Ear to Asia

by Asia Institute, The University of Melbourne

Politics Society & Culture

Season 1

Vietnamese seeking their fortunes underground in Russia

For Vietnamese hunting economic opportunities abroad, it turns out Russia is a popular choice. Entering on short stay visas and overstaying sometimes for decades, they typically find work in urban market complexes, and in some cases resort to illegal activities to make ends meet. So what draws the Vietnamese to Russia? What are their day-to-day lives like? And given their insecure immigration status, what are their prospects in the long term? International development expert Dr Lan Anh Hoang shares their stories and her insights. Presented by Ali Moore. An Asia Institute podcast. Produced and edited by Profactual - the Podcasting Specialists. Music by audionautix.com.

Sculpting nations: the politics around statues in Asia

In Asia as elsewhere, whom statues commemorate and whom they overlook comes down to power and politics. And while the early post-colonial period was the heyday of statue building in the newly minted countries of Asia, the practice is alive and well today with ever larger and more expensive statues being erected. Asia historians Dr Ruth Gamble and Dr Lewis Mayo join host Ali Moore to ponder the complex relationship between State and statue. An Asia Institute podcast. Produced and edited by profactual.com. Music by audionautix.com.

The market for Maoism outside China

Despite its roots in China, Mao Zedong’s theories of class struggle and violent revolution spread around the globe in the second half of the twentieth century, igniting armed uprisings in its wake. Asia historian Dr Matthew Galway and Latin American cultural studies researcher Dr Carlos Amador examine the appeal and impact of Maoism outside of China. With host Peter Clarke. An Asia Institute podcast. Produced and edited by Profactual - the Podcasting Specialists. Music by audionautix.com. Since recording this interview, Dr Galway has moved to the Australian National University.

Pushing back against plastic waste in Indonesia

In Indonesia, pollution from plastics is reaching crisis levels, with the fabled beaches of Bali now strewn with discarded plastics, while on Java the army is called out to unclog rivers from “icebergs” of plastic. How did Indonesia get into this predicament, and who will clean up the mess? Indonesian rock star and environmental activist Gede Robi, and development expert Ewa Wojkowska, shed light on Indonesia’s plastic scourge and discuss possible solutions with presenter Ali Moore. An Asia Institute podcast. Produced and edited by Profactual - the Podcasting Specialists. Songs by Navicula. Theme music by audionautix.com.

Pandemic politics in Turkey

Despite an initial flirt with pandemic denialism, Turkey may well be able to take some pride in its handling of the Covid-19 crisis. Yet, coronavirus continues to impose a huge cost on a nation already grappling with faltering economic growth, deepening existing political and social divides. With us to examine the myriad impacts of Covid-19 on Turkey are Monash University politics and international relations expert Dr William Gourlay and Asia Institute Turkish politics researcher Dr Tezcan Gümüş. Presented by Ali Moore. An Asia Institute podcast. Produced and edited by Profactual - the Podcasting Specialists. Music by audionautix.com.

Kevin Rudd on China's place in a post-pandemic world

Special guest former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd joins host Ali Moore to discuss a post COVID-19 world marked by an increasingly assertive China and anaemic US leadership. Will growing Sino-American tensions result in a new cold war? And what’s the future for the global institutions responsible for maintaining world order? Kevin Rudd is President of the Asia Society Policy Institute and a China watcher of more than four decades. An Asia Institute podcast. Produced and edited by Profactual - the Podcasting Specialists. Music by audionautix.com.

Is Indonesia's covid-19 response too little, too late?

As the Indonesian government’s coronavirus response has shifted from deep denial to broad action, some of its key directives are meeting with public resistance. So what is the pandemic telling us about political leadership, and about existing fault lines in Indonesian society? Long time Indonesia watchers Prof Tim Lindsey and Dr Ian Wilson join host Ali Moore to examine the impact of covid-19 on the world’s fourth most populous nation. An Asia Institute podcast. Produced and edited by Profactual - the Podcasting Specialists. Music by audionautix.com.

Winners and losers in Indonesia's plans for a new capital city

Indonesian President Joko Widodo is forging ahead with his grand plans to replace Jakarta with a new capital on the island of Borneo, but beyond the upbeat political rhetoric, many questions remain. How open and transparent has the design process been? Have the needs of the local people been considered? Who will be the real winners in this immensely costly project? Dr Amanda Achmadi and Dr Wawan Mas'udi join presenter Ali Moore to discuss this seemingly herculean undertaking. An Asia Institute podcast. Produced and edited by Profactual - the Podcasting Specialists. Music by audionautix.com.

Covid-19 in India: Cracking open the social and political fault lines?

India has been making the headlines with the world’s biggest nationwide lockdown to stem the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Epidemiology aside, what is the pandemic revealing about the social, political and economic fault lines already existing in India? Health policy specialist Dr Azad Bali and political scientist Dr Pradeep Taneja join host Ali Moore to examine the impact of the coronavirus crisis on India. An Asia Institute podcast. Produced and edited by Profactual - the Podcasting Specialists. Music by audionautix.com. You can find the Melbourne Asia Review at https://melbourneasiareview.edu.au/

The Kurdish struggle for political equality in Turkey

Although the Kurds form a very sizable minority in Turkey, there is little tolerance for those who stray from the dominant Turkish nationalist narrative. So how have the Kurdish people navigated Turkey’s political environment in the hopes of achieving their aspirations? Kurdish affairs researcher Dr William Gourlay from Monash University and Asia Institute’s Turkish politics researcher Dr Tezcan Gümüş join host Ali Moore to examine the plight of the Kurds in Turkey. An Asia Institute podcast. Produced and edited by Profactual - the Podcasting Specialists. Music by audionautix.com.

11 of 18