Archives: Podcasts

Ideas in Focus // Inside the Echo Chamber

In a digital age of immediate and intimate connectivity, is our world view really expanding? Is our capacity for empathy and understanding on the rise? Or are we simply stuck …

Ideas in Focus // Making America Great Again?

A rapid-fire war of words, ideas and party lines: the US election sends voters to the polls a week after the Festival ends. Our writers debate the controversies, calamities, and …

Ideas in Focus // The View from Here

Will we remember 2016 as the year everything changed? What effect will global events such as Brexit, the US election, and increased acts of terrorism have on Southeast Asia? Is …

Ideas in Focus // The Self and I

Is there any bigger question than the question of self? What shapes our identity? Writers from Indonesia, Singapore, Pakistan and Turkey debate how ‘self’ comes into being – from nature …

Ideas in Focus // Tethered Travel

From Airbnb to Google Maps: has the internet robbed travel of its romance and adventure? Has the great unknown been replaced by TripAdvisor and daily Facebook updates? Pack your bag …

Ideas in Focus // Shining a Light

Terrorism. War. Political turbulence. Climate change. Environmental devastation. When the news is too much to bear, fiction can help us to grapple with the big issues. Featuring Kamila Shamsie, Paul …

Ideas in Focus // China, Outspoken

Between speech and silence: activist Anastasia Lin, and human rights lawyer Teng Biao, consider the current state of free expression in China. Where is it heading, what is lost, and …

Ideas in Focus // At the Extreme

With extreme acts hitting the headlines with frightening regularity, our panel asks what drives individuals, communities and movements to extreme action? How can we encounter it, and counter it? Featuring: …

Ideas in Focus // USA in Asia

From military muscle in the South China Sea to protectionist policies, relations between hard-hitting global superpowers US and China have a significant impact on Southeast Asia. Our commentators take stock, …

Ideas in Focus // All the Single Ladies

Single-by-choice, salary-independent and devoted to solo living, the single woman occupies a more powerful social, political, and economic position than ever before. What does the landscape look like across different …