42 episodes

Welcome to HERstory, the history of Southeast Asia, told from her perspective. We’ll discover historical figures, matriarchal societies, and contemporary female icons — and maybe learn about ourselves along the way. Season 1 focuses on the Southeast Asian age of commerce up to the colonial period.

HERstory: Southeast Asia Agas Ramirez

    • Education
    • 5.0 • 9 Ratings

Welcome to HERstory, the history of Southeast Asia, told from her perspective. We’ll discover historical figures, matriarchal societies, and contemporary female icons — and maybe learn about ourselves along the way. Season 1 focuses on the Southeast Asian age of commerce up to the colonial period.

    26 | The Soenting Melajoe Women's Newspaper 1912-1921

    26 | The Soenting Melajoe Women's Newspaper 1912-1921

    This is part of two of us revisiting the Minangkabau matrilineal society. In the previous episode, we talked about Ruhana Kuddus, Indonesia’s First Female Journalist. In this episode, we’re going to talk about Soenting Melajoe, the pioneering indigenous women's newspaper published from 1912-1921 in the Minangkabau community in West Sumatra.

    Research and writing for this episode was in collaboration with Joanna Que, with additional research from AJ Miras-Guevarra.

    If you haven’t listened to episode 25 yet, go check that out first as we’ll be referencing that here.

    Thank you to our patrons: Geraineon, Lawrence, Beverly, Xiaomei by Milish, Jennifer, Christina, Raymond, Matt, Ashley, Asha, Chanda, and Yati.

    For more HERstory Southeast Asia, head on over to Patreon for the bonus episodes:


    An interview with Haldi Patra on the Minangkabau matriarchal society;
    Ma Ying Taphan and the Krom Klone;
    Nyai Gede Pinateh, the Harbour Master of Gresik;
    Queen Suriyothai and the War Elephants;
    Paz Marquez Benitez and Dead Stars;
    The Rise and Fall of the Acehnese Queens, 1641 to 1699; 
    The Portrait of Dara Rasami;
    The Women of No. 14 Lebuh Leith; and
    Burmese journalists Ludu Daw Amar and Ma Ma Lay (Upcoming)

    Along with the bonus episodes, you get access to full scripts and reference materials.

    Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @herstoryseapod. That’s herstory S-E-A pod. This podcast was hosted and edited by Agas Ramirez.

    Tracks:


    Goddess of War - Unicorn Heads
    Song of Sadhana - Jesse Gallagher
    Hello 6am - Mylar Melodies
    Shameless Life Wisdom Sendoff - pATCHES

    • 12 min
    25 | Ruhana Kuddus: Indonesia’s First Female Journalist

    25 | Ruhana Kuddus: Indonesia’s First Female Journalist

    In the next couple of episodes, we’re revisiting the Minangkabau matrilineal society, specifically through Ruhana Kuddus, Indonesia’s First Female Journalist, and Soenting Melajoe, the pioneering indigenous women's newspaper published from 1912-1921 in the Minangkabau community in West Sumatra.

    Research and writing for this episode was in collaboration with Joanna Que, with additional research by AJ Miras-Guevarra.

    Listen to the full episodes for free with the link in bio and get access to more episodes through ⁠PATREON.⁠


    An interview with Haldi Patra on the Minangkabau matriarchal society;
    Ma Ying Taphan and the Krom Klone;
    Nyai Gede Pinateh, the Harbour Master of Gresik;
    Queen Suriyothai and the War Elephants;
    Paz Marquez Benitez and Dead Stars;
    The Rise and Fall of the Acehnese Queens, 1641 to 1699;
    The Portrait of Dara Rasami;
    The Women of No. 14 Lebuh Leith; and
    Ludu Daw Amar and Ma Ma Lay (upcoming)

    Tracks:


    Theme Music: Goddess of War - Unicorn Heads
    Dolphin-esque - Godmode
    Spring Thaw - Asher Fulero

    • 15 min
    24 | The Burmese Women of the Khit Kala

    24 | The Burmese Women of the Khit Kala

    In this episode, we’ll examine the Burmese Women of the Khit Kala, the women of the times, the “It girls” of colonial Burma. Beginning in the 1920s, they were seen in magazines, advertisements, and newspapers, a clear and controversial symbol of change that mirrors what other women went through in the Southeast Asian colonial period.

    Thank you to our patrons: Yati, Charlie, Shereen, Matt, Raymond, Christina, Jennifer, Xiaomei by Milish, Beverly, Lawrence, and Airene. Airene joined the Patreon just last month so welcome and I hope you’re enjoying the additional content especially the bonus episodes! We have:

    An interview with Haldi Patra on the Minangkabau matriarchal society;


    Ma Ying Taphan and the Krom Klone;
    Nyai Gede Pinateh, the Harbour Master of Gresik;
    Queen Suriyothai and the War Elephants;
    Paz Marquez Benitez and Dead Stars;
    The Rise and Fall of the Acehnese Queens, 1641 to 1699;
    The Portrait of Dara Rasami; and
    The Women of No. 14 Lebuh Leith

    If you want to join the Patreon, you can give as little as $1 to get a copy of the show notes with all the references, a shout out at the end of the next episode, and of course access to the bonus

    Cover Photo: Two girls in new fashions at the Shwe Dagon Pagoda, 1947. Henri Cartier-Bresson.

    Tracks:


    Goddess of War - Unicorn Heads
    1940's Slow Dance - Doug Maxwell_Media Right Productions
    Soothsayer - John Patitucci

    • 15 min
    23.3 | Meet Me at the Manila Carnival: End of an Era (1927-1939)

    23.3 | Meet Me at the Manila Carnival: End of an Era (1927-1939)

    Thank you to our patrons: Yati, Charlie, Shereen, Matt, Raymond, Christina, Jennifer, Xiaomeiby Milish, Beverly, Alyssa, and Lawrence.

    This is Part 3 of the series on Meet Me at the Manila Carnival. For 31 years, young women from across the country vied for the title of Miss Manila Carnival, then Miss Philippines, navigating racial prejudice and standards of beauty, and becoming an integral part of the nation-building process. Now, we’ll talk about the End of an Era, 1927-1939, the final years of the pageant before the outbreak of the Second World War.

    If you want to join the Patreon, you can give as little as $1 to get a copy of the show notes with all the references, a shout out at the end of the next episode, and access to bonus episodes. We have: 


    An interview with Haldi Patra on the Minangkabau matriarchal society;
    Ma Ying Taphan and the Krom Klone;
    Nyai Gede Pinateh, the Harbour Master of Gresik;
    Queen Suriyothai and the War Elephants;
    Paz Marquez Benitez and Dead Stars;
    The Rise and Fall of the Acehnese Queens, 1641 to 1699; 
    The Portrait of Dara Rasami; and
    The Women of No. 14 Lebuh Leith

    Tracks


    (Theme Music) Goddess of War by Unicorn Heads
    Buhat - Rudy Concepción and Rosario Moreno - Tunay na Ina (1939)
    Invisible Beauty by Aakash Gandhi
    Miss Universe Theme Main Title

    • 17 min
    23.2 | Meet Me at the Manila Carnival: Becoming Miss Philippines (1909-1926)

    23.2 | Meet Me at the Manila Carnival: Becoming Miss Philippines (1909-1926)

    We’re continuing our deep dive into the Manila Carnival, a two-week festival held during the early American colonial period which culminated in the crowning of the queen and her court at an elaborate formal ball. For 31 years, young women from across the country vied for the title, navigating racial prejudice and standards of beauty, and becoming an integral part of the nation-building process.

    Last time, we talked about the origins of the Manila Carnival and how we found our first queen, in so many senses of the word, in Pura Garcia Villanueva Kalaw. Listen to that episode first if you haven’t. Now, in part 2 we’ll follow the Carnival as it comes into its own. This is Part Two: Becoming Miss Philippines, 1909 to 1926.

    If you want to join the PATREON, you can give as little as $1 to get a copy of the show notes with all the references, a shout out at the end of the next episode, and access to bonus episodes. We have:


    An interview with Haldi Patra on the Minangkabau matriarchal society;
    Ma Ying Taphan and the Krom Klone;
    Nyai Gede Pinateh, the Harbour Master of Gresik;
    Queen Suriyothai and the War Elephants;
    Paz Marquez Benitez and Dead Stars;
    The Rise and Fall of the Acehnese Queens, 1641 to 1699;
    The Portrait of Dara Rasami; and
    The Women of No. 14 Lebuh Leith

    Thank you to our patrons: Aqilah, Karen, Kheiro, Xiaomei BY Milish, Jennifer, Christina, Raul, Raymond, Matt, Shereen, Charli, and Yati.

    Next time, in the third installment of Meet Me at the Manila Carnival, we’ll talk about the End of an Era, 1927-1939, the final years of the pageant before the outbreak of the Second World War.

    • 17 min
    23.1 | Meet Me at the Manila Carnival: The Queen of the Orient (1908)

    23.1 | Meet Me at the Manila Carnival: The Queen of the Orient (1908)

    In the next few episodes, we’re taking a deep dive into the Manila Carnival, a two-week festival held during the early American colonial period which culminated in the crowning of the queen and her court at an elaborate formal ball. For 31 years, young women from across the country vied for the title, navigating racial prejudice and standards of beauty, and becoming an integral part of the nation-building process. This is Part One: The Queen of the Orient, 1908, which talks about the origins of the festival and the first queen, Pura Villanueva Kalaw.

    Join the Patreon for as little as $1 to get a copy of the show notes with all the references, a shout out at the end of the next episode, and access to bonus episodes:


    Nyai Gede Pinateh, the Harbour Master of Gresik;
    An interview with Haldi Patra on the Minangkabau matriarchal society;
    Ma Ying Taphan and the Krom Klone;
    Queen Suriyothai and the War Elephants;
    Paz Marquez Benitez and Dead Stars;
    The Rise and Fall of the Acehnese Queens, 1641 to 1699; and
    The Women of No. 14 Lebuh Leith.

    The song in this episode is Bodabil by Andre Lagoy. Bodabil is an indigenized form of vaudeville, introduced in the Philippines around the time of the Manila Carnival. Hope you enjoyed his song inspired by it. Check out Andre Lagoy’s music on Facebook and Spotify.

    Thank you to our patrons: Alyssa, Beverly, Karen, Kheiro, Xiaomei BY Milish, Jennifer, Christina, Raul, Raymond, Matt, Shereen, Charli, and Yati.

    Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @herstoryseapod.

    There are so many more stories to tell and we’re just getting started. This podcast was hosted and edited by Agas Ramirez.

    Tracks:


    Theme Music: Goddess of War by Unicorn Heads
    Jesse's Carnival Waltz - The Great North Sound Society
    Dios te salve Maria - Christian David
    On Foot - Underbelly & Ty Mayer

    • 18 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
9 Ratings

9 Ratings

Ruffdog113 ,

GREAT podcast!

Holy smokes this is a great podcast. I’m learning so much! I really appreciate all the time and work that went into making this. I’m so glad my friend told me about it!! I highly recommend it!

ImissGumby ,

Beautiful voice

This show is very interesting, educational, and mesmerizing. I highly recommend

Blahghfr ,

Eye opening

Didn’t know much about Southeast Asian history but I must say it’s very compelling! This pod is extremely informative and easy to listen to!

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