On Ear to Asia, we talk with Asia experts to unpack the issues behind news headlines in a region that is rapidly changing the world. Ear to Asia is produced by Asia Institute, the Asia research specialists at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Southeast Asia historian Dr Matthew Galway discusses Cambodia’s politics, culture and history through the lens of Hun Sen, the nation’s strongman prime minister since 1985. Presented by Ali Moore. An Asia Institute podcast Produced and edited by Profactual - the Podcasting Specialists Music by audionautix.com
How does Pakistan fit into Xi Jinping’s geopolitical ambitions for China? And how do the deepening military and economic ties between China and Pakistan impact on that other vital player in the region: India? Political scientists Dr Pradeep Taneja and Dr Zahid Ahmed discuss the intertwined fates of these three nations with presenter Ali Moore. An Asia Institute podcast Produced and edited by Profactual - the Podcasting Specialists Music by audionautix.com...
Social anthropologist Prof. Kaori Okano talks to presenter Ali Moore about the life transitions of a group of Japanese women whom she has interviewed regularly over the past 30 years. Sociolinguist Dr. Ikuko Nakane joins the discussion to examine how their spoken language has reflected their life changes. An Asia Institute podcast Produced and edited by Profactual - the Podcasting Specialists Music by audionautix.com....
China's citizens are now demanding more from the nation’s healthcare system, with its tangle of institutions, insurance plans and bureaucratic rules. So how do ordinary Chinese seek medical help? And how does rising marketization fit with the socialist aims of the Chinese Communist Party? Asia historian Dr Lewis Mayo and medical sociologist Dr Jane Brophy peel back the layers of healthcare in China. Presented by Ali Moore. An Asia Institute podcast . Produced and edited by profactual.com . Music...
While Chinese notions of an ideal society can be traced back more than two millennia to Confucius, it’s the Chinese Communist Party that claims it’s taking China on the path to a utopia. China historians Dr Craig Smith and Dr Matt Galway discuss the rhetoric and reality behind the CCP’s quest for the perfect society. Presented by Ali Moore. An Asia Institute podcast Produced by profactual.com Music by audionautix.com...
Japan's population is shrinking at the alarming 1000 people per day, with ominous implications for the nation’s economy and society. Can solutions be found in more family-friendly corporate culture, attracting migrants or even robotics? Migration and diversity expert Assoc Prof Nana Oishi unpacks Japan’s depopulation phenomenon on Ear to Asia. Presented by Peter Clarke. An Asia Institute podcast Produced by profactual.com Music by audionautix.com...
Caught between China’s geopolitical ambitions and the United States’ questionable commitment to the region, can Indonesia stick to its long held position of not forming alliances with major powers? Political scientists and Indonesia watchers Dr Dave McRae and Dr Evi Fitriani unpack Indonesia’s foreign policy, and explore the options and challenges ahead. Presented by Ali Moore. An Asia Institute podcast Produced by profactual.com Music by audionautix.com...
Diasporas, once viewed by their homelands as merely remittance cash cows, are increasingly being seen by labor-exporting governments as a broader resource for domestic development programs and capacity building. Political economist Prof Andrew Rosser and demographer Assoc Prof Yan Tan unpack the contemporary relationships between diasporas and their motherlands. Presented by Peter Clarke. An Asia Institute podcast . Produced by profactual.com . Music by audionautix.com...
Can India’s current prime minister, Narendra Modi, lead his party, the BJP, to another victory in the world’s biggest election in 2019? India watchers Professor Robin Jeffrey and Dr Pradeep Taneja discuss Modi, his record as India’s leader, and the prospects of the opposition, led by the Congress party’s Rahul Gandhi. Presented by Ali Moore. An Asia Institute podcast . Produced by profactual.com . Music by audionautix.com...
How do the people of Taiwan identify themselves and their society? Most have ancestry that can be traced to the Chinese mainland and now speak Mandarin, but does a uniquely layered history set them apart? Asia-Pacific historian Dr Lewis Mayo and political scientist Dr Sow Keat Tok, both of Asia Institute, examine the notions of ethnic and national identity on the island and discuss the implications for relations with mainland China. Presented by Peter Clarke. An Asia Institute podcast Produced b...
Confucianism is experiencing a revival in China, with President Xi Jinping now publicly endorsing Confucius’ millennia-old principles of personal morality, social order and justice. So what’s behind the fresh embrace of a philosophy once shunned by Mao Zedong? China watchers Dr Delia Lin and Dr Craig Smith join Ali Moore to delve in to the past, present and future of Confucianism in China. An Asia Institute podcast Produced by profactual.com Music by audionautix.com...
The Indian Ocean, long assumed by India to be its own "backyard", is now host to growing economic and military inroads by China. Asia watchers and political analysts Prof. Derek McDougall and Dr. Pradeep Taneja discuss China’s possible designs in the region and the geopolitical risk its mounting presence there may bring. Presented by Ali Moore. An Asia Institute podcast Produced by profactual.com Music by audionautix.com Image from US Navy via Wikimedia Commons...
While poverty in Indonesia has declined significantly in the 20 years since the fall of Suharto, the gap between the rich and poor has only got worse. Political economists Prof Andrew Rosser and Dr Rachael Diprose discuss the troubling social, health and educational consequences of this rising inequality for ordinary Indonesians. Presented by Peter Clarke. An Asia Institute podcast produced by profactual.com Music by audionautix.com Image from wikipedia.com...
China’s South-North Water Transfer Project, the world’s largest-ever diversion scheme, is being rolled out to take water from the Yangtze River in the country’s south to quench the thirst of its parched and populous north. Geographers Dr Sarah Rogers and Dr Min Jiang discuss the social, environmental and governance implications of China’s most ambitious engineering megaproject to date. Presented by Ali Moore. An Asia Institute podcast produced by profactual.com Music by audionautix.com...
China’s social credit system is being rolled out and will by 2020 track the behavior of all of its 1.4 billion citizens, doling out rewards and punishments to individuals and communities. Asia Institute China analysts Dr Fengshi Wu and Dr Delia Lin ponder whether the system will succeed in bringing unprecedented security and stability to Chinese society or condemn it to a dystopian future. Presented by Ali Moore. An Asia Institute podcast Produced by profactual.com Music by audionautix.com...
Given the notably mixed results of recent elections in the region, just how healthy is the practice of democracy in Southeast Asia? To distinguish the rhetoric from the political reality, we’re joined by keen Southeast Asia political observers Prof Garry Rodan, Director of the Asia Research Centre at Murdoch University, and by Dr Avery Poole, Assistant Director of the Melbourne School of Government. Presented by Ali Moore. An Asia Institute podcast , produced by profactual.com . Music: audionaut...
Two decades after winning its independence from Indonesia, Timor-Leste is still grappling with delivering clean water and sanitation to its people, both in Dili and in rural areas. With first-hand accounts of the challenges as well as success stories, we’re joined by Melbourne School of Government development specialist Dr Kate Neely and public health expert Naomi Francis from the Nossal Institute for Global Health. Presented by Ali Moore. An Asia Institute podcast, produced by profactual.com Mu...
Is rising nationalism among citizens of China a natural result of the country’s growing power, or is it being manufactured and stoked by a Chinese Communist Party only looking out for its own interests? In this episode of Ear to Asia, Asia Institute political scientists Dr Sow Keat Tok and Dr Delia Lin consider the origins and implications of a patriotism with Chinese characteristics. Presented by Peter Clarke. An Asia Institute podcast, produced by profactual.com Music: audionautix.com...
Two decades after the fall of the authoritarian Suharto regime, is Indonesia finally taking its human rights record seriously? Historian Dr Kate McGregor and socio-legal researcher Dr Ken Setiawan gauge how well Indonesia has come to terms with its violent past, and whether commitments to reform and justice made after the strongman’s exit are being met with real action. Presented by Peter Clarke. An Asia Institute podcast, produced by Profactual.com . Music: http://audionautix.com Image: Gitoyo ...
China recently abolished term limits for its presidency, clearing the way for Xi Jinping to continue indefinitely — possibly for life — as boss of the People’s Republic. Asia Institute’s China watchers Dr Fengshi Wu and Dr Sow Keat Tok shed light on Xi Jinping’s possible motives and strategy, and their implications for China and the world. Presented by Ali Moore. An Asia Institute podcast, produced by Profactual.com . More information about this and other episodes of this podcast series is found...
China, after decades of economic growth and a draconian policy limiting families to only one child, now faces a rapidly ageing population, together with a declining workforce and too many men. Sociologist Martin Whyte and development economist Lauren Johnston look at what this demographic trajectory will mean for China’s economy and the lives of the Chinese people. Presented by Peter Clarke. An Asia Institute podcast, produced by Profactual.com . More information about this and other episodes of...
As Indonesia gears up for important elections in 2018 and 2019, we talk with political observers Prof Vedi Hadiz and Dr Dave McRae to untangle the many strands of the island nation’s political life and get a glimpse of how the tension between democracy and pluralism there may play out. Presented by Ali Moore. An Asia Institute podcast, produced by Profactual.com . More information about this and other episodes of this podcast series is found here: goo.gl/FvS5kU Music by audionautix.com...
Asia researchers Dr Jun Ohashi and Dr Jay Song consider the optics of Japan’s relations with it neighbours, the Koreas and China, where decades-old memories of Japanese invasion and subjugation remain front and centre. What will it take for Japan to overcome its wartime history and regain the trust of these nations? Presented by Ali Moore. An Asia Institute podcast, produced by Profactual.com . More information about this and other episodes of this podcast series is found here . And the transcri...
Asia international relations experts Dr Sow Keat Tok and Dr Pradeep Taneja unravel the motivations and implications behind China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative, a multi-trillion dollar infrastructure update to the historic Silk Road that’s set to redefine trade and geopolitics across 3 continents, 2 oceans and some 65 countries. Presented by Ali Moore. An Asia Institute podcast, produced by Profactual.com . More information about this and other episodes of this podcast series is found here...
Anthropologist Dr Gerald Roche outlines the surprisingly diverse language landscape of the Tibetan Plateau, and what factors — geographic, social and political — contribute to whether a language is supported or even recognised. He also explains why some languages in Tibet are becoming endangered and how new ones are starting to emerge. Presented by Clement Paligaru. More information about this and other episodes of this podcast series is found here and the transcript is available here . An Asia ...
On Ear to Asia, anthropologist Dr Ana Dragojlovic recounts the history of Dutch colonisation of Bali, and examines the experiences of migrants from Bali to the land of their former coloniser as they work hard to maintain their Balinese identity. Presented by Clement Paligaru. More information about this and other episodes of this podcast series can be found here . And the transcript is available here . An Asia Institute podcast, produced by Profactual.com ....
Development economist Professor Yang Yao of Peking University argues that China's "selectocracy", its system of appointing political leaders from the Chinese Communist Party and their civil service, has been the major driver of an economic miracle that’s lasted four decades and counting. Presented by Clement Paligaru. More information about this and other episodes of this podcast series can be found here . And the transcript is available here . An Asia Institute podcast, produced by Profactual.c...
Media expert Dr Inaya Rakhmani explains the connection between neoliberal capitalism and the increasing religious conservatism of Indonesia's burgeoning Muslim middle class. Presented by Clement Paligaru. Transcript available here . More information about this and other episodes of this podcast series is found here . An Asia Institute podcast, produced by Profactual.com ....
Philosopher Dr Muhammad Kamal talks about the writings of preeminent 16th century Muslim philosopher Mulla Sadra, who grappled with concepts of change and constancy. Mulla Sadra, who lived and worked in Persia, sought to answer questions like "Is everything changing continuously?" and "Why do we continue to recognize people and objects as if there were unchanging identities attached to them?". Presented by Clement Paligaru. Transcript available here . More information about this and other episod...
Human migration expert Dr Jiyoung Song talks about North Korean citizens who choose to exit their homeland, putting themselves and family members they leave behind at risk. She discusses their arduous journeys across China and Southeast Asia to reach South Korea or countries in the West, how they fare in their new homes, and how their reasons for fleeing have changed over time. Presented by Clement Paligaru. Transcript available here . More information about this and other episodes of this podca...
