Dr. Kanjana Thepboriruk sits down with Dr. Theara Thun to talk about the evolution of ‘knowledge’ and ‘information’ within the Cambodian context, especially with the advent of print media and how the new medium affected the production, transmission, and creation of new knowledge. He dives even deeper, looking at the ways the Khmer understanding of …

Dr. Kanjana sits down with Dr. Tun Myint to talk about his latest research. Together they examine the concept of science as an idea of societal acceptance. They study how the Southeast Asian market changes to support a more educated, wealthy, and comfortable society. Dr. Tun Myint is a professor of political science and international relations at C…

Our host is Dr. Trude Jacobsen Gidaszewski, who is joined by Mattias Fibiger, and a cast of NIU grad students. Fibiger discusses his book on the rise of the Indonesian dictator Suharto over the Cold War, how he shaped society, and how he is remembered today in modern Indonesia. After talking about his book, he answers a multitude of questions from …

Dr. Kanjana sits down with Dr. Oona Parades, Dr. Micah Morton, and Joseph Allen Ruanto-Ramirez to discuss the diaspora of the Lumad people of the Philippine Island of Mindanao. Together they all break down the differences between the Modern Pilipino people and the Modern Lumad. Parades dispels the idea that this group is the window to precolonial P…

Dr. Kanjana Thepboriruk sits down with Dr. Melissa Lenczewski to discuss groundwater quality and testing in Southeast Asia and the United States. Together they bring to light how Arsenic and Microplastics have a strong presence in the water quality of countries that have poor infrastructure for testing and regulation, and the issue of water quality…

Dr. Eric Jones is joined by Dr. Wang, Dr Atkins, and this week's guest: Professor Jeremy Wallach to talk all about metal music in Southeast Asia. Wallach talks about how metal music is a genre for the youth, and how it is bringing attention to civil issues within the Southeast Asian political landscape. Wallach dispels the rumors about metal heads …

Dr Kanjana Thepboriruk is joined by Dr Taylor Easum, Trude Jacobson Gidaszewski, and Peter Alexander to discuss the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai, a city at the crossroads of culture. Together, they discuss how the province is not just a Thai city, but multicultural and rich in history created by colonizing forces. Dr Taylor Easum is a historian…

Dr Kanjana Thepboriruk sits down with Sharon Quinsaat to discuss diasporas within the Philippines and their effect on the country's national identity. Through the context of Filipinos living within the Philippines, Filipinos living within other countries, and the government's historical attempts to influence Philippino culture, Quinsaat discusses t…

In this episode of Crossroads, Dr Kanjana Thepboriruk speaks with Phan Nhiên Hạo about his experience as an immigrant from Vietnam translating into his poetic works and existing between two cultures and languages. Hao Phan (Phan Nhiên Hạo) is the Curator of the Southeast Asia library collection at Northern Illinois University and a published poet. …

Dr Kanjana Thepboriruk sits down with Dr Michael Dwyer to talk aboutstate reversals of earlier agrarian reforms in Southeast Asia that have rolled back “land-to-the-tiller” policies created in the wake of Cold War–era revolutions. They disucss this trend, marked by increased land concentration and the promotion of export-oriented agribusiness at th…

Dr Kanjana Thepboriruk sits with VC Tang to discuss her new cookbook released titled "Come Eat, Grandma!" In this podcast, they discuss the writing process, some of the experiences that lead to the creation of this book, and growing up Thai in America and the joys and struggles it entails.VC Tang's book has been described as "A collection of flashb…

In this podcast, Dr Kanjana Thepboriruk and Chomkate Ngamkaiwan, a PhD candidate in Criminology at Mahidol University, Thailand, examine the ongoing PM2.5 crisis in Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, and its vicinities as a form of environmental crime. She also explores the relationship between the air pollution and policy corruption. In these …

Drs Jones and Jui-Ching Wang sit down with Dr Joe Kinzer to explore how centuries of conflicting Hindu-Buddhist and Islamic influences from India and the Middle East have transformed and continue to complicate Malay cultural politics in 21st century musical practices. Joe Kinzer received his Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from the University of Washingto…

This podcast Dr Jones speaks with Drs Kanjana Thepboriruk and Laura Vilardell and examine the ways in which the team of volunteer Thai language translators navigated their own identities, the collaborative translation process, and the linguistic and cultural challenges of producing the 2020 Thai Letters for Black Lives. Thai was one of fifty-two la…

In this episode, Drs Jones and J. Casey Hammond discuss China and their 5g network and tensions with Huawei and the United States.J. Casey Hammond is a China and Southeast Asian affairs analyst, university lecturer, and independent researcher. He received his PhD in History from the University of Pennsylvania and holds an MCP in Economic Developmen…

In this episode, Drs Kanjana and Jones talk to Hmong hip hop sensation Tou SaiKo Lee about his experience as a Hmong American reclaiming and uniting the old and new in his culture through hip hop.Today Tou SaiKo is an intergenerational bridge builder, worldwide teaching artist, cultural revitalizer, cultural innovator and catalyst for movement.He w…

In the film Apocalypse Now (1979), a single phrase marks an iconic enemy and creates a chain of associations separating the shared kinship and apotheosis of Western Selves and Eastern Others. “Charlie don’t surf” signals conflicted interactions with Southeast Asia water lifeworlds that call for critical relationality and understanding, concepts Dr …

Nicholas Kuipers is a PhD candidate in political science at the University of California, Berkeley and a predoctoral scholar at the Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law at Stanford University. Most of his research is interested in identifying whether and when certain political institutions worsen group-based antagonisms. In this po…

Dr. Jones talks with Dr. Clayton about using his expertise to work on issues of demining in Cambodia using robotics. In a country where more than 1.1 million acres are contaminated with explosive remnants of war, the nonprofit was looking for ways to develop robotic solutions to help technicians with their disposal.…

Dr. Jones talks with MauMau, a refugee from Myanmar's February coup. MauMau talks about the nature of the coup and living under military law in Myanmar as a protestor post-Covid.De către Dr. Eric Jones

Drs Jones and Arnold discuss the African American experience in the Vietnam War. Professor Stanley Arnold's research interests are concentrated in two related areas, civil rights movement in the United States from 1920 to 1970 exclusive of the South and the intersection of race and sports in the United States. As a historian, one of his goals is to…

In this talk Dr Jones interviews Jan Middendorf, who serves as the Associate Director for Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Sustainable Intensification (SIIL) at Kansas State University (KSU). In this role, Middendorf oversees the operational, programmatic, and reporting aspects of SIIL’s $75 million research portfolio in…

Dr Jones and Glynnis White talk with Elizabeth Clendinning about gamelan in America. Elizabeth Clendinning's research addresses concepts of space, time, cultural representation, and pedagogy within transnational Balinese gamelan communities and in film and television music. Her writing has appeared in various journals and edited volumes, including …

In this talk, Drs Jones and Legerwood talk with Dr Grant and explore how medical imaging participates in the re-configuration of public and private health care in Phnom Penh. Dr Grant consider different concepts to help parse the organization of care when Cambodia’s political economy evades captions such as “socialism” or “free market capitalism.”J…

Drs Jones and Atkins speak with An Tran on his classical guitar playing infused with Vietnamese style.Tran is based in Chicago and has won 13 international and awards. he has been praised for his “gorgeous playing” and “flawless technique” by the KnoxTNToday, and received many accolades for his dynamic artistry including being hailed as a “Vietname…