27-05-2025
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.
