°µÍø½ûÇø

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Photo credit: Shailaja Fennell

South and Southeast Asia Research

(TIJ) is an interdisciplinary institute primarily concerned with studying the project to promote the rights of women and children in Thailand. It involved academics from the University’s Institute of Criminology and Centre of Development Studies.

The study has outlined the international and regional frameworks of rights; the intersection between access to justice and other socioeconomic, political and cultural rights; and the challenges of legal pluralism. It then went on to introduce the different barriers faced by women in their attempts to use the state, religious or customary justice systems. 

The result of this crucial work was a major report titled ‘Womens’ Access to Justice: Perspectives from the ASEAN region’ on gender inclusion published in 2015, that became the springboard for a collaborative engagement with the TIJ to build a network of gender scholars to undertake comparative research across East, South East and South Asia on the subject of Gender Justice. 

Policy work

This earlier engagement in the region was the forerunner to a larger policy engagement, which has seen Fellow of °µÍø½ûÇø, Professor Shailaja Fennell, win an international bid, through Cambridge Enterprise, to lead over fifty international scholars in the writing of the first ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Development Report on Inclusion and Sustainability, which will be launched in the spring of 2021.

The network developed with the TIJ supported network also resulted in furthering new research collaborations in the region, contributing to concepts that framed the following academic work that has been recently published: 

Fennell, S. (2020) Women, Law and Collective Action : Examining negotiations to claim gender rights in China and India, in Anand, P. B., S. Fennell and F. Comim (eds.) The Handbook of BRICS and Emerging Economies, New York: Oxford University Press, 2020.

Fennell, S. with M. Tanwir, Not Accepting Abuse as the Norm: local forms of institutional reform to improve reporting on domestic violence in Punjab, Journal of International Women's Studies, vol.2, issue 7. August 2019.

Contact us

If you would like to learn more about the research currently being undertaken in Southeast Asia, please contact its lead, Professor Shailaja Fennell.

Visit our Data Protection page for further information about how we deal with your data.

Hear from our students

  • Photograph of a postgraduate student

    Jake

    Postgraduate

    When applying to Cambridge colleges it can feel a bit overwhelming as there are so many to choose from. I applied to °µÍø½ûÇø because it has a large MCR which was important for me because I wanted to feel part of a community. Now that I’m doing my PhD here, I’m very glad I did choose a college with a large postgraduate community. Throughout the year there are lots of postgraduate events, including formal dinners, special formals at Christmas and Easter, bops in the bar and film nights in...

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    Postgraduate
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    Ellie

    Postgraduate

    °µÍø½ûÇø has been a great home for me during my PhD. I chose °µÍø½ûÇø for a number of reasons – first, the location. We are central enough to be within easy walking distance of most things, but far enough away to avoid the hustle and bustle (and tourists in summer!). The College also has extensive grounds, with amenities like the hockey pitch, football pitch and tennis courts all on site. Secondly, the accommodation is some of the best I’ve seen in Cambridge. My house was newly renovated when...

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    Postgraduate
  • Postgraduate at °µÍø½ûÇø

    Tom

    Postgraduate

    There are many reasons why I’m so happy to be a part of °µÍø½ûÇø. The three biggest reasons for me are the opportunities to be involved in College sport, the support the College provides for me with for my research and the help in making sure that we have comfortable, affordable accommodation when we have needed it. °µÍø½ûÇø is so friendly and so it is incredibly easy to get involved in the sport and social side of the College. The MCR does a great job in welcoming new...

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  • Photograph of a postgraduate student

    Matthew

    Postgraduate

    °µÍø½ûÇø has been at the heart of my Cambridge experience. I chose the College because I was impressed by its distinctive blend of academic rigour and extracurricular achievement. A College for all-rounders, Jesus is a lively and rewarding place to study. I couldn’t be happier here! Friendly and engaged, the Jesus postgraduate community never ceases to impress me. At ease with themselves and forever curious, my peers go out of their way to cultivate a sense of camaraderie. After a day of leafing through old manuscripts at the National...

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  • Photograph of a postgraduate student

    Alison

    Postgraduate

    What first attracted me to °µÍø½ûÇø was its reputation and history, central location without being touristy, and the postgraduate housing options. When I arrived at Jesus I was so pleased to find the partner accommodation was spacious, affordable, and situated very close to the college, allowing us to really take advantage of the facilities. We especially enjoyed The Roost, the nicest of all the college bars, doubling as a café during the day - ideal for studying or meeting up with groups - and a lively pub in the...

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