Over a decade ago, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Development Science Faculty and National University of Singapore’s Department of Sociology jointly suggested holding a bi-annual seminar allowing scholarly exchanges on issues about Southeast Asia. This idea was welcomed by other like-minded universities and institutions in the region. Thus, the ASEAN Inter-University Seminar on Social Development (AIUC) was launched in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah in November of 1993.

Intended to be a venue for the presentation of research and ideas, the seminar series has encouraged collaborations and publications on pertinent topics that affect Southeast Asia. Its automatic inclusion of scholars in ASEAN member countries does not, fortunately, discriminate international researchers from participating. In fact, efforts have been done to invite scholars across the globe and legitimize AIUV as a venue of cultural and intellectual exchange.

True to the call of expansive learning, researchers and social scientists have reaffirmed the relevance of their works through the AIUC. Over the years, social development called for a more dynamic interaction not only among scholars. The seminar series eventually involved participants from other sectors such as policymakers and other stakeholders involved in development.

Intra-ASEAN Cooperation

The ASEAN Inter-University Seminars on Social Development are firmly committed to intra-ASEAN cooperation in general and social development in the region in particular.

There is a great wealth of expertise and knowledge in the various universities and institutions of learning in the region. It is, therefore, practical to encourage a healthy exchange of diverse that would benefit various stakeholders.

Before AIUC, there was no single forum for a meeting of minds and institutional co-operation for the benefit of expertise and knowledge sharing. The seminar series is truly a cooperative undertaking where multi-disciplinary representation occurs every two years.

Equally important, the seminar series has seen a growth in the number of organising institutions and participating institutions. The conference series is a noteworthy example of an on-going process of intra-ASEAN co-operation from preparation to actual implementation.

Another hallmark of AIUC is the collegial relations established among scholars. The growing number of institutions engaged in this undertaking represents the interests and aspirations of the countries and their respective peoples. The seminar series emphasizes intra-ASEAN co-operation based on mutual respect, understanding, and a commitment to the sharing of knowledge essential for the greater common good.

Every two years, a host is selected among various ASEAN countries. This provides participants an opportunity to directly experience the richness and diversity of life in the ASEAN countries. This explains why the seminars are preferably held outside of metropolitan or capital cities of the host countries, such as in regional-provincial capitals or even smaller cities for deeper understanding of and cultural immersion in the host country.

Specifically, the ASEAN Inter-University Seminars on Social Development are driven by the following objectives:

• To encourage the development of ASEAN-based scholarship with knowledge deemed as a necessary condition of empowerment to the multi-faceted issues in Asia.
• To generate valuable analyses of critical social, economic, and political developmental trends within the ASEAN region and the rest of Southeast Asia.
• To create unparalleled opportunities to interact and expand social and scientific network for collaborative scholarly ventures.
• To provide a unique forum for scholars, academics, intellectuals, government and non-government decision-makers concerned with problems and issues in development.

International Cooperation

AIUC is managed by a consortium of cooperating institutions designated as “organizing institutions,” “participating institutions” and “affiliates.” The organizing institutions are directly involved in preparing the conference through management of resources, facilities and funds. They also include donor foundations, such as the UNI-APRO, ASETUC, FES and FTA which have generously supported the seminar series in the past. Participating institutions are indirect administrators of the conference by being the sum of all parts of the expanding network of scholars and stakeholders. Meanwhile, affiliate institutions are institutions generally outside the region with a clear interest and focus on the region assisting in information dissemination on the conference to other institutions, organizations and individuals in their countries and elsewhere in assuring promotional mileage of the conference.

The First ASEAN Inter-University Seminar on Social Development

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
13-15 November 1993

The inaugural ASEAN Inter-University Seminar on Social Development was held at Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, from November 13-15, 1993. It was jointly organised by the Faculty of Development Science, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and the Department of Sociology of the National University of Singapore (NUS).

The seminar addressed four major themes: Globalization and Modernity: Promises and Problems; Culture, Religion and Ethnicity; State, Society and Development; and Family, Gender and Socialization. A total of 77 papers were presented in 15 panels. The topics of the panels were diverse and included, among others: Issues in Theory and Society; Culture and the State; State and Ethnicity; Education and the Development Process; Ethnicity and History; Technology Issues in Development; Global Capital and the Labor Process; The Socialisation Process; Effects of Economic Transformations; Villages and Ecologies; Language and Micro-Relationships; and Tradition, Religion and Secularisation.

As the pioneer seminar under the ASEAN banner, the event also saw a remarkable representation of various countries through with the participation of distinguished (both senior and younger) scholars and academics from Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam as well as Australia and Germany.

The first seminar was deemed a success based on the number of participants and the scholars and academics. At the conclusion of the seminar, there was unanimous agreement that the seminar should continue as a series bearing all the hallmarks of the first seminar in its objectives, collaborative organization, choice of regional locations and cooperative spirit. After which, selected papers from this Seminar “Asean in the Global System” were published in 1999 by the Universiti Kebangsaan Press.

The Second ASEAN Inter-University Seminar on Social Development

Cebu City, Philippines
28-30 November 1995

The Second seminar was held in Cebu City, Philippines from November 28-30, 1995 in collaboration with the Department of Sociology of NUS, the Faculty of Development Science of UKM, the University of San Carlos, Xavier University and the Philippine Social Science Council with generous support from the Friedrich-Naumann Stiftung.

As with the first seminar, well over 70 papers were presented in 18 panels. The panel topics included Transmigration: Experiences, Patterns and Policies; Ethnicities, Institutions and Rural Development; Religion and Ruminations on Modern Society; Democracy, Governance and Human Rights; Magic, Power and Politics; Families, Women and Occupations; Factories and Labor Regimes; Civil Society and Democratic Participation; Indigenous Societies and Intellectual Practices; Urbanization, Poverty and Development; Global Media and the Nation State; Industrial Policies and Corporate Growth; and Regionalisation: Past, Present and Future, among others.

The second seminar saw an increased participation of scholars and academics with a greater variety of country backgrounds compared to the first, including first-timer Thailand alongside all ASEAN countries plus new linkages with America, Australia, Japan and the United Kingdom. The increase in regional and international participation as well as the number of panel topics demonstrated the growing significance of the seminar series.

An overwhelming consensus for the continuity of the ASEAN Inter-University Seminars on Social Development was again expressed. Universitas Riau (Pekanbaru, Indonesia) offered to host the Third Seminar.

The Third ASEAN Inter-University Seminar on Social Development

Pekanbaru, Indonesia
16-19 June 1997

The Third seminar was held in Pekanbaru, Indonesia in June 16-19, 1997 with the theme: Nation, Region and the Modern World. The co-organizers were Universitas Riau and the Department of Sociology of NUS. Discussion panels included: Family and Work; Housing and Urban Issues; Reforming the Nation: Theatre and People; Aid, Economic Diplomacy and Regional Cooperation; International Relations and Security Issues; Industrialization and Worker's Consciousness in East Asia; Anthropology of Tourism in Southeast Asia; Beyond Orientalism and Occidentalism: Towards Alternative Discourses; Information and Development; and Gender, Ethnicity and Economy.

This Third seminar attracted the attention of book and journal publishers who sent their representatives which indicated a wider acknowledgment of the seminar’s importance.

Fourth ASEAN Inter-University Seminar on Social Development

Pattani, (insert country name)
16-18 June 1999

Towards the turn of the 21st century, the University of Songkla,(Pattani Campus), __(country)__ hosted the Fourth Seminar with the main theme: SE Asia into the 21 st Century: Critical Transitions, Continuity and Change. The Fourth seminar hosted a total of 34 discussion panels. These included Memory, History and the Reconstruction of the Past; Management of Coastal Resources by the Community; Nation-state & Transborder Connection; New Social Spaces; Indonesia and Globalization; Family Development and Fertility; and Higher Education in the 21st Century.

Fifth Asean Inter-University Seminar on Social Development

Singapore
23-25 May 2001

The 5th ASEAN Inter-University Seminar was held in the Kent Ridge Guild House of Singapore, from 23rd to 25th of May 2001. It was organised jointly by the National University of Singapore and the University Kebangsaan Malaysia. The theme for the seminar was Social Development in Post-Crisis Asia. The seminar was well attended—attracting more than 17 participating institutions and their affiliates from Southeast Asia, East Asia, Europe, Australia and North America.

A total of 8 sessions of paper presentations, comprising 36 different panels were held over the course of the three-day seminar. Topics presented were diverse—ranging from political and social economic such as 'Asian Crisis and Globalisation' to issues on gender with 'Gender Sexuality and Power in Philippine Transnationalism', law with 'Issues in Law and Domestic Violence in Southeast Asia' to health with 'Health and Illness in Southeast Asia', religion with 'Religion, culture and modernity'. For the first time, a student workshop was held to demonstrate a topic on 'Southeast Asian Soundscapes: Popular Music in Southeast Asia.' There were different keynote speakers to address participants at the start of the programme for each day. Guest keynote speakers were Prof. Chayan Vaddhanaphuti from Chiang Mai University, Prof. Richard Robison of the School of Politics and International Studies, Murdoch University and the former governor of the Bank of Indonesia, J Soedradjad Dijwandono.

Sixth Asean Inter-University Seminar on Social Development

Penang, Malaysia
14-16 May 2004

Registration of participants, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, 2004.

Registration of participants, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, 2004.

Prof Alfred Oehlers from New Zealand presenting a paper at USM, Penang, 2004.

Prof Johan Saravanamuttu from USM and Prof Wan Zawawi from University of Malaya at the plenary session, USM, Penang 2004.

Prof Johan Saravanamuttu from USM.

NUS contingent at USM, Penang, 2004.

The Sixth ASEAN Inter-University Seminar was held in Penang, Malaysia through the efforts of the School of Social Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia. Due to concerns over SARS, the Sixth Seminar which was supposed to be held in 2003 was postponed for the next year. The main theme of the Sixth Seminar was De-centering S.E. Asia which gathered a total of 14 panels comprising 65 papers. Among the sub-themes covered were De-centering Class-State Relationship: Globalization and Post-Crisis Southeast Asia; Economy of the Region: Asian/Asean; Globalization and Health; Education and Development; Modernization and “Modernization Projects” in Southeast Asia; Civil Society and ASEAN; Family and Problems of Reproduction; Poverty and Community Development; Migration and Displacement; Colonial Policy, Ideas and Society; Culture, Consumption and Globalization; Politics of Local/Global; Health and Development: New and Old Issues and Challenges; Liberalization and Deregulation in SEA; Language, Identity and Memory; Civil Society & ASEAN; Environment and Community Development; Developmental Factors: Religion, Corruption, IT and Work; Being an Indonesian: Seeking new meaning in a disoriented world; Of Enterprises & Entrepreneurship and Islam & Society.

Seventh ASEAN Inter-University Seminar on Social Development

Hanoi, Vietnam
19-21 July 2006

Venue of the 7th ASEAN Inter-Universities Conference,  Vietnam National University, Hanoi, 2006.

Organising Committee members, 7th ASEAN Inter-Universities Conference, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, 2006.

Participants, 7th ASEAN Inter-Universities Conference, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, 2006.

Mural at the Plenary Hall, 7th ASEAN Inter-Universities Conference, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, 2006.

The Seventh ASEAN Inter-University Seminar was held on July 19-21, 2006. It was hosted by the Vietnam National Council on Education and the Vietnam National University: Hanoi. The theme was Peace, Human Welfare and Sustainable Development which presented about 150 papers.

With the key theme, AIUC offered different perspectives of peace in the context of development. This was significantly acknowledged by the host country through the seminar’s wide-ranging topics.