The Channel: A Podcast from the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS)

This episode is the third in a four-part mini-series on River Cities as Method (RCM) , a new project under the umbrella of Urban Knowledge Network Asia (UKNA) at the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS). The goal of River Cities as Method is to promote ecologically and socially inclusive revitalizations of rivers and the cities/neighborhoods that coexist with them. In this episode, Sat...

This episode is the second in a four-part mini-series on River Cities as Method (RCM) , a new project under the umbrella of Urban Knowledge Network Asia (UKNA) at the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS). The goal of River Cities as Method is to promote ecologically and socially inclusive revitalizations of rivers and the cities/neighborhoods that coexist with them. In this episode, Sa...

This episode is the first in a four-part mini-series on River Cities as Method (RCM) , a new project under the umbrella of Urban Knowledge Network Asia (UKNA) at the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS). The goal of River Cities as Method is to promote ecologically and socially inclusive revitalizations of rivers and the cities/neighborhoods that coexist with them. In this introductory...

This episode features a conversation about the mechanics of writing well. Tom Robertson is a scholar at Kathmandu University in Nepal. Trained in history, Tom’s academic research focuses on international development, with a special emphasis on the environment. Our conversation on The Channel , however, focuses on a different dimension of Tom’s work. During Covid-19, Tom launched two initiatives ai...

The Newsletter , our flagship publication that comes out three times a year, has an issue coming out in June 2022. As part of that edition, we’re very pleased to have a special section guest edited by Jona Mooren and Klaas Stutje. The section will include a collection of essays that grew out of something called PPROCE, or the Pilotproject Provenance Research on Objects of the Colonial Era . The pr...

Today's podcast features a conversation about art, politics, and public space with Dr. Meiqin Wang, Dr. Hong Kal, and Dr. Minna Valjakka. We came together to discuss the new book  Socially Engaged Public Art in East Asia: Space, Place, and Community in Action , published this year by Vernon Press. Meiqin served as the editor of the volume, and all three of this episode's guests contributed ch...

Dr. Alicia Izharuddin is a sociologist of gender and religion, and she has held research and teaching positions at Harvard Divinity School and at the University of Malaya. Broadly, her work explores the intersection of emotion, affect, and Muslim publics in Malaysia. Currently a research fellow at the International Institute for Asian Studies, Alicia is working on a book manuscript entitled ...

Based in Toronto, Marty Gross has spent decades in the film industry as a producer and director. With a special focus on Japan, Marty’s films include  Potters at Work ,  As We Are , and  The Lovers’ Exile . For our purposes, Marty also founded and manages a project to restore, enhance, and preserve recordings that document the history of the Mingei Movement and its ongoing lega...

Olivier Arifon is a professor at Université Catholique de Lille, and he has held visiting professorships at universities around the world. He also works as a communications consultant and trainer for diverse clients in academic, diplomatic, and other spheres. His new book, Le Récit Politique Chinois: Soft Power, Communication, Influence , was published in 2021 by L’Harmattan. The book examine...

This episode was originally recorded during a live webinar event that occurred on February 23, 2022. In the presentation, Simanti Dasgupta discusses her research with Durbar, a grassroots sex workers’ collective in Sonagachi, the iconic red-light district in Kolkata. Simanti offers an overview of her broader project about the emergence of sex work subjectivity, followed by a critical examination o...

This episode was originally recorded during a live webinar event on February 9, 2022. In the presentation, Rafael Abrão discusses the multiple geopolitical dynamics shaping Brazil's engagement with China and the United States. Rafael is a Research Fellow at the International Institute for Asian Studies, where he is part of the joint research agenda “Energy Program Asia: The Political Economy of th...

Dr. Caroline Grillot, a social anthropologist and independent scholar affiliated with the Lyon Institute of East Asian Studies, and Prof. Nelcya Delanoë, an ethnohistorian and formerly professor of American history at the Université Paris Nanterre, are the authors of the book Casablanca-Hanoi: une porte dérobée sur des histoires postcoloniales (“Casablanca-Hanoi, an historical side-door onto postc...

Michael Herzfeld is the Ernest E. Monrad Research Professor of the Social Sciences at Harvard University. He also holds academic appointments at Leiden University, Shanghai International Studies University, the University of Rome-Tor Vergata, and the University of Melbourne. Herzfeld has authored numerous books and articles on a wide array of ethnographic, geographical, and theoretical topics. His...