PROJECT BACKROUND
Imagining Southeast Asian life through pictures and stories of everyday experiences
Project Background
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is fond of its so-called ‘ASEAN identity’ and yet only three studies have ever been conducted to include the ten member states in qualifying ‘ASEAN-ness’ (Thompson, Thianthai & Thuzar, 2016; Phua & Chin, 2015; Thompson & Thianthai, 2008). These large-scale surveys are also the only notable few that espoused an emic perspective. In 2008, public opinion seemed to demand for more regional identity-building efforts as evidenced by Attitudes and Awareness Towards ASEAN: Findings of a Ten-nation Survey (Thompson & Thianthai, 2008)—the very first ASEAN-wide survey of such a large scale ever conducted and participated by Southeast Asian citizens. In 2015, The Straits Times’ Are We A Community? (Phua & Chin, 2015) demonstrated how majority of Southeast Asians do not believe that the ASEAN countries share a common identity yet they feel that they can identify with their Southeast Asian neighbors. Meanwhile, the last survey Do Young People Know ASEAN? Update of a Ten-nation Survey, which was published by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in 2016, showed that there is a fast- increasing awareness among the youth and education sectors across ASEAN countries (Thompson, Thianthai & Thuzar, 2016). And whilst a fourth ASEAN-wide survey had also been conducted a year after (Intal & Ruddy, 2017), it somewhat equated ‘regional identity’ with the notion of an ‘ASEAN citizenship’, which is more of a discussion of membership than the broader and almost theoretical concept of ‘ASEAN-ness’.
As exemplified by the iconic ‘official image’ of the ASEAN, conveyed by the instantly recognisable ‘ASEAN handshake’, it can be argued that official photographs of ASEAN’s annual summits generally and constantly promote a sense of regional identity that often lacks public involvement or grassroots representation. Generally speaking, these images only reflect a top-down approach to Southeast Asian identity construction; the photographs only focus on those who are in power. Moreover, they communicate an official discourse that celebrates the notion of regional identity as something that is harmonising or unifying, and which does not leave much space for critique. And whilst online platforms and social media have been instrumental in the increase of photographs taken and shared by ordinary citizens, the visual discourse emerging from these social networks often resembles the official discourse if one were to compare the official images with the thematic content of crowdsourced photographs; for example, the Facebook page formerly and unofficially called ‘ASEAN Community’ (created in 2011 by a group of students from Thailand to informally raise awareness) is now officially the ASEAN Youth Organization page, which still continues to promote ‘ASEANality’ (or ‘ASEANationality’) — through its annual photography contests. In other words, images are made to compete instead of simply to convey. And despite picturing everyday life, grassroots concerns and ordinary citizens, these unofficial photographs echo the tendencies of the official discourse but still lack critical reflection about the ASEAN. Visuality and the politics of the image within the region is, thus, made more obvious through photographic media.
Premised by the above, this study also brings into the foreground the iconic image (propagated by mainstream media) of Southeast Asian state leaders traditionally shaking hands with each other whilst forming a human chain with their arms crossed and hands linked — a typical photograph taken during annual ASEAN summits or official diplomatic meetings. This iconic image would prove a challenge in the same year that favours social distancing, or more appropriately physical distancing, over handshaking. If ASEAN state leaders are unable to reach out to each other in the same way as before, how then will the ‘concert of Southeast Asian Nations’ perform this year?
In arguing that regional identity politics is as much a question of visual culture as of geopolitics alone, this study was entirely conceptualised as an interdisciplinary visual culture project — in anticipation of the much-touted ASEAN Vision 2020. Why is identity a question of visuality? This is an important test, indeed. Hence visual culture studies need not be excluded in the ASEAN discourse especially at a time when photographic media and streaming video prove to be the most effective means to convey the purpose of the ASEAN.
By engaging ASEAN citizens in a non-competitive, participatory photography project, this study opens another space for expressing and exploring ‘ASEAN-ness’ and the various facets and multiplicities of ASEAN’s identity. In a way, the project is an opportunity for Southeast Asians to exercise their right to express themselves and become directly involved in the politics and transformation of society in relation to ASEAN. Admittedly, this study does not claim to represent the disadvantaged, marginalised, and underrepresented in that this project’s current and previous participants are also able individuals and ASEAN member citizens. And whilst only a handful of them can truly claim to represent an oppressed or powerless sector of society, this project cannot be used outright to address existing identity politics and power relations within the region. What can be hoped (or even expected) from this project, however, is the potential for the participants to personally create meaningful and responsible impact — not necessarily change — in their respective communities. After all, each one is an emerging leader in key sectors of Southeast Asian society: arts and creative industries, business and economics, education, governance and diplomacy, international relations, marine science, public health and medicine, and sociology, among others. Suffice it to say that all the participants engaged in this project do care about the relevance of the ASEAN integration decades after.
One of the tenets of the ASEAN Vision 2020 declaration, which was unanimously signed by Southeast Asian leaders on 15 December 1997, formally envisions the future of Southeast Asia as a concert of nations committed to economic cooperation, mutual understanding, and regional unity:
‘We envision the entire Southeast Asia to be, by 2020, an ASEAN community conscious of its ties of history, aware of its cultural heritage and bound by a common regional identity.
We see vibrant and open ASEAN societies consistent with their respective national identities, where all people enjoy equitable access to opportunities for total human development regardless of gender, race, religion, language, or social and cultural background.
We envision a socially cohesive and caring ASEAN where hunger, malnutrition, deprivation and poverty are no longer basic problems, where strong families as the basic units of society tend to their members particularly the children, youth, women and elderly; and where the civil society is empowered and gives special attention to the disadvantaged, disabled and marginalized and where social justice and the rule of law reign.’
Meanwhile, ‘Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN’ is aptly the theme for the 37th ASEAN Summit | 2020 in Ha Noi, Viet Nam (12 – 15 November) in 2020, the same year that marks the planned ASEAN Vision 2020. While the intergovernmental summit in Viet Nam pushed through in November 2020 despite the risk of Covid-19, little is publicly known about what might have happened to the regionalism project that had been intended to successfully integrate the ten ASEAN member states into a unified economic community. Thus, 1997 was a hopeful prediction of what might the year 2020 bring to the region, summed up by the declaration of the ASEAN Vision 2020.
Using photography and photo-elicitation to respond to relevant questions about the identity politics of the region is this study’s way of envisioning and imagining the past, present, and future of the ASEAN. By welcoming differences and similarities from one another throughout the whole process, the participants’ way of agreeing and arguing with each other leads to shaping not only their individual opinions but also their general collective understanding of what our ‘ASEAN identity’ might mean.
Of course, we understand that our taking of photographs can sometimes be a somewhat ‘selfish’ act — we ‘take’ (photographs) instead of ‘give’ them — and that is why we must also engage in meaningful conversations and debates to lead us to more concrete steps. And one of these steps is to give information and inspiration. For instance, the regular (bimonthly) Zoom meetings we have with our co-participants embrace the idea that ordinary ASEAN member citizens should have more opportunities to convene and collaborate — the same way state leaders and diplomats of ASEAN member countries hold the annual ASEAN summits.
We aim to communicate to our fellow ASEAN members what we have imagined (and ‘taken’) so far; hence we start with this online project launch with high hopes that we actually encourage wider participation in the ASEAN discourse. We will give it our best shot.
References
ASEAN (1997) ASEAN Vision 2020. Available from: http://www.asean.org/?static_post=asean-vision-2020 [Accessed on 11th October 2020].
Phua, G. & Chin, S. (December 2015) ‘Are We A Community?’ The Straits Times. Available from: https://www.straitstimes.com/business/excitement-and-jitters-over-aec or http://www.straitstimes.com/sites/default/files/attachments/2015/12/21/st_20151221_bizc2_192 9872.pdf [Accessed 9 October 2020].
Thompson, E.C. & Thianthai, C. (2008) Attitudes and Awareness Towards ASEAN: Findings of a Ten- nation Survey. ASEAN Foundation. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. Available from: http://www.aseanfoundation.org/documents/Attitudes%20and%20Awareness%20Toward%20AS EAN.pdf [Accessed 9 October 2020].
Thompson, E.C., Thianthai, C. & Thuzar, M. (2016) Do Young People Know ASEAN? Update of a Ten- nation Survey. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) Yusof Ishak Institute.
Project Context: Tracing a Timeline
There have been a number of significant initiatives in the last two decades that contributed to the discourse of identity in the ASEAN. Some of these events eventually played a role in the shaping of this project from research context to creative content — such as several international exhibitions where the project lead and curator was also personally involved in (see project history and acknowledgements here). The online exhibition now being introduced to the public by this project, therefore, positions itself as a similar initiative that aims to build on the enduring discussion of ‘ASEAN-ness’ as a ‘regional identity’ which many scholars have previously argued and invoked but not necessarily defined and theorised. The timeline below offers a quick glimpse of the background of this evolving project.
First ASEAN-Wide Survey
This ten-nation survey is considered as the first of its kind. Conducted in 2007 and published in 2008, the study investigated the ASEAN youth’s awareness of their neighbouring countries within the region and measured their level of enthusiasm or scepticism towards the ongoing economic integration efforts of the ASEAN.
ASEAN Community on Facebook
Students from Thailand led other youth volunteers in starting a Facebook group called ‘ASEAN Community’ where photographs of ASEAN countries and trivia can be shared publicly. The unofficial network eventually paved the way for the founding of the ASEAN Youth Organization (AYO) in 2015.
Visit ASEAN Youth Organization website
Photo Contest on Facebook
The annual crowdsourcing of photographic images initiated by the unofficial ASEAN Community Facebook page in 2011 eventually led to a more organised online photography competition with the theme ‘Raising Your ASEANality’.
See contest mechanics here
The Straits Times Survey
The Straits Times of Singapore initiated an ASEAN-wide survey in partnership with various news outfits across the region to account for the public perception of the ASEAN. This online survey offered a complementary picture to the 2008 survey in that it also involved respondents other than university students.
See the report here
Update of the 2008 Survey
While 2015 survey accounted for the increase in public awareness regarding the ASEAN integration since the first-ever survey was conducted in 2007, the 2016 report confirmed the increase in ASEAN-positive attitudes across the 10 countries with an expanded dataset. The findings include the shift from the economic concerns of the ASEAN to the cultural and developmental sectors.
See the report here
Photo Contest: ‘My ASEANationality’
Through its annual photography contests, the ASEAN Community Facebook page has seen a steady increase in crowdsourced photographs. By 2014 — three years after the unofficial page was created — the online community eventually attracted 250,000+ followers not only from ASEAN countries but also globally.
See Facebook call here
Report: ASEAN Integration 2015
According to the official ASEAN website, the ASEAN Integration Report (AIR) 2015 provides a comprehensive analysis of the progress and achievements, including evaluating the impact, of implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Blueprint since its adoption in 2007.
Download the report here
Exhibition: ‘South by Southeast’
While this exhibition organised by Osage Art Foundation is not necessarily about Southeast Asia, it raised artistic as well as geopolitical perspectives of Southeast Asia and Southeast Europe, and their potential connections and interactions.
Exhibition: ‘Almost there’
This exhibition was organised by the Japan Foundation Asia Center and co-curated by Patrick D. Flores (Vargas Museum, University of the Philippines) and Kyongfa Che (Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo). It featured Southeast Asian artists and curators from Southeast Asia with the aim of creating linkages in contemporary art research and practice in diverse parts of the world.
Read more information here
Participatory Photography: ‘Manila Pilot Project’
Kristian Jeff Agustin initiated a participatory photography pilot project in Manila on the sidelines of ‘Almost There’. The international exhibition on contemporary Southeast Asian artistic and curatorial practices served as a meaningful backdrop and resource in his initial investigation of ‘ASEAN-ness’
View more photos here and also here
Public Forum: ‘Photographing the ASEAN’
During his stint as a visiting researcher at the University of the Philippines Vargas Museum, Kristian Jeff Agustin led a public forum which served as an intervention in the ongoing international exhibition. Outcomes of the Manila pilot project were presented as a response to ‘Almost There’. Read the brief report on PhotoVoice's website (UK) or on Vargas Museum's Facebook page.
Photo Contest: ‘ASEAN Way’
On its 50th anniversary, the ASEAN officially launches a photography competition in 2017 similar to the initiatives of the ASEAN Youth Organization since 2011. The ‘ASEAN Way’ is how the bloc traditionally refers to its consensus-building process and non-confrontational model of decision-making.
See call for entries here
Exhibition: ‘Ties of History’
The Philippine National Commission for Culture and the Arts organised an international exhibition featuring one artist from each ASEAN member country in commemoration of the regional organisation’s 50 years. The memorable phrase ‘Ties of History’ was taken from the document signed by the ASEAN’s founders.
View international project details
COVID-19 Pandemic
Some ASEAN countries resorted to strict lockdown and community quarantine measures to remedy the effect of the pandemic. As of 24 November 2020, the number of recorded cases have surpassed 1.2 million: Indonesia (506,302 cases), the Philippines (421,722 cases), Myanmar (80,505 cases), Malaysia (58,847 cases), Singapore (58,183 cases), Thailand (3,922 cases), Viet Nam (1,316 cases), Cambodia (306 cases), Brunei (149 cases), and Laos (25 cases).
See updated tallies here
Collaboration: ‘Seasons of Love’
The COVID-19 pandemic led to a virtual collaboration of theatre and musical performers from various ASEAN member countries to show solidarity among the entertainment industries of Southeast Asia.
See collaboration here
‘MADE IN ASEAN’ Online Exhibition
An online exhibition featuring various curatorial collaborations offered the public various ways of looking at Southeast Asian visual culture and the ASEAN regional integration. Most of the virtual activities will still be accessible online in 2021.
IAMCR 2021 Paper Presentation
'Identity-participation in ASEAN through curatorial collaborations: a participatory approach', co-authored by Martin Vidanes (University of the Philippines - Diliman), Kristian Jeff Agustin (Manchester School of Art), Freya Chow-Paul (Asia-Europe Foundation), Kerrine Goh (National Arts Council Singapore), was presented at the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) annual conference hosted in Nairobi, Kenya (launched online due to Covid-19).
Transcultural Leadership Summit
Co-curators Kristian Jeff Agustin, Yen Ooi, and Martin Vidanes explore creative ways of understanding Southeast Asia at the Transcultural Leadership Summit 2021. Using participatory approaches, the back-to-back workshop responded to relevant questions about Southeast Asia’s identity as a transcultural region that hitherto negotiates its ‘Eastern’ and ‘Western’ pressures.
Are you aware of any related activities, events, or publications we missed to include in this timeline? Please email the project curator at kristian.j.agustin@stu.mmu.ac.uk the details and/or links.
Related Literature
ASEAN Vision 2020 (15 December 1997) archived at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations website
The Evolution and Limitations of ASEAN Identity by Amitav Acharya
Collective Identity Formation in Asian Regionalism : ASEAN Identity and the Construction of the Asia-Pacific Regional Order
by Amitav Acharya & Allan S. Layug
‘Mother Tongue’ by Yen Ooi
Reframing the ASEAN discourse (Current Perspectives on Communication and Media Research, 2018) by Kristian Agustin
Southeast Asia: Art History, Art Today by Patrick Flores
Patrick Flores: ‘Southeast Asia must be geopolitically unburdened’ by Tess Maunder (Interview with Patrick Flores)
Photographing the ASEAN: PhotoVoice as a research method, Southeast Asia as visual culture by Kristian Agustin
Manila Pilot Project: Vargas Museum Forum & Exhibition (2017) by Kristian Agustin
Photography in Southeast Asia: A Survey by Zhuang Wubin
Photography in Southeast Asia: A Survey and Photo Kopi: Zhuang Wubin on Conceptual Photography in SEA by Kevin Wy Lee
Zhuang Wubin, Photography in Southeast Asia: A Survey by Carlos Quijon, Jr.
Other Resources
On participatory photography and photographic media, a conversation with Matt Daw (former Projects Manager at PhotoVoice)
Interviewed by Kristian Jeff Agustin
Highlights from the #PICSfestival2012 Panel Debate (Photographic Images Changing Society, 2012)
Panel speakers: Matt Daw (Projects Manager, PhotoVoice), Ivor Prickett (Photographer), KennardPhillips (Photo Activist), Stephen Sidlo (Demotix), Joseph Cabon (Senior Editor & Photographer, Christian Aid); Organized by PhotoVoice and GlobalNet21 in 2012 at The Hub Westminster, London.
PROJECT SPONSORS
This project was supported in 2021 by
Previously supported by
Exhibition design and media partners
Exhibition design and media partners
Previous funding (2020-2022) granted by
Contact information
Kristian Jeff Agustin, PhD (Art & Design)
Project Lead & Curator, ASEAN 20/20 Vision
Email: info@aseanvisionproject.com
