Introducing SEAC Visiting Professor Thitinan Pongsudhirak. He is Professor of International Relations at Chulalongkorn University’s faculty of political science and Senior Fellow at its Institute of Security and International Studies in Bangkok. Prof Pongsudhirak returns to LSE having completed his PhD (which won the UK’s best dissertation prize) in 2002.
1.What will you be working on during your time as SEAC Visiting Fellow?
I will finalise a paper on BRICS and Southeast Asia but my main aim will be to write a book about Southeast Asia and Asean. In addition, I will give a public seminar and engage with scholars and students at LSE, with immense pressure as a PhD graduate of the School long ago.
2.What led you to your field of study/what inspired your interest in these topics?
I like to live and learn in the world of ideas and discourses together with like-minded people who are interested in intellectual and scholarly pursuits. In so doing, I value teaching younger generations and having as much policy impact as I can for public service, which explains my combined think-tank, media, and university work over more than three decades.
3. How do you like to relax and unwind?
I like to stay fit by playing competitive tennis and other sports activities. Books, films, friends, food, and travel also help me keep perspective.
