In this episode, guest co-host Iris Luo (Cornell PhD candidate in Human-Centered Design) joins host Francine Barchett to interview Elissa “E” Domingo Badique, a Cornell PhD candidate in Performance and Media Arts. E describes their winding journey—from serving as a community advisor at Harvard to working as a makeup artist in Japan. But it was a fandom studies class that sparked their research into K-pop dance covers! E traces these performances back to Filipino variety shows, where choreography became a tool for myth-making and expressing diasporic Filipino identity, particularly through the lens of Asian male figures like K-pop idols. Their advice to listeners: be open-minded! For Southeast Asian studies to grow and evolve, they remind us, it should remain expansive and inclusive.

 

Lightning round: 3:41

Research and Lecture Summary: 14:12

Advice for researchers and recommendations: 39:40  

E's Top Recommendation: 

• Like I do, J Tajor 

 

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

 

Produced by Adam Farihin and Cecilia Liu