As the Chairman of the Governing Board of the Consortium for Southeast Asian Studies in Asia (SEASIA), I sincerely welcome you all to the 2026 SEASIA Biennial Conference in Singapore. This is the sixth edition of the Biennial Conference, previously held in the Philippines (2024), Indonesia (2022), Taiwan (2019), Thailand (2017) and Japan (2015). 

SEASIA is an international consortium of 17 Southeast Asian Studies-focused research institutions in Asia, located in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China , Hong Kong, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, and Cambodia. Its organizational objectives are to provide a proactive platform for academic exchange among the institutions and scholars and to nurture the young talents in the field of Southeast Asian Studies. It is also hoped that through exchange and dialogue, an Asian perspective and insight can be created in the knowledge-making on Southeast Asia. The Biennial Conference, the SEASIA flagship activity, is designed to serve such intellectual function. Over the past 11 years, the SEASIA Biennial Conferences have been proven very successful.

Besides the Biennial Conference, SEASIA has also been active in organizing a sperate Young Scholars Conference on Southeast Asian Studies, aiming to offer opportunities for young Southeast Asian studies scholars to present and share their research. It has been quite welcomed by young talents in the field.

I would like to take this occasion to extend my utmost appreciation to the local organizing committee led by Professors Kei Koga and Julius Bautista. Finally, as we proceed with our three days’ conference, I wish you all a very productive and exciting time.

Hsin-Huang Michael Hsiao
Chairman of SEASIA