Best Southeastasia Podcasts (2025)

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Episode 131: Michael Kirkpatrick Miller, Department of History, Cornell University 1:00:40

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14d ago1:00:40

1:00:40

In this special celebratory episode, host Francine Barchett reunites with Michael Kirkpatrick Miller, a PhD candidate in Cornell’s Department of History, who happens to be the original creator of the Gatty Rewind podcast! Michael shares fresh insights from his dissertation on Dutch colonialism in Indonesia, focusing on how the colonial state constr…

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Episode 130: Martina Thucnhi Nguyen, Department of History, Baruch College 1:05:10

21d ago1:05:10

1:05:10

In this episode, host Francine Barchett teams up with co-host Lijun Zhang, a Cornell PhD student in history, for a riveting conversation with Dr. Martina Nguyen, Associate Professor of History at Baruch College, City University of New York. Dr. Nguyen shares the story of a provocative newspaper column penned by prominent Vietnamese intellectual Ngu…

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Episode 129: "E" Elissa Badiqué, Department of Performance and Media Arts, Cornell University 1:06:43

28d ago1:06:43

1:06:43

In this episode, guest co-host Iris Luo (Cornell PhD candidate in Human-Centered Design) joins host Francine Barchett to interview Elissa “E” Domingo Badique, a Cornell PhD candidate in Performance and Media Arts. E describes their winding journey—from serving as a community advisor at Harvard to working as a makeup artist in Japan. But it was a fa…

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Episode 128: Hieu Phung, Vietnamese and Southeast Asian History, Rutgers University 49:00

2M ago49:00

49:00

In this episode, guest co-host Anke Wang, a Cornell PhD candidate in History, joins host Francine Barchett for a tag-team interview with Dr. Hieu Phung, Assistant Professor of Vietnamese and Southeast Asian History at Rutgers University. Dr. Phung discusses her research on how pre-modern environmental factors shaped political and administrative sys…

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Episode 127: Kristian Karlo Saguin, Department of Geography, University of the Philippines-Diliman 52:28

2M ago52:28

52:28

In this episode, host Francine Barchett interviews Dr. Kristian Karlo Saguin, Associate Professor of Geography at the University of the Philippines Diliman. Dr. Saguin unpacks his recent Gatty Lecture, based on his award-winning book Urban Ecologies on the Edge: Making Manila’s Resource Frontier (winner of the Benda Prize). Their conversation explo…

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[Hot Ones Special] Episode 126: Lijun Zhang, Department of History, Cornell University 51:39

3M ago51:39

51:39

Welcome to Spicy SEAP! This special edition of the podcast recreates the popular TV show Hot Ones—but with a twist! Instead of chicken wings, our guests take on a lineup of spicy Southeast Asian dishes, from snacks to main courses and mysterious desserts. Host Francine Barchett is joined by Lijun Zhang, a PhD candidate in History and co-chair of th…

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Episode 125: Benjamin Tausig, Department of Music, SUNY-Stony Brook University 49:03

3M ago49:03

49:03

In this episode, Francine Barchett sits down to interview Dr. Benjamin Tausig, an Associate Professor of Critical Music Studies at SUNY Stony Brook University. Dr. Tausig shares his work on the transnational dialectic of queerness and race in Cold War-era Thailand. He describes the complex intersections of American military influence, local nightli…

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Tea Empires, Tea Blood, Tea—and the Ta'ang 49:00

3M ago49:00

49:00

In this episode we speak to Dr. Michael Dunford, recent graduate of the Australian National University, about his unique anthropology PhD thesis on the Ta'ang people and the tea they live with. Mike did his fieldwork in Northern Shan State and Northern Thailand, and is primed to launch off to a new job in Singapore. I'm sure you've heard of tea—but…

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Episode 124: Ivan V. Small, Department of Anthropology, Northern Illinois University 47:12

3M ago47:12

47:12

In this episode, host Francine Barchett interviews Dr. Ivan V. Small, a Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Northern Illinois University. Dr. Small talks about his research on Vietnamese refugee minorities in the U.S. following the Vietnam War and the Ford administration's resettlement policies. He sh…

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Episode 123: Josh Babcock, Department of Anthropology and Science & Technology Studies, Brown University 58:19

3M ago58:19

58:19

In this episode, host Francine Barchett pairs up with Shreya Chitnavis, a 2024 Cornell MPH graduate, to interview Dr. Joshua Babcock, an Assistant Professor of Anthropology and affiliate faculty in Linguistics and Science & Technology Studies at Brown University. Dr. Babcock talks about the limitations of Singapore's racial and linguistic classific…

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Special Episode: 430km (English version) 5:22

4M ago5:22

5:22

430 Kilometres: an audio poem by May Myat Zaw “An exiled woman from the Thai-Myanmar border sends a letter to her imprisoned friends. But like her, stateless and unheard, the letter never reaches its destination.” Today’s episode is a special one. For the last six months New Naratif has been working with Better Engagement Between East and Southeast…

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Special Episode: 430 Kilometres (Burmese version) 5:22

4M ago5:22

5:22

430 Kilometres: an audio poem by May Myat Zaw “An exiled woman from the Thai-Myanmar border sends a letter to her imprisoned friends. But like her, stateless and unheard, the letter never reaches its destination.” Hi everyone, today’s episode is a special one. For the last six months new naratif has been working with Better Engagement between east …

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Episode 122: Emi Donald, Department of History, Cornell University 47:01

4M ago47:01

47:01

In this episode, host Francine Barchett interviews Emi Donald, a PhD candidate in the Department of History at Cornell University. Emi shares insights from their 18-month fieldwork in Bangkok, where they explored the roles of tomboys (thom in Thai) and trans men. They highlight ways the transgender experience, including clinic access, social accept…

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Episode 121: Kathryn "Kitsie" Emerson, Ekalaya Performing Arts Center, Indonesia 44:49

4M ago44:49

44:49

In this episode, Gatty Rewind founding host, Michael Kirkpatrick Miller, returns to interview Dr. Kathryn "Kitsie" Emerson, the Director of the EKALAYA Arts Centre in Java. Dr. Emerson talks about Semar Mbangun Kayangan, a wayang (Indonesian shadow puppet) piece. She explores the history, narratives, and motives behind its various versions, as each…

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A Question of Agency 31:59

4M ago31:59

31:59

Many modern Southeast Asian countries often try to develop a thriving academic and research environment as an indicator of development. But how free are scholars and academics to pursue topics that challenge the interests of elites and those in power? The type of threats can range from extrajudicial killings to a lack of funding and job insecurity …

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Episode 120: Nielson Sophann Hul, Department of Linguistics, Cornell University 40:15

5M ago40:15

40:15

In this episode, host Francine Barchett interviews Mr. Nielson Sophann Hul, a Khmer Lecturer at the University of Washington (at the time of the interview, he was defending his PhD in Linguistics at Cornell University). Mr. Hul's research explores how heritage Khmer speakers in the Northwestern US use implosives, or stop consonants, in their speech…

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Episode 119: Lawrence Chua, the School of Architecture, Syracuse University 1:20:20

5M ago1:20:20

1:20:20

In this episode, host Francine Barchett interviews Dr. Lawrence Chua, an associate professor at the School of Architecture at Syracuse University. Looking from the 1920s onward, he applies a historicist lens to study the histories of two museums: the Musée Albert Sarraut (Cambodge/modern day Cambodia) and the National Museum of Bangkok (Siam/modern…

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Pressure Cooker 37:43

6M ago37:43

37:43

The PAP has long held the position that draconian law ensures a stable and thus prosperous society. But if that prosperity fails to materialise, what purpose do those draconian laws serve? In part two of this two-part Southeast Asia Dispatches episode, we talk to Kokila Annamalai from the Transformative Justice Collective and PJ Thum from New Narat…

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Promise of Violence 36:41

6M ago36:41

36:41

To suppress speech and dissent regarding the cruelty of capital punishment, the Singaporean government has issued POFMAs on activists who dared to challenge their harsh authority. How do you make sure your voice is heard under such stringent measures then? In part one of a two-part Southeast Asia Dispatches episode, we talk to Kokila Annamalai from…

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Episode 118: Dwi Noverini Djenar, Indonesian Studies, The University of Sydney 53:50

7M ago53:50

53:50

In this episode, host Francine Barchett speaks with Dr. Dwi Noverini Djenar, an Associate Professor and the Chair of the Indonesian Studies Department at the University of Sydney. Her talk focuses on the linguistic features found in Indonesian broadcast news interviews. She shows that when sensitive topics are being discussed, the interview partici…

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Episode 117: Eric C. Thompson, Department of Sociology & Anthropology, National University of Singapore 1:00:49

7M ago1:00:49

1:00:49

In this episode, host Francine Barchett interviewed Dr. Eric Thompson, an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the National University of Singapore. He describes the development and recent publication of his book, "The Story of Southeast Asia." Cutting across anthropology, archeology, history, and other disciplines…

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Episode 116: Wu Xiao An, Research Institute of Global Chinese and Area Studies, Huaqiao University 1:04:16

7M ago1:04:16

1:04:16

Francine Barchett pairs up with Xintong Chen, a PhD student in Southeast Asian history, to interview Dr. Wu Xiao An. Dr. Wu is the Chair Professor and Founding Dean of the Research Institute of Global Chinese and Area Studies at Huaqiao University, Xiamen, China. During the conversation, Dr. Wu gives context on the history and legacies of the Chine…

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Episode 115: Chie Ikeya, Department of History, the Institute for Research on Women, and the Global Asias Initiative, Rutgers University 55:14

7M ago55:14

55:14

In this episode, host Francine Barchett interviews Dr. Chie Ikeya, an Associate Professor of History, the Director of the Institute for Research on Women, and the Co-Director of the Global Asias Initiative at Rutgers University. Dr. Ikeya discusses the history and legacies of the Buddhist Women’s Special Marriage and Succession Act in Burma. She co…

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Versi Bahasa Indonesia: Lewat Djam Malam (After the Curfew) dengan Adrian Jonathan Pasaribu 11:12

7M ago11:12

11:12

Episode ini adalah percakapan kedil tentang film "Lewat Djam Malam" di antara Michael Kirkpatrick Miller dan Adrian Jonathan Pasaribu. Pak Adrian adalah sejarawan dan kritikus film, dan dia menciptakan situs web CinemaPoetica.com.By Michael Kirkpatrick Miller; Yada Tangcharoenmonkong

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Indonesia in 10 Films: After the Curfew (Lewat Djam Malam) with Adrian Jonathan Pasaribu 57:32

7M ago57:32

57:32

In the first episde of "Indonesia in 10 Films," Michael first walks through the top three reasons he thinks this film is excellent. Later, Neen and Michael discuss a little history of the film's preservation, before Michael talks wtih film critic Adrian Jonathan Pasaribu about how the film portrays nationalism and revolution in Indonesia. Adrian Jo…

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Indonesia in 10 Films: Trailer 2 2:52

7M ago2:52

2:52

Join Michael Kirkpatrick Miller and Yada Tangcharoenmonkong as they delve into 10 essential Indonesian fims. "Indonesia in 10 Films" will explore a variety of films made in, on, and about Indonesia, from modern Indoensian classics like Soegija, to cult films like "Lady Terminator." Our first episode will feature a discussion of the 1954 film "After…

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Moving Target 31:15

7M ago31:15

31:15

The Social Media Licensing Framework is one of the ways that the Malaysian government is trying to control online interactions of its citizens. However, where did this licensing framework emerge from? In this episode of Southeast Asia Dispatches, we talk to Khairil Yusof from the Sinar Project about the lessons we can learn from past actions of civ…

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Indonesia in 10 Films: Trailer 1 1:22

7M ago1:22

1:22

In this new podcast from the Southeast Asia Program at Cornell University, join Michael Kirkpatrick Miller and Yada Tangcharoenmonkong as they delve into 10 essential Indonesian films. Each week will feature a discussion of one film made in, around, or about Indonesia. To contact the podcast, email [email protected].…

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Poisoning the Well 42:14

8M ago42:14

42:14

In its early days, many looked to the internet as a tool for people from around the world to connect and share ideas freely. But the last few decades have shown that authoritarian governments the world over see the internet as a challenge to their power and have taken steps to limit the ways people can share their thoughts and organise. This is the…

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Chilling Effect 21:57

9M ago21:57

21:57

In his efforts to platform the struggles of Masyarakat Bajau Laut in Sabah, Mukmin Nantang was detained and his home and workplace harassed. All of this was done under the Sedition Act. What is the Sedition Act and what can we learn from Mukmin’s advocacy and fighting the charges against him. Borneo Komrad's Website: https://www.borneokomrad.net/te…

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The Dark Side of the Rail 37:26

10M ago37:26

37:26

In this episode we speak to Clare Hammond, author of the new book published by Allen Lane: On the Shadow Tracks: A Journey Through Occupied Myanmar. Clare travelled by train around most of Myanmar before the 2021 military coup, from the southern coast to the northern mountains, and tells stories of colonial legacies, forced labour, villages torn ap…

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Gender and the Newsroom 43:10

11M ago43:10

43:10

Today we want to discuss a very particular kind of censorship. It’s a subtle kind of censorship, it materialises in behind the scenes, in everyday interactions between coworkers and editors. To some it won’t even be apparent that censorship is going on. Today I want to find out if media work has a masculinity problem, and just how deep does it run.…

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Two Cities 31:28

12M ago31:28

31:28

What does it mean to be invisible? Do you need to be completely hidden, or is it simply lacking a voice, or maybe having an uninterested audience? And once you’re hidden, how do you bridge that gap to be seen again? In this episode we talk with Journalist S. Noina Supratya and examine how a legacy of Thai centrality erases the news from local and r…

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Episode 114: Thongchai Winichakul, Emeritus Professor of History, University of Wisconsin-Madison 1:13:57

1y ago1:13:57

1:13:57

In this episode, host Francine Barchett interviewed Dr. Thongchai Winichakul, Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Thongchai looks back on his 40-year career to reflect on how Thai studies has changed overtime. First, he views Thai intellectual history as a vivid cross-cultural encounter. The field combines comp…

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Episode 113: Aichiro Suryo Prabowo, Postdoctoral Associate, Southeast Asia Program, Cornell University 40:38

1y ago40:38

40:38

In this episode, host Francine Barchett interviewed Aichiro Suryo Prabowo (Chiro), a Postdoctoral Associate at the Cornell University Southeast Asia Program (SEAP). Chiro examines whether addressing poverty and tackling climate change are mutually exclusive priorities by combining quantitative and textual analysis of Indonesia's central government …

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Race, Ethnicity & Peasant Rebellion 42:26

1y ago42:26

42:26

Peasant insurgencies are not only moments of conflict and crisis, but also of politics and performance: they are sites of social reproduction, where identities are made and remade. Dr. Jonathan Saha, Professor of South Asian History at the Durham University, discusses two events of the "Hsaya San Rebellion" in relation to racial capitalism and comm…

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Episode 112: Sirithorn Ing Siriwan, Department of Asian Studies, Cornell University 54:50

1y ago54:50

54:50

In this episode, host Francine Barchett interviewed Sirithorn Siriwan, or Ing, a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Asian Studies at Cornell University. Ing discusses rice rituals in northern Thailand and how they relate to animism, or “Sasana Phi.” She draws from narratives surrounding what she coins Thai "ricelihood" to unfold the juxtaposition…

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Episode 111: Diana Kim, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University 49:10

1y ago49:10

49:10

In this episode, host Francine Barchett interviewed Dr. Diana Kim, who is an assistant professor at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service as well as a core faculty member of the Asian Studies Program. In this conversation, Dr. Kim discusses how the Japanese occupation can help us understand the legacies of European colonial institutio…

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Episode 110: Boreth Ly, Art History and Visual Culture, University of California Santa Cruz 56:18

1y ago56:18

56:18

In this episode, host Francine Barchett interviewed Dr. Boreth Ly, an associate professor of Southeast Asian Art History and Visual Culture at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Dr. Ly discusses her research on the black and white photographs of the Sultans of Java as well as the Dutch governors from the colonial era. Transitioning to a post…

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Episode 109: Nora Taylor, School of the Art Institute of Chicago 54:26

1y ago54:26

54:26

In this episode, host Francine Barchett interviewed Dr. Nora Taylor, an Alsdorf Professor of South and Southeast Asian Art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Dr. Taylor discusses her research on contemporary Vietnamese art and the ways in which she has engaged with the paradoxical nature of monuments. She reveals how the Vietnamese publ…

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Democracy Unbound: Free Speech in Indonesia’s New Era with Fatia-Haris 1:14:30

1y ago1:14:30

1:14:30

This episode was recorded in front of an online live audience as part of our Media Freedom Network Legal Briefing activity.This episode was recorded in front of an online live audience as part of our Media Freedom Network Legal Briefing activity. In this episode with Fatia Muliyadiyanti and Haris Azhar we discuss their court victory following their…

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Episode 108: Hew Wai Weng, Institute of Malaysian and International Studies, National University of Malaysia) 49:01

1y ago49:01

49:01

In this episode, host Francine Barchett interviewed Dr. Hew Wai Weng, a research fellow at the Institute of Malaysian and International Studies, National University of Malaysia. He is currently a visiting fellow at Cornell University under the Fulbright Malaysia Scholar Program. He discusses the rise of right-wing majoritarianism and the popularity…

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Episode 107: Daniel Whitehouse, Department of Anthropology and Sociology, SOAS 45:45

1+ y ago45:45

45:45

In this episode, host Francine Barchett interviewed Dr. Daniel Whitehouse, an ERSC postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Anthropology and Sociology, SOAS University of London. Dr. Whitehouse introduces the idea of "network institutions," specifically through Suan Kularb Wittayalai. Suan Kularb Wittayalai is Thailand’s oldest state-administered s…

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Enforced Disappearance in Southeast Asia 48:38

1+ y ago48:38

48:38

Transparency and accountability and historical awareness are some of the most important pillars of democracy. Historical revisionism is an affront to that democracy. And enforced disappearances, where the police or military or paramilitary forces knock on your door and kidnap you, has always been the bedrock of such revisionism. In this episode wit…

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[Hot Ones Special] Episode 106: Geronimo Cristobal and Eric Goh, Ph.D. Candidates in History of Art, Cornell University 47:04

1+ y ago47:04

47:04

Welcome to Spicy SEAP! This final episode of Season 11 is a special edition where we recreate the popular TV show 'Hot Ones', but with a twist—these aren't chicken wings, but spicy Southeast Asian food. host Francine Barchett is joined by Geronimo Cristobal and Eric Goh, PhD candidates and co-chairs of the SEAP Graduate Student Committee. She asks …

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Episode 105: Nicole CuUnjieng Aboitiz, Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University 46:48

1+ y ago46:48

46:48

In this episode, host Francine Barchett interviewed Dr. Nicole CuUnjieng Aboitiz, a Visiting Scholar at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute of Columbia University. Dr. CuUnjieng Aboitiz examines the fine arts of the Philippines by studying renowned Filipino artist Fernando Amorsolo. She argues that Amorsolo’s landscape and pastoral paintings revea…

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Episode 104: Viola Lasmana, Department of American Studies, Rutgers University-New Brunswick 33:58

1+ y ago33:58

33:58

In this episode, host Francine Barchett interviewed Dr. Viola Lasmana, a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of American Studies at Rutgers University-New Brunswick and Emerging Voices Fellow at the American Council of Learned Societies. Dr. Lasmana discussed Southeast Asian feminist practices by examining two experimental documentaries: Child…

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Rights, Refusal, Revolution 53:42

1+ y ago53:42

53:42

What's the difference between a right and an opportunity in Burma, and how do people resist or refuse the blunt biopolitics employed by its military rulers? In this episode, Elliott Prasse-Freeman, Assistant Professer of Sociology and Anthropology at the National University of Singapore, discusses his new book Rights Refused: Grassroots Activism an…

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Episode 103: Chanon Kenji Praepipatmongkol, Department of Art History and Communication Studies, McGill University 44:03

1+ y ago44:03

44:03

In this episode, host Francine Barchett is joined by Eric Goh, a doctoral candidate from the Department of History of Art and Visual Studies. Together, they interviewed Dr. Chanon Kenji Praepipatmongkol, an Assistant Professor of Contemporary Art at McGill University. Dr. Praepipatmongkol discusses his research in Philippine and Thai modernist art,…

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Episode 102: Elliott Prasse-Freeman, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, National University of Singapore 54:14

1+ y ago54:14

54:14

In this episode, host Francine Barchett interviewed Dr. Elliott Prasse-Freeman, an Assistant Professor at the Department of Sociology and Anthropology in the National University of Singapore. He discusses the grassroots political activism in Myanmar, recounting his own on the ground experiences with Burmese political activists. He also explains how…