Ear to Asia

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: http://arts.unimelb.edu.au/asiainstitute/resources/ear-to-asia/ai_eta_20171011_rakhmani_i.pdf More information about this and other episodes of this podcast series is found at http://arts.unimelb.edu.au/asiainstitute/resources/podcasts/ear-to-asia

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: http://arts.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/2495785/ai_eta_20170927_kamal_m.pdf More information about this and other episodes of this podcast series is found at http://arts.unimelb.edu.au/asiainstitute/resources/podcasts/ear-to-asia

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: http://arts.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/word_doc/0008/2482595/ai_eta_20170913_song_j_128kbps.doc More information about this and other episodes of this podcast series is found at http://arts.unimelb.edu.au/asiainstitute/resources/podcasts/ear-to-asia

Veteran China watcher Prof Martin K. Whyte explains why Chinese citizens remain unfazed by the enormous income and wealth disparity created by market-oriented economic reforms that in less than 40 years have made China the world’s second largest economy. He also outlines the sorts of social injustices that pose even greater threats to the stability of Chinese society. Presented by Clement Paligaru. Transcript: http://arts.unimelb.edu.au/asiainstitute/resources/ear-to-asia/ETA_Martin_White_final_128kbps_corrected_2.pdf More information about this and other episodes of this podcast series is found at http://arts.unimelb.edu.au/asiainstitute/resources/podcasts/ear-to-asia

On this episode of Ear to Asia, celebrity chef, author and lawyer Adam Liaw gets behind the microphone to discuss his work, philosophy of life, his love affair with Japan, and how living at the intersection of cultures and nations have shaped him. We recorded this interview with Adam when he was visiting the University of Melbourne to celebrate a century of Japanese language education in Australia. Transcript: http://arts.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/2353161/ai_eta_liaw_a_20170510_128kbps.pdf More information about this and other episodes of this podcast series is found at http://arts.unimelb.edu.au/asiainstitute/resources/podcasts/ear-to-asia

Professor John Minford is a celebrated specialist in translating Chinese literature into English. On this episode of Ear to Asia, John talks about the practice of translation and how to train others in the art. He shares with us the challenges and triumphs of rendering classic Chinese texts for contemporary Western readers. John Minford is primarily known for his translations of Chinese classics such as The Dream of the Red Chamber, and The Art of War -- as well as their reading companion guides. In November 2016, he was awarded the inaugural Medal for Excellence in Translation by the Australian Academy of Humanities, for his translation of I Ching. Transcript: http://arts.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/2356989/John_Minford_final_128kbps_proof_read_2.pdf More information about this and other episodes of this podcast series is found at http://arts.unimelb.edu.au/asiainstitute/resources/podcasts/ear-to-asia

In 2015, a lone terrorist from an affiliate of Daesh or Islamic State (often referred to as ISIS) bombed a mosque in Kuwait City where the majority of where the majority of worshippers were from the Shia sect. While the overt motive for this act of terrorism was payback for Kuwait’s opposition to Daesh, the attack introduced sectarian violence to a country where the Sunni majority and the rather large Shia minority co-existed in relative harmony. In the wake of the mosque bombing incident, the Kuwaiti government passed several anti-terrorism laws. But some observers like Human Rights Watch claim the laws are designed to suppress political dissent. So how effective are these laws at reducing the risk of terrorist attacks in Kuwait? Are such laws the way to maintaining social harmony in a multicultural, or at least, a bi-sectarian population? Dr Kylie Baxter, a specialist in middle-east and Islamic politics from Asia Institute at the University of Melbourne, answers the above and other questions about the fallout from the Arab Spring. Transcript: http://arts.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/2328639/ETA_Transript_Baxter.pdf More information about this and other episodes of this podcast series is found at http://arts.unimelb.edu.au/asiainstitute/resources/podcasts/ear-to-asia

Despite having more than 3 million teachers, manageable class sizes, and spending on education that amounts to a whopping 20% of national and local budgets, Indonesia continues to seriously lag behind in educational outcomes on a range of international measures. Political economist Professor Andrew Rosser discusses the factors that prevent Indonesia from bringing its children up to par in the education stakes and concludes that significant shifts in Indonesia’s politics and society are needed. Transcript: http://arts.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/2315116/ETA_andrew_rosser_transcript_corrected.pdf More information about this and other episodes of this podcast series is found at http://arts.unimelb.edu.au/asiainstitute/resources/podcasts/ear-to-asia

Chinese literature expert Anne McLaren joins Ear to Asia host Clement Paligaru to discuss her research into the folk ecology of the lower Yangtze delta, including the folksongs of this fascinating region. And she explains how these vanishing oral traditions shed light into how people of a bygone era lived. Transcript: http://arts.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/2298982/Anne_McLaren_transcript_2017.pdf More information about this and other episodes of this podcast series is found at http://arts.unimelb.edu.au/asiainstitute/resources/podcasts/ear-to-asia

Political scientist Dr Sow Keat Tok discusses China's unique view of territorial sovereignty, its creative approaches to sovereignty issues in Hong Kong, Taiwan and the South China Sea, and how it can come into conflict with conventional models of sovereignty originating in the West. Presented by Sen Lam. Transcript: http://arts.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/2227592/Ear_to_Asia_Sow_Keat_Tok_transcript_proofed.pdf More information about this and other episodes of this podcast series is found at http://arts.unimelb.edu.au/asiainstitute/resources/podcasts/ear-to-asia

Economist and demographer Professor Binod Khadria joins Ear to Asia host Sen Lam to discuss the huge global movement of skilled and unskilled Indian workers in its surprising diversity, the conditions they work under in destination countries and their persistent ties to Mother India. Transcript: http://arts.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/2201321/ETA_binod_khadria_transcript_corrected.pdf More information about this and other episodes of this podcast series is found at http://arts.unimelb.edu.au/asiainstitute/resources/podcasts/ear-to-asia

Queer studies researcher Dr Claire Maree joins Ear to Asia host Sen Lam to discuss the plight of people in same-sex relationships in Japan. Despite Japan having a reputation for tolerance of sexual minorities, rigid legal and social barriers are leading same-sex couples to seek creative workarounds to obtain a degree of recognition and rights. More information about this and other episodes of this podcast series is found at http://arts.unimelb.edu.au/asiainstitute/resources/podcasts/ear-to-asia

Dr Ken Setiawan, Indonesian civil rights specialist, explains how a new generation of Indonesians are using digital and social media platforms to keep the memory of the genocide of 1965-1966 alive as successive government administrations stall on uncovering the truth. Presented by Sen Lam. More information about this and other episodes of this podcast series is found at http://arts.unimelb.edu.au/asiainstitute/resources/podcasts/ear-to-asia

Linguistics expert Dr Ikuko Nakane joins Ear to Asia host Sen Lam to discuss language and interpretation in criminal trials in Japan, and in particular how defendants who aren't native speakers of Japanese may be aided or disadvantaged by the language divide. More information about this and other episodes of this podcast series is found at http://arts.unimelb.edu.au/asiainstitute/resources/podcasts/ear-to-asia

Veteran researcher of Indonesian politics Prof Vedi Hadiz examines the phenomenon of contemporary Islamic populism in Indonesia, Turkey and Egypt, how it fares at the ballot box and how it fits into western notions of democracy. Presented by Sen Lam. More information about this and other episodes of this podcast series is found at http://arts.unimelb.edu.au/asiainstitute/resources/podcasts/ear-to-asia