SEA Junction (or fully “Southeast Asia Junction”) is the core activity of the Foundation for Southeast Asia Studies, a registered non-profit Thai foundation established in 2018. Our aim is to foster understanding and appreciation of Southeast Asia in all socio-cultural dimensions – from arts and crafts to the economy and development- by enhancing public access to knowledge resources and by promoting exchanges among students, specialists and Southeast Asia lovers.
Specific objectives include to:
- Provide public access to books and other resources on Southeast Asia
- Provide a venue for exchanges among people of Southeast Asia and beyond
- Organize series of events on Southeast Asia and ASEAN processes.
- Provide classes and workshops for students on specific regional topics
- Profile emerging artists, intellectuals, practitioners from the region
- Collaborate with other relevant Thai, regional and international organizations in promoting knowledge of Southeast Asia and ASEAN
SEA Junction contributes to these objectives as a public venue and informal space on Southeast Asia where people with an interest in the region’s art, culture and societies can meet, share information, consult available resource, and read related literature at their leisure.
Strategically located at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC), SEA Junction aims to bring socio-cultural and development issues to the general public. The setting is that of an open reading room where a collection of books on Southeast Asia are hosted on a wide range of socio-cultural themes for public consultation. Selected crafts and arts of Southeast Asia are also displayed to give a glimpse of the cultural richness of the region.
Making sure of our venue and of BACC meeting facilities, a program of public events relevant to Southeast Asia is ongoing, which includes meetings, seminars, documentary screening, photo exhibition, lectures and workshops. Through our website and media, we produce and disseminate articles and opinion pieces and publicize knowledge centers, courses, conferences and grant opportunities related to Southeast Asia.
Organization and Funding
SEA-Junction builds on regional efforts to support cross-learning and exchanges in the Greater Mekong Sub-region and Southeast Asia. The founder of SEA-Junction, Rosalia Sciortino Sumaryono currently at Mahidol and Chulalongkorn Universities, was involved in many of those programs in her former role of Regional Director for Asia of the Rockefeller Foundation in Thailand and the International Development Research Centre in Singapore, Senior Adviser AusAID in Indonesia and Ford Foundation officer in Indonesia and the Philippines.
Through her work and decades-long permanence in Southeast Asia, she identified a need for a specialized cultural center for the region, accessible to the general public. At a time when regionalization processes are intensifying with the launching of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015, it is crucial to enhance and disseminate knowledge of Southeast Asia realities and to promote a better understanding between people of the region.
In establishing SEA Junction, the founder received the support of a committed group of so-called ‘founding partners’, who have been willing to provide the initial capital and insights. They are from different countries and background, but have in common a passion for Southeast Asia and a readiness to share their knowledge, expertise and extensive and varied networks.
Born out of this communal spirit, SEA-Junction is a not-for-profit endeavor financed by the founder and the founding partners, and through donations of “Friends of SEA Junction”. In due time, additional resources to cover operational costs will be sought possibly through membership schemes, fees for events, commissions from book sales and/or grant support.
The choice of BACC as a location is due to a shared philosophy of highlighting the rich heritage of Southeast Asia and to ensure “21st century solidarity” in the context of ASEAN integration. This combined with BACC’s strategic location close to major universities with Southeast Asian interests and easily accessible for the general public and travelers, makes of it the perfect home for SEA-Junction as a place “to meet, and to help define and make culture”.
Contact
SEA Junction
BACC
Room 407- 408, 4th Floor,
939 Rama 1 Rd, Wang Mai, Pathum Wan
Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Email: southeastasiajunction@gmail.com, info@seajunction.org
Website: www.seajunction.org
Instagram: www.instagram.com/seajunction
Twitter: www.twitter.com/seajunction
ff page: https://www.facebook.com/SEA-Junction-470374673153248/
ff group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1693055870976440/
Opening Times
Tues-Sun 10.30 AM – 7.30 PM (Monday Closed)