SSEAC Stories

Sydney Southeast Asia Centre
  • 5.0 (4)
  • NEWS
  • UPDATED BIMONTHLY
SSEAC Stories

SSEAC Stories is a podcast series produced by the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre at the University of Sydney. Experts join us in every episode to explore the latest research and share their insights on a wide range of topics pertaining to Southeast Asia.Visit our website for more information or to browse additional resources: sydney.edu.au/sseac.

  1. 6 DAYS AGO

    Adam Bobbette, "The Pulse of the Earth: Political Geology in Java" (Duke UP, 2023)

    In The Pulse of the Earth: Political Geology in Java (Duke UP, 2023), Adam Bobbette tells the story of how modern theories of the earth emerged from the slopes of Indonesia's volcanoes. Beginning in the late nineteenth century, scientists became concerned with protecting the colonial plantation economy from the unpredictable bursts and shudders of volcanoes. Bobbette follows Javanese knowledge traditions, colonial geologists, volcanologists, mystics, Theosophists, orientalists, and revolutionaries to show how the earth sciences originate from a fusion of Western and non-Western cosmology, theology, anthropology, and geology.  Drawing on archival research, interviews, and fieldwork at Javanese volcanoes and in scientific observatories, he explores how Indonesian Islam shaped the theory of plate tectonics, how Dutch colonial volcanologists learned to see the earth in new ways from Javanese spiritual traditions, and how new scientific technologies radically recast notions of the human body, distance, and the earth. In this way, Bobbette decenters the significance of Western scientists to expand our understanding of the evolution of planetary thought and rethinks the politics of geological knowledge.

    41 min

  2. NOV 8

    "The Languages of Indonesian Politics" Revisited

    In 1966 Benedict Anderson published 'The Languages of Indonesian Politics', a seminal paper exploring the development of Indonesian as a new language for talking about national politics. In that paper Anderson underlined the contrast between the formal/official style of Indonesian news reports and the colloquial, playful speech style of ordinary Jakartans as depicted through comics. Nearly six decades on, how do we understand the 'languages' of Indonesian politics? How are figures of politics constituted through language?  Associate Professor in Indonesian Studies at The University of Sydney, Dwi Noverini Djenar, expands on these issues. She has worked on the stylistics of adolescent literature, focusing on the production and circulation of styles and their relationship to sociolinguistic change. Her current research focuses on language and relations among social actors in public spheres, particularly in broadcast settings. Novi is co-author of Style and Intersubjectivity in Youth Interaction (2018) and co-editor of Signs of Deference, Signs of Demeanour: Interlocutor Reference and Self-Other Relations across Southeast Asian Communities (NUS Press, 2023).

    36 min

  3. SEP 12

    Lesbian Poetry in the Philippines

    Lesbian poetry as a form of socio-political praxis in the Philippine context. This episode’s guest argues that lesbian writing – by lesbians and about lesbians – is a form of activism and decolonial praxis, as well as an important form of political identity. Dr Naomi Cammayo’s academic/literary interests are within the fields of poetry, Philippine Studies, lesbian feminism and queer feminism. She is currently a tutor at the University of Sydney’s School of Art, Communication and English and the School of Languages and Cultures.

    19 min

  4. AUG 2

    Politics in Action 2024: Myanmar Update

    Politics in Action is an annual forum in which invited experts provided an analysis of the current political situation in Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and Vietnam, and discussed the broader implications of events in these countries for the region. After the event, each of the six speakers sat for a podcast to chat with Dr Natali Pearson and delve further into the political situation of their respective countries. In this podcast the presenter of the Myanmar update, Dr Moe Thuzar, discusses the political situation in Myanmar. Moe Thuzar is a Senior Fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, where she coordinates its Myanmar Studies Programme. From 2008 to 2019 she was the lead researcher in the ISEAS ASEAN Studies Centre. Prior to joining ISEAS, Dr Thuzar spent ten years at the ASEAN Secretariat, where she headed the Human Development Unit from 2004 to 2007. A former diplomat, she researched Burma’s foreign policy implementation (1948–88) for her PhD at the National University of Singapore. She was a Fox International Fellow (2019–2020) at Yale University’s MacMillan Center during her PhD candidacy. Her research interests include Myanmar’s foreign policy, ASEAN integration impacts and issues (socio-cultural areas) and ASEAN’s dialogue relations. Among many other publications, she has also contributed to several compendia and edited volumes on ASEAN and on Myanmar.

    27 min

  5. JUL 26

    Politics in Action 2024: Malaysia Update

    Politics in Action is an annual forum in which invited experts provided an analysis of the current political situation in Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and Vietnam, and discussed the broader implications of events in these countries for the region. After the event, each of the six speakers sat for a podcast to chat with Dr Natali Pearson and delve further into the political situation of their respective countries. In this podcast the presenter of the Malaysia update, Prof. Dr. Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani, discusses the political situation in Malaysia. Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani is a Professor of Politics and International Relations in the School of International Studies at Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM). He is currently Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic and Internationalisation at UUM. Previously he was a Visiting Fellow for the Yusof Ishak Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), Singapore, and Visiting Professor at the National Institute of Development and Administration (NIDA), Bangkok, Thailand. He has published widely on democratisation, political expression and Malaysian politics, and has conducted public advocacy through international and local Malaysian media. He is a columnist for Berita Harian (Malay newspaper) and Sin Chew Jit Poh (Mandarin newspaper).

    29 min

  6. JUL 12

    Politics in Action 2024: Singapore Update

    Politics in Action is an annual forum in which invited experts provided an analysis of the current political situation in Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and Vietnam, and discussed the broader implications of events in these countries for the region. After the event, each of the six speakers sat for a podcast to chat with Dr Natali Pearson and delve further into the political situation of their respective countries. In this podcast the presenter of the Singapore update, Dr Kenneth Paul Tan, discusses the political situation in Singapore. Kenneth Paul Tan is a tenured Professor of Politics, Film and Cultural Studies at Hong Kong Baptist University. He teaches courses at the Academy of Film and Department of Government and International Studies, and conducts interdisciplinary research at the School of Communication, Global Communication and Power Research Cluster, and Smart Society Lab. His most recent books include Asia in the Old and New Cold Wars: Ideologies, Narratives, and Lived Experiences (Palgrave MacMillan, 2023), Movies to Save Our World: Imagining Poverty, Inequality and Environmental Destruction in the 21st Century (Penguin, 2022) and Singapore’s First Year of COVID-19: Public Health, Immigration, the Neoliberal State, and Authoritarian Populism (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022) He was the founding chair of the Asian Film Archive’s Board of Directors and the chair of the Board of Directors of theatre company, The Necessary Stage.

    26 min

  7. JUL 5

    Politics in Action 2024: Laos Update

    Politics in Action is an annual forum in which invited experts provided an analysis of the current political situation in Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and Vietnam, and discussed the broader implications of events in these countries for the region. After the event, each of the six speakers sat for a podcast to chat with Dr Natali Pearson and delve further into the political situation of their respective countries. In this podcast the presenter of the Vietnam update, Dr Kesone Kanhalikham, discusses the political situation in Laos. Dr Kesone Kanhalikham is the Deputy Head of Division of the National University of Laos Council, Office of Post- graduate Studies, National University of Laos. She is also a lecturer in the International Development Studies Master program. Her primary areas of interest are development studies in urbanisation in Laos, urban-geography, livelihood adaptation, resilience and urban-environment, and the regionalisation of development in the Mekong sub-region. She has researched on urbanisation, foreign direct investment and the Laos-China Railway, and has promoted the intersection between social science and development. She earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in civil engineering from the National University of Laos, and a doctorate in social science from Chiang Mai University.

    25 min

  8. JUN 28

    Politics in Action 2024: Vietnam Update

    Politics in Action is an annual forum in which invited experts provided an analysis of the current political situation in Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and Vietnam, and discussed the broader implications of events in these countries for the region. After the event, each of the six speakers sat for a podcast to chat with Dr Natali Pearson and delve further into the political situation of their respective countries. In this podcast the presenter of the Vietnam update, Mr Layton Pike, who spoke on behalf of the Australia Vietnam Policy Institute at Politics in Action, discusses the political situation in Vietnam. Layton Pike has been Executive Director, International at RMIT University since December 2022, overseeing the university’s global strategy and partnerships in the Asia Pacific region. Previously he was the Chief Global Adviser and Director Global Strategy at RMIT where he played a key role in enhancing the institution’s international engagement. Mr Pike co-founded the Australia Vietnam Policy Institute in 2022, a pioneering public policy hub fostering collaboration and impact in the Australia-Vietnam relationship. His expertise spans policy, development cooperation and legal affairs, supported by his legal qualifications and memberships in advisory boards. He also contributes to the University of Melbourne and the Australia Vietnam Young Leadership Dialogue.

    22 min
See All (152)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

SSEAC Stories is a podcast series produced by the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre at the University of Sydney. Experts join us in every episode to explore the latest research and share their insights on a wide range of topics pertaining to Southeast Asia.Visit our website for more information or to browse additional resources: sydney.edu.au/sseac.

Information

  • Creator
    Sydney Southeast Asia Centre
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2024
  • Episodes
    152
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    SSEAC Stories

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada