Gatty Rewind Podcast

The Southeast Asia Program at Cornell University

From the Southeast Asia Program at Cornell University, the Gatty Rewind Podcast features interviews and conversations with scholars and researchers working in and around Southeast Asia, all of whom have been invited to give a Gatty Lecture at Cornell University. Conversations cover the history, politics, economics, literature, art, and cultures of the region. Interviews are hosted by graduate students at Cornell University, and podcast topics cover the many nations and peoples of Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Burma, Laos, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, and Timor-Leste. For more information on the Southeast Asia Program at Cornell University, visit seap.einaudi.cornell.edu. Music provided by 14 Strings and the Cornell Gamelan Ensemble.

  1. 2d ago

    Episode 157: Suzy Lee, Department of Human Development at Binghamton University

    Suzy Lee  In this episode, host Namfon Narumol Choochan interviews Dr. Suzy Lee, a sociologist, legal scholar, and Associate Professor in the Department of Human Development at Binghamton University. Together, they discuss a part of her book, Temporary Measures: Migrant Workers and the Developmental State in the Philippines and South Korea. They compare labor migration policy in the Philippines and South Korea, exploring why both countries adopted the same labor-export policy yet ended up with such divergent national development outcomes. Tune in to learn more! Lightning round (Lecture Summary): 3:23 Main interview:  6:05 - What inspired you to become a sociologist, and what drew you to the study of labor export policy? 7:45 - What is the difference between the Philippines' migrant story and other migrant stories? 09:25 - What drew you to do a comparative analysis between the Philippines and Korea? 12:09 - Do you ask different questions when you start to bring in comparative analysis compared to when you worked on your PhD project? 13:47 - Both Korea and the Philippines experienced U.S. occupation. What did the Korean government do for the labor export policy, and how does it compare to the Philippines' government? 19:20 - Which policy did the Philippine government try to emulate from the Korean government? 22:13 - The Philippines modeled its policies after Korea, but it failed to use the policy as a stepping stone to strengthen large-scale national industrialization. What factors contributed to such divergent outcomes? 24:44 - In the Philippines, how involved was the state in its labor export policy? 29:22 - Have you ever examined the Filipino labor migrants who moved from the Philippines to South Korea? Do you have an upcoming project examining gendered migration between the Global South and the Global North? 30:36 - How does your work offer a new way of explaining the migration policy in the Philippines?  Advice for researchers and recommendations: 33:10 Dr. Lee's top recommendation:  Migrants for Export - Robyn Magalit Rodriguez Marketing Dreams, Manufacturing Heroes: The Transnational Labor Brokering of Filipino Workers - Anna Romina Guevarra Rhacel Salazar Parreñas's, a prominent scholar, sociologist, and author specializing in gender, international migration, labor, and globalization Stuck at Home: Pandemic Immobilities in the Nation of Emigration - Yasmin Y. Ortiga Intimate Encounters: Filipina Women and the Remaking of Rural Japan - Lieba Faier  Birds of Passage: Migrant Labor and Industrial Societies - Michael J. Piore The music on the podcast is from "14 Strings!", a Filipino-style Rondalla group established at Cornell University. Check them out here.   Produced by Adam Farihin and Cecilia Liu

  2. Oct 22

    Episode 156: Doreen Lee, Department of Anthropology, Northeastern university

    In this episode, host Namfon Narumol Choochan is joined by Valentina Guerrero Chala, a PhD student in Anthropology, to interview Doreen Lee, Professor of Anthropology and Director of Global Asian Studies at Northeastern University. A former SEAP Graduate Student Committee co-chair who organized the weekly Gatty Lecture Series, Professor Lee returned to Ithaca and gave a lecture on her forthcoming book, The Urban Grotesque.  The interview explores how her cultural anthropological framework reconceptualizes the debt relationship embedded in the social fabric of people living in a megacity like Jakarta. They discuss her decision to set aside a common Marxist approach to examining capitalism and urban life and instead use a literary framework: magical realism. Tune in to learn more! Lightning round (Lecture Summary): 5:01 Main interview: 10:05 10:18 – What inspired you to become an anthropologist, and what inspired you to study Indonesia? 13:47 – What inspired you to shift from studying Indonesian student activists to debt relationships in Jakarta? 16:00 – Who are the main informants in your current book? 17:58 – You have examined the perspective of lenders who feel obligated to lend money, but we are curious about the borrowers. What put people in precarious positions where they had to ask friends and relatives for money?  21:13 – Why did you decide not to use a Marxist critique in this project? 24:10 – The central framework you use is the "Urban Grotesque." Why did you choose a literary term to describe the subject matter you are studying? 25:45 – At what point in your research did you arrive at that framework? 27:00 – What was your approach to researching the topic that is attached to shame? How did you talk to interlocutors about it, and how did they react? 29:30 –  When I [Valentina] was doing research, I knew that I had a theoretical obligation, and that my research has particular personal consequences. Is that something you resonate with, and did anything change when you conducted fieldwork? 31:29 – Why did you choose to tell the story of obligations between lenders and borrowers embedded in the Indonesian social fabric instead of focusing on the institution? What are the consequences of choosing this perspective rather than dissecting the institution? 34:52 – You call yourself "an anthropologist who still believes in the concept of culture." Why does that feel like a choice? Was it a risky choice? Why insist on this concept? 36:57 – Returning to the idea of magical realism, what works did you draw on? How do you see the connections between these works produced in Latin America and Southeast Asia? 39:22 – Would you suggest that there is a pattern of the debt relationship across the Global South? Advice for researchers and recommendations: 42:20 Dr. Lee's top recommendation:  The Act of Killing - Joshua Oppenheimer The Look of Silence - Joshua Oppenheimer Dial A for Aunties (Aunties Series) - Jesse Q. Sutanto The Moral Economy of the Peasant: Rebellion and Subsistence in Southeast Asia - James C. Scott The music on the podcast is from "14 Strings!", a Filipino-style Rondalla group established at Cornell University. Check them out here.   Produced by Adam Farihin and Cecilia Liu

  3. Oct 15

    Episode 155: Michal Lubina, Institute of Middle and Far East, Jagiellonian University (JU), Kraków, Poland

    In this episode, host Namfon Narumol Choochan interviews Michał Lubina, Associate Professor of Political Science at Jagiellonian University, Poland. Together, they explore the evolving relationship between Russia and Myanmar, particularly since the 2021 military coup, and how these growing ties have influenced Myanmar's foreign policy and its relationship with China .Dr. Lubina also shares his insights on the future of Russia-Myanmar-China relations and on navigating the complexities of conducting research in Myanmar. Tune in to learn more! Lightning round (Lecture Summary): 3:02 Main interview:  6:14 - What drew you to study international relations? Did you start by focusing on Myanmar/Burma? 11:30 - After the coup in 2021, the ties between Russia and Myanmar grew closer. What do you think contributed to this? 16:09 - During Aung San Suu Kyi's tenure, how was the relationship between Russia and Myanmar?  18:57 - How much has Russia influenced Burma's foreign policy? 22:13 - Does the rapprochement between Russia and Burma change Burma's relationship with China? 26:17 - Do you think the foreign relations between Burma and Russia, and between Burma and China, have strengthened the Tatmadaw after 2021? 29:28 - In 2023-2024, the Tatmadaw faced obstacles from the civil war. In your opinion, is there still any optimism that the resistance will prevail? 34:20 - What do you think about the future of the triangular relationship between China, Burma, and Russia in the next 5 to 10 years? 39:00 - Can you tell us about how you navigate complexities in conducting research in Burma? Advice for researchers and recommendations: 42:38 Dr. Lubina's top recommendation:  The Burmese Harp - Kon Ichikawa The River of Lost Footsteps - Thant Myint-U Making Enemies - Mary P. Callahan Soldiers and Diplomacy in Burma - Renaud Egreteau, Larry Jagan Network Myanmar, an academic and archival research platform The music on the podcast is from "14 Strings!", a Filipino-style Rondalla group established at Cornell University. Check them out here.   Produced by Adam Farihin and Cecilia Liu

  4. Oct 8

    Episode 154: Amitav Acharya, UNESCO Chair in Transnational Challenges and Governance

    In this episode, host Namfon Narumol Choochan interviews Professor Emeritus Amitav Acharya from American University. Together, they discuss how Southeast Asia Studies offers an alternative perspective in the field of international relations. They also explore how ideas and theories from the region can challenge conventional, Western-centric approaches to global politics. Tune in to learn more! Lightning round (Lecture Summary): 3:45 Main interview:  06:05 - What drew you to study international relations?  07:30 - Does the study of international relations change or shape how you view the world? 09:22 - What led you to explore how non-Western societies and local actors developed and articulated their ideas of international order in their own terms? 11:45 - How can the field of Southeast Asia Studies contribute to the study of International Relations? 17:31 - Can you please explain the works of Cornell scholars—George Kahin, O.W. Wolters, and Benedict Anderson—shaped your scholarship?  22:34-  Regionalism has been your central focus. How did your interest in regionalism develop? What are the main questions you have when you study it? 27:52 - Looking back to when you just started your career, how far has the IR field developed? Is there still a gap that scholars must address? 31:20 - What divides do you see between area studies and disciplines? What are the stakes, and how do scholars bridge them together? Advice for researchers and recommendations:  39:02 Dr. Acharya's top recommendation:  Michael Leifer Donald E. Weatherbee Donald K. Emerson Sheldon W. Simon Journal of Asian Studies The music on the podcast is from "14 Strings!", a Filipino-style Rondalla group established at Cornell University. Check them out here.   Produced by Adam Farihin and Cecilia Liu

  5. Oct 1

    Episode 153: Juno Salazar Parreňas, Department of Science and Technology Studies and Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Cornell University

    In this episode, host Namfon Narumol Choochan is joined by co-host Valentina Guerrero Chala, a PhD student in Anthropology, for a conversation with Professor Juno Salazar Parreñas about her ongoing research on global capitalism from nonhuman perspectives. In the Gatty lecture, Parreñas offers one example: the story of polar bears transported from Canada to the Singapore Zoo, shedding light on Singapore's rise in the global economy and the harmful effects of militarization and global capitalism. In the podcast, she shares several additional examples. The conversation also explores the current direction of multispecies ethnography. Tune in now to learn more! Lightning round (Lecture Summary): 3:40 Main interview:  6:25: Why did you become an anthropologist? 9:33: What are the key takeaways from the class that you took in undergrad? 15:15: What drew you to the study of human and non-human relationships?  19:20: In your new project, how many animals are you examining and why?  25:08: Who is your intended audience for this project?  29:07: There is a trend in anthropology that calls for "a return to the past" as the best solution for current environmental problems. Do you think this is a viable option? If not, what vision for the future do you imagine through your work? 32:37: What is your take on multispecies ethnography? What do you think of multispecies ethnography as a field? Where is it going?  35:06: As scholars, we always write against ideas that frustrate us. What do you find frustrating? What are you writing against? Advice for researchers and recommendations: 38:48 Dr. Parreñas's top recommendation: Daniel Lie, Contemporary Visual Artist Tommy Kha, Photographer The music on the podcast is from "14 Strings!", a Filipino-style Rondalla group established at Cornell University. Check them out here.   Produced by Adam Farihin and Cecilia Liu

  6. Sep 24

    Episode 152: Thuy Linh Nguyen, Department of History, Mount Saint Mary College

    In this episode, host Namfon Narumol Choochan is joined by Anke Wang, a PhD candidate in the Department of History, to speak with Dr. Thuy Ling Nguyen, an Associate Professor of History at Mount Saint Mary College, on her new book: "From Sand Dunes to Exotic Hard Timber Forests: An Environmental History of Coastal Vietnam." Together, they unpack how Thuy Linh traces the origin of phi lao, a plant that exemplifies the scenery of Vietnam's present-day coast, back to French colonialism. To serve the growing coal mining industry, the French introduced phi lao to Vietnam. Tune in to learn how this reforestation displaced indigenous knowledge and monopolized forestry expertise!  Lightning round (Lecture Summary): 4:48 Main interview:  6:23: How did you become interested in modern Vietnamese history? What inspired you to pursue a doctoral degree?  9:16: How did you transition from your first book, which focuses on gender, medicine, society, and ordinary people, to focus on environmental history in your second book? 11:54: What made you pivot to examine the timber industry in relation to the coal mining industry in Vietnam? 18:59: What kind of primary source did you use, and how many archives did you travel to for this project? 20:54: How did the landscapes you have seen and the people you have talked to influence your writing? 23:40: Can you walk us through the options that the French considered, and how did they choose between planting timber and Phi lao? 31:48: Did the reforestation of Phi lao in central Vietnam lead to any destruction of any native plants or native landscape at the time? 36:24: In general, how do you evaluate the actions of the French Colonial Regime and the impact they brought to the landscape of Vietnam? 40:57:  How different is the indigenous knowledge of the land compared to the French knowledge of the land? 44:46: Did the plantation of Phi lao, introduced by the French, monopolize the knowledge about forests?   47:56: Since the French succeeded in planting Phi lao in Vietnam, did they also use this method for other colonies? How does the transnational connection that you see in Phi lao illuminate the history of colonizing at large?  51:44: Can you introduce what you are working on for your next project? Advice for researchers and recommendations: 53:44 Dr. Nguyen's top recommendation:  Indochina: An Ambiguous Colonization, 1858-1954 by Pierre Brocheux and Daniel Hémery Viet Nam: Borderless Histories by Nhung Tuyet Tran and Anthony Reid The music on the podcast is from "14 Strings!", a Filipino-style Rondalla group established at Cornell University. Check them out here.   Produced by Adam Farihin and Cecilia Liu

  7. Sep 17

    Episode 151: Bradley Davis, Department of History, Eastern Connecticut State University

    In this episode, host Namfon Narumol Choochan and co-host Chunhao Luo, a PhD student in History and co-chair of the SEAP Graduate Committee, speak with Professor Bradley Davis about his new project on the Nguyễn dynasty of Vietnam (1802-1880). Together, they discuss how a multicultural and interdisciplinary approach could shed new light on the understandings of modernity in Vietnam. They also discuss how conversations with local communities can offer new ways to understand archival sources and produce historical knowledge. Tune in to learn more!  Lightning round (Lecture Summary): 5:29 Main interview:  10:35: How did you become interested in Vietnamese history, and what inspired you to pursue a doctoral degree?  12: 23: What is your PhD project about? 15:15: Your doctoral project focuses on a space situated between Southeast Asia and East Asia. How do you situate Vietnamese history within these two regional frameworks? What are the advantages and limitations of thinking about Vietnamese history in these terms? 18:20: Do you see differences between the perspectives of scholars studying Vietnam in the Anglophone world and those studying Vietnam within Vietnam? 21:18: You discuss how textual practices shaped the categorization of people and other species. Were there particular epistemological or intellectual developments among Vietnamese-speaking elites during this period that prompted greater production of ethnographic knowledge? 23:48: What are the primary sources for your project? 27:00: Can you tell us about your experience conducting ethnographic research? 32:18: Can you tell us more about how people perceive and understand elephants(in the ongoing new project)? 34:10: What does it mean to be a multicultural society?  36:11: When we talk about modernity, we often think primarily about Western modernity, particularly in the context of Southeast Asia. How did internal factors within Southeast Asia shape processes of reform and Vietnam's own pathway toward modernity? Advice for researchers and recommendations: 39:03  Dr. Davis' top recommendation:  Keith Weller Taylor, Li Tana, Alexander Woodside's books The music on the podcast is from "14 Strings!", a Filipino-style Rondalla group established at Cornell University. Check them out here.   Produced by Adam Farihin and Cecilia Liu

  8. Sep 10

    [Hot Ones Special] Episode 150: Win Kyaw, PhD student in Asian Literature, Religion, and Culture, Cornell University

    In this special episode, host Namfon Narumol Choochan flips the script by interviewing co-host Win Kyaw, a PhD student in Asian Literature, Religion, and Culture and co-chair of the SEAP Graduate Committee. This episode is inspired by Sean Evan's Hot Ones series, where they eat progressively spicy wings with hot sauce. To add a touch of Southeast Asia, Namfon and Win take on spicy sauces from Thailand and Malaysia. Win shares a snippet of his doctoral work and his experience as an integral part of the Cornell Southeast Asia Program. Tune in to discover hot sauces from Southeast Asia and find out if Namfon and Win can handle the heat! Lightning round (Lecture Summary): 5:53 – Thai Sweet and Spicy Chili Sauce Main interview:  13:12  – น้ำจิ้มแจ่ว (Nam Jim Jaew); What would be the title of your Gatty Lecture? 16:08 – Sriracha; What inspires you to stay in academia and pursue a PhD? 20:26 – น้ำจิ้มซีฟู้ด (Nam Jim Seafood); What made you become interested in 19th Century Burmese literature? 26:22 – Extra Spicy Sukiyaki Sauce; Why did you choose to come to Cornell? What's the best part of being in Cornell Southeast Asia Program (SEAP)? 30:34 – Sambal Gepuk; What is your favorite moment of being a co-chair of the SEAP Graduate Committee? 35:35  – Sambal Belacan; What is your favorite Gatty lecture and why? Advice for researchers and recommendations: 42:18 – Brown Sugar Boba Mochi Win's top recommendation:  Gatty Rewind Podcast by Cornell Southeast Asian Program Spotify Apple Podcast Kiss My Cat by Nightingale Music  The music on the podcast is from "14 Strings!", a Filipino-style Rondalla group established at Cornell University. Check them out here.   Produced by Adam Farihin and Cecilia Liu

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From the Southeast Asia Program at Cornell University, the Gatty Rewind Podcast features interviews and conversations with scholars and researchers working in and around Southeast Asia, all of whom have been invited to give a Gatty Lecture at Cornell University. Conversations cover the history, politics, economics, literature, art, and cultures of the region. Interviews are hosted by graduate students at Cornell University, and podcast topics cover the many nations and peoples of Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Burma, Laos, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, and Timor-Leste. For more information on the Southeast Asia Program at Cornell University, visit seap.einaudi.cornell.edu. Music provided by 14 Strings and the Cornell Gamelan Ensemble.

Information

  • Creator
    The Southeast Asia Program at Cornell University
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    99
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    Gatty Rewind Podcast

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