Dr. Kanjana is joined by Dr. Ivan Small, the new director of Northern Illinois University’s Center for Southeast Asian Studies. Together they delve into Small’s research documenting the movement of money in and out of Vietnam through remittance. Small discusses the practice and impact of these remittance flows on coastal Vietnamese communities, from a local level to the government’s perspective. Small comes to NIU from the University of Houston in Houston, Texas where he served as an associate professor of anthropology. A cultural anthropologist with training grounded in Southeast Asian studies, Small has years of experience working at higher education institutions. He brings a passion for his work to his role at NIU.

Dr. Kanjana Thepboriruk is joined by Dr. Trude Jacobsen Gidaszewski, Thom brown, and this episode’s guest, Dr. Johnathan Padwe. They are here to discuss Mosquitoes in the lowlands of Southeast Asia. They the human body's ability to create an acquired immunity to Malaria due to the regularity of infection in the lowlands of Southeast Asia, and how this immunity was useful within the ancient Southeast Asian Economy. Dr. Padwe is an assistant professor and researcher at the University of Hawai’i Mānoa. He studies the nature of Southeast Asia, and the anthropology of how ethnic groups and farmers have historically interacted with it.

Dr. Kanjana Thepboriruk sits down with Dr. Pam Barger and Dr. James Cohen to talk about teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) and massive open online courses (MOOCs) in Thailand. They discuss how MOOCs are capable of disrupting the way English is taught while providing universally accessible methods of language learning. Dr. Barger is a Thai American scholar and a professor of English language teaching at Wheaton College. She specializes in Comparative International Education.

Dr. Kanjana Thepboriruk sits down with Dr. Theara Thun to talk about the evolution of ‘knowledge’ and ‘information’ within the Cambodian context, especially with the advent of print media and how the new medium affected the production, transmission, and creation of new knowledge. He dives even deeper, looking at the ways the Khmer understanding of history and documentation shifted to encompass Western systems of bookkeeping while retaining their primary method of aural storytelling. Dr. Theara Thun is a scholar of Southeast Asia, specifically his home nation of Cambodia. He studies the shifting intellectual traditions of southeast Asia, reflecting on how the changing world affects the development of education and intellectualism within the region.

Dr. Kanjana sits down with Dr. Tun Myint to talk about his latest research. Together they examine the concept of science as an idea of societal acceptance. They study how the Southeast Asian market changes to support a more educated, wealthy, and comfortable society. Dr. Tun Myint is a professor of political science and international relations at Carton College. His teaching and research focus on examining Southeast Asia, democracy, and the rising agency of individuals within Society.

Our host is Dr. Trude Jacobsen Gidaszewski, who is joined by Mattias Fibiger, and a cast of NIU grad students. Fibiger discusses his book on the rise of the Indonesian dictator Suharto over the Cold War, how he shaped society, and how he is remembered today in modern Indonesia. After talking about his book, he answers a multitude of questions from the guest hosts. Dr. Fibiger is an associate professor at Harvard Business School, where he teaches and researches the economy of Southeast Asia. Fibiger studies the area’s historical relations with the international community through its economy and the government.

Dr. Kanjana sits down with Dr. Oona Parades, Dr. Micah Morton, and Joseph Allen Ruanto-Ramirez to discuss the diaspora of the Lumad people of the Philippine Island of Mindanao. Together they all break down the differences between the Modern Pilipino people and the Modern Lumad. Parades dispels the idea that this group is the window to precolonial Philippines, breaking down the group's history, traditions, and experiences with Spanish colonists. Dr. Parades is an anthropologist and ethnohistorian of Southeast Asia. A teacher and researcher, she studies the way ethnic minorities have interacted with the dominant culture and government within areas of Southeast Asia.

Dr. Kanjana Thepboriruk sits down with Dr. Melissa Lenczewski to discuss groundwater quality and testing in Southeast Asia and the United States. Together they bring to light how Arsenic and Microplastics have a strong presence in the water quality of countries that have poor infrastructure for testing and regulation, and the issue of water quality could lead to permanent structural damage if not properly monitored.

Dr. Melissa Lenczewski is a professor of Hydrogeology in the Department of Earth, Atmosphere, and Environment at Northern Illinois University, a specialist in groundwater testing, and a Fullbright Research scholar of Cambodia and Thailand.

Dr. Eric Jones is joined by Dr. Wang, Dr Atkins, and this week's guest: Professor Jeremy Wallach to talk all about metal music in Southeast Asia. Wallach talks about how metal music is a genre for the youth, and how it is bringing attention to civil issues within the Southeast Asian political landscape. Wallach dispels the rumors about metal heads and sheds light on the political topics their songs tend to cover.

Dr Kanjana Thepboriruk is joined by Dr Taylor Easum, Trude Jacobson Gidaszewski, and Peter Alexander to discuss the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai, a city at the crossroads of culture. Together, they discuss how the province is not just a Thai city, but multicultural and rich in history created by colonizing forces.

Dr Taylor Easum is a historian at the Department of History at Indiana State University.