The Nordic Asia Podcast is a collaboration sharing expertise on Asia across the Nordic region, brought to you by the following academic partners: -Asia Centre, University of Tartu (Estonia) -Asian studies, University of Helsinki (Finland) -Centre for Asian Studies, Vytautas Magnus University (Lithuania) -Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies, Lund University (Sweden) -Centre for East Asian Studies, University of Turku (Finland) -Norwegian Network for Asian Studies
…
continue reading
Nguzunguzu is the traditional figurehead which was formerly affixed to canoes in the Solomon Islands. In this episode, Julie Yu-Wen Chen talks to Rodolfo Maggio, a senior researcher at the University of Helsinki about his book project on the dragon and the nguzunguzu, namely the relationship between China and the Soloman Islands. The dragon and the…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
The Dragonbear in the Geopolitics of the 21st Century
28:28
28:28
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
28:28
What is the “dragonbear”? It is a metaphor of an emerging strategic alliance between Russia and China. In this episdoe, Julie Yu-Wen Chen talks to geostrategist Velina Tchakarova about the dragonbear in the geopolitics of the 21st century. What does the Dragonbear really aim to achieve in global affairs? First and foremost, it is about counterbalan…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Sino-Pacific Relations: A Discussion with Rodolfo Maggio
25:19
25:19
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
25:19
The 2024 Solomon Islands elections were surprisingly peaceful. The deepening economic inequalities, widespread corruption, rogue demagogues manipulating the mob, and other aspects such as the heated debate about the increasing presence and influence of China, did not result in the kind of riots that hit this Pacific Island country twice in the prev…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Souvik Mukherjee, "Videogames in the Indian Subcontinent: Development, Culture(s) and Representations" (Bloomsbury, 2022)
25:09
25:09
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
25:09
While there has been considerable research on digital cultures in the Indian Subcontinent, video games have received scant attention so far. Yet, they are hugely influential. Globally, India is perceived as a ‘sleeping giant’ of the video game industry with immense untapped potential, and Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan also have …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Living with Digital Surveillance in China
31:10
31:10
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
31:10
How do Chinese citizens make sense of digital surveillance and live with it? What narratives do they come up with to deal with the daily and all-encompassing reality of life in China? What mental tactics do they apply to dissociate themselves from surveillance? Ariane Ollier-Malaterre explores these questions in her book Living with Digital Surveil…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
The Religious Landscape of Taiwan: A Discussion with Yushuang Yao
55:40
55:40
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
55:40
How is Buddhism seen and practiced in Taiwan? And how do neighbouring countries influence Taiwanese Buddhism? In this episode we explore the religious landscape of Taiwan in conversation with Dr. Yushuang Yao, a leading expert on religion in contemporary Taiwan. Yushuang Yao is an Associate Professor at Fo Guang University, Taiwan, specializing in …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Manisha Anantharaman, "Recycling Class: The Contradictions of Inclusion in Urban Sustainability" (MIT Press, 2024)
40:28
40:28
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
40:28
What types of coalitions can deliver social justice within sustainability initiatives? And how can we avoid reproducing unjust distributions of risk and responsibility in urban sustainability efforts? In this episode, Kenneth Bo Nielsen, Arve Hansen, and Manisha Anantharaman discuss these questions by engaging with Anantharaman’s new book Recycling…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Asian Soft Power in Estonia: A Discussion with Agnieszka Nitza-Makowska
26:41
26:41
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
26:41
How do Asian nations exercise soft power in the Baltics? Soft power is a political strategy to influence other international relations actors by using a variety of political, economic, and cultural instruments. The rise of Asia aligns with its growing economic, political, and cultural influences worldwide, including in geographically distant Centra…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
South Korea after the 2024 Parliamentary Elections
23:23
23:23
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
23:23
How do election campaigns in South Korea look like? Why have satellite parties become an important instrument of power politics? What do the election results mean for the Yoon government’s ability to implement its policy agenda? In April 2024, South Koreans went to the polls to elect a new parliament but many regarded the elections also as a refere…
…
continue reading
What is at stake at the 2024 Indian national elections? And, what can we expect if the incumbent prime minister Narendra Modi wins another five years in office? From April to June 2024, close to one billion Indian voters can cast their ballot at what is set to be the largest democratic exercise in world history. India is often spoken about as the w…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Miss Tibet: Representing Tibet through Beauty Pageants
22:27
22:27
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
22:27
What does the Miss Tibet beauty pageant tell us about what it means to be Tibetan in a globalized world? And what understandings of Tibetan culture does it convey? In this episode, Kenneth Bo Nielsen talks to Pema Choedon about representations of Tibet and Tibetan culture on the global stage from the vantage point of the Miss Tibet beauty pageant. …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
India’s Waste Problem: A Discussion with Pamela Das
30:42
30:42
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
30:42
How is India tackling its persistent wage management problems? And, are new infrastructural solutions the way forward? In this episode, Kenneth Bo Nielsen talks to Pamela Das about the new infrastructures that are increasingly being put in place to help Indian cities confront the problem of waste and how to handle it. Estimate suggests that by 2025…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Amber Worlds: The Global Amber Trade in the China-Myanmar Borderlands
34:24
34:24
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
34:24
What role do China and other Asian countries play in the global amber trade? And, what can we learn about the big challenges of our time by studying amber? In this episode, Kenneth Bo Nielsen talks to Alessandro Rippa about the global flows and significance of this seemingly inconspicuous lump of fossilized tree resin, a material that is at the hea…
…
continue reading
Why did khadi become so central to India’s freedom struggle? How did it evolve into an international trademark – and what does khadi signify in India today? In this episode, Kenneth Bo Nielsen talks to Subhadeep Chowdhury about the political, cultural, and economic importance of khadi, the famous handspun and woven natural fiber cloth that we often…
…
continue reading
What happens if the geoeconomic risks of great power rivalry materialise? What can be done to prevent these potential dangers from unfolding in small open economies, such as Finland and Sweden? More specifically, how can small state preparedness be enhanced to tackle the risks of foreign ownership, supply disruptions and high tech dependencies? How…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Kiribati in the Chinese Pacific: A Discussion with Rodolfo Maggio
25:48
25:48
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
25:48
Is Kiribati in the American lake, Indo-Pacific or Chinese Pacific? In this Episode, Julie Yu-Wen Chen talks to Rodolfo Maggio, a senior researcher at the University of Helsinki to conceptualize Kiribati as an interstitial island in the Chinese Pacific. Rodolfo Maggio is a social anthropologist of moral and economic values in the Asia-Pacific region…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Cross-Cultural Research on Gaming and “Gaming Disorder”
26:52
26:52
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
26:52
In 1998 the phrase “internet addiction” was first used to describe problematic prolonged internet use, and encompassed a wide range of online activities including reading news, connecting in chat rooms, viewing pornography, and gambling. Since then, particular focus has been placed on internet gaming, and in 2022 the World Health Organization’s Int…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
China’s Environmental Footprint in Ghana: Non-State Responses
30:35
30:35
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
30:35
Musicians and community activists in Ghana have raised their voices to increase awareness of the environmental impact of Chinese activities in the country. The chart-topping song “Greedy men” by Stonebwoy directly criticizes Chinese illegal gold mining in the region. On a separate occasion, a community movement compelled the Ghanaian Minister of En…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Grammar, Identity, and Ideology in Early 20th-Century Japan
22:50
22:50
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
22:50
Have you ever felt that the grammar of Asian languages does not fit with the framework that we use to describe them? In the late 19th century, Asian grammarians began adapting the European-based grammatical frameworks describing their languages, but this application was not straightforward. In Japan, the question of grammar eventually became entang…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Reading the Stars: When Divination Meets Politics in Thailand
27:23
27:23
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
27:23
What does astrology, palm-reading and fortune telling have to do with politics in Thailand, and how can we make sense of these divination practices and their use in Thai politics? Listen to Edoardo Siani and Petra Alderman in this episode of the Nordic Asia Podcast to learn more about divination and the way it was used during the recent student-led…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Between Jesus and Krishna: Christian Encounters with South Indian Temple Dance
32:18
32:18
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
32:18
One of the eight national dances of India, bharatanatyam, partly originates from the area around Tranquebar. During the time that Tranquebar was a Danish colony, devadasis, women who did service at temples through dance, were patronized by the Thanjavur royal court. In 1623, a Danish–Icelandic soldier routinely observed the devadasis dancing outsid…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Humanitarian Issues of Immigration in Japan: From Historical Background to Current Policies
27:28
27:28
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
27:28
Japan has historically maintained extended periods of isolationist policies and continues to uphold some of the strictest immigration laws in the world today. The country has also long had a tumultuous relationship with non-ethnic Japanese residents, including Taiwanese and Korean nationals who were first forced to become Japanese citizens under im…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Life after NIAS: A Conversation on the Closure of the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies
53:53
53:53
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
53:53
In December 2023, more than five decades of institutionalized Nordic collaboration in the field of Asian studies will come to an end with the closure of NIAS, the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies. What has been the impact of NIAS on Nordic research on Asia? What legacy will NIAS leave behind? And how will the closure of the institute impact the sc…
…
continue reading
In 2020, Finland’s sauna culture was added to the List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Sauna culture is an integral part of the lives of the majority of the Finnish population. Interestingly, the Finnish style of sauna-going has inspired quite a few i…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Understanding Narendra Modi: The Poetry of a Populist Leader
27:17
27:17
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
27:17
Why do politicians write poems? And what does a politician’s poetry tell us about their leadership? In this episode, a collective of researchers from the University of Oslo discuss these questions by focusing on India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. Modi has a highly visible and extremely complex public image. He often appears as a firm and decisi…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Cleric, Cadre, Businessman: China’s Development Strategy in Sri Lanka
32:53
32:53
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
32:53
What does Buddhism have to do with harbors? Find out how China is leveraging religion in its foreign policy and why it is a vital part of China's soft power strategy, aligned closely with domestic policies. Learn how Sri Lanka's reception and reproduction of narratives can impact the country's foreign relations and domestic dynamics. Tabita Rosenda…
…
continue reading
How should we understand the emergence of the Global South as a political actor? What is the role of India within this framework? Which challenges and tensions arise from China’s assertiveness in Asia, and how is it reshaping regional dynamics? How is the Indo-Pacific region emerging as a new geopolitical structure with the potential to redefine re…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Globalisation and Glocalisation of Bubble Tea
22:39
22:39
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
22:39
Bubble tea, also known as pearl milk tea, boba or tapioca milk tea is a popular drink in Asia. Wherever there is Asian diaspora, such as in the USA, one can find bubble tea as well. Bubble tea is becoming increasingly visible even in European countries where there are relatively smaller Asian communities compared with the situation in the USA. One …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Rahul Ranjan, "The Political Life of Memory: Birsa Munda in Contemporary India" (Cambridge UP, 2023)
33:12
33:12
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
33:12
How do affective sites such as memorials and statues produce political visions, emotions, and opportunities? And how are they used strategically to further particular political projects? In this episode, we discuss these questions with Rahul Ranjan with specific reference to his new book The Political Life of Memory: Birsa Munda in Contemporary Ind…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Development and Migration in Contemporary Asia
27:59
27:59
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
27:59
Is migration good or bad for development? How does migration affect those who leave and those who stay behind? How are rural and urban livelihoods interconnected in Asian cities? What are the likely main migration trends in Asia the coming decade? And what can you learn from studying the same village for decades? To discuss these diverse questions,…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Tingting Hu, "Victims, Perpetrators and Professionals: The Representation of Women in Chinese Crime Films" (Liverpool UP, 2021)
33:07
33:07
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
33:07
How are women represented in Chinese crime films? In what ways do the representation reflect traditional Chinese values and contemporary Chinese social-cultural norms? How did boys’ love culture emerge in China? What is the role of the Chinese state in queer media production and queer culture in China? In a conversation with Joanne Kuai, PhD candid…
…
continue reading
How serious an issue is digital repression in Thailand? Who is behind it? And what effects does it have on Thai people? Listen to Janjira Sombatpoonsiri as she talks to Petra Alderman about this issue in the context of contemporary Thailand and the 2020-2021 student-led protests. Janjira Sombatpoonsiri is an Assistant Professor and Project Leader a…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Journalism History in Macau: A Abelha da China in its 200 Years
25:58
25:58
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
25:58
How did the first newspaper in Macau come into being? What was the first foreign language newspaper on Chinese soil about? How was the dynamic between the Chinese and Portuguese press in the former Portuguese colony and now China’s Special Administrative Region? Hugo Pinto speaks about A Abelha da China (A Bee from China), the first newspaper in Ma…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Civil Society Elites: Field Studies from Cambodia and Indonesia
25:46
25:46
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
25:46
What does civil society look like in Indonesia and Cambodia, and who are civil society elites? In this podcast interview, editors of the recently published NIAS Press edited volume Civil Society Elites. Field Studies from Cambodia and Indonesia, Astrid Norén-Nilsson, Amalinda Savirani and Anders Uhlin dive into the themes of their book, as well as …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Of Peninsulas and Archipelagos: The Landscape of Translation in Southeast Asia
34:06
34:06
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
34:06
What does a map of Southeast Asia as a pegasus have to do with translation and Southeast Asia? How can we think of translation as anything other than a unidirectional practice of bringing meaning across languages? How can Southeast Asia challenge the way we think about translation? Phrae Chittiphalangsri and Vicente L. Rafael, the editors of the fi…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Cause Lawyering and Human Rights in Indonesia
22:49
22:49
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
22:49
Why have issues of human rights become so contentious in Indonesia, 25 years after the much-heralded post-Suharto democratic transition? What kind of role has the Indonesian Foundation of Legal Aid Institutes, or LBH, performed in this field? Should those working on human rights try to work with governments and power-holders, or adopt an opposition…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
India's Development Diplomacy and Soft Power in Africa
24:24
24:24
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
24:24
In this episode, Kenneth King (University of Edinburgh) & Meera Venkatachalam (University of Mumbai), discuss their recently co-edited volume, India's Development Diplomacy and Soft Power in Africa, published by Boydell and Brewer in 2021. India has understood its relations with Africa within the framework of South-South cooperation, where postcolo…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Helen Ting M. H. and Donald L. Horowitz, "Electoral Reform and Democracy in Malaysia" (NIAS, 2022)
35:07
35:07
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
35:07
Why is Malaysia in need of electoral reform? How can we explain recent changes including the anti-party hopping law and the successful UNDI18 campaign to lower the voting age? And what does the outcome Malaysia's GE15, the November 2022 general election, mean for the health of Malaysian democracy? In this podcast, editors Helen Ting and Donald Horo…
…
continue reading
Did the bloody 1 February 2021 military coup in Myanmar produce an unexpected ‘solidarity dividend’ by unifying opponents of the new regime from a range of ethnic backgrounds and political perspectives? How can political ethnographers continue to study Myanmar without having physical access to the country? Why might it be fruitful to reimagine Myan…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Hindu Nationalism and Lower Caste Politics
26:59
26:59
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
26:59
Why and how has India’s Hindu nationalist party, the BJP, become so adept at appealing to and recruiting people from the lower castes? And what does this mean for Indian politics in the short to medium term? In this episode we are joined by Samantha Agarwal to discuss the rise of Hindu nationalism, focusing on the strategies it deploys to recruit p…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Afghanistan-Pakistan Relations: A Clash of Identities?
35:21
35:21
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
35:21
With Afghanistan once again under Taliban rule and Pakistan reeling under a severe economic and political crisis, the relationship between the neighbouring countries is growing increasingly tense. How can we understand this contentious situation? And, what are the consequences for the civilian population? To discuss these question, and current Afgh…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Global India: The Pursuit of Influence and Status
32:05
32:05
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
32:05
In 2023, India surpassed China in numbers of total population and holds the presidency of the prestigious G20, shortly after it overtook the UK as the world’s fifth largest economy in terms of GDP. Simultaneously, various actors are courting India's favour for international policy projects, such as the adoption of ambitious climate targets or peace…
…
continue reading
Why was the May 2023 Thai election such a historic election? What does the surprising Move Forward victory tell us about the state of Thai politics? And what happens next? Duncan McCargo and Ken Lohatepanont join Petra Alderman to discuss the historic Thai vote and the post-election developments. Duncan McCargo is Director of the Nordic Institute o…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Creating Sustainable Value in Social Enterprises in Philippines
24:42
24:42
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
24:42
re there ways to tackle pressing social, environmental and economic problems at once? In this episode, Professor Assunta Cuyegkeng from Ateneo de Manilla University in Philippines joins Pilvi Posio to discuss the research and practice of social entrepreneurship that offers potential solutions for building holistic social, economic and also environm…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Brantly Womack, "Recentering Pacific Asia: Regional China and World Order" (Cambridge UP, 2023)
21:06
21:06
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
21:06
The Pacific Rim of Asia – Pacific Asia – is now the world's largest and most cohesive economic region, and China has returned to its center. In this conversation, Julie Yu-Wen Chen, Professor of Chinese Studies at the University of Helsinki discusses with Brantly Womack from the University of Virginia about his new book Recentering Pacific Asia: Re…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Neither Friend nor Enemy: Sweden-North Korea Relations
27:01
27:01
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
27:01
Welcome to the fourth NIAS-Korea episode. We invite Dr. Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein to discuss Sweden-North Korea relations. It may seem odd that among the Western countries, Sweden is the one that has maintained friendlier relations with North Korea. For example, Sweden was the first Western country that opened an embassy in Pyongyang, and the em…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
The Politics of Community-Making in New Urban India
27:39
27:39
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
27:39
How is urban India changing? And how do communities inhabit and transform India’s new cities and urban spaces? In this episode Kenneth Bo Nielsen is joined by Ritanjan Das to discuss a new book co-authored by Das and Nilotpal Kumar titled The Politics of Community-making in New Urban India: Illiberal Spaces, Illiberal Cities (Routledge, 2023). The …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
China's Green Consensus: A Discussion with Virginie Arantes
23:43
23:43
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
23:43
How has China’s one-party system dealt with the country’s growing environmental issues? And what implications does its green turn have on people’s everyday realities? Virginie Arantes joins Petra Alderman, associate researcher at NIAS and postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Birmingham, to talk about her book China’s Green Consensus: P…
…
continue reading
What is the story behind NIAS Press becoming one of Europe's leading Asian Studies publishers? How have the academic world and scholarly publishing changed in recent years and what can we expect for the future? How in challenging times can scholars maximize the impact of their research? In this week's conversation, NIAS Press editor in chief Gerald…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Aspired Communities, Contested Futures: Long-Term Recovery after the 3.11 Disaster in Japan
31:38
31:38
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
31:38
On March 11, 2011, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of northeastern Japan triggering a massive tsunami and shifting the earth on its axis. Nearly 20,000 residents in the Tōhoku region lost their lives, with many hundreds of thousands more injured, displaced, and left with horrific loss. Dr. Pilvi Posio shares her PhD research based o…
…
continue reading