15.10.2024
Gender Performances and Aesthetic in South Korea
This article attempts to locate the extent to which gendered conceptions and performances of beauty and aesthetics reflect on and reinforce (gender) inequalities in South Korea. Drawing on the works of Butler, this author seeks to foster discussion surrounding the intersection of gender performances and beauty, and how it has become salient in the contemporary Korean context. Zooming in on makeup and aesthetic/cosmetic surgery as prevalent, often labeled gendered, phenomena amongst the Korean population, this article establishes how beautification tactics as a common practice inform broader discussions surrounding (in) equality in the country.
01.08.2024
The Modern Transformation of Confucianism and the Failure of Liberalism during the Republic of China
This article introduces the political thoughts of Confucianism and its collision with liberalism during the Republic of China. Confucianism was characterized by three features: family-based ethics, the cultivation of human virtues, pragmatic political ideology, and the worship of historical traditions. Impacted by both liberalism, these features were transformed into modern ideas. However, because of the pressing appeals of nationalism, the transformation wasn't completely liberal and many residual influences of Confucianism kept their importance. This doomed the failure of liberalism in China.
01.08.2024
Book Review - Citizen Designs: City-Making and Democracy in Northeastern By Eli Elinoff
For those interested in Thai politics and in diving into the meaning of what it is to design citizenship, "Citizen Designs" by Eli Elinoff comes as a relevant narrative unfolded into three parts. Starting by discussing historical state efforts, moving to democratic community-building processes and the impact of post-2014 urbanization, the author uses the example of a marginalized community in Northeastern Thailand to write about the relationship between politics and design to shape citizens even in a not-always-democratic environment.
17.05.2023
Women in the Malayan Communist Party are still alive, and it is our task to find them
This article aims to retell the story of women in the Malayan Communist Party, one among many other groups. It offers a glimpse into this period of history and how these women employed their voices and actions as active participants in wars and revolutions.
14.04.2023
LAST MONTH IN EAST AND SOUTHEAST ASIA - March
In this news article, we present how Japan and China take different stances on the Russian-Ukrainian Conflict. Moreover, we show worries of Thai people on opaque work of the Election Commission in the upcoming general election.
