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From the Southeast Asia Program at Cornell University, the Gatty Lecture Rewind Podcast features interviews and conversations with scholars and researchers working in and around Southeast Asia, all of whom have been invited to give a Gatty Lecture at Cornell University. Conversations cover the history, politics, economics, literature, art, and cultures of the region. Podcast topics cover the many nations and peoples of Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Burma, Laos, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, and Timor-Leste. For more information on the Southeast Asia Program at Cornell University, visit our website. Music provided by 14 Strings and the Cornell Gamelan Ensemble.

Feb 27, 2025

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:

 

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