Latest news with #VilashiniSomiah
The Star
27-05-2025
- General
- The Star
Sabahan lecturer leads US-based Southeast Asia Council
Dr Vilashini Somiah, 41, had just wrapped up her classes at Universiti Malaya (UM) in Kuala Lumpur and was deep in conversation with one of her research assistants. It was all part and parcel of her packed schedule - now even fuller following her appointment as the first South-East Asia-based scholar elected Chair of the Southeast Asia Council (SEAC) under the Association for Asian Studies (AAS). As a senior lecturer in the Gender Studies programme at the varsity's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, she balances her academic responsibilities with a growing role on the international stage. The AAS is a non-profit, non-political professional association dedicated to the study of Asia. Over 60 years old, the scholarly organisation is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the United States. Vilashini (second from right) proudly showcases her Sabahan heritage in traditional Sinuangga attire while pitching for the 2023 Wellcome Discovery Grant in London. Kota Kinabalu, Sabah-born Vilashini admits that news of her being elected as the chair came as a surprise. "Honestly, I never expected to be selected as SEAC Chair. I have always worked away from the spotlight, so this appointment feels both surreal and affirming. Coming from Borneo - often overlooked even within South-East Asia - I never imagined helping to shape regional discourse. But this shows the power of persistence and community," she says during an interview recently. "Scholars from the periphery can, and must, lead. I am deeply grateful to those who supported me - from the friends who first voted me onto the council to the members who elected me Chair. Being entrusted with a leadership role in AAS is something I carry with a lot of responsibility, and of course, hope," says Vilashini, whose term runs till 2028. The Sabahan anthropologist, who is of Indian and Sino-Kadazan parentage, sees her role as both administrative and advocacy-driven. While much of the work happens behind the scenes, it's rooted in a deeper commitment to representation and equity. Vilashini (second from left) with several Malaysian students at the Harvard University Asia Center in Massachusetts, the United States. "Part of the job involves coordinating the council's work, shaping the AAS annual conference programme, and ensuring South-East Asia stays visible and dynamic in Asian studies. It is mostly behind-the-scenes governance - organising meetings, managing agendas, drafting policies and liaising across time zones. "It's not glamorous, but it puts me in rooms where I can advocate for more equitable representation and help ensure marginalised voices from Malaysia and the region are heard and supported. For me, it is not just administrative - it is about opening doors and lifting others into spaces where representation is still lacking," explains Vilashini, who holds a PhD in South-East Asian Studies from the National University of Singapore. Earlier this year, she was also appointed a Harvard University Asia Center associate in Massachusetts, US. With so many hats to wear – lecturer, researcher and council chair – one can only wonder how the jovial woman manages it all. "I don't sleep lah," she says with a laugh. "When I need a break, I just unwind with some good Indian food. I won't lie, it's been an ambitious few years. Sometimes the weight of it all does scare me. But I've worked hard for these opportunities, and I do love the work. That makes a difference. "I am not a parent, which means I have got more time than many of my peers, and I try to use that privilege wisely. I never want to look back and feel I squandered the chance to learn, to contribute, to grow. That's what keeps me going - the knowing that this all means something," says Vilashini, who grew up in Penampang, KK. Advocating change Over the past 15 years, Vilashini has produced nearly 50 publications, many of which have been research based such as journal articles, books and reports. They include Unmoored Boundaries: Bajau Laut And Mobility Perspectives In Maritime Southeast Asia (2025), The Sea Is Indigenous 'Land' Too (2022), and Discovering From The Margins: Migrant Mothers And Covid-19 Vaccines In Sabah (2023). She is also the author of the book Irregular Migrants And The Sea At The Borders Of Sabah, Malaysia: Pelagic Alliance . Vilashini credits her mixed heritage and upbringing in Sabah for shaping her scholarly lens, particularly her focus on Bornean women, migration and identity. Her eyes beam with enthusiasm as she speaks about issues close to her heart. "I am very proud of my Tamil heritage, but Sabah is in my bones. It is a place of layered identities, fluid borders, and daily negotiations of belonging. Growing up mixed and multilingual, aware of both privilege and precarity, taught me to listen, to honour complexity, and to push against binaries. 'There's a data vacuum in Malaysia. We want to create spaces where underrepresented voices are heard,' says Vilashini. Photo: The Star/Low Lay Phon "I think when you grow up in a place where so many live in-between - between areas and territories, between identities, between rights - you internalise the struggles of being seen and acknowledged. "But I have watched communities from both sides of my family survive invisibility and thrive in spite of it. That kind of everyday resilience shapes how I approach my writing and research. It is never about extracting stories but it's about bearing witness and returning the gaze with respect," says Vilashini, the older of two siblings. She hopes her new role can open more doors for more Malaysian scholars - especially those who are indigenous, disabled, or from rural and remote communities - take up space in global academia. "Their work is often brilliant and rooted in lived realities, but it is still underrepresented. I also hope SEAC can foster true intergenerational collaboration, where senior scholars offer real support through access, funding and mentorship that lasts," shares Vilashini, who was a former participant of The Star 's BRATS Young Journalist Programme. Last year, Vilashini and her husband, lecturer Benjamin Loh, co-founded The Datum Initiative (TDI) - a grassroots effort to equip marginalised communities with ethical, accessible data skills."TDI was born from years of working with people who had powerful stories but lacked the tools to protect or use their data. We want to change that," she says. "There's a data vacuum in Malaysia. We keep recycling the same policy debates because we have excluded voices from the margins. I want to create spaces where underrepresented scholars and communities can shape the narrative - and be heard." She is especially excited about upcoming TDI projects on data competency for women with disabilities and indigenous communities aimed at building a nationwide network of empowered advocates. "It is still small, but change is happening. Alongside that, I am also working on a feminist autoethnography and a new project on gendered space in rural Borneo. Personally, I am learning to be more present - and to trust that even small efforts can ripple outward," she concludes.
Free Malaysia Today
28-04-2025
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Sabahan scholar Vilashini Somiah to lead Southeast Asia Council
Vilashini Somiah is the first Southeast Asian-based scholar to be elected as Chair of the Southeast Asia Council. (Vilashini Somiah pic) KUALA LUMPUR : 'I set the trend for being that cool, strange, biracial person,' Vilashini Somiah said with a laugh. But behind the humour lies a story as layered and dynamic as the Bornean landscape she calls home. Born in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah to a Tamil Indian father and a Sino-Kadazan-Dusun Tatana mother, Vilashini grew up in a world where identity was fluid, complex, and, crucially, embraced. 'There are not very many Indian people in Sabah,' she recalled of her childhood in the '80s and '90s. 'My brother and I were probably among the few half-Indian kids hanging around with native indigenous identities. But it was completely accepted in a place like Sabah.' That early experience – of standing out yet still belonging – did more than shape her worldview. It became the heart of her work. Today, Vilashini is a feminist anthropologist and senior lecturer at Universiti Malaya, specialising in gender studies and Bornean communities. Her research shines a light on the lives of women, migrants, and the stateless – those often left out of the bigger picture. Beyond academia, she's also co-founder of the Datum Initiative, a non-profit organisation focused on equipping activists and advocates working with marginalised communities. It's one more way she bridges scholarship and real-world impact. Now, she's making history herself. Last March, Vilashini was elected Chair of the Southeast Asia Council (SEAC) under the Association for Asian Studies – the leading academic organisation in North America focused on Asia – becoming the first Southeast Asian-based scholar to hold the post since the council's founding in 1970. Her term begins in March 2026. Vilashini is currently a research associate at Harvard University until 2026. (Vilashini Somiah pic) 'Being chair means governance work. You're on the board, moving between the council and directors. But more than that, it signals a quiet, powerful shift – that knowledge production from Southeast Asia should be led by Southeast Asians. It's not just valid. It's vital.' The day she was elected, Vilashini didn't throw a party or pop champagne. 'I kept quiet for a whole day,' she said. 'I went to the nearest convenience store and bought myself a chocolate bar.' The first person she told? Her husband, also an academic. Her parents were pleased, but, as she puts it, 'they kind of had to think for a while what it really meant to take on a position like this.' It was a momentous milestone – fitting for someone whose path was never about fanfare, but about forging meaning. Her journey here wasn't fuelled by privilege. It was driven by something far more powerful: freedom. 'I came from a family where my parents made it clear: 'All we can give you is the freedom to study.' And I understood from young that education had to be the path forward.' In the heart of Nabawan, Sabah, Vilashini conducts fieldwork on the intersections of gender and mental health. (Vilashini Somiah pics) Her upbringing was firmly working- to middle-class. Academic ambition wasn't expected. There was no clear map – just a deep hunger for meaning. 'I wanted more in life,' she said. 'Not in a corporate sense, but something that gave me purpose.' So she read – everything from newspapers to academic journals, always chasing fresh perspectives. The kid who once felt 'like a person of interest' in her own hometown will soon be helping steer conversations on Southeast Asia's academic future. But she's doing it with humility – not because the title isn't significant, but because she knows this journey wasn't shaped in lecture halls alone. It began much earlier, in the everyday rhythm of growing up biracial in Sabah. In answering curious questions from classmates. In observing the sharp contrasts between East and West Malaysia. In finding comfort in ambiguity, and pride in difference. Vilashini learnt early that nuance is everything. Now, as Chair-Elect, she's determined to centre voices from the margins. 'A lot of the training I've had, working in Malaysia and especially in its peripheries – I have a responsibility to make sure those lived realities inform policy,' she said. Her goal isn't just representation. It's transformation. 'I'm trusting that chairing SEAC will open doors. It'll create more seats for other scholars – not just from Malaysia, but across the region. And that representation is very important.' Find out more about Vilashini Somiah here.
