Safe spaces not sanctuaries: ASEAN universities and the politics of displacement after Myanmar's military coup

Focusing on ASEAN university responses to Myanmar students displaced by the 2021 military coup, this article contributes to emerging scholarship on university responses to displacement by examining how higher education institutions in politically constrained contexts create protective educational environments. Drawing on a survey of 26 ASEAN higher education institutions and informal interviews with 9 academics and managers, the analysis reveals that universities create what we term 'safe spaces’ through three interconnected mechanisms: administrative accommodation, institutional agenda alignment and promoting regional integration. These mechanisms enable universities to navigate the complex terrain between humanitarian commitment and political constraint without directly challenging state authority. The study advances a conceptual distinction between ‘sanctuary’, territorially-bound protection requiring institutional autonomy, and ‘safe spaces’ created through accumulated practices that respond to student needs within existing administrative frameworks. The article concludes by suggesting policy directions at institutional, national and regional levels that could enhance university capacity to create safe spaces whilst acknowledging the political realities within which these institutions operate.