Many countries struggle with gender inequality, but in Japan the problem is pronounced. The gender pay gap is at 22%, and women face a number of related issues, including precarious and subordinate positions in the labour market, and the sexual exploitation in the entertainment industry.

Voices from the Contemporary Japanese Feminist Movement by Emma Dalton and Caroline Norma (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022)

Guest: Dr Caroline Norma (Senior Lecturer, Interpreting and Translating, RMIT)

Host: Dr Emma Dalton (Senior Lecturer, Japanese Studies, La Trobe University)

Recorded on 11th December, 2024.

Tibet and the Tibetan Plateau are well-known as the home of an important religious and philosophical tradition, Tibetan Buddhism. However, we tend to pay less attention to the lived experiences and llfeways of the Indigenous peoples who live with this singular environment and their achievements and challenges. So how does the state education address Indigenous knowledge and that which the people get from the land itself?

Guest: Dr Tashi Dekyid Monet (School of Education and Human Development, University of Virginia)

Host: Assoc Professor Ruth Gamble (Deputy Director, La Trobe Asia)

Recorded on 30th October, 2024.

There are dozens of minority languages spoken in Tibet, but that number is currently collapsing under assimilatory state policies. An increasing number of families in these communities are now passing on Tibetan or Chinese, in the hope of accessing better opportunities in education and employment.

What are the systems at work that restrict and devalue minority languages in Tibet? How can global advocacy networks acknowledge the issue, and what radical changes are needed to address this crisis?

The launch of The Politics of Language Oppression in Tibet by Gerald Roche, published by Cornell University Press.

Panel:

Recorded on 15th November, 2024

Donald Trump has won the 2024 Unites States election. So what will his return to the White House mean for the Asian region?

Guest:

Professor Bec Strating (Director, La Trobe Asia)

Recorded on 11th November, 2024.

What does "Indigeneity" mean in Asia? For many in these communities, an Indigenous identity can represent a way to strengthen community identities, encourage language and cultural flourishing, highlight their ancestral relationships to land and water, and push back against large states’ attempts to minoritise them.

What are the benefits and challenges of using the term in Asia? What does the grassroots enthusiasm for the term “Indigenous” and top-down restraints on its use mean for our understanding of Indigeneity more broadly? And how could recognising Asian Indigenous groups shape diplomacy and aid programs?

Speakers:

Recorded on 30th October, 2024.

After more than 70 years of Chinese rule, much has changed in Tibet, and one notable decline is that of language diversity. There are currently around sixty minority languages spoken in Tibet, in some cases by just a few thousand people, but that number is collapsing under assimilatory state policies.

Book: The Politics of Language Oppression in Tibet by Gerald Roche, published by Cornell University Press.

Guest: Assoc. Professor Gerald Roche (Politics, La Trobe University)

Recorded on 17th October, 2024.

The Ganges River, a lifeline for millions and one of the most significant and sacred rivers in the world, faces a multitude of seemingly intractable environmental challenges.

One of the most innovative ways of both researching and shifting attitudes on the Ganges is through Citizen Science, bringing scientists and communities together to learn more about the world around them.

Guests:

Host:

Recorded on 17th October, 2024.

For centuries the western world has enjoyed an outsized global influence, but is that time coming to an end? In demographic, economic, military and cultural terms, we are hurtling into a far more diverse global future.

Guest:

Dr Samir Putri (Former UK diplomat, visiting lecturer at the Department of War Studies at the Kings College London)

Samir's book: Westlessness: The Great Global Rebalancing

Recorded 10th September, 2024.

Large numbers of people in Southeast Asia seek opportunities to improve their lives either within or outside their home country. While there are many positive benefits, the risk of exploitation is high. Many find themselves deceived or coerced into situations where they are abused and forced to live and work in poor conditions with little or no pay. Some are forced into sex work or marriages against their will, while others fall prey to the illicit organ trade.

How can we better understand what makes people vulnerable to human trafficking? What can governments and organisations be doing to better support victims and confront the causes? What roles can researchers play in helping answer these questions?

Speakers:

A La Trobe Asia and Centre for Human Security and Social Change event.

The West has always had an outsized influence in the world, but what if this trend is changing? The post cold-war era U.S. and European countries, which represent the foundational pillars of the Western system, have seen their power diminish. Shifts in demographics, economics, military, and cultural terms are indicating a more diverse global future. Wealth is moving from the West to the East, and nations such as India and Indonesia are set to reach new heights of growth and confidence. Is the West prepared for a more diverse global future?

The Melbourne launch of Westlessness: The Great Global Rebalancing by Samir Puri.

Speakers:

Recorded 9th September, 2024