In this special celebratory episode, host Francine Barchett reunites with Michael Kirkpatrick Miller, a PhD candidate in Cornell’s Department of History, who happens to be the original creator of the Gatty Rewind podcast! Michael shares fresh insights from his dissertation on Dutch colonialism in Indonesia, focusing on how the colonial state constructed Ambonese men as a “martial race” through the unlikely lens of football. From masculinity and loyalty to colonial control, Michael unpacks how sports became a tool of empire—and how Ambonese soldiers and athletes pushed back against these narratives. The conversation then turns personal as Michael reflects on his wide-ranging academic journey at the Cornell Southeast Asia Program, where he’s explored everything from horses to food to gender.

Lightning round: 3:42

Research and Lecture Summary: 14:43

Advice for researchers and recommendations: 52:13 

Michael's Top Recommendations:

• Rasa Tanah Air: Awal Perkembangan Kuliner Indonesia di Mancanegara pada Akhir Abad ke-19 hingga 1940-an - Fadly Rahman

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

In this episode, host Francine Barchett teams up with co-host Lijun Zhang, a Cornell PhD student in history, for a riveting conversation with Dr. Martina Nguyen, Associate Professor of History at Baruch College, City University of New York. Dr. Nguyen shares the story of a provocative newspaper column penned by prominent Vietnamese intellectual Nguyễn Văn Vĩnh, under a female pseudonym! She explores how the column stirred debates around masculinity, femininity, and national identity in early modern Vietnam. Plus, listeners get a sneak peek at an upcoming museum exhibition she’s co-curating on the iconic ao dài (Vietnamese national garment) during the Vietnam War, which will open at the Cantor Art Gallery in Worcester in fall 2025.

Lightning round: 4:10 

Research and Lecture Summary: 13:14

Advice for researchers and recommendations: 55:23 

Dr. Nguyen’s top recommendations:

• Songs by Trịnh Công Sơn and Quang Lê

• Đất Khổ (Land of Sorrows) by Hà Thúc Cần

• White Lotus by Mike White

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

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

In this episode, guest co-host Anke Wang, a Cornell PhD candidate in History, joins host Francine Barchett for a tag-team interview with Dr. Hieu Phung, Assistant Professor of Vietnamese and Southeast Asian History at Rutgers University. Dr. Phung discusses her research on how pre-modern environmental factors shaped political and administrative systems in Vietnam, with a focus on state-building in the Red River Delta. She unpacks how perceptions of sea-dykes evolved over time—beyond their physical function, they became central to how people understood nature, risk, and governance. The episode wraps up with Dr. Phung’s candid advice for students still not sure what they want to study (spoiler: it’s okay not to have it all figured out!).

Lightning round: 3:41

Research and Lecture Summary: 14:12 Advice for researchers and recommendations: 39:40  

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

In this episode, host Francine Barchett interviews Dr. Kristian Karlo Saguin, Associate Professor of Geography at the University of the Philippines Diliman. Dr. Saguin unpacks his recent Gatty Lecture, based on his award-winning book Urban Ecologies on the Edge: Making Manila’s Resource Frontier (winner of the Benda Prize). Their conversation explores the complex socio-environmental dynamics of Laguna Lake—from its role in shaping consumer preferences for fish to its impact on flooding in Metro Manila and beyond. We’re also pretty sure Dr. Saguin is the most enthusiastic geographer we’ve ever had on the show!

Lightning round: 2:57 

Research and Lecture Summary: 10:32  Advice for researchers and recommendations: 43:45

Dr. Saguin’s top recommendations:

• The Camphor Tree and the Elephant Book by Faizah Zakaria

• The Pulse of the Earth: Political Geology in Java

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

Welcome to Spicy SEAP! This special edition of the podcast recreates the popular TV show Hot Ones—but with a twist! Instead of chicken wings, our guests take on a lineup of spicy Southeast Asian dishes, from snacks to main courses and mysterious desserts.

Host Francine Barchett is joined by Lijun Zhang, a PhD candidate in History and co-chair of the Cornell Southeast Asia Program (SEAP) Gatty Lecture Series. Lijun’s research explores female migration from southeastern China to British Malaya and Singapore, focusing on grassroots intimacy, women’s mobility, and the agency that shaped legal travel within the colonial judiciary. Her academic journey began in a Singaporean high school and evolved through her undergraduate studies at Colgate. Lijun’s favorite Indonesian word is duduk-duduk—any guesses on what it means? Tune in now!

Appetizers:

Carada Rice Ball Cuttlefish – 5:45

Hanami Chili Prawn Crackers – 7:15

Musang King Durian Cake – 11:15

Hapi Sriracha Peas – 15:40

Taokaenoi Mala Crispy Seaweed – 19:25

Grilled Spicy Seaweed Roll – 25:00

2xspicy Buldak Ramen – 33:40

Pandan Euro Cake – 40:07

Lijun Zhang’s top recommendations:

• The White Lotus Season 3 by Mike White

• The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye by Sonny Liew

Produced by Adam Farihin and Cecilia Liu

In this episode, Francine Barchett sits down to interview Dr. Benjamin Tausig, an Associate Professor of Critical Music Studies at SUNY Stony Brook University. Dr. Tausig shares his work on the transnational dialectic of queerness and race in Cold War-era Thailand. He describes the complex intersections of American military influence, local nightlife, and the socio-economic transformations that shaped Thai culture. Later, he also reflects on the murder of Darrel Berrigan, asking: how do non-heteronormative relationships play a role within this unique cultural moment? Through it all, he invites us to rethink how sound and silence can reveal hidden layers of history and politics around race and sexuality. And for graduate students juggling research and teaching? He has some reassuring words for you, too!

Lightning round: 4:06 

Research and Lecture Summary: 14:16

Advice for researchers and recommendations: 44:50

Dr. Tausig ’s top recommendations:

• Bangkok Wakes to Rain - Pitchaya Sudbanthad

• ตะลุยบางกอก - เพลิน พรหมแดน

• เพชรพิณทอง The Petch Phin Thong Band 

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

In this episode, host Francine Barchett interviews Dr. Ivan V. Small, a Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Northern Illinois University. Dr. Small talks about his research on Vietnamese refugee minorities in the U.S. following the Vietnam War and the Ford administration's resettlement policies. He shares how these communities resisted assimilation, often through second or third migrations. And he highlights the crucial role of automobiles in shaping immigrant experiences, enabling movement to new "ethno-burb" nodes that connected Asian communities. Dr. Small also talks about his university's podcast, Crossroads of the World, a sister podcast to the Gatty Rewind!

Lightning round: 3:59 Research and Lecture Summary: 13:53 Advice for researchers and recommendations: 34:16 Dr. Small’s top recommendations:

• The Sympathizer

• Southeast Asia Crossroads Podcast - CSEAS @ NIU

• Suburban Refugees: Class and Resistance in Little Saigon by Jennifer Huynh

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

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

In this episode, host Francine Barchett interviews Emi Donald, a PhD candidate in the Department of History at Cornell University. Emi shares insights from their 18-month fieldwork in Bangkok, where they explored the roles of tomboys (thom in Thai) and trans men. They highlight ways the transgender experience, including clinic access, social acceptance of the trans community, and their legal protections, have evolved in Thailand in recent history. Then they take a bittersweet victory lap on their PhD experience, with some tips for aspiring PhD students: learn a language, develop time management skills, and find your people to get you through the inevitable dissertation downs!

Lightning round: 3:34 

Research and Lecture Summary: 9:41 

Advice for researchers and recommendations: 28:49

Emi’s top recommendations:

• A Good True Thai by Sunisa Manning
• How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies 
• Tiffany Tsao's English translations of Indonesian poetry

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