Environmental protection is an increasingly salient topic for contemporary society, especially in the context of the climate crisis. People all around the world are engaging in environmental...Show moreEnvironmental protection is an increasingly salient topic for contemporary society, especially in the context of the climate crisis. People all around the world are engaging in environmental activism, yet environmentalism research has disproportionately centered on the West. Considering how most countries on the front lines of climate change are non-Western, this gap must be rectified. Southeast Asia (SEA) is a region severely overlooked in this regard, particularly in terms of what environmentalism actually brings here. There is insufficient knowledge on how SEA states respond to environmental activism, despite the relevance for its citizens and environmental sector practitioners, who witness some of the worst repercussions of environmental degradation. Therefore, this paper aims to expand our understanding of state responses to SEA environmentalism and contentious political action by investigating Vietnam and the Philippines. A comparative study was conducted on these two cases, which employed qualitative content analysis on texts like news articles to study responses to environmentalism. Findings reveal that both countries display a variety of responses, but are most inclined to repress. However, they differ considerably in how they approach each response type in terms of methods, actors involved, and consistency. It is proposed that each country’s distinct response pattern is linked to its respective regime type, as suggested by existing literature on contentious political action. Beyond the popular notion that non-democracies are more likely to repress contentious claim-making, this study illustrates how hybrid regimes can be more covert and lethal in their repression than other regimes. From these findings, this paper stresses the importance of local socio-political contexts for those engaged in environmental protection and advocacy. Additionally, this investigation hopes to spur similar research on other SEA countries and expand the political science literature on this region.Show less
This research paper delves into a case study of the Indian farmers’ protest of 2020-2021, focusing on the state actor’s response to the event and its ensuing impact on the country’s sociopolitical...Show moreThis research paper delves into a case study of the Indian farmers’ protest of 2020-2021, focusing on the state actor’s response to the event and its ensuing impact on the country’s sociopolitical landscape. While considerable literature discusses, for example, the farmers’ strategies in the movement and scholars have used the case to test various theories, the long-term consequences of the Indian state’s response to the protest remain underexplored. This paper makes use of qualitative content analysis to analyze a wide range of sources and the framing theory to gain insight into the state’s handling of the movement. The findings indicate that the Indian government used repressive measures to a notable extent and that the protest had significant, lasting impacts on Indian society, governance, and democracy. Through a detailed examination of the protest events and state action, this research sheds light on state-society dynamics and democratic challenges present in contexts as diverse as India’s.Show less
