The first monographic issue of the new series of Antropologia was born within the Italian Association of Southeast Asian Studies (ITASEAS) and is the expression of a network of local and European researchers who study Southeast Asia. The essays tackle the relationship between subjects and places in contemporary Southeast Asia, and more precisely ask how social actors and groups are influenced by the places they inhabit (cities, rural environments, tourist areas, shelters), how they react to transformations and how they produce change. Research focuses on urban subjects in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, and on rural social actors and social realities in Indonesia and Thailand. The essays highlight some key dynamics of contemporary Southeast Asia while also call for transnational and transcontinental comparison. They analytically examine the notions of “subject”, “place” and “margin” and suggest an exchange between Southeast Asia and Europe, two wide regions that bring together smaller countries and strive to build a common political frame beyond deep regional differences.