AUTHORITARIANISM AND DEMOCRACY IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

POLITICS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
Course Number: 371
Location: DU 276
Meeting Times: Mon 12pm-12.50pm, Wed 12pm-12.50pm, Fri 12pm-12.50pm
Instructor: Michael Buehler
Office Location/Office Hours: Zulauf Hall 418, Mon 1pm-3pm; Fri 1pm-2pm
Email Address: mbuehler1@niu.edu
Credits: 3
Prerequisites: This course does not presume any background in Southeast Asian politics.
COURSE OVERVIEW:
Southeast Asia is one of the most interesting and important arenas for democratization in the
world today. The region includes Asia's oldest democracy, the Philippines, the recently
consolidated democracy of Indonesia, the once-and-future democracy in Thailand, and a
variety of forms of enduring authoritarian rule, including the curious cases of highly
prosperous, but undemocratic Malaysia and Singapore. Aside from the intriguing puzzle of
this pattern of diversity, the transitions from authoritarian rule in the region have attracted
much attention, beginning with the 'People Power' revolt against long-time dictator Ferdinand
Marcos in the Philippines in 1986, and the more recent student protests that led to the
resignation of Marcos' counterpart, (Ret.) Maj. Gen. Suharto, in Indonesia in 1998. Beyond
these dramatic transitions, the longer-term and more complicated processes of
democratization ongoing in Southeast Asia in recent years have involved important examples
of forces and dynamics found elsewhere in the world: civil society and social movements,
religious revivalism, communal violence, or Islamist terrorism. Even those countries still
under authoritarian rule in Southeast Asia have experienced dramatic economic and social
transformation in recent years, with subtle political changes also under way despite apparent
regime stability. This course will seek to explain the patterns and dynamics of contemporary
politics in this important and rapidly changing region—and provide guidelines for evaluating
future developments.
The course will focus on four countries in Southeast Asia: Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and
Singapore. The four states together encompass almost 300 million people, more than twenty
major ethnic and racial communities, a major regional economic grouping (ASEAN), three
major religious cultures (Islam, Buddhism, Christianity), and the largest Muslim nation in the
world (Indonesia). The main focus of the unit of study will be to understand processes of
political change and continuity in the four countries, especially growing pressures for more
democratic government in most of them. During the course, students will investigate a range
of approaches to studying democracy and authoritarianism in the region, including those,
which emphasize political culture, economic growth and crisis, political elites, class conflict,
civil society and globalization.
The course combines theoretical material with corresponding practical instances as they have
taken place and continue to occur in the region. The aim is to expose students to the diversity
of the region whilst cultivating a critical awareness of key theoretical models and dominant
narratives, which have and continue to define the political and social climate of each country.
By the conclusion of the course, students will be well equipped to determine the merits and
weaknesses of various past and present analyses of Southeast Asia, as well as have a thorough
understanding of current political situations and trends in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and
Singapore.
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GRADING:
I) Class Attendance& Class Participation (10% of total grade):
Students are expected to have read at least the required readings each week to allow
informed and thoughtful discussion. Students are strongly encouraged to read beyond the set
passages as it not merely enlivens discussion, but is borne out in written work and exams. At
least one other reading should be consulted in the course of the week.
Each student will be required to give one brief oral critical presentation of 10 minutes
length. Students are required to prepare a single-sided sheet highlighting the main
points they wish to make in their presentation. They should make enough copies to distribute
to all class members and email a copy to the instructor at mbuehler1@niu.edu
For the presentation, the following points should be taken as a guideline for the student‘s
critical analysis:
What are the main questions and propositions being examined in the written text(s)?
How are those questions and propositions ―answered‖ or explained?
In other words, students presenting need to understand what is being said in the text and how
this is being explained or answered (particular theories used, historical or comparative
approaches, particular models of the state alluded to or implied etc.) To do this without
reading other similar texts is difficult, as you have no reference point. Your task is not to say
whether ‗you thought the author was on the right track or not‘. Critical insights should be
substantiated from a) contrary or confirming opinion found in the literature on the topic, and
b) confirming or contrary evidence from contemporary media sources.
Students will be awarded marks for participating actively in seminars (not just attending).
Attendance will be recorded. More than two absences will lower a student’s final grade by
a full mark (e.g. ―A‖ will be reduced to ―B―)
II) Essay (40% of total grade): One 2500 word essay due in Week 14 on topics to be
determined in close consultation with the instructor. Students are asked to turn in a research
question and tentative bibliography of the essay in class during Week 6. A research
outline is due in Week 11.
The grade of the research paper is broken down as follows:
Research Question and Statement: 5% (Week 6)
Research Outline: 5% (Week 11)
Final Paper: 30% (Week 14)
Papers will be graded on the substance of the paper, the research thoroughness and the
presentation of the material. Essay writing is an essential part of the learning process and a
vital medium through which a student‘s understanding of a subject can develop and be
assessed. Good academic writing usually contains the following attributes:
Arguments supported by reference to secondary and, if possible, primary material
Adequate range of sources
Central question or issue clearly defined and answered
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Discussion of key issues and relevant narrative
Logical flow of ideas and arguments
Evidence of creative thought and articulation of own ideas
Contains adequate introduction and conclusion
Conclusions supported by evidence and argument
Fluent and succinct writing
Accurate spelling, grammar and punctuation
Neat presentation
Full bibliography of references cited in the essay
When preparing essays, students should use the above list as a guide. It is particularly
important to engage critically with source materials. Do not accept without question the
views or interpretations given in the works which you read. Use them instead as a means of
finding your own way into the problem at hand. Your essays should be more than simply a
report of other people‘s views but instead should demonstrate your own understanding of the
question or issue.
It is also especially important to remember that an essay should contain more than
description of some issue or problem, but should advance a particular argument, supported
by evidence and leading to a conclusion, as a way of resolving or responding to a question or
problem.
Late submission will result in grade reduction for a full-mark per day (e.g. ―A‖ will be
reduced to ―B― if submission is a day late.
Grading Standards:
A: The argument is clearly articulated and logically developed, using relevant evidence. The
research is of high quality, cleverly ordered to support the argument with an original and
creative synthesis of materials and displaying understanding of wider issues. The presentation
is of high standard.
B: The argument is well proposed but the structure is not fully developed. The research is
quite extensive but sources are not fully utilized which limits the ability to be creative and
deal with a full range of issues. The presentation is solid but can be improved.
C: The argument is satisfactory, with some limitations, but the structure is not well thought
out. The research used is just adequate, but insufficient to develop fully the argument or
display much originality. The presentation is adequate but could be improved.
D: While the essay displays a basic understanding of the subject, the argument lacks
coherence and logical development. The research is basic and the use of evidence does not
sufficiently support the argument nor display originally or understanding of wider issues. The
presentation is not of sufficient standard.
F: The presentation is well below acceptable standard. The essay is incoherent with glaring
misunderstandings.
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Grade Scale:
A+ 4.33 (given extremely rarely - for extraordinary performance)
A 4.00
A- 3.67
B+ 3.33
B 3.0
B- 2.67
C+ 2.33
C 2.0
C- 1.67
D+ 1.33
D 1.00
D- 0.67
F 0.00
Style Guide:
1. Within the thematic framework provided by the instructor, choose an original topic, and
make it as specific as possible. For example, instead of writing about ―Health Security in the
Asia-Pacific Region‖, focus on ―HIV/AIDS Prevention Programs in Thailand and Burma: A
Comparison‖.
2. Before you start writing, think about a compelling and provocative argument that you want
to present in your essay. Do not limit yourself to a narrative description of your topic.
3. After you have decided on a topic and argument, and after you have collected all the
necessary materials, think about how you want to structure your essay. It is essential that you
have a clear idea of this structure before you begin the writing process.
4. Every essay needs a title. Do not simply use the research question as your headline. A title
should give the reader an idea about the content and, if possible, the argument of your paper.
An attractive title is of extreme importance, since most readers refer to the title alone when
deciding whether to read an article or not.
5. Start your essay with an introduction. This introduction should lay out the topic, the
analytical question you are trying to answer, and your main argument(s). There is no need to
summarize the whole article in the introduction – just anticipate some of its main points.
6. The main body of the text gives you the opportunity to develop your argument, and to back
it up with empirical evidence. It is important that this section is structured logically, and that
its various parts form coherent units. Use sub-headers to help the reader to identify the
themes of individual subsections.
7. If you are not a strong writer, refrain from using long sentences that you cannot control.
Use shorter sentences. Make use of commas to structure your sentences and put emphasis on
their content.
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8. Remember that written language is substantially different from spoken language. If you
are unsure about the kind of academic language that is appropriate for a scholarly essay, look
at articles in acknowledged social science journals as examples.
9. Complete your essay with a short, precise conclusion. This conclusion should pull all
narrative and analytical strings together, and formulate a clear, compelling argument.
10. All papers submitted for the class are expected to follow appropriate formats for citation
and bibliography. Use the Harvard System of Referencing. Details can be found online at
http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/harvard.htm The bibliography needs to be coherent,
and in line with the chosen system of citation.
11. In terms of sources, it is acceptable – and, in fact, expected – to make use of non-scholarly
sources to update your material. Newspaper or magazine articles can be quoted if they refer
to newer sources than those cited in scholarly articles. If, for example, a scholarly article
mentions the number of HIV infections in Thailand in 2003, it is expected that you browse the
internet to find credible sources for the newest data.
Academic Integrity Statement:
It is our hope that your experience at Northern Illinois University will prepare you in a
positive way for success in all you do. With that in mind, we are providing the following
information to assist you in understanding proper methods of citation and the effects of
plagiarism.
To better understand how to use citations and how to avoid plagiarism, visit these links:
http://www.ulib.niu.edu/information/citingresources.cfm
http://www.lib.monash.edu.au/tutorials/citing/
http://library.nsuok.edu/tutorials/BSOL/bsol_citationplagiarism.html
http://lrs.tvu.ac.uk/find/Plagiarism_tutorial/index.html
http://library.camden.rutgers.edu/EducationalModule/Plagiarism/
At NIU, plagiarism is considered cheating and constitutes a violation of The Student Code of
Conduct defined as Academic Misconduct:
3-3.1 Academic Misconduct. Receipt or transmission of unauthorized aid on assignments or
examinations, plagiarism, unauthorized use of examination materials, or other forms of
dishonesty in academic matters.
If you still need assistance after reviewing the information at the links above, contact your
instructor
III) Written Exams (50% of total grade):
The grade of the exams is broken down as follows:
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One 1 hour in-house examination in week 8 that includes short-answer questions based on
the first 7 weeks of the course: 30%
One 2 hour in-house examination in week 16 that includes short- and long answer questions
based on the 15 weeks of the course: 70%
IN-CLASS LAPTOP AND CELL PHONE USE:
In-class laptop and cell phone use is not allowed.
Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPbMpadn9ZA to see what happens if you get
caught using your phone in class.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:
NIU abides by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that mandates reasonable
accommodations for students with disabilities. If you have a disability, contact me early in
the semester so that I can help to address your needs. You will need to register with the
Center for Access-Ability Resources (CAAR) on campus on the 4 th floor of the University
Health Services building (753-1303.)
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COURSE SCHEDULE
22-28 Aug Week 1 DEMOCRATIZATION: A THEORETICAL OVERVIEW
19 Aug-4 Sep Week 2 ‗ASIAN VALUES‘ AND DEMOCRACY
05-11 Sep Week 3 THE COMPARATIVE HISTORICAL SOCIOLOGY OF SOUTHEAST ASIA
12-18 Sep Week 4 THE TREND TO AUTHORITARIANISM: THE MILITARY AND POLITICS IN
INDONESIA AND THAILAND
19-25 Sep Week 5 THE POLITICAL DYNAMICS OF RAPID DEVELOPMENT: STABLE ‗SEMI-
DEMOCRACY‘ IN MALAYSIA AND SINGAPORE?
26 Sep-2 Oct Week 6 ECONOMIC CRISIS AND DEMOCRATIZATION: MIDDLE CLASSES-
VANGUARD OF REFORM OR AUTHORITARIAN DEAD WEIGHT?
[RESEARCH QUESTION AND TENTATIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY]
3 Oct- 9 Oct Week 7 DEMOCRATIZATION AND CIVIL SOCIETY: NON-PARLIAMENTARY
OPPOSITION
10-16 Oct Week 8 MID-TERM
17-23 Oct Week 9 DEMOCRATIZATION AND ETHNICITY
24-30 Oct Week 10 DEMOCRATIZATION AND RELIGION: ISLAM AND POLITICS
31 Oct-6 Nov Week 11 DEMOCRATIZATION AND GENDER [RESEARCH OUTLINE]
7-13 Nov Week 12 RECENT POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS I: DEMOCRACY UPRISINGS IN
MALAYSIA AND INDONESIA COMPARED
14-20 Nov Week 13 RECENT POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS II: DEMOCRACY, CRISIS,
REFORM AND REACTION IN THAILAND
21-27 Nov Week 14 TOWARD DEMOCRATIC CONSOLIDATION? VIEWS FROM THE LOCAL
LEVEL [ESSAY]
29 Nov-5 Dec Week 15 CAN DEMOCRACY WORK?
6 Dec Week 16 FINAL EXAM
RESOURCES
The following sources may be useful to you in this course.
Collections with country-specific chapters
Acharya, Amitav (1998). Democratising Southeast Asia: economic crisis and political
change. Murdoch, WA: Asia Research Centre, Murdoch University.
Alagappa, Muthiah , editor (1995). Political legitimacy in Southeast Asia: the quest for moral
authority. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
Alagappa, Muthiah, editor (2001). Coercion and governance: the declining political role of
the military in Asia. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
Antlov, Hans and Tak-Wing Ngo (1998). The cultural construction of politics in Asia.
Copenhagen and London: Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (NIAS) and Curzon Press.
Brown, David (1994). The state and ethnic politics in Southeast Asia. London: Routledge.
(chap. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7).
Case, William (2002). Politics in Southeast Asia: Democracy or Less, Richmond, Surrey:
Curzon.
Funston, John, editor (2001). Government and politics in Southeast Asia, Singapore : Institute
of Southeast Asian Studies.
Hefner, Robert, editor (1998). Market cultures: society and morality in the new Asian
capitalisms. St Leonards: Allen and Unwin.
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Hefner, Robert and Horvatich, Patricia, editors (1997). Islam in an era of nation-states:
politics and religious renewal in Muslim Southeast Asia. Honolulu: University of Hawaii
Press.
Heryanto, Ariel and Mandal, Sumit K., editors (2003) Challenging authoritarianism in
Southeast Asia : comparing Indonesia and Malaysia. London; New York : RoutledgeCurzon,
Hinnells, John, editor (1985). A handbook of living religions. Penguin.
Kahn, Joel, editor (1998). Southeast Asian identities: culture and the politics of representation
in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian
Studies.
Maidment, Richard et al. editors (1998). Governance in the Asia-Pacific. London: Routledge
Rigg, Jonathon (1997). Southeast Asia: the human landscape of modernization and
development. London, Routledge.
Robison, Richard and Goodman, David, editors (1996). The new rich in Asia. London:
Routledge.
Rodan, Garry, editor (1996). Political oppositions in industrialising Asia. London: Routledge.
Rodan, Garry et al. editors (1997). The political economy of Southeast Asia: an introduction.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Suryadinata, Leo, editor (2000). Nationalism and globalization: East and West. Singapore:
Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
Taylor, R. H., editor (1996). The politics of elections in Southeast Asia. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Vatikiotis, Michael (1996). Political change in Southeast Asia. London: Routledge.
Yao Souchou, editor (2000) House of glass: culture, modernity, and the state in Southeast
Asia. Singapore: ISEAS
Websites
AsiaSource (The Asia Society) www.asiasource.org
Asian Studies WWW virtual library coombs.anu.edu.au/WWWVL-AsianStudies.html
International Crisis Group www.crisisweb.org
SEAsia on-line news services www.niu.edu/acad/cseas/seanews.html
Inside Indonesia (quarterly) www.insideindonesia.org
Aliran (critical Malaysian monthly) www.malaysia.net/aliran
Focus on the global south (links and library) www.focusweb.org
Thai Development Research Institute www.tdri.or.th
Regional newspapers
The Straits Times (Singapore daily) www.straitstimes.asia1.com.sg
The Jakarta Post (daily) www.thejakartapost.com
Economist Country Briefings www.economist.com/countries
Asiaweek (weekly magazine) www.pathfinder.com/asiaweek
Far Eastern Economic Review (weekly magazine) www.feer.com
Tempo (Indonesian political weekly) www.tempointeractive.com
Detikcom (daily, bahasa Indonesia) www.detik.com
Gatra (Indonesian political weekly, English) www.gatranews.com
Gamma (weekly, bahasa Indonesia) www.gamma.co.id
The Bangkok Post (Thailand daily) www.bangkokpost.com
The Nation (Thailand daily) www.nationmultimedia.com
The New Straits Times (Malaysian daily) www.nstpi.com.my
Malaysiakini (daily, semi-subscriber site) www.malaysiakini.com
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READINGS
It will be possible to consider certain revisions to the syllabus as we proceed.
WEEK 1 DEMOCRATIZATION: A THEORETICAL OVERVIEW
Questions
1) Can political culture be divorced from the study of political institutions? Explain
2) Is the relationship between democratization and socio-economic development largely
discredited today? Why (not)?
Required Readings
Carothers, Thomas. 2002. The End of the Transition Paradigm. Journal of Democracy. Vol.
13, No. 1, 5-21.
Huntington, Samuel. 1991. The Third Wave: Democratization in the late 20 th
Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. 3-30
Century.
Linz, Juan and Alfred Stepan. 1996. Problems of democratic transition and consolidation:
Southern Europe, South America, and post-communist Europe. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins
University Press, 3-83.
Suggested Readings
Case, William. 2005. Southeast Asia's hybrid regimes: When do voters change them?, -
Journal of East Asian Studies 5(2), 215-37.
Case, William. 2004. Democracy in Southeast Asia: what does it look like and what does it
matter? In Mark Beeson (ed.), Contemporary Southeast Asia: Regional Dynamics, National
Differences . London: Palgrave, 75-96.
Funston, John. Ed. 2001. Government and Politics in Southeast Asia. Singapore: Institute of
Southeast Asian Studies. Chapters 3, 5, 8, 9.
Lipset, Seymour Martin. 1981. Political Man: The Social Bases of Politics. Baltimore: Johns
Hopkins University Press, 27-63.
Moore, Barrington. 1966. Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy. Boston: Beacon
Press, 413-432
O‘Donnell Guillermo and Philippe Schmitter. 1986. Transitions from Authoritarian Rule:
Tentative Conclusions about Uncertain Democracies. Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University
Press, 2-72.
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WEEK 2 ‘ASIAN VALUES’ AND DEMOCRACY
Questions
1) What role does ―culture‖ play in explaining authoritarian rule?
2) Are (were) ―Asian values‖ a mere attempt at legitimizing authoritarian rule?
Required Readings
Hood, Steven J. 1998. The myth of Asian-style democracy. Asian Survey 38 (9) (September).-
Pye, Lucian W. 2000. 'Asian values': from dynamos to dominoes? In Culture matters: how
values shape human progress, edited by Lawrence E. Harrison, and Samuel P.Huntington.
New York: Basic Books, 244-255. -
Robison, Richard. 1996. The Politics of Asian Values. Pacific Review 9 (3): 309-327. -
Zakaria, Fareed. 1994. Culture is destiny: a Conversation with Lee Kuan Yew. Foreign
Affairs (March-April), 189-195 -
Suggested Readings
Barr, Michael D. 2000. Lee Kuan Yew and the 'Asian values' debate. Asian Studies Review
24 (3) (June): 309-334
Bauer, Joanne R. and Daniel A. Bell. 1999. The East Asian challenge for human rights
Cambridge, UK ; New York: Cambridge University Press (selected articles).
Englehart, Neil A. 2000. Rights and culture in the Asian values argument: the rise and fall of
Confucian ethics in Singapore. Human Rights Quarterly 22 (2) (May): 548-568.
Freeman, Michael. 1996. Human Rights, Democracy and Asian Values. Pacific Review 9(3): 352-66.
Kausikan, Bilahari. 1998. The 'Asian values' debate: a view from Singapore. In Larry
Diamond and Marc F. Plattner (eds.) Democracy in East Asia.Baltimore and London:
Johns Hopkins University Press, 17-27.
Mauzy, Diane K. 1997. The Human Rights and Asian Values Debate in Southeast Asia –
Trying to Clarify the Key Issues. Pacific Review 10 (2): 210-236.
Manan, Wan. A. 1999. A Nation in Distress: Human Rights, Authoritarianism, and Asian
Values in Malaysia. Sojourn, Vol. 14, No. 2, 359-381.
Pye, Lucian W. 1985. Asian power and politics: the cultural dimensions of authority.
Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press. page
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Surin, Maisrikrod. 1999. Joining the Values Debate: The Peculiar Case of Thailand. Sojourn,
Vol. 14, No. 2, 402-413.
Vickers, Adrian and Lyn Fisher. 1999. Asian values in Indonesia? National and regional
identities. Sojourn 14 (2) (October): 382-401.
Wee, C.J.W.-L. 1999. ―Asian Values‖, Singapore, and the Third Way: Re-Working
Individualism and Collectivism. Sojourn 14 (2) (October): 332-358.
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WEEK 3 THE COMPARATIVE HISTORICAL SOCIOLOGY OF SOUTHEAST ASIA
Questions
1) Discuss regime types and democratic change in Southeast Asia. How, of all the Southeast
Asian states, was Thailand able to maintain its independence?
2) How were domestic politics and economy transformed by the advent of colonialism?
Required Readings
Berger, Mark T. ‗Decolonisation, modernization and nation-building: Political Development
theory and the Appeal of Communism in Southeast Asia, 1945-1974‘, Journal of
Southeast Asian Studies 34, 3 (October 2003), 421-449.
Case, William. 2002. Comparing Politics in Southeast Asia. In Politics in Southeast Asia:
Democracy or Less, Richmond, Surrey: Curzon, 1-28.
Osborne, Milton E. 2005. Southeast Asia: An Introductory History. Crows Nest: Allen&
Unwin. Chapter 1.
Suggested Readings
Pre-Colonialism
Osborne, Milton E. 2005. Southeast Asia: An Introductory History. Crows Nest: Allen&
Unwin. Chapters 2,3,4.
Mabbett, I.W. 1977. The ―Indianization‖ of Southeast Asia: Reflections on the Historical
Sources. Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, Vol. 8, No. 2, 143-161.
Colonialism
Brown, Ian. 1997. Economic Change in South-East Asia, c. 1830-1980. Kuala Lumpur:
Oxford University Press.
Carl A. Trocki. 1999. ―Political Structures in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries‖, in
Tarling (ed.) Cambridge History of Southeast Asia, Vol. 2, Part 1, 75-126.
Post-Colonialism and Cold War
Adas, Michael. 1979. Prophets of rebellion: Millenarian Protest Movements against the
European Colonial Order. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.
Kuhnt-Saptodewo, Sri, Volker Grabowsky and Martin Grossheim (eds.). 1997. Nationalism
and Cultural Revival in Southeast Asia: Perspectives from the Centre and the Region.
Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.
Stockwell, A.J. 1999. ‗Southeast Asia in war and peace: The end of European colonial
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empires‘, in Tarling (ed.), Cambridge history of Southeast Asia, vol. 2, part 2: From World
War II to the present, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1-57.
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WEEK 4 THE TREND TO AUTHORITARIANISM: THE MILITARY AND POLITICS IN INDONESIA
AND THAILAND
Questions
1) What are the different patterns of military participation in political life in Indonesia and
Thailand?
2) What were the bases of Soeharto‘s political power?
Required Readings
Chai-Anan Samudavanija and Suchit Bunbongkarn, 1985 ―Thailand‖ In Zakaria Haji Ahmad
and Harold Crouch (eds), Military-Civilian Relations in South-East Asia. Singapore:
Oxford University Press, 78-117.
Ockey, James. 2001. Thailand: the struggle to redefine civil-military relations. In Muthiah
Alagappa. (ed.) Coercion and governance: the declining political role of the military in
Asia Stanford: Stanford University Press. 187-208
Robinson, Geoffrey. 2001. Indonesia: on a new course? In Muthiah Alagappa. (ed.) Coercion
and governance: the declining political role of the military in Asia, Stanford: Stanford
University Press. 226-256.
Suggested Readings
Bunbongkarn, Suchit. 1987. The Military in Thai politics, 1981-86. Singapore: Institute of
Southeast Asian Studies.
Crouch, Harold. 1978. The Army and Politics in Indonesia. Ithaca, N.Y: Cornell University
Press.
Crouch, Harold. 1991. Military-civilian relations in Indonesia in the late Soeharto era. In
Viberto Selochan (ed.) The Military, State, and Development in Asia and the Pacific
Boulder: Westview Press, 51-66.
Crouch, Harold. 1999. Wiranto and Habibie: military-civilian relations since May 1998. In
Arief Budiman, Barbara Hatley and Damien Kingsbury. (eds) Reformasi: Crisis and
Change in Indonesia Clayton, VIC: Monash Asia Institute, 127-148.
Darling, Frank C. ―Marshal Sarit and Absolutist Rule in Thailand‖, Pacific Affairs, 33 (4)
(December 1960), 347-360.
May, R.J., Stephanie Lawson and Viberto Selochan. 1998. Introduction: Democracy and the
Military in Comparative Perspective. In R. J. May and Viberto Selochan (eds.) The
Military and Democracy in Asia and the Pacific, Bathurst: Crawford House, 1-28
Pasuk, Phongpaichit and Chris Baker. 1995. Thailand, Economy and Politics. Kuala Lumpur:
Oxford University Press.
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Vatikiotis, Michael R. J. 1998. Romancing the dual function: Indonesia‘s Armed Forces and
the fall of Soeharto. In The Fall of Soeharto, Geoff Forrester and R. J. May. (eds.)
Bathurst: Crawford House Publishing, 154-166.
Yong Mun Cheong, ―The Political Structures of the independent States‖ In Cambridge
History of Southeast Asia, Vol. 4, 96-131 (Section ―Maximum Government‖)
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WEEK 5 THE POLITICAL DYNAMICS OF RAPID DEVELOPMENT: STABLE ‘SEMI-
DEMOCRACY’ IN MALAYSIA AND SINGAPORE?
Questions
1) What factors account for the apparent longevity and resilience of the current political
regimes in Malaysia and Singapore?
2) To what extent is the term ―semi-democracy‖ an appropriate label for Malaysia and
Singapore?
Required Readings
Case, William. 1996. Can the Halfway House Stand - Semi Democracy and Elite Theory in
Three Southeast Asian Countries. Comparative Politics 28 (4): 437-464.
Crouch, Harold. 1993. Malaysia: Neither authoritarian nor democratic. In Kevin Hewison,
Richard Robison and Garry Rodan (eds). Southeast Asia in the 1990s:
Authoritarianism, Democracy and Capitalism, NSW: Allen & Unwin, 133-158.
Chua Beng-Huat. 1994. Arrested development: Democratisation in Singapore. Third World
Quarterly 15 (4): 655-68
Means, Gordon P. 1998. Soft Authoritarianism in Malaysia and Singapore. In Democracy in
East Asia, eds. Larry Diamond and Marc F. Plattner. Boulder: Westview, 96-110.
Suggested Reading
Case, William. 2002. Singapore: A Stable Semi-Democracy. In Politics in Southeast Asia:
Democracy or Less. Richmond, Surrey: Curzon, 81-98.
Crouch, Harold. 1996. Malaysia: Do elections make a difference? In The Politics of
Elections in Southeast Asia, R. H. Taylor. (ed.) Cambridge: Woodrow Wilson Center
Press and Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 114-.
Crouch, Harold. 1996. Government and society in Malaysia. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University
Press.
Hilley, John. 2001. Mahathirism, hegemony and the new opposition in Malaysia. New York:
Zed Books. 1-19; 254-285.
Mauzy, Diane K and R. S Milne. 2002. Singapore Politics under the People’s Action Party.
London and New York: Routledge.
Tan, Simon. 1990. The Rise of State Authoritarianism in Malaysia. Bulletin of Concerned
Asian Scholars 22 (3).
Page 16 of 35

WEEK 6 ECONOMIC CRISIS AND DEMOCRATIZATION – MIDDLE CLASSES: VANGUARD OF
REFORM OR AUTHORITARIAN DEAD WEIGHT?
Questions:
1) Why is the middle-class deemed so significant to political development?
2) Has the ‗middle class‘ been more a force for democratization or a bulwark of
authoritarianism in the industrializing societies of Southeast Asia?
Required Readings
Heryanto, Ariel. 1996. Indonesian middle-class opposition in the 1990s. In Political Oppositions in
Industrialising Asia, ed. Garry Rodan. London and New York: Routledge, 241-71.
Jones, David Martin and David Brown. 1994. Singapore and the Myth of the Liberalizing Middle Class.
The Pacific Review 7 (1): 79-87.
Richard Robison and Vedi Hadiz. 2004. Reorganising Power in Indonesia: The Politics of
Oligarchy in an Age of Markets. London: RoutledgeCurzon, 187-222.
Additional Reading
Dixon, Chris, ―Post-crisis Restructuring in Thailand: Foreign Ownership, Corporate
Resistance and Economic Nationalism,‖ Contemporary Southeast Asia, Volume 26,
Number 1 (2004), 45-72.
Glassman, Jim, ―Economic ‗Nationalism‘ in a Post-Nationalist Era: The Political Economy
of Economic Policy in Post-Crisis Thailand,‖ Critical Asian Studies, Volume 36,
Number 1 (March 2004), 37-64.
Jones, David Martin. 1998. Democratization, Civil Society, and Illiberal Middle Class Culture in Pacific
Asia. Comparative Politics 30 (2): 147-69.
K.S. Jomo. 1999. ―A Malaysian Middle Class?‖ In K.S. Jomo, ed., Rethinking Malaysia.
Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian Social Science Association, 126-148.
Kahn, Joel S. 1996. Growth, economic transformation, culture and the middle classes in
Malaysia. In The New Rich in Asia: Mobile phones, McDonalds and middle-class
revolution. Richard Robison and David S. G. Goodman (eds). London: Routledge, 49-
78
LoGerfo, James P. 2000. Beyond Bangkok: the provincial middle class in the 1992 protests.
In Money and Power in Provincial Thailand, ed. Ruth McVey. Singapore: Institute of
Southeast Asia Studies and Bangkok: Silkworm Books, 221-70.
Ockey, James. 2001. On the expressway, and under it: representations of the middle class,
the poor, and democracy in Thailand. In House of glass: culture, modernity, and the
Page 17 of 35

state in Southeast Asia. Souchou Yao (ed). Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian
Studies, 313-37.
Ockey, Jim. 1999. Creating the Thai middle class. In Culture and privilege in capitalist Asia,
Michael Pinches (ed.) London and New York: Routledge, 1999, 230-250.
Oehlers, Alfred L. 2001. The new economy middle class and the prospects for
democratisation in Singapore. Asian Profile 29 (4) (August): 305-314.
Pasuk Phongpaichit and Chris Baker, ―Aftermath: Structural Change and Policy Innovation
after the Thai Crisis,‖ in Jomo K.S. (ed.), After the Storm: Crisis, Recovery and
Sustaining Development in Four Asian Economies. Singapore: Singapore University
Press, 2004, 150-172.
Rajeswary Ampalavanar Brown, ―Conglomerates in Contemporary Indonesia: Concentration,
Crisis and Restructuring,‖ South East Asia Research, Volume 12, Number 3
(November 2004), 378-407.
Surin Maisrikrod. 1997. The making of Thai democracy: a study of political alliances among
the state, the capitalists, and the middle class. In Democratization in Southeast Asia, ed.
Anek Laothamatas. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 141-66.
Tanter, Richard and KennethYoung. 1990. The Politics of Middle Class Indonesia. Clayton,
VIC: Centre of Southeast Asian Studies.
Page 18 of 35

WEEK 7 DEMOCRATIZATION AND CIVIL SOCIETY: NON-PARLIAMENTARY OPPOSITION
Questions
1) Has ―civil society‖ contributed significantly to democratization in Southeast Asia?
Compare Indonesia and Thailand
2) How can we explain the variegated pattern of mobilization observed in Southeast Asia
among groups and movements emanating from the associational realm of ―civil society‖?
Required Readings
Baker, Chris. 2000. ―Thailand‘s Assembly of the Poor: Background, Drama, Reaction,‖
South East Asia Research, Vol. 8, No 1, 5-30.
Hewison Kevin and Rodan Garry. 1996. The ebb and flow of civil society and the decline of
the Left in Southeast Asia. In Political Oppositions in Industrialising Asia, ed. Garry
Rodan. London and New York: Routledge.
Hedman, Eva-Lotta E. 2001. Contesting state and civil society: Southeast Asian trajectories.
Modern Asian Studies 35 (4) (October): 921-951.
Suggested Readings
Aspinall, Edward. 1999. Democratisation, the Working Class and the Indonesian Transition.
Review of Indonesian and Malaysian Affairs, 33(2): 1-32.
Aspinall, Edward. 1999. The Indonesian student uprising of 1998. In Budiman et al. (eds.)
Reformasi: crisis and change in Indonesia. Clayton: Monash Asian Institute.
Aspinall, Edward. 2005. Opposing Suharto: Compromise, Resistance and Regime Change in
Indonesia. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
Brown, Andrew. 1997. Locating working class power‘, in Kevin Hewison (ed.), Political
Change in Thailand: democracy and participation, London: Routledge, 163-178.
Callahan, William A. 1995. Non-governmental organizations, non-violent action, and post
modern politics in Thailand. Sojourn 10 (1) (April): 90-115.
Callahan, William A. 1998. Imagining democracy: reading the events of May in Thailand.
Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
Chattip Nartsupha. 1991. The ‗community culture school‘ of thought. In Thai constructions
of knowledge, eds. Turton and Manas. London: School of Oriental and African Studies,
118-41.
Hadiz, Vedi. 1998. Reformasi Total? Labour after Suharto. Indonesia 66 (October): 109-24.
Hadiz, Vedi R., 1997, Workers and the state in new order Indonesia, London: Routledge.
Page 19 of 35

Hewison, K, and A. Brown. 1994. Labour and Unions in Industrialising Thailand, Journal of
Contemporary Asia 24 (4) 483-514.
Rungrawee Chalermsripinyorat, ―Politics of Representation: A Case Study of Thailand‘s
Assembly of the Poor,‖ Critical Asian Studies, Volume 36, Number 4 (December 2004), 541-
566.
Missingham, Bruce D. The Assembly of the Poor in Thailand: From Local Struggles to
National Protest Movement (Chiang Mai: Silkworm Books, 2004), 121-171.
Phongpaichit, Pasuk and Chris Baker. 1997. Towards Civil Society. In Thailand: Economy and
Politics. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press, 367-94.
Pongsapich, Amara. 1999. Politics of civil society. Southeast Asian Affairs Singapore: ISEAS, 325-335.
Quigley, Kevin F. F. 1996. Towards Consolidating Democracy: The Paradoxical Role of
Democracy Groups in Thailand. Democratization 3 (3) (Autumn): 264-286.
Stanley, Adi Prasetyo, A.E. Priyono, and Olle Tornquist (eds.). 2003. Indonesia’s Post-
Soeharto Democracy Movement. Jakarta: Demos.
Uhlin, Anders. 2002. Globalization, democratization and civil society in Southeast Asia:
observations from Malaysia and Thailand. In Catarina Kinnvall and Kristina Jönsson,
(eds.) Globalization and democratization in Asia: the construction of identity, London:
Routledge, 149-166.
Ukrist Pathmanand. 2001. Globalization and democratic development in Thailand: the new
path of the military private sector, and civil society. Contemporary Southeast Asia 23
(1) (April): 24-42.
Page 20 of 35

WEEK 8 MID-TERM
Page 21 of 35

WEEK 9 DEMOCRATIZATION AND ETHNICITY
Questions
1) What influence have ethnic divisions, especially relations between the Chinese and other
groups, had on the development of the political systems in Southeast Asia?
2) Does democratization promote or prevent ethnic violence?
Required Readings
Brown, David. 2002. ―Why Might Constructed Nationalist and Ethnic Ideologies Come into
Confrontation with Each Other?‖ Pacific Review, Vol. 15, No. 4, 555-570.
Searle, P. 2002. ―Ethno-Religious Conflicts: Rise or Decline? Recent Developments in
Southeast Asia‖, Contemporary Southeast Asia, Vol. 24, No. 1, 1-11.
Sukma, Rizal. 2002. ―Conflict Management in Post-Authoritarian Indonesia: Federalism,
Autonomy and the Dilemma of Democratization‖ In Damien Kingsbury and H. Aveling,
eds. Autonomy and Disintegration in Indonesia. London: RoutledgeCurzon, 64-74.
Suggested Readings
Brown, David. 1993. The corporatist management of ethnicity in contemporary Singapore. In
Singapore Changes Guard: Social, Political and Economic Directions in the 1990s, ed.
Garry Rodan. Melbourne: Longman Cheshire.
Brown, David. 1994. The State and Ethnic Politics in Southeast Asia. London: Routledge.
Ethnicity and the State, Ethnicity and corporatism in Singapore, 66-111, 112-157,
Class, state and ethnic politics in Peninsular Malaysia, 206-257).
Collins, Alan. 1998. The ethnic security dilemma: evidence from Malaysia. Contemporary
Southeast Asia 20 (3) (December): 261-278.
Hefner, Robert W. 2001. Introduction: multiculturalism and citizenship in Malaysia,
Singapore, and Indonesia. In The politics of multiculturalism: pluralism and citizenship
in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, Robert W. Hefner (ed.), Honolulu: University of
Hawai‗i Press. 1-58.
Heryanto, Ariel. 1998. Ethnic identities and erasure: Chinese Indonesians in public culture.
In Southeast Asian identities: culture and the politics of representation in Indonesia,
Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, Joel S. Kahn (ed). New York: St. Martin's, 95-114.
Kwok Bun Chan and Chee Kiong Tong, (1993) ‗Rethinking assimilation and ethnicity: the
Chinese in Thailand‘, International Migration Review 27 (Spring): 140-68.
Lee Kam Hing and Heng Pek Koon. 2000. The Chinese in the Malaysian Political System. In
The Chinese in Malaysia, Lee Kam Hing and Chee-Beng Tan (eds). Shah Alam,
Selangor Darul Ehsan: Oxford University Press, 255-281.
Page 22 of 35

Mackie, Jamie. 1999. Tackling ‗the Chinese Problem‘. In Post Soeharto Indonesia: Renewal
or Chaos? Indonesia Assessment 1998, Geoff Forrester (ed.), 187-97. Bathurst:
Crawford House Publishing.
Suryadinata, Leo. 2001. Chinese politics in post-Suharto Indonesia: beyond the ethnic
approach? Asian Survey 41 (3) (May-June): 502-524.
Ramsay, Ansil. 2001. The Chinese in Thailand: ethnicity, power, and cultural opportunity
structures. In Global multiculturalism: comparative perspectives on ethnicity, race, and
nation, eds. Grant H. Cornwell and Eve Walsh Stoddard. Lanham, Md.: Rowman &
Littlefield Publishers, 51-71.
Schwarz, Adam. 1999. The Race that Counts. In A Nation in Waiting: Indonesia’s Search for
Stability. St. Leonards, New South Wales: Allen and Unwin, 98-132.
Weiss, Meredith L. 2001. Overcoming race-based politics in Malaysia. In Ho Khai Leong and
James Chin, eds. Mahathir's administration: performance and crisis in governance.
Singapore: Times Books International, 62-100.
Page 23 of 35

WEEK 10 DEMOCRATIZATION: ISLAM AND POLITICS
Questions
1) How can we explain the different roles Islam has played in the politics of Malaysia and
Indonesia?
2) What is the relationship between Islam, democratization and radicalism in Indonesia and
Malaysia?
Required Readings
Collins, Elizabeth. 2004. ―Islam and the Habits of Democracy: Islamic Organizations in Post-
New Order South Sumatra,‖ Indonesia 78 (October 2004), 93-120.
Hefner, Robert W. 2002. ―Civil Islam, Democratisation and Violence in Indonesia: A
Comment‖, Review of Indonesian and Malaysian Affairs, Vol. 36, No.1, 67-75.
Hamayotsu, Kikue. ―Islam and Nation Building in Southeast Asia: Malaysia and Indonesia in
Comparative Perspective‖, Pacific Affairs, Vol. 75, No. 3, 353-375.
Case, William and Liew Chin-tong (2006) ‗How Committed is PAS to Democracy and How
Do We Know It?‘, Contemporary Southeast Asia, 28 (3), 385-406.
Suggested Readings
Azyumardi Azra. 2000. The Islamic factor in post-Soeharto Indonesia. In Chris Manning and
Peter van Diermen, (eds.) Indonesia in transition: social aspects of reformasi and crisis
309-318. London: Zed Books.
Barton, Greg. 2001. The prospects for Islam. In Grayson Lloyd and Shannon Smith (eds.)
Indonesia Today: Challenges of History. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian
Studies, 244-55.
Bruinessen, Martin van. 2002. ―Genealogies of Islamic radicalism in post-Suharto
Indonesia,‖ South East Asia Research, Volume 10, Number 2 (July 2002), 117-154.
Buehler, Michael. 2008. The Rise of Shari‘a By-Laws in Indonesian Districts: Indication for
Changing Patterns of Power Accumulation and Political Corruption. South East Asia
Research, Vol. 16, 165-195.
Desker, Barry. 2002. Islam and society in South-East Asia after 11 September. Australian
Journal of International Affairs 56 (3): 383-94.
Effendy, Bahtiar. 2003. Islam and the State in Indonesia. Singapore: Institute of Southeast
Asian Studies. Esp. Chapters 1,2,7,8.
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Fealy, Greg. 2001. Islamic Politics: A Rising or Declining Force? In Damien Kingsbury and
Arief Budiman (eds.) Indonesia: The Uncertain Transition, Adelaide: Crawford House.
119-36.
Fealy, Greg. 2004. Islamic Radicalism in Indonesia: The faltering Revival? Southeast Asian
Affairs, ISEAS: Singapore, 104-124.
Funston, John. 2000. Malaysia's tenth elections: status quo, reformasi or Islamization?
Contemporary Southeast Asia 22 (1) (April): 23-59
Hefner, Robert W and Patricia Horvavitch (eds). 1997. Islam in an Era of Nation-States.
Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press (various chapters).
Hefner, Robert W. 1999. Islam and Nation in the Post-Suharto Era. In The Politics of Post-
Suharto Indonesia, Adam Schwarz and Jonathan Paris (eds.). New York: Council on
Foreign Relations Press, 40-72.
Hefner, Robert W. 2000. Civil Islam: Muslims and Democratization in Indonesia. Princeton
and Oxford: Princeton University Press.
Hooker, Virginia Matheson. 2000. Reconfiguring Malay and Islam in contemporary
Malaysia. Review of Indonesian and Malaysian Affairs, 34 (2): 1-28.
Hooker, Virginia. 2003. Malaysia: Still ―Islam and Politics‖ But Now Embedded in a Global
Web‖, In Virginia Hooker and Norani Othman, (eds.) Malaysia: Islam, Society and
Politics. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 16-33.
International Crisis Group. 2002. Al-Qaeda in Southeast Asia: The Case of the ‘Ngruki
Network’ in Indonesia. Jakarta/Brussels: International Crisis Group, online. Available
at http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=2959&l=1
International Crisis Group. 2003. Jemaah Islamiyah in South East Asia: Damaged but Still
Dangerous. Jakarta/Brussels: International Crisis Group, online. Available at
http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=2959&l=1
Isaacson, Jason F. and Colin Rubenstein, (eds.). 2002. Islam in Asia: changing political
realities. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers. Various Chapters, esp
Introduction, Chp 1, 3, 4 and Conclusion.
Nakamura Mitsuo et al., (eds.) 2000. Islam and civil society in Southeast Asia. Singapore:
ISEAS. Various chapters. pages
Noorhaidi Hasan, ―Faith and Politics: The Rise of Laskar Jihad in the Era of Transition in
Indonesia‖, Indonesia 73, April 2002, 145-169.
Othman, Noraini. 2003. Islamization and democratization in Malaysia in regional and global
contexts. In Ariel Heryanto and Sumit K. Mandal (eds.), Challenging Authoritarianism
in Southeast Asia, London: RoutledgeCurzon, 117-144.
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Sidel, John T. 2006. Riots, Pogroms, Jihad: Religious Violence in Indonesia. Ithaca: Cornell
University Press, 2006. Introduction pages
Zubaidah, Lily Rahim. 2003. The Road Less Travelled: Islamic Militancy in Southeast Asia.
Critical Asian Studies 35 (2): 215-234.
Page 26 of 35

WEEK 11 DEMOCRATIZATION AND GENDER
Questions
1) What is the nature of women‘s social position and political participation in Indonesia and Malaysia?
2) What are the implications for democracy and democratization in these two countries?
Requested Readings
Blackburn, Susan. 1999. Gender violence and the Indonesian political transition. Asian
Studies Review 23 (4) (December): 433-448.
Budianta, Melani. 2003. The blessed tragedy: the making of women‘s activism during the
Reformasi years. In Ariel Heryanto and Sumit K. Mandal (eds). Challenging
Authoritarianism in Southeast Asia, London: RoutledgeCurzon, 145-177.
Stivens, Maila. 1998. Sex, gender and the making of the new Malay middle class. In Krishna
Sen and Maila Stivens (eds.) Gender and Power in Affluent Asia. London: Routledge,
87-126.
Suggested Readings
Blackburn, Susan. 1994. Gender Interests and Indonesian Democracy. In Democracy in Indonesia,
1950s and 1990s, eds. David Bourchier and John Legge, Clayton, Vic: Centre of Southeast Asian
Studies, Monash University, 168-181.
Blackburn, Susan. 2001. Gender Relations in Indonesia: What Women Want. In Indonesia
Today: Challenges of History, ed. Grayson Lloyd and Shannon Smith, Singapore:
ISEAS. 270-82.
Edwards, Louise and Mina Roces, eds. 2000. Women in Asia: tradition, modernity and
globalisation. St. Leonards, N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin (See articles on Indonesia
Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand). 16-34; 39-55; 139-165; 247-265
Oey Gardiner, Mayling and Carla Bianpoen. 2000. Indonesian women: the journey
continues. Canberra: Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National
University.
Othman, Norani. 1999. Grounding Human Rights Arguments in Non-Western Culture:
Shari‘a and the Citizenship Rights of Women in a Modern Islamic State. In Bauer,
Joanne R. and Daniel A. Bell. 1999. The East Asian challenge for human rights
Cambridge, UK; New York: Cambridge University Press, 169-192.
Parawansa, Khofifah Indar. 2002. Institution Building. An Effort to Improve Indonesian
Women‘s Role and Status. In Kathryn Robinson and Sharon Bessell. (eds.) Women in
Indonesia: Gender, Equity and Development, Singapore: ISEAS 68-77.
Robinson, Kathryn. 1999. Women: Difference versus Diversity. In Donald Emmerson (ed.),
Indonesia Beyond Suharto: Polity, Economy, Society and Transition, New York and
Page 27 of 35

London: E Sharpe, Armonk. 237-61.
Sen, Krishna. 2002. The Mega Factor in Indonesian Politics: A New President or a New Kind
of Presidency? In Kathryn Robinson and Sharon Bessell (eds.) Women in Indonesia:
Gender, Equity and Development, Singapore: ISEAS. 13-27. (See various chapters,
especially Mayling Oey-Gardiner in this volume).
Sullivan, Norma. 1991. Gender and Politics in Indonesia. In Why Gender Matters in Southeast
Asian Politics, Maila Stivens (ed.) Monash Papers on Southeast Asia no 23. Clayton,
Victoria: Monash Asia Institute, 61-86.
Page 28 of 35

WEEK 12 RECENT POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS 1: DEMOCRACY UPRISING IN MALAYSIA
AND INDONESIA COMPARED
Questions
1) Why were ―reformasi‖ protests successful in bringing about a change of government in Indonesia but
not Malaysia?
2) Is Indonesian democracy being ―normalized‖ or is it likely to retain certain ―exceptional‖
features for years to come?
Required Readings
Aspinall, Edward. 1999. Opposition and Elite Conflict in the Fall of Soeharto. In Geoff
Forrester and R. J. May (eds.) The Fall of Soeharto. Bathurst: Crawford House
Publishing and Canberra: Regime Change and Regime Maintenance in Asia and the
Pacific Project, Australian National University, 130-153.
Abbott, Jason. 2001. Vanquishing Banquo‘s ghost: the Anwar Ibrahim affair and its impact on
Malaysian politics. Asian Studies Review 25(3): 285-308.
Case, William. 2004. 'New uncertainties for an old pseudo-democracy: The case of Malaysia',
Comparative Politics 37(1), 83-104.
Suggested Readings
* Articles in Southeast Asian Affairs, Indonesia Assessment series and Asian Survey (Jan-
Feb. issues) for the relevant years.
Case, William. 2005. 'Malaysia: New reforms, old continuities, tense ambiguities', Journal of
Development Studies 41(2), 284-309.
Case, William. 2005. 'How's my driving? Abdullah's first year as Malaysian PM', Pacific
Review 18(2), 157-77.
Forrester, Geoff and R. J. May, (eds.) 1998. The Fall of Soeharto. Bathurst, New South
Wales: Crawford House Publishing.
Hilley, John. 2001. Contesting the vision : Mahathirism, hegemony and the new opposition in
Malaysia. New York: Zed Books.
Ho Khai Leong and James Chin, eds. 2001. Mahathir's administration: performance and
crisis in governance. Singapore: Times Books International.
Liddle, R. William. 1999. Indonesia‘s Democratic Opening. Government and Opposition 34
(1) (Winter): 94-116
Page 29 of 35

Kessler, Clive S. 2000. Essay: Malaysia in Crisis, 1997-2000. Review of Indonesian and
Malaysian Affairs 34 (2) (Summer): 99-126.
Khoo, Boo Teik. 2001. Politics after Mahathir. In Modern Malaysia in the global economy:
political and social change into the 21st century, ed. Colin Barlow. Cheltenham,
England and Northampton, Mass.: Edward Elgar, 135-146.
O'Rourke, Kevin. 2002. Reformasi: the struggle for power in post-Soeharto Indonesia.
Crows Nest, N.S.W: Allen & Unwin., esp. part III, 283-407.
Sidel, John T. 1998. Macet Total: Logics of Circulation and Accumulation in the Demise of
Indonesia‘s New Order. Indonesia, Vol. 66 (October).
Singh, Hari. 2000. Democratization or oligarchic restructuring? The politics of reform in
Malaysia. Government and Opposition 35 (4) (August): 520-546.
Stewart, Ian. 2003. The Mahathir legacy: a nation divided, a region at risk. Crows Nest,
N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin. Esp. Chapter 1, 6, 12 and 13.
Tornquist, Olle. 2001. Indonesia's democratisation. In Jeff Haynes (ed.) Democracy and
political change in the 'Third World', London and New York: Routledge, 171-197.
van Klinken, Gerry. 1999. How a democratic deal might be struck. In Arief Budiman,
Barbara Hatley, and Damien Kingsbury (eds.) Reformasi: crisis and change in
Indonesia, Clayton, VIC: Monash Asia Institute, 59-68
(See other articles, especially by Arief Budiman, and Vedi Hadiz in the same volume).
Weiss, Meredith L. 1999. What will become of Reformasi? Ethnicity and changing political
norms in Malaysia. Contemporary Southeast Asia 21 (3): 424-45.
Page 30 of 35

WEEK 13 RECENT POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS 2: DEMOCRACY, CRISIS, REFORM AND
REACTION IN THAILAND / TOWARDS MORE DEMOCRACY IN SINGAPORE?
Questions
1) How can we explain the phenomenon of Thaksin‘s rise to power, his rule over the past few
years, and the process of mobilization against him over the past few years?
2) Why is there no democratic opening in Singapore ?
Required Readings
Girling, John. 2002 ―Conclusion: Economics, Politics and Civil Society‖ in Duncan
McCargo, (ed.) Reforming Thai Politics. Copenhagen: Nordic Institute of Asian Studies,
261-266.
Looney, R. 2004. ―Thaksinomics: A New Asian Paradigm? Journal of Social, Political and
Economic Studies. Vol. 29, 1. 65-85.
McCargo, Duncan. 2002. ―Introduction: Understanding Political Reform in Thailand‖, In
Duncan McCargo, (ed.) Reforming Thai Politics. Copenhagen: Nordic Institute of Asian
Studies, 1-18.
Pongsudhirak, T. 2003. ―Thailand: Democratic Authoritarianism‖, Southeast Asian Affairs,
Singapore: ISEAS, 277-290.
Suggested Readings
Case, William (2004). 'Singapore in 2003: Another tough year', Asian Survey 44(1), 115-20.
Case, William (2008) ‗Democracy‘s Quality and Breakdown: New Lessons from Thailand‘,
Democratization, No. 1.
Connors, Michael K. and Kevin Hewison. 2008. Thailand and the ―good coup‖. Journal of
Contemporary Asia. Vol. 38, No. 1, 1-10.
Doner, Richard F. and Ansil Ramsay. 1997. ―Competitive Clientelism and Economic
Governance: The Case of Thailand‖ In Sylvia Maxifeild and Ben Ross Schneider (eds.)
Business and the State in Developing Countries. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 237-
276.
McCargo, Duncan. 2002. ―Democracy under Stress in Thaksin‘s Thailand‖, Journal of
Democracy, Vol. 13, No. 4, 112-126.
Pye, Oliver and Wolfram Schaffar. 2008. The 2006 anti-Thaksin movement in Thailand: An
Analysis. Journal of Contemporary Asia. Vol. 38, No. 1, 38-61.
Rodan, Garry. Perspectives: The State of Democracy in Singapore, online. Available at
http://www.sgreview.org/index.php?q=node/23
Page 31 of 35

WEEK 14 TOWARD DEMOCRATIC CONSOLIDATION? VIEWS FROM THE LOCAL LEVEL
Questions
1) What do local politics tell us about ―democratic consolidation‖? Compare Thailand and
Indonesia?
2) Is local politics in Malaysia different from the patterns observed in Thailand and
Indonesia? If so, how and why?
Required Readings
Buehler, Michael and Paige Tan. 2007. Party-Candidate Relationships in Indonesian Local
Politics: A Case Study of the 2005 Regional Elections in Gowa, South Sulawesi
Province. Indonesia, Vol 84 (October), 41-69.
Sombat Chantornvong. 2000. Local godfathers in Thai politics. In Money and Power in
Provincial Thailand, Ruth McVey (ed.) Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 53-74
Ockey, James. 1998. Crime, Society, and Politics in Thailand. In, Carl A. Trocki. (Ed.)
Gangsters, Democracy and the State in Southeast Asia Ithaca: Southeast Asia Program,
Cornell University, 39-55.
Suggested Readings
Aspinall, Edward. 2002. The Downfall of President Abdurrahman Wahid: A Return to
Authoritarianism? In Kathryn Robinson and Sharon Bessell, (eds.) Women in Indonesia:
Gender, Equity and Development, Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. 28-40.
Anderson, Benedict R. O'G. 1990. Murder & progress in modern Siam. New Left Review
181(5-6):33-48.
Hadiz, Vedi. 2003. Power and Politics in North Sumatra: The Uncompleted Reformasi. In
Local Power and Politics in Indonesia: Decentralisation and Democratisation, eds.
Edward Aspinall and Greg Fealy, Singapore: ISEAS, 119-131
King, Phil. 2003. Putting the (para)military back into politics. Inside Indonesia 73 (January-
March): 19-20
Mietzner, Marcus. 2003. Business as Usual? The Indonesian Armed Forces and Local Politics
in the Post-Soeharto Era. In Local Power and Politics in Indonesia: Decentralisation
and Democratisation, eds. Edward Aspinall and Greg Fealy,. Singapore: ISEAS. 245-
259.
Robertson, Philip S. Jr. 1996. The rise of the rural network politician: will Thailand‘s new
elite endure? Asian Survey 36 (9) (September): 924 - 41.
Ryter, Loren. 2000. A tale of two cities. Inside Indonesia 63 (July-September): 19-21
Page 32 of 35

Suchit Bunbongkarn. 2000. Thailand: farewell to old-style politics? Southeast Asian Affairs
Singapore: ISEAS, 285-295.
Page 33 of 35

WEEK 15 CAN DEMOCRACY WORK?
Questions
1) How can we explain the varying fate of efforts to deepen democratization through the
promotion of political participation, social empowerment, and mobilization ‗from below‘?
2) Are there features of the Indonesian political system, which are conducive to democracy, or
is there a risk that the country will become (once again) a military dictatorship? Discuss with
reference to Burma
Required Readings
Buehler, Michael. 2009. The Rising Importance of Personal Networks in Indonesian Local
Politics. In: Erb, Maribeth and Priyambudi Sulistiyanto. Deepening Democracy in Indonesia?
Direct Elections for Local Leaders (Pilkada). Singapore, ISEAS, 101-124.
Hicken, Allen. 2008. Developing Democracies in Southeast Asia: Theorizing the Role of
Parties and Elections. In: Erik Kuhonta, Dan Slater and Tuong Vu. Eds. Southeast Asia in
Political Science: Theory, Region, and Qualitative Analysis. Stanford: Stanford University
Press, 80-102.
Leonard C Sebastian. ―The Paradox of Indonesian Democracy.‖ Contemporary Southeast
Asia. 26 (2) (Aug 2004), 256.
Slater, Dan. ―Political Rules and Real Politics: Opposition and Accountability in
Democratic Indonesia.‖ Working paper.
Suggested Readings
Aurel Croissant, Gabriel Bruns and Marei John, eds. Electoral Politics in Southeast and East
Asia. Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. 2002.
Allen Hicken and Yuko Kasuya. ―A Guide to the Constitutional Structures and Electoral
Systems of East, South and Southeast Asia.‖ Electoral Studies. January 2003.
Robert Taylor (ed.), The Politics of Elections in Southeast Asia, Cambridge University Press,
New York, 1996.
Allen Hicken. Forthcoming. ―Asia: General Overview.‖ In Josep Colomer, ed. Handbook of
Electoral System Choice. Palgrave Press.
Allen Hicken. Forthcoming-a. ―Institutional Incentives: Do Candidate-Centered Electoral
Systems Encourage Vote Buying?‖ In Frederic C. Schaffer and Andreas Schedler, eds. Vote
Buying: Who, What, When, and How?
Allen Hicken . Forthcoming-b. ―How Effective are Institutional Reforms?‖ In Frederic C.
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