Southeast Asia Crossroads Podcast - CSEAS @ NIU

Dr Miles Kenney-Lazar takes a seat in the studio to discuss his new book Socializing Land: Plantations, Dispossession, and Resistance in Laos. His book touches on the Lao government's land development program through foreign investment. Lazar acknowledges that, in a modern post-colonial society, land is an economic resource to be turned into capital, and he elaborates on what that means for a soci...

Chris Hulshof sits down with Dr Eric Jones to discuss British methods of propaganda and psychological warfare in 1960s Indonesia. With a rising communist popularity in tandem with a growing anti-American sentiment within the country, the American and British governments saw an opportunity for propaganda within the already unstable climate. The majority of historical perspectives view this time ent...

Dr Wan Juliana Emeih Binti Wahed sits down with Dr Rebecca Houze to discuss her research on Pua Kumbu textiles of the Iban people of Indonesia. She emphasizes how much these textiles can show about the culture's beliefs and perceptions. Each textile is handwoven and holds a story in its creation. Each pattern and symbol holds a cultural origin. The journey of an Iban weaver is a ritualist in natur...

This is Part 2 of a two-part episode on Buddhism in Thailand. In part two of this episode, our guest continues to elaborate on the role that monks play within the tumultuous landscape of Thai politics and how this demonstrates a larger worldwide tension between religion and government. The monostatic order has always been a vehicle for stability with the country, and its own hierarchy and scandals...

This is Part 1 of a two-part episode on Buddhism in Thailand. In Part 1, Dr. Prakirati Satasut is joined by Phanuphat Chattragul to discuss the politics of Buddhism in the context of a post-Coup Thailand. Here, they discuss the primary sects of Thai Buddhism and their role in Thai society, politics, and the everyday lives of ordinary Thais. They also discuss political roles that Thai Buddhist monk...

This episode was made possible by the generous donation of Chester Lenczewski III. Matthew Anderson virtually joins Dr. Melissa Lenczewski to discuss the Vietnamese Mekong River Delta. Starting from the period of the Angkor empire, the Mekong River has served as an important source of agriculture for the region, that eventually evolved to become a centerpiece of culture. The discussion spans to mo...

Dr. Ben Tausig joins Dr. Stanley Arnold and Dr. Taylor Atkins to discuss his new book “Bangkok After Dark.” They discuss the emerging culture of nightlife in the city of Bangkok during the Vietnam War. The discussion examines cultural contact between Thais and the US Military through through the life of Maurice Rocco, a gay African American Pianist, who left behind fame in America for a second act...

Dr Eddy Chong comes to the studio to discuss emerging musical transculturalism in Singapore. Beginning with the country’s independence, diversity in Singapore has grown rapidly and created a shift in the city's cultural upbringing. Culture through the lens of the government was originally a Chinese, Malay, Indian, or Other classification, but more and more, due to Globalization and Immigration, ra...

Dr. Micah Morton sits down to discuss his new book, “Enchanted Modernities: Ancestral Vitalizations in the Upper Mekong.” He is joined by Miqsawr Pyawqganr (aka Haiying Li). They discuss the Indigenous Akha people, examining their positions throughout different parts of Southeast Asia and China while highlighting their efforts to build connections across borders and sustain their Indigenous cultur...

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Ernest Plange Kwofie drops by the studio to discuss ASEAN, or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Kwofie talks about the interpersonal politics of the organization and how it differs from similar Western organizations like the European Union. He looks at the organization's effectiveness in responding to threats as well as its ability to implement and enforce policies within its member nati...

Dr. Wannasarn Noonsuk joins Dr. Nam Kim to discuss early civilizations in what is now Vietnam and how uncovering creations of the past sheds light on the shifting cultural landscape of ancient Mainland Southeast Asia. They also examine how changing views of the past help to inform local and academic understandings of the region today. Dr. Nam Kim is a Professor of Anthropology and the Director of...

Dr. Muzakki Bashori sits down to discuss his new book “When the Rice Cries” a children's story that uses rice idioms to teach about the importance of reducing food waste. Bashori discusses Javanese language conservation and his mission to promote the use of Javanese among children in Indonesia. Dr. Muzakki Bashori is a Lecturer and researcher at Universitas Negeri Semarang. His research focuses on...

Dr. Joel Selway sits down with Phanuphat Chattragul to discuss his research on shifting notions of Thai identities. He examines Thai identities within the context of various ethnic groups and geographical regions through surveys and interviews. Dr. Joel Selway is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Brigham Young University. He specializes in studying democratic systems in ethnically div...

Dr. Eliott Prasse Freeman sits down to discuss his new book: “Rights Refused: Grassroots Activism and State Violence in Myanmar.” The discussion focuses on the evolution of the concept of human rights, from its categorical, colonial understanding to its impact on modern-day Myanmar. Freeman cites examples of spiritual practices surrounding political protests and the different ways that activists h...

Dr. Nora Taylor sits down to discuss Vietnam’s Cold War connections with the Soviet art world. She cites examples of how Soviet-educated Vietnamese artists used what they learned to create art that was critical of colonialism and was reflective of the emergent nationalist landscape. Dr. Nora Annesley Taylor is an Alsdorf Professor of South and Southeast Asian Art History at the Art Institute of Ch...

Anthony Scott sits down to discuss Buddhism and its effect on the Cold War. Scott dives deep into the history of Buddhism and its impact on politics within Asia. He discusses the rise of Ashin Janakabhivamsa, a popular Burmese monk during the Cold War, especially his radical yet traditionalist ideas about Buddhism and its doctrine. The discussion ends with how Buddhism ideology interacts with Comm...

Professor Chamni Sripraram sits down with 3 NIU students to talk about their Summer: “Song for the Blind” trip. Put together by Professor Chamni, the trip was an opportunity for American students to teach music to visually impaired Thai children. The group reflects and laughs about the experience together, discussing what they learned about other cultures, music, and themselves. Professor Chamni S...

Dr. Kanjana Thepboriruk sits down with Dr. Paul Chambers and Dr. Napisa Waitoolkiat to discuss Paul Chambers’s new book “Praetorian Kingdom: A History of Military Ascendancy in Thailand.” Together they discuss the history of the military in the Thai government and its continued dominance in Thai politics. Chambers examine the rotating roster of pollical players in regimes past and present, and the...

Dr. Kanjana Thepboriruk is joined by Dr. Paul Wright, Paolo Eslava, and Dr. Jeremy Bulter to discuss physical education in a Southeast Asian Context. The guests share their experiences as practitioners of SEA martial arts and the contributions SEA martial arts have on their professional and personal lives. They reflect on the history of Southeast Asian combat sports and how the competition has evo...

Dr. Kanjana Thepboriruk is joined by Dr. Nicolas Revire and cohost Dr. Catherine Raymond to discuss the mythical golden land of “Suvarṇabhūmi” and its modern-day interpretations. Together they examine competing claims based on archeological records by both Thailand and Myanmar to be the true location of Suvarṇabhūmi. The conversation concludes with a discussion of the challenges of accurately dati...

Dr. Kanjana Thepboriruk sits down with Dr. Tessa Winkelmann to discuss her new book: Dangerous Intercourse: Gender and Interracial Relations in the American Colonial Philippines 1898 – 1946. They dive into the history of the Philippines during the change from Spanish to American occupation. Winkelmann looks at history through perspectives of various individuals, particularly women, contrasting the...

Dr. Kanjana sits down with Dr. Aurore Candier and Dr. Catherine Raymond to talk about how Burmese conceptualizations and understandings of governance and political relationships shifted over the course of the 1800s at the beginning of colonial contact. Together they discuss the role of astrology, oral tradition, and rumors within Burmese governance and worldview and what happened with the introduc...

Dr. Kanjana sits down with Dr. Thomas Baudinette and NIU history PhD student Kit Faulk to discuss the rise and propagation of Thai Boy Love (or BL) media. Baudinette goes in-depth into the history of the medium, beginning from its roots in Japan to its eventual explosion within Thai media culture. Together, they discuss the political and social ramifications of BL media within the context of Thail...

Dr. Kanjana is joined by Dr. Ivan Small, the new director of Northern Illinois University’s Center for Southeast Asian Studies. Together they delve into Small’s research documenting the movement of money in and out of Vietnam through remittance. Small discusses the practice and impact of these remittance flows on coastal Vietnamese communities, from a local level to the government’s perspective. S...