SEAF 2010
Southeast Asian Scholars & Public Intellectuals
Fellowship Programme
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
The Southeast Asian Scholars and Public Intellectuals Fellowship (SEAF) is a short-term residential Programme based at the Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (the National University of Malaysia), located in Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.
SEAF Programme provides for IKMAS to invite selected scholars, public intellectuals, scholar-activists, journalists and others from Southeast Asian countries to participate in the SEAF Fellowships Programme. Successful applicants spend between 4 to 8 weeks at the University pursuing research and writing while participating in dialogues, seminars and public talks.
Established in 2000 and funded by the Kaneka Corporation, the SEAF Programme offers scholars and public intellectuals the opportunity to deepen knowledge of one another’s national political cultures and the links between them. The immediate objective is to facilitate dialogues and interactions that can be documented and disseminated through publications.
The Programme offers Fellows the opportunity to collectively reflect and write on ideas and experiences in the region that they would not otherwise have the time or space to undertake. This promotion of intellectual and intercultural dialogues and exchange in the region may well influence the shape of the emergent globalism: the ideal and lived experience of a world community.
Fellows are sought who possess a commitment to explore the region through informal discussions, seminars, public talks, and research. A willingness to take an interest in each other’s culture, engage issues of common concern and participate in dialogues with the campus community, public intellectuals and the general public is important.
The SEAF Programme bears the cost of return transportation from candidates’ home country/town to Bangi and lodging. In addition, a stipend of RM 4,000 will be provided that amply covers other expenses during the period of the SEAF Fellowship at IKMAS.
SEAF 2010: THEME OF STUDY
SEAF 2010 invites post-doctoral applicants who have been working on any aspect of change and social transformation in one or more of the following Southeast Asian countries: Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Singapore. The SEAF 2010 will be for the duration between 4th October and 6th November, 2010.
We are interested in candidates who could tap into their state-of-the-art knowledge of the trajectory of change and social transformation of their respective country/countries of study. Successful candidates are encouraged to analyse any aspect of the social transformation that involves political, economic, socio-cultural or other processes of change.
The topic of study can also be related to the research thrusts of IKMAS, that is, rethinking the issue of nation and state; transnational movements and competing notions of community with a focus on ethnicity, religion, gender, class, culture or region; income distribution, poverty and social safety nets; trade liberalization, governance and competitiveness; regionalization and regionalism; citizenship, participation, elections and democratization.
STRUCTURE
As soon as successful applicants are notified of their acceptance, they will be put in touch with each other and Fellows in IKMAS through an email discussion list in order to begin dialogues and readings towards developing a common framework of programme for their research and writing for the purpose of the fellowship.
During their residency, Fellows will present and discuss their working drafts in weekly seminars. There will be numerous opportunities to interact with the University community and invited guests through various programmes, research work, and social activities of IKMAS. Dialogues and writing will be in the English language.
Each Fellow is expected to complete an article of substance and intellectual merit. The final draft of the paper will be presented at the SEAF-Kaneka Public Forum at the conclusion of the Programme. After the Forum, the papers will be published in book form or in a special issue of an international journal to be decided subsequently.
SEAF REQUIREMENTS
Residency on the UKM campus lasting for five weeks from 4th October to 6th November, 2010.
Participation in all SEAF Programme and IKMAS activities.
Completion of a paper of publishable quality by 31st December 2010.
APPLICATION
Each prospective candidate must fulfil the following criteria for consideration:
-
has completed a PhD thesis within less than five years or is at an advanced stage of completing his/her thesis;
-
is a citizen of one of the following countries: Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Singapore;
-
is not more than 45 years old;
-
possesses spoken and written proficiency in English;
Interested candidates should submit their application with the following items:
-
a duly completed application form together with two letters of recommendation with at least one of the referees having an academic background;
-
an abstract of not more than 300 words for the paper they are proposing to work on for the programme;
-
a sample of their academic writing in the form of a published article, or a chapter of their thesis;
-
a copy of their up-to-date curriculum vitae.
Completed applications must be received by post or email no later than 30th April, 2010. Applicants will be notified of the status of their application by the end of May. Successful applicants will be required to submit by email a work-in-progress paper of approximately 6,000 words by 1st September, 2010. This paper will be revised following the series of discussions during their residency at IKMAS.
For further clarification, please consult IKMAS website or contact Puan Roslina Rosli at r.rosli@ukm.my.
CONTACT
Completed application should be addressed to:
SEAF Programme
C/O Puan Roslina Rosli,
Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS),
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
43600 Bangi, Selangor DE, MALAYSIA
Tel: 603 8921 3625 / 4169
Fax: 603 8926 1022
