Southeast Asia Student Dissertation Fieldwork Grant
SEAC offers a Student Dissertation Fieldwork grant, for current LSE undergraduate and taught master’s students for field research in the Southeast Asia region as part of their assessed dissertation. The funding may contribute towards travel expenses and on-site research expenses, up to a maximum of £500 per applicant. The Southeast Asia Student Dissertation Fieldwork Grants are supported by Arvind Khattar whose generous gift has helped SEAC to further develop its research activities.
I am very grateful to SEAC for this funding opportunity for my dissertation. My Dissertation Fieldwork Grant will support the acquisition of print reference materials and will conducting online interviews. My study comes at a time of significant and even violent political challenges to the Philippine Left. As a Filipino, I want my research to contribute to political discourse and discussions in the Philippines, especially in light of current contexts shaped by the Duterte regime and the upcoming 2022 elections.
SEAC considers applicants from any discipline, using any methodology and selecting any site within the Southeast Asia region (normally classified as countries that are member states of ASEAN) in which the fieldwork is to be conducted. Applicants are strongly encouraged to pay close attention to LSE and governmental news and health and safety updates, in and in liaison with their dissertation supervisors, in order that appropriate duty of care, for both themselves and any research participants, is ensured.
2024/25 Awardees
Name: Kyunghwan Choi Degree: MSc Environment and Development Fieldwork location: Indonesia Topic: Debt Swap: Innovative resolution or new form of colonialism? Indonesia case
Name: Ghea Adasta Degree: MSc Media and Communication (Data and Society) Fieldwork location: Indonesia Topic: The Analysis of Power Dynamic Between the Indonesian Government and Big Tech in regulating AI governance in Indonesia
Name: Nitchakan Daramatat Degree: MSc Social and Cultural Psychology Fieldwork location: Thailand Topic: Identity transformation of ethnic youth in Thailand: The case study of Karen youth in Baan Huay Hin Dam community, Suphanburi Province
Name: Alexandre Dupont-Sinhsattanak Degree: LSE-PKU Double MSc Degree in International Affairs Fieldwork location: Laos Topic: The disunited front: Western divergences on the Laotian crisis, 1953-1962
Name: Retno Indrawati Degree: MSc Gender, Development and Globalisation Fieldwork location: Indonesia Topic: The Risks of Performative Inclusion within YOUNGO: Empty Institutions and the Use of Youth Voices in Global Climate Governance
Name: Badrul Hisham Ismail Degree: MSc. Inequalities and Social Science Fieldwork location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Topic: Urban Inequality
Name: Wulandari Anindya Kana Degree: MSc Environment and Development Fieldwork location: Semarang, Indonesia Topic: The politics of knowledge production in climate interventions in coastal Semarang
Name: Ambar Khawaja Degree: Masters in Public Administration (MPA) Fieldwork location: Singapore Topic: Decentralized Authority in a Centralized State: MUIS and Public Service Delivery in Singapore
Name: Aya Kobayashi Degree: MSc International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies Fieldwork location: Batangas, Philippines Topic: Evaluating the role of remittances as an alternative disaster risk mitigation strategy in lower-income households in the Philippines
Name: Estee Faith Leong Degree: MA in Modern History Fieldwork location: Singapore Topic: Searching for Autonomy: University Students in Singapore, 1975–1990
Name: Amanda Lingao Degree: Msc Human Rights and Politics Fieldwork location: Philippines Topic: Solidarity, repair, and victim-centered articulations of justice in the Philippines' War on Drugs
Name: Hsiang Jien Naik Degree: MSc Development Management Fieldwork location: Sabah, Malaysia Topic: Statelessness in Sabah: The lack of political will or a political agenda?
Name: Giang T. Nguyen Degree: MSc Global Health Policy Fieldwork location: Viet Nam Topic: Assessing Willingness-to-Pay for Mammography in Early Breast Cancer Detection among women in Viet Nam
Name: Leon Schachter Degree: BA Geography with Chinese Fieldwork location: Luzon, Philippines Topic: The Balikbayan Route: An Analysis of Distribution, Coordination, and Change in the Value Chain of Transnational Kinship
Name: Moses Siregar Degree: MSc Political Science (Political Behaviour) Fieldwork location: Bogor City, Indonesia Topic: Buzzers, the New Brokers! The Effect of Social Media Brokers on Political Conformity and Online Engagement: An RCT in Indonesia
Name: Nattakrit Thaicharoenporn Degree: BSc International Relations and History Fieldwork location: Thailand Topic: Bondage and Capitalism: Slavery and Authoritative Emancipation in the Making of Modern Thailand
Name: Tham Ngoc Truong Degree: MSc in Global Media and Communications Fieldwork location: Vietnam Topic: The spread of misinformation/disinformation on social media on human trafficking in Vietnam
Name: Yuanhang Wang Degree: MSc in International Affairs Fieldwork location: Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia Topic: The Devil You Know: ASEAN’s Collaboration and Containment towards the Democratic Kampuchea (1979-1982)
Name: Nurfitriyana Riyadi Degree: MSc Behavioural Science Fieldwork location: Indonesia Topic: Digital discourse on social media amongst Indonesian netizens
Name: Luca Fraticelli Degree: MSc Environmental Policy and Regulation Fieldwork location: Malaysia, in person Topic: Nuclear empowerment in ASEAN: the case of Malaysia
Name: Regina Jessica Angeline Degree: MSc Regulation (Government and Law) Fieldwork location: Indonesia Topic: Women in Regulating an Empty Land: The Case of Indonesia's Ibu Kota Nusantara
Name: Jake Chavara Degree: MSc Development Management Fieldwork Location: Leyte, Philippines Topic: Balancing People, Profit & Planet: Unpacking Livelihood Co-benefits in Philippine Blue Carbon Projects
Name: Ryan Taehyoung Kim Degree: MSc Development Management Fieldwork Location: Vietnam Topic: Assessing the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Counter-Terrorism Financing (CTF) Measures for Economic Development in Southeast Asia.
Name: Hannah Gwynneth Pimentel Degree: MSc in Political Science and Political Economy Fieldwork location: Philippines Topic: Political Alignment Dynamics and Fiscal Surpluses: Insights from Local Governance in the Philippines
Name: Sahil Bhagat Degree: Columbia-LSE Dual MA/MSc in International and World History Fieldwork location: Malaysia Topic: Spice Bombs on the Plantation: Transnational Connectivities of Malayan Indian Anti-colonialism
Name: Naura Haryanto Degree: MSc in International Social and Public Policy (Non-Governmental Organisations) Fieldwork location: Indonesia Topic: Unpacking the Role and Approach of Gender-Focused NGOs in Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Policy Change
Name: Collin TEO Jun Kai Degree: LSE-PKU Double MSc Degree in International Affairs Fieldwork Location: Singapore and Maryland, USA Topic: How the Vietnam War Shaped Singapore-US Relations in its Formative Years, 1965-68
Name: Amanda Fidelino Degree: MSc Political Sociology Fieldwork location: Philippines Topic: How does the new Metro Manila middle class view institutional changes in the post-EDSA normative order?
Name: Yuyang Chen Degree: LSE–Peking University Double MSc in International Affairs Fieldwork location: China (in person) and Indonesia (Remote) Topic: Struggle and Adaptation: Identity of Indonesian Chinese ‘Returnees’ in the 1950s and 1960s
Name: Ferth Vandensteen Manaysay Degree: MSc Environmental Policy and Regulation Fieldwork location: Vietnam and Philippines Topic: Envisioning a transition towards a circular plastics economy: Policy narratives in the extended producer responsibility regulations of Vietnam and the Philippines
Name: Khairin Amin Degree: Msc Social and Cultural Psychology Fieldwork location: Malaysia Topic: Mental Health Conceptions in Malaysia: A social representational study of a multi-ethnic context
Hanson Chong
Degree: MSc Social Research Methods Proposed fieldwork location: Malaysia Topic: Interethnic Friendships under Ethnic Segregation: The Case of Malaysia
Degree: MSc Anthropology and Development Proposed fieldwork location: Malaysia Topic: Losing or Winning? Development and Dispossession in Malaysia
Wisarut Junsook
Degree: MSc International and Asian History Proposed fieldwork location: Thailand Topic: The Bowring Treaty of 1855 and the Transformation of Siamese Foreign Policies toward Britain
Degree: MSc Media and Communications Proposed fieldwork location: Malaysia Topic: An investigation of Malaysian Chinese's 'Chineseness' and its relationship with Chinese social media, RED and popular culture in facilitation and maintenance of a Chinese identity
Yenuarizki Soedjoko
Degree: MSc Social and Public Communication Proposed fieldwork location: Indonesia Topic:Understanding Indonesian Conservatives and Liberals' Moral Values to Viral Social Media Contents in the #SahkanRUUPKS Campaign
Si-Qi Tan
Degree: MSc International Social and Public Policy Proposed fieldwork location: Singapore Topic: The interrelationship between Social Policy, Confucianism and Loneliness among the elderly in Singapore
Ruth Luzminda Warren
Degree: MSc Urbanisation and Development Proposed fieldwork location: Philippines Topic: Climate-resilient urban planning and aging populations in Asia: understanding gendered experiences of aging and housing in Cagayan de Oro
SEAC was delighted to recieve so many competitive applications for the 2021/22 grants. The nine student awardees were selected based on the strength of their applications, and their proposed dissertation fieldwork and research.
Alexia Faugeroux
Degree: MSc Development Management Proposed fieldwork location: Cambodia Topic: Impact evaluation of single-sex schooling on gender equality in education: a case study of Toutes à l’école in Cambodia
Degree: MSc Sociology Proposed fieldwork location: Singapore and Malaysia Topic: Is it just for the money: A look at Malaysian cross-border workers in Singapore
Dianwidhi Michelle Pranoto
Degree: MSc in Media and Communications (Data and Society) Proposed fieldwork location: Indonesia Topic: Exploring the Influence of Socio-cultural Predictors of Digital Exclusion on Outcomes of Digital Engagement between the Western and Eastern Part of Indonesia
Xiao Tong Quek
Degree: MSc International, Social and Public Policy Proposed fieldwork location: Indonesia and Malaysia Topic: The socio-economic impacts of mitigation policies implemented post-ratification of ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution on smallholder farmers in Indonesia and Malaysia
Degree: MSc Gender, Media and Culture Proposed fieldwork location: Philippines Topic: Nationalist Discourses in the 2022 Philippine Elections: The (Re)Construction of the Nation by Leading Presidential Candidates Leni Robredo versus Bongbong Marcos
Jeffrey Tong
Degree: MSc Regional and Urban Planning Studies Proposed fieldwork location: Singapore Topic: Governing Urban Nature-based Solutions: An Analysis of High-rise Green Infrastructure Regulation in Singapore
Myra Torcheux
Degree: MSc Human Rights and Politics Proposed fieldwork location: Cambodia Topic: Transnational Justice and Politics in the Cambodian Diaspora
Degree: MSc Environmental Policy and Regulation Proposed fieldwork location: Malaysia Topic: Drivers of sustainable palm oil certification? Case study of Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) and barriers for smallholder uptake
For this year, with in-person student fieldwork strictly limited, our 12 awardees impressed with innovative research and methods to work around travel restrictions.
Awardees have also been encouraged to pay close attention to LSE and governmental news and health and safety updates, in and in liaison with their dissertation supervisors, in order that appropriate duty of care, for both themselves and any research participants, is ensured.
Gray Brakke
Degree: MSc Urbanisation and Development Proposed fieldwork location: Vietnam (remotely) Topic: Strategic Differentiation: The Dialectic of Urban Citizenship and State Authority in Hanoi and Its Periurban Fringe
Degree: MSc International Affairs Proposed fieldwork location: Singapore and Malaysia (remotely) Topic: British Colonial gaze in the Malaya Command 1939-1942
Soon Yung Low
Degree: MSc Applied Social Data Science Proposed fieldwork location: Malaysia (remotely) Topic: Ethnic Stereotypes in Malaysia: A quantitative measure based on word embedding
Jeremiah Magpile
Degree: MSc Local Economic Development Proposed fieldwork location: Philippines (remotely) Topic: Is Pasig City ready for Industry 4.0? The role of institutions in enhancing workforce technology readiness
Amanda Munoz Gamage
Degree: MSc Human Rights Proposed fieldwork location: Across Southeast Asia (remotely) Topic: Exploring the production of knowledge in Feminist Participatory Action Research (FPAR) – A case study of Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APFWLD)
Degree: MSc Media, Communication and Development Proposed fieldwork location: Philippines (remotely) Topic: Feminist media activism in the Philippines:Communication, community, and collective action amid COVID-19
Degree: MSc Public Policy and Administration Proposed fieldwork location: Indonesia (remotely) Topic:Do women run the world (of policymaking)? Uncovering the dichotomy of descriptive and substantive gender representation in Indonesia's legislation processes post-2014 and 2019 elections
Degree: MSc Environment and Development Proposed fieldwork location: Singapore (remotely) Topic: Food for thought: Analyzing Singapore’s food resilience strategies
Dominic Rose
Degree: MSc Applied Social Data Science Proposed fieldwork location: Thailand, Cambodia (remotely) Topic: Using Deep Learning and Google Street View to Identify Poverty in Southeast Asia
Gabbie Santos
Degree: MSc Political Sociology Proposed fieldwork location: Philippines (remotely) Topic: How does the embourgeoisement of a rising Filipino middle class reshape labour politics and massmobilisation in the Philippines, and what are the political implications?
Degree: BA History Proposed fieldwork location: Singapore (remotely) Topic: Counter-Communist Efforts by the Catholic Church in Post-War Singapore, 1948-70
Nicholas Williamson
Degree: MSc Health and International Development Proposed fieldwork location: Thailand (remotely) Topic: A Qualitative Study on the Politics of Abortion Legalisation in Thailand
While any in-person fieldwork will inevitably be reconsidered, including cancellation, due to the current pandemic, we would like to congratulate the 10 successful applicants of SEAC’s 2019/20 LSE Southeast Asia Student Dissertation Fieldwork Grant based on their original proposals. Awardees have been assured that SEAC is very much aware of significant restrictions and that we will be sympathetic to any changes to the nature, scope and timing of their proposed research, including researching remotely if appropriate. Awardees have also been encouraged to pay close attention to LSE and governmental news and health and safety updates, in liaison with their dissertation supervisors, in order that appropriate duty of care, for both themselves and any research participants, is ensured.
Rahma Anggraini
Degree: MSc International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies Proposed fieldwork location: Indonesia Topic: Contestation within Civil Society and Policy Changes: Examining the Impact of Advocacy by Different Women Groups to the Bill Legalization Process in Indonesia
Hayli Chiu
Degree: BSc Environment and Development Proposed fieldwork location: Malaysia Topic: Individual Decisions in Agent-Based Models: An Analysis of the Influence of Southeast Asian Haze Episodes on the Migration Patterns in Malaysia
Jonathan Formella
Degree: Columbia-LSE Dual MA/MSc in International and World History Proposed fieldwork location: Vietnam Topic: Exhumed Furies: Maoist Radicalism in the Chinese and Vietnamese Revolutions
Saanjh Gupta
Degree: MSc in Empires, Colonialism and Globalisation Proposed fieldwork location: Singapore Topic:Hawker Centre Redevelopment and Singaporean National Identity, 1968-86
Zhen Jun Al Lim
Degree: MSc Urbanisation and Development Proposed fieldwork location: Thailand Topic: Phuket’s Smart City Surveillance: an investigation of its Eagle Eyes CCTV Network
Woon Wei Look
Degree: MSc City Design and Social Science Proposed fieldwork location: Singapore Topic: What is homelessness? Defining homelessness and a critical examination of governmental responses in Singapore
Rishik Elias Menon
Degree: MSc Criminal Justice Policy Proposed fieldwork location: Singapore Topic: Crime Prevention and the Compliance-Industrial Complex: Analysing the Ideas, Interests and Institutions which Influence Singapore’s Anti-Money Laundering Regime
Cheyenne Ong
Degree: BSc in History and International Relations Proposed fieldwork location: Singapore and Malaysia Topic: The extent to which Communists influenced the Chinese middle school students’ movement in Singapore from 1954-1961
Leanne Sajor
Degree: MSc Inequalities and Social Science Proposed fieldwork location: Philippines Topic: Topographies of resistance: implications of the Human Rights Impact Assessment on movements against inequalities in the Manila Bay Project
Johanna Sutton
Degree: MSc Urbanisation and DevelopmentProposed fieldwork location: Singapore Topic: Making cities more resilient: blue-green infrastructure and governance
Tiffany Bennett
Degree: MSc Development Management Fieldwork location:Cambodia Topic:Belonging on the Margins: Exploring National Identity Among Cham Muslims in Rangsei Village, Cambodia
Lazarus Chok
Degree:BA Geography Fieldwork location: Singapore Topic: Terminal estates: An ethnographic study of planned obsolescence in public housing estates in Singapore
Ming Kit Lim
Degree: MSc Public Administration and Government Fieldwork location:Singapore Topic: Engendering Participatory Governance in Paternalistic States: A Case Study of ‘Our Singapore Conversation’
Rio Grace Otara
Degree: MSc in Gender, Development and Globalization Fieldwork location:Philippines Topic: Life Histories of Muslim Women Leaders of the Bangsamoro Islamic Women’s Auxiliary Brigade in the Philippines
Katie Parkinson
Degree: MSc in International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies Fieldwork location:Thailand Topic: Constructing ‘Home’ in Exile: Perspectives of Shan Refugees in Thailand
