Night School

The heyday of positive-thinking self-help is over as popular psychology makes more room for negative emotions. We look into this development by considering the lessons in guilt, shame, sadness, struggle and other downcast feelings. How might they offer a more sober and grounded appreciation of 'happiness'? Why does it hurt so much to care? Tune in with a little help from Sandy Clarke and Eugene Tee.

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We feature a panel to explore the rise of activism among Malaysian youths. Is it a fad or is it substantial? How does it differ to previous generations? Is there long term potential, or is it just nothing more than contained social media angst? Netusha Naidu and Lim Yi Wei help us make sense of it all.

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We welcome Uthaya Sankar SB, author, activist and media personality to the show to talk about Indian / Hindu influences in Malay and Malaysian culture. It is more extensive and profound than you think! Tune in to find out more!

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Aslam Abdul Jalil gives us an overview of the refugee situation in Malaysia. We look at the extent of the problem, how it ties to global trends and some of the key considerations we should keep in mind when reading or approaching this very contested issue.

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We welcome Kua Kia Soong to the show. The legendary scholar, activist, and educator shares his thoughts on the power of history and alternative Merdeka narratives, while reflecting on his decades of advocacy for the marginalised.

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We welcome Kua Kia Soong to the show. The legendary scholar, activist, and educator shares his thoughts on the power of history and alternative Merdeka narratives, while reflecting on his decades of advocacy for the marginalised.

We bring together a politician, a youth activist, and a researcher from Merdeka Center to talk about why youths are jaded and disoriented with politics. Awareness of issues and socioeconomic tensions are at an all-time high, and yet politics is not their priority. What explains this? Shakir Ameer, Victoria Cheng, and Ehsan Shahwahid share their thoughts.

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We get a primer on the world of insects today via our resident entomologist, Law Yao Hua. What makes them fascinating? How do they stand out from others in the animal kingdom? What makes their evolutionary trajectory so dynamic?

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We reflect on pottery, sculpture and ceramics today to discuss the tactility of the creative process. Joining us to do that is Albert Setyawan, artist and scholar in the making, who shares his thoughts and experience on how and where the cultural, material symbolic and spiritual come together in the good use of hands and earth.

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Umapagan Ampikaipakan joins us to share his joys and frustrations upon years of exploring and promoting local pop culture. We reflect on the tensions between being supportive and critical, open yet uncompromising. How do we creatively discourse around the uniqueness of local tastes while keeping in mind the broader questions of 'standards' that we, whether unrealizingly or not, still expect when we spend our money to enjoy a Malaysian movie, song or book?

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