Society & Culture

Ear to Asia

Asia Institute, The University of Melbourne

Apple Podcasts

Latest episodes

Oil, Alliances, and a Multipolar Future: What the Iran–Israel–US War Reveals
18 Oct 2026 · 49:10

The war that erupted on February 28, 2026 between the United States, Israel, and Iran has triggered one of the most significant geopolitical and economic shocks in recent history. Yet the conflict has not gone to plan for the US-Israel side, with Iran r

How Indonesia's oligarchs turned democracy to their advantage
29 Sept 2026 · 55:57

Despite decades of democratic reforms following the fall of President Suharto, Indonesia’s political landscape remains shaped by a resilient class of oligarchs. From the national stage to newly decentralized regions, these powerful networks have adapt

Inside the education system moulding Afghanistan's next generation
13 Sept 2026 · 54:16

In Afghanistan today, a generation of young people is being shaped inside classrooms that feel very different from the ones their parents knew. For girls and women, state-regulated madrasas are now the only legal path to education at all. For boys in ma

How middle powers navigate economic pressure from the world’s giants
23 Aug 2026 · 1:01:33

Earlier this year, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney drew international attention with a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, in which he warned that middle powers face an increasingly difficult international environment as great powers become

Rethinking empire, extraction and identity in the Pacific: A New History
2 Aug 2026 · 46:46

The history of the Pacific Ocean is often told as a story of isolated islands like French Polynesia or Hawaii, or as a mere backdrop to European discovery. But what if it's a central maritime world—a network of interconnections and struggles spanning