[4 Nov] Pride & Prejudice: Young Southeast Asian Scholars Working on LGBTQ+ Research Amid Shrinking Civic Space
Bangkok
Panel 3.2: Pride & Prejudice: Young Southeast Asian Scholars Working on LGBTQ+ Research Amid Shrinking Civic Space
The First Regional Conference on Academic Freedom: Reclaiming the Space
Date: 4 November 2025
Time: 09:00 – 10:30 AM
Venue: Prince Mahidol Hall Conference Center, Mahidol University, Salaya
Panel Organised by: JALAN Civic Lab
Conference Organised by: Southeast Asia Coalition for Academic Freedom (SEACAF)
About the Panel
Civic space across Southeast Asia is rapidly shrinking. This tightening of space poses distinct challenges for young scholars engaged in LGBTQ+ research, who often find themselves navigating hostile political climates, institutional constraints, and social backlash. This roundtable will explore how state repression, rising cultural and religious conservatism, and digital surveillance are undermining the ability of early-career researchers to study gender and sexuality in the region. Whether through research censorship, limited funding opportunities, or threats to personal safety, young scholars working on LGBTQ+ topics face heightened scrutiny and marginalisation. Yet, despite these obstacles, many continue to engage in critical knowledge production and community-based research, often relying on informal networks and digital tools for support. Designed as an open, participatory dialogue rather than a formal panel, this session invites peer reflection, shared learning, and collective strategising. Key questions include: How do shrinking civic spaces impact those researching LGBTQ+ issues? What regional trends are emerging across Southeast Asia? What shared tools, networks, and practices can support young scholars working on LGBTQ+ research in sustaining their work and resisting erasure? The discussion aims to strengthen solidarity and envision more inclusive, democratic futures for academic freedom and LGBTQ+ rights in Southeast Asia.
Panellists
Jazreen Harith (PhD Candidate in International Development Studies, Chulalongkorn University)
Renz Prudenciado (PhD Candidate in Gender and Development Studies, Asian Institute of Technology)
Nay Lin Htike (PhD Candidate in Human Rights and Peace Studies, Mahidol University)
Sarah Geraldine Wullur (MA Graduate, Faculty of Communication Arts, Chulalongkorn University)
Moderator: Matt Yutthaworakool, Executive Director, JALAN Civic Lab (PhD Candidate in Gender and Development Studies, Asian Institute of Technology)
About the Conference
To celebrate its first anniversary, SEACAF will hold its inaugural regional conference, “Reclaiming the Space,” on 3–4 November 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand. The event will gather academics, researchers, students, and civil society actors from across Southeast Asia to exchange ideas, strengthen networks, and defend academic freedom. The theme underscores the urgency of reclaiming intellectual and democratic spaces amid growing restrictions, censorship, and neoliberal pressures on higher education. It calls for reaffirming universities as spaces for critical inquiry, autonomy, and dissent, resisting both political repression and market-driven reforms that narrow the scope of independent scholarship.
If you are interested in future thinking on any topics related to civic, climate, digital, and data democracy, we would love to collaborate. Contact us at: jalanciviclab@gmail.com
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