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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.

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  2. Episode 141: Kevin D. Pham, Assistant Professor of Political Theory, University of Amsterdam

Episode 141: Kevin D. Pham, Assistant Professor of Political Theory, University of Amsterdam

Feb 12, 2026

In this episode, host Namfon Narumol Choochan interviews Kevin Pham, Assistant Professor of Political Theory at the University of Amsterdam. Professor Pham’s talk is titled “A Postcolonial Theory of Free Speech,” in which he focuses on North Vietnamese intellectuals and their perspective on new speech in the 1950s. He argues that although the meaning and value of free speech have long been contested in the West, they overlook how people outside of the West, in illiberal conditions, theorize free speech. Growing up in San Jose, Professor Pham was intrigued by a trip to the Middle East and wanted to learn more about conflict and tensions. Tune in for Professor Pham’s journey from wanting to be a doctor, to a tattoo artist, and to a political science professor!

 

Lightning round(Lecture Summary): 3:05

Main interview: 6:45 

Advice for researchers and recommendations: 54:39

Kevin Pham’s top recommendations:  

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, Neen Yada Tangcharoenmonkong and Cecilia Liu