About The Channel: A Podcast from the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS)
The Channel is the flagship podcast from the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS) at Leiden University. Each episode delves into a particular Asian Studies topic from across the social sciences and humanities. Through a mixture of interviews, lectures, discussions, readings, and more, The Channel is a platform to connect scholars, activists, artists, and broader publics in sustained conversation about Asia and its place in the contemporary world. We highlight critical perspectives, diverse themes, and interdisciplinary approaches. Subscribe to remain up-to-date on the latest episodes! More information on IIAS and its various initiatives can be found at https://www.iias.asia/ (https://www.iias.asia/)
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New Currents at the Nieuwe Instituut with Setareh Noorani, Priya Swamy, Sarojini Lewis, and Lou Mo
This episode features a conversation about the "New Currents Symposium," (https://nieuweinstituut.nl/en/events/new-currents-symposium-2026) a special event at the Nieuwe Instituut (https://nieuweinstituut.nl/en) in Rotterdam on October 29, 2026. Emerging out of the ongoing project New Currents: Indian Ocean Futures (https://nieuweinstituut.nl/en/projects/new-currents), the upcoming event has been designed to explore the shared histories and futures of the Indian Ocean region through panel discussions, film screenings, and artworks. The four guests are all involved in the forthcoming symposium as organizers, artists, curators, or presenters. Setareh Noorani (https://setarehnoorani.nl/) is an architect, curator, and researcher at Het Nieuwe Instituut; Priya Swami (https://www.materialculture.nl/en/about/priya-swamy) is Curator of Globalisation and South Asia at the Wereldmuseum (https://welkom.wereldmuseum.nl/); Sarojini Lewis (https://www.sarojinilewis.com/) and Lou Mo (https://www.instagram.com/pulanete/) are artists who have both contributed to the New Currents project (here (https://nieuweinstituut.nl/en/articles/new-currents-waves-of-ternate) and here (https://nieuweinstituut.nl/en/articles/sallow-man-at-sea)), and they will also join the "Ports As Portals" panel discussed in this episode.
The symposium is a public event, and listeners are strongly encouraged to attend. Tickets are available here: https://www.eventbrite.nl/e/new-currents-symposium-tickets-1995656973730?aff=oddtdtcreator (https://www.eventbrite.nl/e/new-currents-symposium-tickets-1995656973730?aff=oddtdtcreator)
The audio clip at the end of the episode, in lieu of the usual outro music, was provided by Lou Mo. Credit: Bitter Sounds: A Potential Rehearsal - Arthur Yuen Po Hang, Mohamed Gueye and Xuandi Zhang. Bitter Sounds is a series of Afro-Asian musical experiments initiated by Musquiqui Chihying and Lou Mo.
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24 Sept 2026
Coastal Entanglements in Northeast Japan with Andrew Littlejohn
This episode features a conversation with Andrew Littlejohn (https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/staffmembers/andrew-littlejohn#tab-1), assistant professor at the Institute of Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology of Leiden University. He specializes in environmental anthropology and political ecology, with a particular focus on Japan. Littlejohn currently heads the project “Climate Citizenship: Infrastructures, Environments, and Democracy in the Era of Climate Change (https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101164330),” for which he received a Starting Grant from the European Research Council. In this episode, Littlejohn mostly discusses his new book, We Live with the Sea: Ecologizing Safety in Post-Tsunami Japan (https://dukeupress.edu/we-live-with-the-sea), published this past July by Duke University Press. Beginning with the massive earthquake and tsunami that occurred in East Japan in March 2011, the book examines the contestations over recovery and the varied proposals designed to mitigate and prevent future disasters.
The audio composition discussed and excerpted at the end of the episode is called "Shizugawa." Listeners can read about the piece and listen to more of the audio here: https://www.gruenrekorder.de/?page_id=18621 (https://www.gruenrekorder.de/?page_id=18621)
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27 Aug 2026
Memories of Timor with Rita Padawangi
This episode features an interview with Rita Padawangi (https://www.suss.edu.sg/academics/schools-college/faculty-listing/detail/rita-padawangi#research-interests), a sociologist and Associate Professor at Singapore University of Social Sciences. Her work explores the politics of urban placemaking and city development, particularly in Southeast Asia, and she's been very involved with several key IIAS programs over the years, especially as co-coordinator of the Southeast Asia Neighborhoods Network (https://seannet.org/), funded by the Henry Luce Foundation. This episode features a conversation about the recent documentary Ingatan dari Timor (https://www.insideindonesia.org/editions/edition-162-oct-dec-2025/rebuilding-solidarity-through-remembering-not-forgetting) or Memories of Timor. The film was produced by Rita and directed by Ari Trismana, and it was released by the documentary production house WatchDoc (https://watchdoc.co.id/). Memories of Timor explores the violent history of Timor Leste, which is often omitted from Indonesian textbooks and concealed from Indonesian students. Listeners can watch the film with English subtitles for free on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydfbHFPnzuc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydfbHFPnzuc)
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Who has been a guest on The Channel: A Podcast from the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS)
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Jacob Schmidt-Madsen
Jody Benjamin
Min-Chin Chiang
Jocelyne Vokouma
Fatima Bintou Rassoul Sy
Reach and audience
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YouTube views
27,328
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 66 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
74
Social presence
0
YouTube
85
Engagement
60
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