Asia Rising

In the past few years India's right-wing ruling BJP party has made efforts to change curriculum and censor textbooks in an attempt to deprioritise history that doesn't amplify their narrative - in particular centuries of India's Mughal history. Host: Dr Ruth Gamble (Senior Lecturer and DECRA Fellow, Archaeology and History, La Trobe University) Guest: Divya Rama Gopalakrishnan (History, La Trobe U...

There has long been an associated benefit between sport and learning, as it develops communication, social and psychological benefits. In the context of India, it could be used as an active part of the curriculum, to encourage activity-based learning initiatives and improve the quality of school education. The prospect comes with challenges – India is a populous country, multilinguistic and cultur...

Along the coast of Hakata Bay in Fukuoka, Japan there is a 13th century wall, built by the local Samurai as defense against a Mongol invasion. Guest: Associate Professor Andrew Hall (Asian Studies, Kyushu University) Recorded 17 April, 2023.

This event explores Australia’s identity in Asia, and what it means for Australia to be in the Asia-Pacific region. Ten years since the ‘Australia in the Asian Century’ Foreign Policy White Paper, we reflect on Australia’s role and national identity in Asia. What does it mean for Australia to have an Asian Identity? What is Australia’s Asia Identity? What does it mean for Australia to be in Asia?...

When atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima in 1945, it led a few months later to the surrender of Japan, effectively ending World War 2. There were up to 150,000 casualties in the atomic blast, and the magnitude of the devastation has changed how the Japanese view war and how Hiroshima sees itself today. Guest: Associate Professor Luli van der Does (Director of the Center for Peace, Hiroshima Uni...

In June 2022 Indonesian President Joko Widodo went first to the Ukraine, and later to Moscow, hand delivering a letter from President Zelensky to Vladimir Putin. His purpose, to quote, was to open a dialogue forum for peace, to build peace, because the war has to be stopped. Widodo’s carefully worded statement, about ending a war but not necessarily pointing fingers, is emblematic of Asia’s respon...

A year has passed since a new Labor government took power after nine years occupying the opposition benches. Over this time, the new government has prioritised the deepening of genuine partnerships with states across Asia and the Pacific, particularly in its foreign policy narratives. At the same time, Australia has also made decisive moves in the name of national defence, by solidifying deals wit...

Japan is forbidden by their constitution to use force as a means of settling international disputes, or maintaining military forces with the potential of war. Japan relies heavily on the concept of defence, and how they define it has repercussions for the strategic safety of Japan and its international alliances. Guest: Professor Alessio Patalano (Department of War Studies , Kings College London)...

Japan has always had a tense relationship with China, but now due to both their geographic proximity and their close alliance with western countries, this tension is taking on new dimensions. Guest: Professor Chisako Masuo (Graduate School of Social and Cultural Studies, Kyushu University) Recorded 18 April, 2023.

Japan and Russia are geographically close, but have always had an uneasy relationship. Territorial disputes, strained diplomacy, and an unsigned war era peace treaty has amounted to strained bilateral ties, with little sign of easing. Guest: Professor James Brown (Politics, Temple University). Recorded 20 April, 2023.

Emerging leaders from Australia, Japan, India and the United States discuss key issues facing the ‘Quad’, and puts forward a strong case for the Quad working together on non-traditional security issues across the Indo-Pacific region. The next generation of Quad leaders view enhancing resilience against grey zone challenges, geoeconomics, outer spaces, critical technologies and human security as ke...

What does it look like for Australia and Southeast Asia to develop a joint agenda for maritime security? Join La Trobe Asia, consortium lead for the Blue Security program, to launch the first paper in a series on Maritime Security in Southeast Asia. Blue Security is a collaboration between La Trobe Asia, Griffith Asia Institute (GAI), University of New South Wales Canberra (ADFA), University of We...

The message conveyed by global media can be a powerful one, useful in influencing public perception and shaping politics, local media and information environments. Controlling the media narrative, usually through influence or your own state-run outlets, is of great interest to China. The superpower is actively seeking to insert itself into many other countries’ elections, social media, media, and...

A recent UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report found global sea levels have been rising at an accelerated rate. For the small island nations of the Asia Pacific this is sobering news, but even for larger nations, lets take Indonesia, there are significant consequences. As an archipelagic state with more than 17,000 islands stretching over 80,000 kilometres of coastline, it sho...

There are around 170 Indigenous languages spoken in the Philippines, as well as speakers of English, Spanish and several Chinese languages. Most people are multilingual, with more than 90 percent of the population speaking one or more language. Guest: Professor Tuting Hernandez (Department of Linguistics, University of the Philippines) Recorded on 22 November 2022.

Australia’s relationships in and with Asia and the Pacific is a perennial feature of debates about its foreign and defence policy and how it projects its sense of identity on the world stage. In recent years Australia’s interaction with major powers have become much more complex. As Australia reconceptualises future directions in dealing with allies and neighbours, and its position in Asia and the...

What pressures will the Russian invasion of Ukraine put on Asia? How will China recover post-covid? Will the Quad and AUKUS change power dynamics in the region? To celebrate the 200th episode of Asia Rising, a special recording to discuss the news, views and general happenings of Asian states and societies in 2023. Guests: Professor Nick Bisley (Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences...

The Gardens by the Bay are an iconic feature of Singapore, where they dominate every tourist photograph with their towering tree-like structures. Now celebrating their tenth year, they're an emblem of the success of the greening of the city. Guest: Felix Loh (Chief Executive Officer, Gardens by the Bay) Recorded on 28 November 2022.

Indonesia has passed a new criminal code, amongst which are a raft of controversial new morality laws and speech restrictions, including banning sex outside of marriage, insulting the president, and expressing any view that runs counter to state ideology. There are important implications for democratic freedoms in Indonesia, and human rights concerns on the implications of for women, religious min...

Xi Jinping has secured a historic third term as general secretary with unmatched political authority. This has given China a new drive to retain its position as a global superpower, and a desire to restore what Xi believes is China’s natural position of leadership in the world. As China attempts to reassert itself after harsh covid-19 lock-downs, what is driving Chinese foreign policy under curren...

Singapore is a small country, highly reliant on commerce and trade, and with strong ties to China. This relationship can be at odds with other practices, for example: Its small military has an active conscription system. All citizens need to serve at least two years in the military, and their training bases are in Taiwan. Guest: Associate Professor Ian Chong (Political Science, National University...

In 2022 The Philippines elected a new president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, and with him came a pivot in international views, particularly towards China and the United States. The previous administration led by Rodrigo Duterte had embraced China and the development opportunities it had to offer, and while Marcos Jr might continue this, it might be with slightly less enthusiasm. Guest: Professor Aries Ar...

When Rodrigo Duterte was elected to the office of president in 2016 one of his main election promises was to clean up the drug trade. And he was quite open about how he was going to do it. The language he used was provocative and ruthless – those involved in the drug trade would be dealt with, using as much force as necessary. For those working in the Filipino media and covering these events it ca...

As tensions in the Indo-Pacific increase and new security issues emerge, Australia, the United States, India and Japan have come together with the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue to support the Indo-Pacific. The event will explored the key issues and challenges of the Quad, and the role of each state in emerging security issues Indo-Pacific. This event was a part of the QUADMIN Emerging Leaders Di...

India is a country rich in food variety and tastes, but access to food has changed, bringing options of western foods of differing nutritional value. With changes in diet comes a change to health, and wider implications on the health system of the country. Guests: - Dr Sabrina Gupta (Department of public health, La Trobe University) - Dr Jency Thomas (Department of Microbiology, Anatomy, Physiolog...