Visiting Scholars/Fellows

LuceSEA’s Thai and Indonesian Scholars Come to UH Mānoa

By Saveun Nhim, CSEAS Public Relation Coordinator

Last summer in 2023, 8 students from UH Mānoa went on the Luce SEA Field School in Southeast Asia. There were two venues – Khon Kaen University in Thailand and UNHAS in Makassar, Sulawesi, Indonesia. The field school was organized by Krisna Suryanata in collaboration with Miriam Stark, Jefferson Fox, Micah Fisher, Ming Li Yong, and Ehito Kimura from UH Manoa. The students who attended were: Pamula Mita Andary, Dalilah Laidin, Nurhady Sirimorok, Punahele Kane, Irfan Saputra, and Alfi Syahriani in Makassar, and Tansuda Jinai, Kara Polhemus, Khermrat Panpanich, Ariel Mota-Alves, and Olivia Meyer in Khon Kaen. 

Eight UH Mānoa students traveled to Thailand and Indonesia in the summer of 2023 for a six-week field school program that explored the dynamic socioeconomic and environmental shifts in rural Southeast Asian societies. The summer field school experience culminated in a workshop at the Center for Khmer Studies (Siem Reap, Cambodia): seen in the first picture.

Following completion of the collaborative field school, the UHM Center for Southeast Asian Studies (UHM-CSEAS) invited four Southeast Asian Scholars, two from Indonesia and two from Thailand, to enroll in English Language and Science Writing Courses at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, with help from the Department of Geography and Environment, and East-West Center and in partnership with Khon Kaen University and Universitas Hasanuddin. Our visiting scholars will spend four months here at UHM to enroll in the Hawai’i English Language Program, develop their scientific writing skills, and engage with both the East-West Center and UHM Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) communities. CSEAS Director, Miriam Stark said, “We are excited to host early career colleagues from Indonesia and Thailand this semester and engage with them on shared research interests. We look forward to a fruitful visit and are grateful to the Henry Luce Foundation for this valuable opportunity.”

While in Hawai’i, the scholars immerse themselves in very different cultures and classroom environments. “Adapting to student life has been challenging due to its novelty. Nevertheless, the natural beauty and ambiance of Hawai’i have been noteworthy aspects of my experience.” Said Tansuda, one of the scholars, from Thailand. Hasanuddin University scholar Fatwa added, “The differences between my home country’s educational system and that of the United States are striking. Notably, the diversity among students in terms of race, background, and religion stands out…. My decision to join this program is driven by a desire to enhance my skills as a research scholar, particularly in scientific writing for scholarly journals.” Vika, also from Indonesia, is interested in pursuing postgraduate studies soon, with a specialization in Gender and Environmental Studies. 

Fatwa & Vika viewing “Sounding the Earth” Exhibit in Asia Collection

Funding for this project comes from the Henry Luce Foundation Southeast Asia Initiative, and is part of the five-year grant to the UHM Center for Southeast Asian Studies entitled, “LuceSEA Transitions:  Environment, Society, and Change.” Founded in 1978, the Center for Southeast Asian Studies is a National Resource Center (Title VI Center) supporting foreign language area studies for Southeast Asian languages at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

Our mission is to encourage trans-disciplinary understandings of Southeast Asia countries, promote UHM’s capacities in SEA Studies by supporting faculty, staff, and students, and to bring Southeast Asia and its cultures to our local community and the broader world. To find out more about the Center and our work, go to https://www.cseashawaii.org/.