Robert. Southeast Asia in the New International Era. New York: Routledge, 2019.
[Read Chapter 2 ‘Thailand’, Chapter 3 ‘Myanmar’, Chapter 7 ‘The Philippines’, Chapter 8
‘Indonesia’, and Chapter 10 ‘Malaysia’]. Note: You should peruse these chapters for the
purposes of context and general familiarity in mind, since the entire course revolves around
these five countries.

Week 2 (August 21 - August 27)

Colonialism and the Rise of the Modern State
• Winichakul, Thongchai. Siam Mapped: A History of the Geo-body of a Nation. Honolulu:
University of Hawaii Press, 1994. [Read Chapter 5 ‘Margin’].

• Hirschman, Charles. “The Meaning and Measurement of Ethnicity in Malaysia: An Analysis

of Census Classifications.” Journal of Asian Studies 46, no. 3 (1987): 555-582.

• Anderson, Benedict. “Cacique Democracy in the Philippines: Origins and Dreams.” New
Left Review 169 (1988): 3-31.

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Week 3 (August 28 - September 3)
Non-democracies: Dictatorships and Military Regimes
• Honna, Jun. “Military Ideology in Response to Democratic Pressure during the Late Suharto
Era: Political and Institutional Contexts.” Indonesia no. 67 (1999): 77-126.

• Lee, Terence. “The Armed Forces and Transitions from Authoritarian Rule Explaining the
Role of the Military in 1986 Philippines and 1998 Indonesia.” Comparative Political Studies
42, no. 5 (2009): 640-669.

• Croissant, Aurel, and Jil Kamerling. “Why Do Military Regimes Institutionalize? Constitution-
making and Elections as Political Survival Strategy in Myanmar.” Asian Journal of Political
Science 21, no. 2 (2013): 105-125.

Week 4 (September 4 - September 10)

Non-democracies: Hybrid Regimes
• Slater, Dan. “Iron Cage in an Iron Fist: Authoritarian Institutions and the Personalization of
Power in Malaysia.” Comparative Politics 36, no. 1 (2003): 81-101.

• Mérieau, Eugénie. “Thailand’s Deep State, Royal Power and the Constitutional Court (1997–2015).”
Journal of Contemporary Asia 46, no. 3 (2016): 445-466.

• Stokke, Kristian, and Soe Myint Aung. “Transition to Democracy or Hybrid Regime? The
Dynamics and Outcomes of Democratization in Myanmar.” European Journal of Develop-
ment Research 32, no. 2 (2020): 274-293.

Week 5 (September 11 - September 17)

Democratization and Democratic Consolidation
• Dressel, Björn. “The Philippines: How Much Real Democracy?” International Political
Science Review 32, no. 5 (2011): 529-545.

• Aspinall, Edward. “The Surprising Democratic Behemoth: Indonesia in Comparative Asian

Perspective.” Journal of Asian Studies 74, no. 4 (2015): 889-902.

• Abdullah, Walid Jumblatt. “The Mahathir Effect in Malaysia’s 2018 Election: The Role of
Credible Personalities in Regime Transitions.” Democratization 26, no. 3 (2019): 521-536.

Week 6 (September 18 - September 24)

Democratization and Democratic Breakdown
• Kuhonta, Erik Martinez, and Aim Sinpeng.“Democratic Regression in Thailand: The Am-
bivalent Role of Civil Society and Political Institutions.” Contemporary Southeast Asia 36,
no. 3 (2014): 333-355.

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 • Webb, Adele. “Why Are the Middle Class Misbehaving? Exploring Democratic Ambiva-
lence and Authoritarian Nostalgia.” Philippine Sociological Review 65 (2017): 77-102.

• Dettman, Sebastian. “Authoritarian Innovations and Democratic Reform in the “New Malaysia.””
Democratization 27, no. 6 (2020): 1037-1052.

Week 7 (September 25 - October 1)

Political Parties and Elections
• Hutchcroft, Paul D. and Joel Rocamora. “Strong Demands and Weak Institutions: The Ori-
gins and Evolution of the Democratic Deficit in the Philippines.” Journal of East Asian
Studies 3, no. 2 (2003): 259-292.

• Kuhonta, Erik Martinez. “Thailand’s Feckless Parties and Party System: A Path-Dependent
Analysis.” In Party System Institutionalization in Asia: Democracies, Autocracies, and the
Shadows of the Past, edited by Allen Hicken and Erik Martinez Kuhonta, 280-306. Cam-
bridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014.

• Slater, Dan. “Party Cartelization, Indonesian-Style: Presidential Power-sharing and the Con-
tingency of Democratic Opposition.” Journal of East Asian Studies 18, no. 1 (2018): 23-46.

Week 8 (October 2 - October 8)

Recess Week

Week 9 (October 9 - October 15)

Religion
• Walton, Matthew J. “Monks in Politics, Monks in the World: Buddhist Activism in Contem-
porary Myanmar.” Social Research 82, no. 2 (2015): 507-530.

• Moustafa, Tamir. “Judging in God’s Name: State Power, Secularism, and the Politics of
Islamic Law in Malaysia.” Oxford Journal of Law and Religion 3, no. 1 (2014): 152-167.

• Nastiti, Aulia, and Sari Ratri. “Emotive Politics: Islamic Organizations and Religious Mo-
bilization in Indonesia.” Contemporary Southeast Asia 40, no. 2 (2018): 196-221.

Week 10 (October 16 - October 22)

Ethnicity
• de Jonge, Huub, and Gerben Nooteboom. “Why the Madurese? Ethnic Conflicts in West and
East Kalimantan Compared.” Asian Journal of Social Science 34, no. 3 (2006): 456-474.

• Walton, Matthew J. “The “Wages of Burman-ness”: Ethnicity and Burman Privilege in Con-
temporary Myanmar.” Journal of Contemporary Asia 43, no. 1 (2013): 1-27.

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 • Chin, James. “Malaysia: The 2020 Putsch for Malay Islam Supremacy.” The Round Table
109, no. 3 (2020): 288-297.

Week 11 (October 23 - October 29)

Nationalism and Nation-building
• Tofighian, Nadi. “José Nepomuceno and the Creation of a Filipino National Consciousness.”
Film History: An International Journal 20, no. 1 (2008): 77-94.

• Menchik, Jeremy. “Productive Intolerance: Godly Nationalism in Indonesia.” Comparative

Studies in Society and History 56, no. 3 (2014): 591-621.

• Ricks, Jacob I. “Proud to be Thai: The Puzzling Absence of Ethnicity-based Political Cleav-
ages in Northeastern Thailand.” Pacific Affairs 92, no. 2 (2019): 257-285.

Week 12 (October 30 - November 5)

Political Violence
• Bertrand, Jacques. “Legacies of the Authoritarian Past: Religious Violence in Indonesia’s
Moluccan Islands.” Pacific Affairs 75, no. 1 (2002): 57-85.

• Buendia, Rizal G. “The State-Moro Armed Conflict in the Philippines: Unresolved National
Question or Question of Governance?” Asian Journal of Political Science 13, no. 1 (2005):
109-138.

• McCarthy, Gerard, and Jacqueline Menager. “Gendered Rumours and the Muslim Scapegoat
in Myanmar’s Transition.” Journal of Contemporary Asia 47, no. 3 (2017): 396-412.

Week 13 (November 6 - November 12)

Political Economy
• Gomez, Edmund Terence and Jomo K. S. Political Economy: Politics, Patronage, and Prof-
its. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999. [Read Chapter 5 ‘The New Rich’]

• Hadiz, Vedi R. and Richard Robison. “The Political Economy of Oligarchy and the Reorga-
nization of Power in Indonesia.” Indonesia no. 96 (2013): 35-57.

• Meehan, Patrick. “Fortifying or Fragmenting the State? The Political Economy of the
Opium/Heroin Trade in Shan State, Myanmar, 1988–2013.” Critical Asian Studies 47, no. 2
(2015): 253-282.

Week 14 (November 13 - November 19)

Study Break Week

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Week 15 (November 20 - November 26)
Examination Week

Week 16 (November 27 - December 3)

Examination Week

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