The Nordic Asia Podcast

• Studying Myanmar in Times of Crises

  How do we to study Myanmar when access to the country is so difficulty? In this episode, Kristina Kironska and Monika Verma from the Myanmar Studies Center at Palacký University Olomouc in the Czech Republic share their insights. Kristina Kironska is a socially engaged interdisciplinary academic with experience in election observation, research, and advocacy. She is the Co-Director at the think tank Central Europe Institute of Asian Studies (CEIAS) and Assistant Professor at Palacky University Olomouc in the Czech Republic. In the past, she lived in Myanmar where she conducted her doctoral research and worked for a local NGO. She is also an active member of the European Myanmar Solidarity Network, and currently serves as the Chair of the Board of Amnesty International Slovakia. Monika Verma’s research focuses on critical issues surrounding refugees and forced migration, with a particular emphasis on the plight of Rohingya refugees. Monika’s work seeks to illuminate the complex realities faced by displaced populations, aiming to foster a deeper understanding of their struggles. Through her academic efforts, she promotes empathy and advocates for meaningful change for marginalized communities. Currently, her research examines the securitization of migration in South Asia and its implications for Rohingya refugees. Julie Yu-Wen Chen is Professor of Chinese Studies at the Department of Cultures at the University of Helsinki (Finland) and visiting professor at the Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia at Mahidol University (Thailand). Since 2023, she has been involved in the EUVIP: The EU in the Volatile Indo-Pacific Region, a project funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe coordination and support action 10107906 (HORIZON-WIDERA-2021-ACCESS-03).

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  26:11
• Queering the Asian Diaspora

  Have you ever heard of the Chinese gay god, the Rabbit god? How did queer Chinese artists use this icon in reclaiming their own stories, while resisting and persisting through Covid-19? And, how can art be a space for fighting back against national hegemony? In this episode, Hongwei Bao discusses these questions with Kukasina Kubaha. Hongwei Bao is associate professor of Media studies at the University of Nottingham. Bao is the author of several books including Queer Comrades: Gay Identity and Tongzhi Activism in Postsocialist China, and Queer China: Lesbian and Gay Literature and Visual Culture Under Postsocialism. Alongside his academic work, Bao also writes poetry and curates film festivals.

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  35:30
• India in the Global Attention Economy

  What is the global attention economy, and how does this perspective help us make sense of the relationship between India and the Global North? In this episode, we discuss these issues, focusing particularly on the current and oftentimes critical coverage of Indian politics and democracy in the western media. Our guest is Harish Pedaprolu from the University of Oslo’s Department of Philosophy, Classics, History of Art and Ideas. Kenneth Bo Nielsen is a social anthropologist and leader of the Centre for South Asian Democracy at the University of Oslo Harish Pedaprolu is at the Department of Philosophy, Classics, History of Art and Ideas at the University of Oslo.

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  24:47
• Social Death by Debt: China's Lending Boom Reshapes Lives

  China's household debt has exploded from 11% of GDP in 2006 to over 62% today—a profound transformation in a traditionally savings-focused society. How is this reshaping social relationships and daily life? In this episode, Dr. Jiaqi Guo from the University of Turku reveals findings from her corpus analysis of China's largest debt support forum. Her research uncovers the practice of "contact bombing" (爆通讯录), where collectors harass debtors' entire social networks, causing what Chinese debtors call "social death" (社死). With minimal institutional protection, desperate debtors are forming underground support networks and developing their own legal expertise. This cultural shift exposes a human dimension of China's economic growth that statistics alone cannot capture. Dr. Jiaqi Guo is a University Lecturer in Chinese at the University of Turku, Finland. This episode is hosted by Hanna Holttinen, University Teacher in Chinese language at the University of Turku, Finland. The Nordic Asia Podcast is a collaboration sharing expertise on Asia across the Nordic region, brought to you by the following academic partners: Asia Centre, University of Tartu (Estonia), Asian studies, University of Helsinki (Finland), Centre for Asian Studies, Vytautas Magnus University (Lithuania), Centre for East Asian Studies, University of Turku (Finland) and Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies, Lund University (Sweden) and Norwegian Network for Asian Studies. We aim to produce timely, topical and well-edited discussions of new research and developments about Asia.

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  15:39
• Nordic Style on Chinese Social Media: Misinformation, Consumerism, and Digital Discourse

  How does social media shape perceptions of global cultural trends? On Chinese platforms like WeChat, the concept of Nordic Style (北欧风) has been widely adopted—but often in an oversimplified and commercialized form. In this episode of the Nordic Asia Podcast, Dr. Heidi Hui Shi discusses her research on digital misinformation and the portrayal of Nordic aesthetics in China. Through corpus linguistics, sentiment analysis, and digital storytelling (DST), Dr. Shi examines how consumer narratives influence public understanding of Nordic design. She highlights the challenges posed by misinformation, the dominance of commercial narratives, and the role of independent creators in countering misleading portrayals. The conversation also explores the broader implications for cultural exchange and how Nordic brands can more effectively engage with Chinese consumers. Dr. Heidi Hui Shi is an Assistant Professor in Chinese at the University of Turku, Finland. This episode is hosted by Hanna Holttinen, University Teacher in Chinese at the University of Turku, Finland. The Nordic Asia Podcast is a collaboration sharing expertise on Asia across the Nordic region, brought to you by the following academic partners: Asia Centre, University of Tartu (Estonia), Asian studies, University of Helsinki (Finland), Centre for Asian Studies, Vytautas Magnus University (Lithuania), Centre for East Asian Studies, University of Turku (Finland) and Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies, Lund University (Sweden) and Norwegian Network for Asian Studies. We aim to produce timely, topical and well-edited discussions of new research and developments about Asia.

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  19:17

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