In this episode, host Francine Barchett pairs up with Shreya Chitnavis, a 2024 Cornell MPH graduate, to interview Dr. Joshua Babcock, an Assistant Professor of Anthropology and affiliate faculty in Linguistics and Science & Technology Studies at Brown University. Dr. Babcock talks about the limitations of Singapore's racial and linguistic classifications. Reflecting on his findings, he presents a fiction of multi-racial multilingualism as Singapore’s national identity. In Dr. Babcock’s words, "racial community gets performed, policed, and blocked through everyday activity." And dare we say – Dr. Babcock is a researcher with many surprises! He shares how his work in Singapore involves another Singapore…one that is NOT in Asia!

Lightning round: 3:24 

Research and Lecture Summary: 9:58 

Advice for researchers and recommendations: 47:24

Dr. Babcock ’s top recommendations:

• Ministry of Moral Panic - Amanda Lee Koe

 

The music on the podcast is from "14 Strings!", a Filipino style Rondalla group established in Cornell University. Check them out here. 

 

Produced by Adam Farihin and Cecilia Liu