Asia Rising

India has more than a billion mobile phones in use, with more people having access to a mobile phone than a toilet with plumbing.

What impact has the phone had on India's society, politics and economy? Emeritus Professor Robin Jeffrey (Politics, La Trobe University)speaks to Matt Smith about the implications of a connected India.

On 30th June, Rodrigo Duterte was sworn in as the Philippines 16th President. Observers outside the country were stunned by his sudden rise to power, in both his tone and at times violent rhetoric he seemed, to many, to be South East Asian version of Donald Trump.

Dr Nicole Curato (ARC Early Career Research Fellow at the Institute for Governance and Policy Advice in the University of Canberra) talks to Professor Nick Bisley (Executive Director, La Trobe Asia) about the kind of leader Duterte will be, and the changes he wants to bring to South East Asia's second largest population.

An election in the upper house of Japan has delivered a supermajority to Shinzo Abe, with two thirds of it in control of his Liberal Democratic Party and its allies. The win is a substantial vote of confidence for the Prime Minister and his policies, and with a similar majority in the lower house he now has the legislative firepower to make substantial changes, including rewriting Japan’s pacifist constitution.

Dr David Envall (International Relations, Australian National University) talks to Matt Smith about the election results and what Abe could do with this power.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a political and economic organisation formed 49 years ago by like-minded southeast Asian countries. Much like the EU it aims to streamline co-operation such as trade and social progress between its member states, and increase bargaining power with the rest of the world.

Professor Nick Bisley (Executive Director, La Trobe Asia) talks with Matt Smith about this regional entity, and whether the lofty aims of ASEAN are about to crack under outside pressures.

Dr Rebecca Strating (Politics, La Trobe University) talks to Matt Smith about the state of democracy in Timor-Leste - is it failing as an institution, and is that a bad thing for the country?

The Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydro-electric power station, is one of the greatest infrastructure projects of modern times. Building it displaced many hundreds of thousands of people, and transformed the environment in a key part of China.

Dr Brooke Wilmsen (Social Inquiry, La Trobe University) talks to Professor Nick Bisley (Executive Director, La Trobe Asia) about the impact of the dam on the lives of people in the region, what it tells us about China's modernisation, and the kind of social challenges faced by a rapidly industrialising society.

The Uyghurs are a Turkic-speaking Muslim minority that predominantly inhabit the far western region of China known as Xinjiang.

Dr David Brophy (History, University of Sydney) talks to Assoc. Professor James Leibold (Politics, La Trobe University) the emergence of the Uyghur nation and reform and revolution on the Russian frontier.

David Brophy's book, Uyghur Nation (2016) published by Harvard University Press: www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674660373

Follow David Brophy on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Dave_Brophy

Theme music: Asian Wonders by Butterfly Tea

Indonesia has had ongoing problems with corruption since it established democracy in 1998, and while some recent high profile cases have been exposed, it's a problem at every level of government.

Dr Dirk Tomsa (Politics, La Trobe University) talks to Professor Nick Bisley (Executive Director, La Trobe Asia) about Indonesia's ongoing struggle to combat corruption, whether it be exposed through efforts of the KPK, or political machinations.

Copyright 2016 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Please contact for permissions.

The Indonesian island of Java has experienced a resurgence of Islam in recent years. Professor Joel Kuipers (Anthropology, George Washington University), presents the striking rise of the use of Arabic names in the island as a way of ethnographically bridging the gap between comparative surveys and in-depth interviews.

Presented as a seminar for the Centre for Research on Language Diversity at La Trobe University on 11th May, 2016.

Observers worldwide are watching with trepidation as Donald Trump gains ground in the United States election. Perhaps none more carefully than China, who Trump directs many aggressive remarks towards, expressing a desire for stronger trade negotiations.

Professor Nick Bisley (Executive Director, La Trobe Asia) speaks to Matt Smith about Trump's attitude towards China, the actions he could take, and how his victory could work in China's favour.

Copyright 2016 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Please contact for permissions.