Podcast #26 – The history & cultural impact of Singapore’s early shopping malls (With Liew Kai Khiun) 18 Apr 2023 The physical shopping mall is increasingly seen as out of date with the rise of online shopping. However, shopping malls were once considered major symbols of Singapore’s rapid modernisation. They…
Podcast #25- Journeying through Singapore’s little-known LGBT history (With Isaac Tng) 13 Mar 202313 Mar 2023 Singapore is a city renowned for its reputation as a stern, conservative environment. But history reveals a more colourful past, where queer people carved out spaces for their own voices…
Podcast #24 – Curating 135 years of student writing at Raffles Institution (With Theophilus Kwek & Lara Tan) 28 Feb 2023 Raffles Institution celebrates its 200th anniversary in 2023. The school is more than an institution, weaving itself into Singapore’s history through the decades. Nowhere is this documented better than in…
Podcast #23 – The history & design of Singapore’s Kranji War Memorial (With Athanasios Tsakonas) 14 Feb 202315 Feb 2023 Generations of Singapore students will remember going on learning journeys to the Kranji War Memorial. But few of us know why it's in Kranji in the first place or how…
Podcast #22 – Gender, sexuality & power dynamics in Colonial Singapore (A conversation with Aydin Quach) 19 Sep 2022 Large numbers of Chinese men arrived in colonial Singapore to do domestic work in European households. They often worked under the supervision of white women who managed the households while…
Podcast #21 – The Cold War history of the Philippine Chinese (A conversation with Chien-Wen Kung) 12 Sep 2022 From the 1950s to the 1970s, no Chinese community in Southeast Asia was more vigilant in identifying and rooting out suspected communists, and committed to mobilising against the People's Republic…
Podcast #20 – Building opposition alliances in electoral autocracies (A conversation with Elvin Ong) 5 Sep 2022 Building opposition pre-electoral alliances significantly enhances the chances of opposition victory against dominant incumbent autocrats. But opposition parties, including in Singapore, frequently find it difficult to make the costly compromises…
Podcast #19 – The history of Buddhist advocacy & diplomacy in Singapore (A conversation with Jack Chia) 29 Aug 2022 Venerable Hong Choon may not be a familiar name to many younger Singaporeans. But the former President of the Singapore Buddhist Federation played an important role in diplomacy between Singapore…
Podcast #18 – The Eight Immortals of Singapore’s Civil Service ( A conversation with Peh Shing Huei) 7 Jun 2022 Singapore’s pioneer generation of political leaders, known as the Old Guard, are well known in our history. However, the civil servants who oversaw the implementation of policies and projects during…
Podcast #17 – Workers’ perspectives of Singapore’s industrial history (A conversation with Loh Kah Seng) 18 Feb 2022 The political story of Singapore’s industrialisation is well-known, including the role of Jurong Industrial Estate and Dr Goh Keng Swee. However, the stories of the Singaporeans who worked in these…