Call for workshop papers and contributions

In 2021, the UK announced a significant reconfiguration of its foreign policy with the Indo-Pacific at the centre. Southeast Asia, itself at the heart of the Indo-Pacific, has gained greater recognition in policy circles as the UK seeks to better understand the region. However, much of the discussion on implementing the Indo-Pacific ‘tilt’, reflects US strategic interests that perceive the region primarily as a venue for countering China’s growing influence. In consequence, the academic-policy nexus that has emerged in formulating the UK’s post-Brexit foreign policy is primarily made up of an epistemic community with a transatlantic orientation. The Integrated Review of 2021 envisages a broad engagement with the region. However, limited critical reflection on the region’s own priorities presents an ongoing obstacle to this process. This workshop aims to bring together emerging scholars of Southeast Asia to provide these new directions required to the bridge the broader goals of the IR with the expectations emanating from the region. 

We expect this to be an inclusive workshop that will bring together a broad range of perspectives on wide ranging issue areas, including security, economy, land and resource use, gender, and sustainability, amongst others. Contributions could include theoretical, policy-oriented and empirical work. Analysis could cover the perspectives of different regional actors, including non-state groups. We hope the workshop will form the first stage of an ongoing conversation to develop a network of scholars with the ultimate goal of facilitating collaborative outputs. We have submitted a panel proposal to ASEASUK on similar themes and are optimistic about the potential of and the demand for some sort of collectively written output, such as a special issue or edited volume. Due to the limited lead-in time for the workshop, we welcome early reflections that draw upon participants’ expertise. We particularly welcome ECR and postgraduate students and have some funding for travel.