Background
The idea of a series of ASEAN Inter-University Seminars on Social Development was first mooted by the Faculty of Development Science, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and the Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore.
The series was also intended to provide a much needed forum located within Southeast Asia where scholarly and academic exchanges could take place, where the results of research could be directly presented and shared, and where Southeast Asian and other scholars could benefit from each others' experience. Thus, while a regional forum, it would none the less be open to international participation as well. Such interaction at regular intervals would not only facilitate collaborative research, but also help to enhance collective understandings and consolidate social scientific knowledge in and about the region. The seminar would, accordingly, act as an invaluable clearing-house for the dissemination of findings from research, and ideas both theoretical and practical, through direct exchanges as well as through resulting publications such as proceedings, edited volumes, or in any other form. The active promotion of dissemination especially through quality publications was, however, considered axiomatic.
Recognizing, furthermore, that such knowledge would be of interest, relevance and value to governmental and non-governmental decision-makers concerned with issues in and problems of development and that analyses of these issues might well be time-sensitive, and that the views of these decision-makers would also be of interest and value to scholars and academics, it was considered desirable that the seminar series should, accordingly, be open to decision-makers and others directly involved in development activities as well.
Intra-ASEAN Cooperation
The ASEAN Inter-University Seminars on Social Development are firmly committed to intra-ASEAN co-operation in general and to such co-operation between academics, scholars and policy-makers concerned with 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. Nevertheless, it is important to acknowledge that there is also great variability in the relative strengths of these universities and institutions, each with their comparative advantages. Until the launching of the seminar series, there was no single forum for a meeting of minds and institutional co-operation for the benefit of all through a sharing of knowledge and expertise and thus maximising the potential of these advantages.
The seminar series is a true co-operative endeavour where meaningful exchanges take place. The multi-disciplinary representation at the conferences is an essential feature of this. Collaborative research, writing and other partnerships, although largely ad hoc , have occasionally followed from the conferences indicating that such co-operation is not simply a euphemism for a meeting of interested participants for few days duration once every two years.
Equally important, the seminar series has seen a growth in the number of organising institutions and participating institutions. The holding of the conferences in the series is, in other words, a noteworthy example of an on-going process of intra-ASEAN co-operation. The preparation for and organisation of each conference requires a high level of sustained contact and communication to delineate panels and sessions based on the more pressing social development concerns identified by academics, scholars and policy-makers throughout the region and to disseminate information on forthcoming conferences. The collegial relations established in this process is a hallmark of intra-regional co-operation. The growing number of institutions engaged in this undertaking represent the interests and aspirations of the countries, to which they belong, for the betterment of their respective peoples. The seminar series can only be regarded as a significant aspect of intra-ASEAN co-operation based on mutual respect, understanding, assistance -- and a commitment to the sharing of knowledge essential for the greater common good.
For these reasons, it was envisaged that the seminars should be held biennially and rotationally in the various ASEAN countries. This would also provide participants with the opportunity of experiencing first-hand the richness and diversity of life in the ASEAN countries which many would be unfamiliar with. It was also firmly intended that the seminars would be held outside of metropolitan, capital cities of individual countries, i.e. in regional-provincial capitals or even smaller cities in order that the academic and scholarly communities of the regions and provinces could be directly involved and in greater numbers in the seminar series and where the costs of organising the seminar would be significantly lower.
In short, the ASEAN Inter-University Seminars on Social Development was conceived to be a unique, on-going autonomous regional forum committed to cooperation in the development of social scientific knowledge in support of the advancement of the region with the following objectives in mind:
To encourage
the development and promote the consolidation of ASEAN-based scholarship and scholarship in Southeast Asia in general and social scientific knowledge on the multi-faceted issues in development, a necessary condition of empowerment.
To generate
valuable and meaningful 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 network with a view to establishing collaborative scholarly ventures.
To provide
a unique forum and meeting ground for scholars, academics, intellectuals, government and non-government decision-makers concerned with problems and issues in development.
Institutional Cooperation
This series of seminars is managed by a consortium of co-operating institutions. These institutions have been designated “organising institutions”, “participating institutions” and “affiliates”. Organising institutions are institutions directly involved in holding the conference by way of administration drawing on their internal resources, facilities and funds. They also include donor foundations, in this case, the Friedrich Naumann Stiftung which has generously supported the seminar series in the past. Participating institutions are those which, although not directly involved in the administration of the conference, nevertheless contribute to the conference proceedings in the form of organising specific panels. Affiliate institutions are institutions generally outside the region with a clear interest and focus on the region and which assist in disseminating information on the conference to other institutions, organisations and individuals in their countries and elsewhere with a view to promoting international participation in the conference.