The Historyogi Podcast

Building opposition pre-electoral alliances significantly enhances the chances of opposition victory against dominant incumbent autocrats. But opposition parties, including in Singapore, frequently find it difficult to make the costly compromises necessary for inter-party cooperation. When and how do opposition parties build pre-electoral alliances? Today, we speak to Assistant Professor Elvin Ong...

Venerable Hong Choon may not be a familiar name to many younger Singaporeans. But the former President of the Singapore Buddhist Federation played an important role in diplomacy between Singapore and the People’s Republic of China in the 1980s. Today, we speak to Assistant Professor Jack Chia from the National University of Singapore, on Venerable Hong Choon’s diplomatic legacy as well as the hist...

Singapore’s pioneer generation of political leaders, known as the Old Guard, are well known in our history. However, the civil servants who oversaw the implementation of policies and projects during that era have largely been forgotten. In fact, eight individuals were so influential they were known as the eight immortals: George Bogaars, Andrew Chew, Hon Sui Sen, Howe Yoon Chong, Lee Ek Tieng, Ngi...

The political story of Singapore’s industrialisation is well-known, including the role of Jurong Industrial Estate and Dr Goh Keng Swee. However, the stories of the Singaporeans who worked in these factories have rarely been discussed in detail until now. Today, we speak to Dr Loh Kah Seng, co-author of the book Theatres of Memory: Industrial Heritage Of 20th Century Singapore, on who worked in Si...

Hindutva, the predominant form of Hindu nationalism in India, has emerged as a powerful and polarising force. Hindutva aims to ultimately transform India from a secular republic into a Hindu state. Since the election of Narendra Modi in 2014, followers of Hindutva have become bolder in targeting minorities and critics with intimidation and violence. These tensions have also affected the global Ind...

A series of racist incidents took place in Singapore last year, raising questions about how we should tackle such issues more decisively. Opinions are split on whether there should be more dialogue or whether culprits should face stiffer legal penalties. Today, we speak to Nazhath Faheema, Founder and President of hash.peace , a social harmony advocacy group, on whether dialogues are still relevan...

In September this year, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia announced the AUKUS security pact, which includes an agreement to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines. This development has been both welcomed and criticised by countries in the Indo-Pacific region. Today, we speak to Dr Euan Graham, Senior Fellow for Asia Pacific Security at the International Institute for S...

The rise of an increasingly affluent and assertive China is dramatically changing our strategic environment. As a Chinese majority country, Singapore’s ties with China have special significance. Today, we speak to Sense Hofstede, a PhD candidate in Comparative Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore, on the complex history of the local Chinese community’s ties with China and its inte...

Oral history is an increasingly popular method of recording the experiences of groups that may be left out of official documented archives or from national narratives. Today, we speak to Hannah, founder of the Singapore Queer Oral History Archive ( Link ), on why she has embarked on this project to collect the stories of Singapore’s LGBT community and how she hopes these stories will be used.

Lee Kin Mun, better known as mrbrown, is known as the Blogfather of Singapore and has become a cultural icon with his skits and witty takes on life here. Today, we speak to mrbrown on his beginnings, reactions to his memorable bak chor mee podcast and newspaper column, his creative process, and his endurance as an influencer for more than two decades. Listen also to a special message from Kim Huat...

Singapore has recently seen a surge in discussions on racial discrimination after several troubling incidents, including physical attacks. Today, we speak to Sharvesh, co-founder of the Instagram account @minorityvoices , on what the spike in discussions about racism means, whether it is valid to criticise anti-racism advocacy as “importing Western influence”, and how the majority can meaningfully...

Singapore Press Holdings recently announced major structural changes to its media business, which has suffered losses for many years. Today, we speak to Professor Cherian George, a media scholar from Hong Kong Baptist University’s School of Communication, on the history of Singapore’s media regulation, the application of “calibrated coercion” by the state, whether social media can ever be a true r...

The ongoing pandemic has caused a wave of death, grief and mourning across the world. But even before Covid-19, Singapore has been dealing with how best to support an ageing population as our seniors gradually pass on. Today, we speak to Bernard Chen, who previously worked in the funeral industry and has written extensively about bereavement issues, on what reforms are needed in the local funeral...

The Substation, an independent arts venue at Armenian Street, recently announced its impending closure to much dismay after operating for 31 years. Today, we speak to Mr T Sasitharan, Cultural Medallion winner and former Artistic Director of the Substation, on the Substation’s history and significance. We also discuss what needs to change in the state’s approach to the arts, and whether Singapore...

The Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) turn 50 this year. However, the FPDA, which brings together Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, is little known by the public and even by non-defence officials. Today, we speak to Dr Euan Graham, Senior Fellow for Asia Pacific Security at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, on the FPDA’s history, its relevanc...

AIDS is an illness that still carries social stigma and moral indignation. The situation was especially worse during the 1980s and 1990s when most patients died painful deaths and moral panic influenced public rejection of those from marginalised communities. Today, we speak to Professor Roy Chan, President of Action for AIDS, on the early fight against AIDS in Singapore, its impact on the gay com...

The South China Sea dispute has gained increasing prominence in recent years, with China being especially aggressive with its claims. Today, we speak to Dr Collin Koh, Research Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, on some basic questions about the dispute. We discuss its history, the significance of the nine-dash line, the actions of various claimant states as well as the U...

In recent years, there has been a growing movement to confront the ugly history of colonialism. In particular, activists have targeted enduring symbols of colonialists & slave traders, such as place names and statues. In Singapore, discussion has centred around the problematic history of Sir Stamford Raffles. Today, we speak to Faris Joraimi, a co-editor of the book “Raffles Renounced: Towards...

As Singapore and the rest of the world battle the covid 19 pandemic, the history of infectious diseases provides some lessons on how their spread is affected by social and cultural factors, and cannot be resolved with purely medical responses. Today, we speak to historian Dr Loh Kah Seng and Associate Professor Hsu Li Yang, an infectious diseases expert, on their book “Tuberculosis – The Singapore...

In 2015, the graphic novel The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye captured public attention when its grant was withdrawn by the National Arts Council. Despite this, the book gained widespread critical acclaim both locally and internationally for its creative take on Singapore’s history. Today, we speak to its author Sonny Liew on his research process and whether the book sparked the right kind of debat...