From the Southeast Asia Program at Cornell University, the Gatty 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. Interviews are hosted by graduate students at Cornell University, and 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 seap.einaudi.cornell.edu. Music provided by 14 Strings and the Cornell Gamelan Ensemble.
Episode 153: Juno Salazar Parreňas, Department of Science and Technology Studies and Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Cornell University
In this episode, host Namfon Narumol Choochan is joined by co-host Valentina Guerrero Chala, a PhD student in Anthropology, for a conversation with Professor Juno Salazar Parreñas about her ongoing research on global capitalism from nonhuman perspectives. In the Gatty lecture, Parreñas offers one example: the story of polar bears transported from Canada to the Singapore Zoo, shedding light on Singapore's rise in the global economy and the harmful effects of militarization and global capitalism. In the podcast, she shares several additional examples. The conversation also explores the current direction of multispecies ethnography. Tune in now to learn more!
Lightning round (Lecture Summary): 3:40
Main interview:
6:25: Why did you become an anthropologist?
9:33: What are the key takeaways from the class that you took in undergrad?
15:15: What drew you to the study of human and non-human relationships?
19:20: In your new project, how many animals are you examining and why?
25:08: Who is your intended audience for this project?
29:07: There is a trend in anthropology that calls for "a return to the past" as the best solution for current environmental problems. Do you think this is a viable option? If not, what vision for the future do you imagine through your work?
32:37: What is your take on multispecies ethnography? What do you think of multispecies ethnography as a field? Where is it going?
35:06: As scholars, we always write against ideas that frustrate us. What do you find frustrating? What are you writing against?
Advice for researchers and recommendations: 38:48
Dr. Parreñas's top recommendation:
Daniel Lie, Contemporary Visual Artist
Tommy Kha, Photographer
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
24 Sept 2026
Episode 152: Thuy Linh Nguyen
In this episode, host Namfon Narumol Choochan is joined by Anke Wang, a PhD candidate in the Department of History, to speak with Dr. Thuy Ling Nguyen, an Associate Professor of History at Mount Saint Mary College, on her new book: "From Sand Dunes to Exotic Hard Timber Forests: An Environmental History of Coastal Vietnam." Together, they unpack how Thuy Linh traces the origin of phi lao, a plant that exemplifies the scenery of Vietnam's present-day coast, back to French colonialism. To serve the growing coal mining industry, the French introduced phi lao to Vietnam. Tune in to learn how this reforestation displaced indigenous knowledge and monopolized forestry expertise!
Lightning round (Lecture Summary): 4:48
Main interview:
6:23: How did you become interested in modern Vietnamese history? What inspired you to pursue a doctoral degree?
9:16: How did you transition from your first book, which focuses on gender, medicine, society, and ordinary people, to focus on environmental history in your second book?
11:54: What made you pivot to examine the timber industry in relation to the coal mining industry in Vietnam?
18:59: What kind of primary source did you use, and how many archives did you travel to for this project?
20:54: How did the landscapes you have seen and the people you have talked to influence your writing?
23:40: Can you walk us through the options that the French considered, and how did they choose between planting timber and Phi lao?
31:48: Did the reforestation of Phi lao in central Vietnam lead to any destruction of any native plants or native landscape at the time?
36:24: In general, how do you evaluate the actions of the French Colonial Regime and the impact they brought to the landscape of Vietnam?
40:57: How different is the indigenous knowledge of the land compared to the French knowledge of the land?
44:46: Did the plantation of Phi lao, introduced by the French, monopolize the knowledge about forests?
47:56: Since the French succeeded in planting Phi lao in Vietnam, did they also use this method for other colonies? How does the transnational connection that you see in Phi lao illuminate the history of colonizing at large?
51:44: Can you introduce what you are working on for your next project?
Advice for researchers and recommendations: 53:44
Dr. Nguyen's top recommendation:
Indochina: An Ambiguous Colonization, 1858-1954 by Pierre Brocheux and Daniel Hémery
Viet Nam: Borderless Histories by Nhung Tuyet Tran and Anthony Reid
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
17 Sept 2026
Episode 151: Bradley Davis, Department of History, Eastern Connecticut State University
In this episode, host Namfon Narumol Choochan and co-host Chunhao Luo, a PhD student in History and co-chair of the SEAP Graduate Committee, speak with Professor Bradley Davis about his new project on the Nguyễn dynasty of Vietnam (1802-1880). Together, they discuss how a multicultural and interdisciplinary approach could shed new light on the understandings of modernity in Vietnam. They also discuss how conversations with local communities can offer new ways to understand archival sources and produce historical knowledge. Tune in to learn more!
Lightning round (Lecture Summary): 5:29
Main interview:
10:35: How did you become interested in Vietnamese history, and what inspired you to pursue a doctoral degree?
12: 23: What is your PhD project about?
15:15: Your doctoral project focuses on a space situated between Southeast Asia and East Asia. How do you situate Vietnamese history within these two regional frameworks? What are the advantages and limitations of thinking about Vietnamese history in these terms?
18:20: Do you see differences between the perspectives of scholars studying Vietnam in the Anglophone world and those studying Vietnam within Vietnam?
21:18: You discuss how textual practices shaped the categorization of people and other species. Were there particular epistemological or intellectual developments among Vietnamese-speaking elites during this period that prompted greater production of ethnographic knowledge?
23:48: What are the primary sources for your project?
27:00: Can you tell us about your experience conducting ethnographic research?
32:18: Can you tell us more about how people perceive and understand elephants(in the ongoing new project)?
34:10: What does it mean to be a multicultural society?
36:11: When we talk about modernity, we often think primarily about Western modernity, particularly in the context of Southeast Asia. How did internal factors within Southeast Asia shape processes of reform and Vietnam's own pathway toward modernity?
Advice for researchers and recommendations: 39:03
Dr. Davis' top recommendation:
Keith Weller Taylor, Li Tana, Alexander Woodside's books
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
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