Night School

Now that everyone has at their disposal the means to represent the world in seemingly accurate images, what is the role of the artist? Looking at an exhibition on Kelantan and religiosity, we explore the role and possibilities for contemporary art practice. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Islam is the religion of free markets and profits. It's earliest icons were investors and entrepreneurs. This week Benedikt Koehler, economic historian and former banker, explains how and why this is the case. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An intellectual history consists not just in tracing the trajectory of ideas but also how these ideas were embedded in societies - who and how they were created, circulated and clashed with other ideas. Professor Brena has worked mainly on the political and intellectual history of the Spanish and Atlantic worlds during the first quarter of the 19th century. In this episode we discuss the trajectory of liberalism. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode we go over French Psychoanalyst Jacque Lacan's three most famous concepts: the symbolic, the real and the imaginary. Along the way we will also touch on how psychoanalysis could be of use in understanding Malaysia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode we look at the centrality and taken for granted value of our narratives. Angela Kuga Thas walks us through the fundamentals of how even the most intimate things we tell ourselves, are often social and political. Good narratives reveal our interaction with the world in honest ways, bringing us towards greater healing and freedom. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ethnomusicologist Lawrence Ross joins us again to critically explore the much talked about, and maligned, rural-urban Malay divide. He shares his opinions and observations on the pitfalls of that generalisation for understanding the full complexity of a globalising Malaysia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we welcome iconic scholar and activist Dr. Syed Husin Ali to reflect on his career, intellectual development and Malaysia's future. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US presidential elections have become a global spectacle and the mass media with its political pundits dominate the framing of this phenomenon. But how have professionally trained social scientists viewed this spectacle? Today we ask to what extent American political scientists have been successful in understanding electoral dynamics there and if they have failed, then why? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Dr. Mark Sabine takes us on a journey through Lusophone studies, touching on the major works of the canon and its corresponding historical and geopolitical contexts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We look back to what was an exciting 2015 for the episode, recounting the highs and lows and the challenges that await. More important, thank you all for the support over the past three years. It's been a wonderful journey and we look forward to more good stuff for the next year! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“[The nation] is an imagined political community - and imagined as both inherently limited and sovereign. [It] is imagined as a community, because, regardless of the actual inequality and exploitation that may prevail in each, the nation is conceived as a deep, horizontal comradeship. Ultimately, it is this fraternity that makes it possible, over the past two centuries for so many millions of people, not so much to kill, as willing to die for such limited imaginings,” wrote Benedict Anderson in his influential ‘Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism’. While he was critical of what he called the “angels of banality” who decontextualised his historical argument, the expression “imagined community” secured Anderson’s global reputation. And along with Southeast Asian-focused “The Spectre of Comparisons” to an exploration of anarchism “Under Three Flags”, Anderson shaped several generations of scholars. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The quote Fuad meant actually reads as follows: "Those who do not move, do not notice their chains." What does movement and space have to do with this discussion on our visual age? Join us this week to unpack how the act of looking has become where politics, ethics, morality and capitalism all converge. Pang Khee Teik leads the way. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Abjection: that which evokes deep repulsion and disgust, gripping us before we can even rationalise why. In this episode we reflect on how this works and the many forms it's taken in Malaysia. Aziff Azuddin sits in for Sharaad. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Architect Nabil Ahmad joins us this week to share his thoughts on the state of architecture in Malaysia and how it relates to broader developments overseas. He comments on the power of developers and the intersections between capital, public space and politics. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do we engage with complex questions about privilege and power across cultural contexts? When does privilege become abusive? When can it be shared productively? This week we are joined by Justin Galle, Alizeh Ahmed and Sara Townsend, all Fulbright English teachers in Malaysia, to reflect on those questions and their implications. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What's the relevance of socialism for the 21st century? What are the main issues confronting the ideology? How can we balance a local view with an international one? Parti Sosialis Malaysia is organising a conference on the weekend of 21st November to discuss these questions. Sivarajan Arumugam and Choo Chon Kai joins the show to offer a preview of what to expect. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is the state of art criticism today? How can it respond to questions of state and corporate power? Who ought art critics speak to to begin with? In this episode we get a primer from art critic Lee Weng Choy on the state of contemporary art criticism. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How are health and politics embedded into one another? How did they form an intrinsically contentious relationship throughout our history? In this episode, we unpack these questions and more as we are joined by Por Heong Hong to explore the deep and disturbing ramifications of our aspirations for good health. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Friedrich Nietzsche, after Marx, is the most talked about thinker of this show. What gives? Fuad and Sharaad share their admiration of this intriguing existentialist in this tribute show that also goes over some of the key themes of his philosophy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we unpack the myth of overseas education. Why are Malaysians so obsessed with it? How did it gain its dangerously erroneous value? How can we rethink education differently given the realities Malaysian youths face. We're joined this week by Maryam Lee, Imran Rasid and Yana Rizal to help us explore the questions together. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For centuries, philosophers have debated the necessity of religion for an ethical life. There's no consensus as of yet, and it seems that the discourse will only continue for generations to come. In this episode we offer a very local take on the issue, featuring our regular guest Syed Muhiyuddin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malay studies is more complex than it sounds. Among the themes it explores is the different ways "Malay-ness" transcends the rigid cultural and political confines surrounding it. Teo Lee Ken of the National University of Singapore offers an overview of the discipline's challenges and potential. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the world sees a rise in leftist politics, we take a look at the most venerable leftist of all, Karl Marx. But we will ground his ideas on a specifically Malaysian context: is he relevant for us? How should we come to terms with his call for a scientific socialism? What considerations and challenges should we keep in mind as we engage his work. Yin Shao Loong (Institut Rakyat) Sivarajan Arumugan (Parti Sosialis Malaysia) and Yuva Balan (Committee for a Workers' International) are the panelists. To the left, to the left? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Religions are often embedded in their social, cultural and political contexts. Buddhism is no different. Contemporary Buddhism is caught between an image of a religion of peace and harmony, and increasingly one of political violence entwined in the nation-state. In this episode we try to disentangle the different strands that make up this complex religion through the perspective of a social theory. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Idearaya is a grassroots, autonomous, youth-led festival of ideas that explores the politics of marginalization in an age of crisis and oppression. Join two of its curators, Maryam Lee and Muz Amer to explore the philosophy inspiring the curation of this very unique event. They discuss their strategic use of Bahasa Malaysia and choice of topics, among other things. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we discuss the iconic French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan's theory of language. What is language, exactly? And what does it offer us? And how on earth is it connected to the phallus? Listen in to find out! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Malaysians face uncertain times, Fuad and Sharaad reflect on the valances and dimensions of optimism and pessimism. How can we best think of hope amidst trying times? Is optimism always bounded to pessimism? And could pessimism actually turn out to be a good thing, after all? We really hope you will join us for our usual weekly critical unpacking. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

... and a hundred schools of thought contend, or so goes the famous saying. Malaysia is experiencing its own advances in intellectual discourse via the flourishing of various autonomous, youth driven discussion circles that explore theories and ideas from the edge. Maryam Lee, Zikri Rahman and Megat Hanis, three of its movers and participants share their thoughts on this development. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Night School regular Syed Muhiyuddin Al-Attas discusses an iconic theory of happiness from legendary philosopher Syed Naquib Al-Attas. Delving into the intricacies of the human soul, it offers a way out of the tragic trappings of modern secular existence. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More than mere entertainment, science fiction is a meditation on the fate of humanity as they grapple with the consequences of their obsession with technology. Yin Shao Loong tells us what all that's about. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1969 US national security advisor Henry Kissinger wrote, ”Our deepest challenge [will be] to base order on political multipolarity even though overwhelming military strength will remain with the two superpowers.” In 1989, after years in decline the USSR fell apart and the world was left with the effective dominance of the United States of America. Since then we have seen the rise of Russia, China, India and other BRIC nations. What does this mean for the notion of multi-polarity and the really existing distribution of power in the international system of nation-states? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In order to be civilized, we must repress our truest desires to the point that they become no longer recognizable. This is the price of a sustainable life in a community, or so says Psychoanalytic icon Sigmund Freud. Fuad and Sharaad unpacks its implications. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Curators Ong Jo-Lene and Yap Sau Bin join us this week to discuss art theory and how it is connected to the Malaysian context. How have artists responded to a divisive identity politics? How have they attempted to carve out alternative spaces of expression? Fuad and Sharaad probe critically, as always. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shahrul Bahyah Kamaruzzaman shares findings from her latest landmark research to help us better understand what it means to grow old in Malaysia. Fuad and Sharaad come to terms with life, in critical fashion as always. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How has traditional Malay performing arts fared amidst modernization and moral policing? How do we continue to critically think through the meaning of tradition as something that is dynamic and ever evolving? Lawrence Ross, an ethnomusicologist at Universiti Malaya joins Fuad and Sharaad this week to explore those questions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For legendary French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan, we are always in a state of misrecognition, torn between our image of ourselves, and our physical embodied existence. Fuad and Sharaad explores the hows and whys of this famous theory called "the Mirror Stage". See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What are the ideas that are animating contemporary India as well as the ideas that established that nation but are now said to be superseded? Was Gandhi India’s greatest traveller and how did Narendra Modi move himself from the dangerous fringe to occupy power at the center. Today we speak to a novelist and political commentator. He is the author of “Arzee The Dwarf”, the editor of an anthology of Indian fiction “India: A Traveller’s Literary Companion” and a columnist with Bloomberg Views. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Freud established psychoanalysis through his Interpretation of Dreams. This week Sharaad and Fuad go over his main claims to unpack its implications. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We explore how urbanism is understood differently across cultures. Among the topics discussed: the costs of development, alternative models of progress and why architects should be engaging society. Caroline Bos of UNStudio and Tom Kvan of the University of Melbourne lead the way. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fresh off the press with his “The Iron Cage of Liberalism: International Politics and Unarmed Revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa”, this assistant professor of politics and international relations walks us through his thesis on why unarmed revolutions succeed or fail. Invoking the godmother of the study of revolution, Theda Skocpol, Ritter invites us to consider some of the inter-linkages between states that make resistance to authoritarian rule potentially successful. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Raja Ali Haji was the first and the last political theorist of the Malay classical tradition. Find out more as we explore his ideas and 19th century context with regular and old friend Syed Muhiyiddin Al-Attas. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Because K-Pop (Hallyu) is looking for newer consumers as it stretches its reach further and wider into the region. Cultural theorist Mary Ainslie, co-editor of a book on the Korean Wave in Southeast Asia joins us today to help us better understand this phenomenon. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We walk through the history of film studies from its early start from social reformers concerned about the leisure activities of the working-class. In three decades film was finding its place in art museums and not to long later its arrival at the university as part of the curriculum. One of the most successful products of the 20th century’s culture industry, film is at the confluence of capital, class and culture. Grieveson who is Reader in Film Studies and Director of the Graduate Programme in Film Studies, and author of numerous books on films, also put together the colonialfilm.org.uk project which features material from our own history. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all want to develop, but why? How? What does that even mean? Are we using frameworks that are enabling or colonizing? Guy Burton joins us this week to lay out the discourse of development and its implications. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another discussion on moderation, though this time we critically unpack the meaning, implications and risks of this project. Our guest today is Dr. Lyana Khairuddin, a leading figure in our current moderation discourse. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Qian Zhong Shu pioneered the masterful craft of comparative literature and culture at a time before it became the popular discourse it is today. A worldly thinker, he was also deeply rooted to China, enduring the most precarious events that defined the nation in the 20th century. Douglas Shang introduces us to this genius. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We discuss the ethics of subaltern engagement this week. How do we ensure that our outreach doesn't just replicate already existing hegemonic structures? What should we keep in mind in dealing with imbalances of power in activism, wherein the privileged and their good intentions tread in the margins? Join the usual duo and activist-scholar Petra Gimbad for this lively discussion! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You actually want to kill your father and make love with your mother, that is if you're a boy, according to Freud at least. He calls it the Oedipus Complex. What's with all this nonsense? Why did it come about? Is it even nonsense to begin with? This episode explores those questions. Join the usual duo for another exciting conversation! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our bodies are gendered, marked with various norms, mores and social expectations. These have implications far beyond medicine and it is in this circumstance that we understand what's healthy and what's not. Priya Lall joins us this week to help us make sense of it all, with particular focus on Asia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We go from north to south and back again, discussing the interweaving of narratives here and Europe. Batu Sarwar was the former capital of Johor and it makes a curious appearance in this discussion. History is tenuous and that makes it all the more fascinating. Peter Borschberg leads the way. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.