Advances in Southeast Asian Studies

This open issue presents seven current research articles and one book review spanning five Southeast Asian countries. The contributions explore how authority, meaning, and everyday life are negotiated across diverse social, cultural, political, and technological contexts in the region. The issue moves from meditation practices among young Muslims in Indonesia and contested graveyards in post-disaster East Java to ghost narratives and postwar memory in Vietnam, forest governance in Aceh, and sports media transformation in Thailand. It further examines employee experiences of service robot integration in Malaysia’s hospitality industry and the possibilities and limits of language-related support for migrant workers in Thailand. The issue is complemented by a book review on the reconfiguration of Islamic authority in contemporary Indonesia.

Managing Editors: Alexander Trupp & Prachi Thakur

Cover Photo: Alexander Trupp