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Although the Philippines started the “third wave” of democratization in Asia, its democracy has been perceived as unstable. The country experienced not a few coup attempts, scandals of the Presidents, and large scale rallies on the street. Even elections, a fundamental democratic solution to the conflicts in the society, have not been able to gain the confidence of the people due to various frauds. In the 2010 elections, Noynoy Aquino, son of the two national “heroes” of democratization, was elected new President. Did the 2010 elections bring the hope for democratic consolidation? Or was the same old game merely repeated? We will try to assess the impact of the 2010 Philippine elections.

TAKESHI KAWANAKA is Senior Research Fellow of the Institute of Developing Economies, Japan. His research interests are in political institutions and political economy of new democracies. He received his Ph.D. in political science from Kobe University, and conducted research at the University of the Philippines, Stanford University, and Ateneo de Manila University as visiting scholar.

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Friday, April 23 at 12:00 pm in the Center for Korean Studies
Presented by Anusorn Unno, Ph.D Student – University of Washington; featuring Marcus Ferrara, Dr. Ehito Kimura and Dr. Ben Kerkvliet

The Red Shirts’ uprising which emerged right after the 2006 military coup and has intensified over the past four weeks represents significant changes in Thailand’s political landscapes. Streets in Bangkok which were used either by “the student movements” in the early and mid 1970s or by “the cell-phone mobs” in 1992 or by “the Yellow-Shirt Alliance” in 2004-2006, are now occupied by ordinary people from and of the upcountry in their attempt to express their political grievances and concerns. It is also the first time in Thai history that a Prime Minister has been brought to the negotiation table with protest leaders in a television live broadcast, and also the first time that such an uprising has forced the military back to the barracks. Several academic attempts have been made to make sense of these changes. The Red Shirts’ uprising, some argue, shows that the paradigm of an urban/rural divide (which implies that “rural” elects the government but “urban” overthrows it), is no longer tenable. Others maintain that the ruling elite conspiracy theory has also been discounted. In addition, the idea that there is a “class war” has also been debated and critiqued. The panel will discuss a crucial moment in Thailand’s political history and examine it through the perspectives of both Thai and international observers.

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Friday, February 27, 12:00 p.m., Korean Studies Building Auditorium
A Panel Presentation by Erik Kuhonta, Benedict Kerkvliet, Richard Doner, Peter Manicas, and Barbara Watson Andaya

Southeast Asia in Political Science: Theory, Region, and Qualitative Analysis (Stanford, 2008) calls for “concerted efforts to improve and invigorate scholarly synergy between region and discipline.” In demonstrating that Southeast Asianists have accumulated a body of qualitative knowledge that can make a significant contribution to political science theory, the book affirms that area studies and comparative politics are complementary and mutually enriching.

In this panel discussion, one of the editors of the volume, Erik Kuhonta (Assistant Professor, Political Science, McGill University and currently Visiting Fellow, East-West Center), and two authors,Benedict Kerkvliet (Emeritus Professor, Australian National University; Graduate Affiliate Faculty, Political Science, UH) and Richard Doner (Associate Professor, Political Science, Emory University), will speak to some of the issues raised in this timely book. Peter Manicas (Professor, Political Science, UH) and Barbara Watson Andaya (Professor, Asian Studies, UH) will serve as commentators, and the panel will be chaired by Ehito Kimura (Assistant Professor, Political Science, UH).

Copies of Southeast Asia in Political Science will be available for purchase.