Lecture Theatre: Humanities x Public Life

Lynette Chua is an Associate Professor of Law at the National University of Singapore and Head of Studies for Law and Liberal Arts at Yale-NUS College. A scholar of Law and Society, she has researched human rights movements in Singapore and Myanmar and is currently working on a study of “filial piety” laws in Asia. In this episode: Lynette’s non-linear academic trajectory; “pragmatic resistance” and Singapore’s LGBT rights movement; the role of emotions in human rights practice; conducting fieldwork as an “outsider’ in Myanmar; the “Lynette Chua” model; the relationship between academia and activism. “I just do what I feel is important and what I like to do…if you think too much about fear you just kind of become paralyzed.”

Ngoei Wen-Qing is a scholar of Cold War history at Nanyang Technological University. His first book, The Arc of Containment: Britain, the United States, and Anticommunism in Southeast Asia, was published in May 2019. In his work, Wen-Qing traces the origins of U.S. hegemony and British neo-colonialism in the region, arguing that the Vietnam War was the exception—rather than the defining event—of U.S.-Southeast Asian relations during the Cold War. In this episode, we speak with Wen-Qing about his background, his book, his thoughts on present-day geopolitics, and his plans for a sequel.

Jessica Hinchy is an Assistant Professor of History at Nanyang Technological University. Jessica's research focuses on the intersection of empire, gender, and sexuality. In this episode, we speak with Jessica about her new book, Governing Gender and Sexuality in Colonial India. Jessica's book focuses on the Hijra, a discipleship-based gender nonconforming community in India. Among other things, her work traces the British colonial state's campaign to eradicate the Hijra in the late 19th century, raising wider questions about the nature and motivations of colonial sexual regulation. To enjoy a discount on Jessica's book, visit Book Depository and use the promo code: HINCHY19.

Timothy Barnard is a scholar of environmental history at the National University of Singapore. Tim’s publications include Nature Contained, an edited volume on Singapore’s environmental history, and Nature’s Colony, a monograph on the history of the Singapore Botanical Gardens. Later this year, Tim will publish Imperial Creatures: Humans and Other Animals in Colonial Singapore. In this episode: Tim’s transition from a suburban kid in Middle America to a scholar in and of Southeast Asia; the impact of teaching on Tim’s interest in environmental history; putting together Nature Contained; the history of the Singapore Botanical Gardens; the challenge of environmental history to orthodox Singaporean historiography (i.e. animals don’t care about election results); the impact of colonial rule on animal life; Tim’s current work on the history of water in Singapore. Plus: the three most popular pets in colonial Singapore, and how rabies was introduced to our island.