South and Southeast Asian Languages and Societies Commons^™

Sac Newsletter 2026, South Asia Center

Newsletters from the South Asia Center

No abstract provided.

Ethics Under Siege: The Conflict In Tigray Through The Lens Of Just War Theory, Daniela Widya Purba

Journal of Strategic and Global Studies

This research article explains the ethical principles of the conflict in Tigray based on the Just War Theory. By using the descriptive qualitative methodology, this research article draws data from secondary sources which includes; academic journals, news reports, as well as international legal instruments to analyze the moral trajectory of the conflict. This research begins with jus ad bellum, to assess Ethiopia’s government justification in declaring conflict within Tigray. While the government fulfilled the criteria of just cause and legitimate authority, the question stands on the ambiguous political intentions and the failure to enact peaceful alternatives before resulting in waging …

Presidential Visits As Foreign Policy Instruments: U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy In Trump’S Second Term, Atar Thaung Htet

Journal of Strategic and Global Studies

Through an analysis of President Donald Trump's October 2025 travel to Asia, this study investigates the consequences of U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy under his second-term diplomacy. The paper examines three significant diplomatic encounters—the ASEAN Summit in Malaysia, bilateral meetings in Japan, and the APEC Summit in South Korea—using a qualitative case study methodology based on role theory and foreign policy analysis. The results show that alliance-centered security cooperation, strategic balancing toward China, and selective economic engagement were U.S. Indo-Pacific goals. Through extremely transactional and bilateralized relations, presidential diplomacy allowed the United States to fulfill a number of foreign policy responsibilities, such …

Bahasa Politik Dalam Wacana Pidato Presiden Prabowo Subianto, Frista Nanda Pratiwi

Multikultura

This article examines political language in the speech discourse of President Prabowo Subianto. The data analyzed consist of transcripts of political speeches delivered between October 20, 2024 and November 29, 2024. The data were obtained from the official website setkab.go.id. The purpose of this article is to explain Prabowo Subianto’s use of language in his speeches within their social and political contexts. Using a qualitative descriptive method, the author presents the findings by referring to Norman Fairclough’s (2013) Critical Discourse Analysis theory, which comprises three levels of analysis. The results show that President Prabowo’s use of political language is influenced …

Representasi Kehidupan Sosial Remaja Queer Di Belanda Dalam Film Out (2024), Ajie Kelana, Barbara Elisabeth Lucia Pesulima

Multikultura

Belanda dikenal relatif terbuka terhadap homoseksualitas, kondisi yang tercermin dalam film Out (2024) karya Dennis Alink tentang dua remaja queer, Ajani dan Tom, yang menjalani kehidupan baru di Amsterdam. Penelitian ini mengkaji representasi kehidupan sosial remaja queer dalam film tersebut dan relevansinya dengan realitas sosial remaja queer di Belanda, menggunakan teori representasi Stuart Hall dengan pendekatan konstruksionis serta konsep congruence Carl Rogers, melalui metode deskriptif kualitatif. Hasil analisis menunjukkan bahwa film merepresentasikan kehidupan sosial remaja queer sebagai proses adaptasi yang dipengaruhi ruang sosial: keluarga sebagai ruang penerimaan tanpa syarat namun idealis dibanding realitas Belanda, desa sebagai ruang yang membatasi …

Transformasi Jeong Dalam Budaya Korea: Representasi Keluarga Pilihan Dalam Film Korea Love In The Big City, Widad Marshallova Nursandi, Fadhila Hasby

Multikultura

Jeong is an important cultural value in South Korean society that has traditionally been associated with family relationships, emotional closeness, and a sense of togetherness. Social changes in contemporary Korean society have created space for jeong to develop beyond biological family ties. This study aims to analyze the transformation of the meaning of jeong through the representation of chosen family in the film Love in the Big City (LitBC), which is represented as a form of negotiation with dominant family norms. This research employs a qualitative approach using cultural text analysis based on Stuart Hall's theory of representation. The data …

Reproduksi Pola Keibuan Tokoh Zhenya Dalam Film Нелюбовь (Nelyubov) ‘Tanpa Cinta’ (2017) Karya Andrey Zvyagintsev, Ratu Diva Majirelle, Thera Widyastuti

Multikultura

Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Нелюбовь (Nelyubov) or Loveless (2017) portrays the absence of affection in a family through divorce, child neglect, and emotional disconnection. This study analyzes the reproduction of Zhenya’s mothering pattern through Nancy Chodorow’s feminist psychoanalysis. Zhenya is read in three positions: a daughter lacking maternal affection, a wife in a fractured marriage, and a mother emotionally distant from Alyosha. Using qualitative content analysis, this study examines scenes, dialogues, expressions, gestures, character relations, and visual elements. The findings show that Zhenya’s mothering pattern is reproduced through childhood affective deprivation, an unsupportive marriage, social expectations of motherhood, and maternal …

Gaya Bangunan Gedung A Rumah Piatu Muslimin Senen, Jakarta Pusat, Bunga Tri Junisha, Isman Pratama Nasution

Multikultura

Muslimin Orphanage is one of the cultural heritage buildings in Central Jakarta with a long historical background and an enduring social function from the colonial period to the present day. This study examines Building A, the main structure within the Muslimin Orphanage complex, with the aim of identifying its architectural style based on its surviving physical characteristics and observable architectural elements. Employing a descriptive-analytical method with a building archaeology approach, the research draws on field observations, photographic documentation, literature review, and archival research. The analysis focuses on the building's massing, spatial layout, façade, roof, ceiling, columns, walls, floors, doors, windows, …

Representasi Maskulinitas Dalam Iklan Rekrutmen Militer Rusia “Ты Же Мужик” : Kajian Semiotik, Ananda Putri Aprillia, Mina Elfira

Multikultura

This study analyzes the representation of masculinity in Russian military recruitment advertisements featuring the slogan “Ты же мужик” ("You are a real man"), aimed at Russian men to enlist in the military during the Russia-Ukraine war. Using a qualitative research approach and mise-en-scène analysis, this research unpacks the representation of masculinity in Russian military recruitment ads through Roland Barthes’s (1964) semiotic theory, alongside the concept of hegemonic masculinity by R. W. Connell and James W. Messerschmidt (2005), and Sylvia Walby’s (1990) concept of patriarchy. The findings reveal an emphasis on re-traditionalized masculinity, constructed and conveyed through …

Metafora Dengan Unsur Alam Dalam 5 Lirik Lagu Soundtrack Moana 2 Versi Belanda, Husna Nafisa, Triaswarin Sutanarihesti

Multikultura

Animated films convey stories through visuals, music, and song lyrics, all of which play an essential role in constructing meaning and evoking emotion. The Dutch-language soundtrack of Moana 2 employs nature-related metaphors to depict the characters' journeys, inner conflicts, and the relationship between humans and nature. This study aims to identify the types of metaphors, based on Rozemarijn van Leeuwen’s (2002) classification, found in the song lyrics “Terug,” “Verder Gaan,” “Wordt het nog beter dan dit?,” “Hoor ik daar een chee hoo?,” and “Ga Los,” which were obtained from the official Genius website. This study adopts a descriptive qualitative method. …

Penggunaan Onomatope Dalam Buku Cerita Anak Berbahasa Mandarin Dan Bahasa Indonesia: Analisis Kontrastif, Ruixi Zou, Usmi Usmi, Uti Aryanti

Multikultura

This article examines the comparison of onomatopoeia in Mandarin Chinese and Indonesian in children's literature. The study aims to identify, classify, and compare onomatopoeic forms found in the Mandarin children's story Bǎo Húlú De Mìmì (The Secret of the Magic Gourd) and the Indonesian children's story collection Sehari Satu Dongeng. This research employs a descriptive qualitative approach and a contrastive analysis method. The data were collected through close reading and note-taking techniques, and were analyzed using referential and comparative methods. The classification is based on the source of the represented sounds, namely human sounds, animal sounds, natural phenomena, and …

Women’S Experience In Digital Literature As A Form Of Resistance Against Patriarchy, Tazkia Maula Azzari, Mina Elfira

International Review of Humanities Studies

This paper aims to shed light on an emerging type of digital literature on X that acts as a medium for women to express their struggle and feelings in a patriarchal society. This new form of digital literature is novel for it has been popularized on X in the past few years, therefore there is much to explore regarding this field. In particular, this paper will look into how this new form of literature is being used by women to express their resistance against patriarchy on the digital sphere. The qualitative method with a feminist approach was used in this …

Jainism And Catholicism – Dialoguing Spiritually, Bryan Lobo

Journal of Global Catholicism

The inter-spiritual dialogue between Jainism and Catholicism lends itself towards discovering similarities and dissimilarities between the two spiritualities. Recognizing this discovery, this paper, without claiming to be exhaustive as regards the spiritual themes, discusses the chosen themes to facilitate greater reflection and potential to re-discover elements that can help the growth of understanding and practicing the preferred spirituality.

Hindu Poetry And The Project Of An Inter-Spiritual Catholic Theology, Francis X. Clooney

Journal of Global Catholicism

This article engages the work of the Indian south Indian Tamil-language Vaiṣṇava poet saints known as the Alvārs. The article specifically focuses the First HundredHoly Linked verses of Poykai Ālvār to argue for inter-spiritual learning between Catholics and Hindus. The article concludes with personal reflections on this encounter within the context of the global Catholic Church

Toward Professionalization: Insights From Sign Language Interpreters In Vietnam, Anh P. Doan

Journal of Interpretation

This study examines how sign language interpreters in Vietnam perceive the professionalization of their field and the strategies they propose for establishing it as a recognized profession. Despite growing demand for communication access, sign language interpreting in Vietnam remains an emerging field with limited institutional infrastructure and no formal interpreter education programs. Data were collected through an online qualitative survey of 28 hearing interpreters working in sign language interpreting across Vietnam. Responses were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify key themes in interpreters’ experiences and perspectives. Findings show that many interpreters enter the field through informal pathways such as community …

Talk To Me: Exploring The Sociocultural Ecology Of Home Language And Literacy Practices Of Families In India, Surbhi Puri

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Existing research highlights the role of home language and literacy environments (HLLE) in shaping early language and literacy development, yet few studies have examined the practices of multilingual families in India. While home environments offer rich learning opportunities, broader sociocultural and policy contexts influence how families support literacy and language development. Families’ insights into home language use, literacy routines, and cultural practices remain underexplored in early childhood education research.

The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the HLLE of preschool-aged children in India and examine how families support early language and literacy development within multilingual home …

Kicau Kericau: The Chirps And Warbles Of A Bird-Human Story, Airien Ludin

Masters Theses

This thesis tells the tale of bird-human relationships and what it means to live alongside one another, subverting the hierarchical view of humans as above birds inherited from colonial history. It asks how the practice of illustration can function as a site of Two-Eyed Seeing, where scientific and local knowledge are held together as an entangled narrative. It also examines how mendongeng (storytelling), as I have experienced it within Indonesian culture and everyday contexts, can help us understand birds as a companion species with their own agency.

This project takes two forms: first, a picture book titled Sun Bird …

Jadughar: The House Of Magic, Dhruvi A. Shah

Masters Theses

Jadughar or the House of Magic is what people call a 'museum' in parts of South Asia. The practice of museum making, at its origin, is the act of collecting, preserving, interpreting and representing a culture’s tangible and intangible heritage to make it accessible to diverse audiences. Since the early 19th century such practices have been performed at various kala bhandars (art centers) in India, without the need of a formal or institutional organisation. The British introduced the model of a ‘museum’ in South Asia, with the aim of not only preserving ethnographic collections, but also showcasing their power and …

Inherited By “Merit”: What Caste Carries Across The Indian American Diaspora, Aarushi V. Jaiswal

English Undergraduate Distinction Projects

This project traces the rhetorical formation termed “meritocratic nationalism,” a political vocabulary that makes national belonging conditional on moralized merit, converting structural advantage into the language of individual character. Meritocratic nationalism is traced across three political figures whose rhetoric represents successive moments in a single ideological trajectory. Reading Narendra Modi’s 2014 and 2018 Independence Day addresses and his 2014 Madison Square Garden speech to the Indian American diaspora as the formation’s originating texts, this project argues that Modi’s recurring moral tetrad of conduct, values, traditions, and ability translated the structurally concentrated advantages of India’s upper-caste professional class into a universalist …

Between Cultures: An Expressive Arts Community Engagement Project On Identity, Belonging, And Cultural Transition Among International Students, Shilpa Ivaturi

Expressive Therapies Theses

International students navigating cultural transition often experience disruptions not only in social adjustment but also in their sense of identity, belonging, and meaning-making. Grounded in expressive arts therapy, cross-cultural psychology, and mythopoetic frameworks of transformation, this thesis explores how creative processes can support international students in reflecting on and integrating their evolving identities during periods of cultural transition. A four-hour trauma-informed expressive arts workshop, structured around the Hero’s Journey arc of departure, initiation, and return, was facilitated across two sessions at a university in the northeastern United States. Seven international students from diverse cultural backgrounds engaged in multimodal practices including …

Spaces Of Our Own: Reclaiming Community In Jaipur's Informal Settlements, Daisy Bhambhani

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

India’s rapid urbanization has resulted in fragmented urban fabrics, where women and children remain in vulnerable positions. They face systemic barriers in education, health, and social belonging due to under resourced environments. Despite the nation’s commitments to gender equality and the right to education, slum environments continue to lack adequate infrastructure that supports learning and collective well being. Architecture has the potential to combat these challenges by creating spaces that promote social inclusivity.

While architects and planners have recognized the increasing need for inclusive spaces, most projects do not explore how a built form itself can create empowerment within marginalized …

Killing Bali (Part I) A Journey From God’S Paradise To Human Inferno, Pierre Fournié, Dr Pierre Fournié

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Tourism is growing and growing fast. Before the pandemic, in 2018, the number of arrivals worldwide reached 1.4 billion arrivals from less than 600 million, twenty years earlier. In many countries, especially in developing ones, tourism is perceived as a unique opportunity, a model of territorial development, possibly a national strategy. In Indonesia, after being elected in 2014, former President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) emphasised the importance of tourism, considered as a strategic sector. It had to become the largest exchange currency contributor to Indonesia’s revenue thus bypassing rubber, coal, oil and gas (Fournié & Dou, 2018).

In the collective awareness …

Michael Dove (2024), "Hearsay Is Not Excluded; A History Of Natural History", Gilang Mahadika

Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia

No abstract provided.

Batik Depok Sebagai Invented Tradition: Konstruksi Warisan Budaya Di Kota Urban, Ade Solihat, Wiwin Triwinarti, Leila Mona Ganiem

Multikultura

Depok sebagai kota urban, sering menghadapi kesulitan dalam menampilkan identitas budaya yang khas dan mudah dikenali. Dalam konteks tersebut, Batik Depok hadir sebagai simbol budaya urban. Artikel ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis Batik Depok sebagai praktik budaya kontemporer kota urban dengan menggunakan konsep invented tradition. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan studi kasus. Data diperoleh melalui observasi lapangan, wawancara dengan pelaku budaya, pemerintah daerah setempat, dan warga Depok, serta studi media. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan,  dalam kerangka invented tradition, Batik Depok bukanlah tradisi yang diwariskan secara historis, tetapi suatu aktivitas kebudayaan yang dibentuk secara sadar dalam konteks perkotaan untuk merepresentasikan identitas bersama. …

Rekontekstualisasi Syair Demonstran Sudan Di Media Sosial: Analisis Wacana Kritis Terhadap Representasi Kritis Kemanusiaan Dan Resistensi, Muhamad Fatih Fauzan

Multikultura

This study examines the representation of the humanitarian crisis and popular resistance in the poetry of Sudanese demonstrators, drawing on the documentary film Sudan, Remember Us (2024) by Hind Meddeb. Using Norman Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), the study analyzes data that have been recontextualized through social media. The results show the use of dehumanizing lexicon (lāji'an, mumazzaqan) and hyperbolic metaphors to depict the suffering of the Sudanese people. The poetry employs intertextuality with the story of the Prophet Job to morally legitimize the victims, and is distributed through social media platforms. At the macro level, this poetry functions as …

Representasi Kesetaraan Peran Suami Dan Istri Dalam Film Chelovek Kotoriy Udivil Veskh/ Pria Yang Mengejutkan Semua Orang, Amanda Herawaty Sekara, Thera Widyastuti

Multikultura

As one of the most popular forms of cultural production, film does not merely function as entertainment for society but also serves as a medium for highlighting social issues that have occurred or are currently unfolding within it. One Russian film that raises such social issues is Chelovek, kotoryj Udivil Vsekh (The Man Who Surprised Everyone), which implicitly addresses gender equality in modern Russian society. This study examines the representation of equality between women and men within the domestic sphere and how it relates to social realities in contemporary Russia. The theories of gender equilibrium and feminism, along …

Makna Simbol Hewan Dalam Peribahasa Arab Di Media Sosial, Farwah Sofwatun Nida

Multikultura

It is known that proverbs have existed for a long time, but today researchers have identified many proverbs, especially those that use animal symbolism, and these proverbs are being republished on social media. This study aims to analyze the meanings and origins of these proverbs so that we can understand the context of their current use on social media. The research was conducted using a qualitative method with an in-depth semantic approach. Data were collected through social media research techniques, drawing from YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. The findings indicate that animal symbols in Arabic proverbs contain both negative and positive …

Gregor Samsa’S Pagkagimata (Awakening) In Bikol: A Becoming-Minor In Translation, Victor John M. Loquias

Akda: The Asian Journal of Literature, Culture, Performance

Kristian Cordero’s translation of Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis instantiates what the philosophers Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari call minor literature. Preferring the Bikol term Pagkagimata—the literal event of Gregor Sama’s becoming-animal in the novel as title of the translation and the utilization of the Rinconada Bikol language for the transformed Samsa—Cordero has typified a perspective of translation that challenges the popular view of fluent translation from the source text to the target language. Exemplifying the concept of becoming-minor of Deleuze and Guattari and deploying Lawrence Venuti’s notion of the “remainder,” An Pagkagimata ni Gregor Samsa exhibits a deterritorialization of Bikol …

A Street Singer’S Homage To A Father Of The Nation, Denish Raja Durai K

Living in Languages

Background Note:

Introduction to Mu. Metha

Mu. Metha was a renowned Tamil poet and songwriter, born in Periyakulam, Theni, Tamil Nadu. He taught Tamil at Presidency College, Chennai, until his retirement. A key figure in modern Tamil poetry (Pudukavithai). Metha played a crucial role in popularizing the form in the 1970s and 1980s. He authored over 30 works, including novels, short stories, and essays, and was an integral part of the ‘Vannampaadi’ literary movement, which aimed to write poetry from a Marxist and global perspective. His celebrated work, Agayathil Aaduthaveedu, won him the Sahitya Akademi Award (a …

Critical Cultural Literacy As A Path To Reconciliation: A Literature Review Of Teacher Agency In Post-Conflict Cultural Education In Maluku, Indonesia, Falantino Eryk Latupapua, Melani Budianta, Dhita Hapsarani, Shuri Mariasih Gietty

The Qualitative Report

This study examines how secondary-school teachers in post-conflict Central Maluku, Indonesia, enact cultural education to advance critical cultural literacy and social cohesion. Using a qualitative design, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 25 teachers, classroom observations across six schools, curriculum-document review, and field notes from school and community ceremonies (e.g., pela gandong village alliances; sasi resource-management). Data were analysed through abductive thematic coding informed by critical literacy and teacher-agency frameworks. Findings show teachers mobilise local narratives and practices to: (1) open dialogic spaces for discussing conflict and reconciliation; (2) cultivate critical interpretation of historical and media texts; (3) rebuild intergroup trust …