Night School

This week, we are joined by anthropology major and gamelan ensemble director, Adam Farhan to explore what can we learn from the music of gamelan about limits and possibilities in the adaptive power of tradition.

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How is the movement control order changing the ways educators teach? Joining us this week to dwell on learning under the condition of the new normal are two educators from across the private and public sectors, Prof. Ruslan Abdul Rahim and Dr. Azril K Ismail.

Image Source: writix.co.uk

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Heading into week 6 of the Movement Control Order, Haniff Baharudin and Simon Soon check up on each other to ponder about how social distancing is changing the way we interact with one another.

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How can a set of photographs help us to ‘restore’ the identities of other lived experiences? Hoo Fan Chon joins us via Skype to discuss the different ways for us to retrieve alternative histories via photographs.

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In what ways have the coronavirus pandemic changed the ways we communicate? How have we been adapting to the current situation? Joining us this week over Skype is researcher in medical history Por Heong Hong from the Universiti Sains Malaysia.

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In the age of social media celebrityhood, Korean wave, and middle-class ennui, three guys decided to create a printed quarterly journal to explore the many different literary and cultural voices in the Malay language. Hafiz Hamzah, Badrul Hisham Ismail and Nazir Harith Fadzilah join us this week to speak about why form and style matters.

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Why do histories repeat themselves? For independent researcher Ong Kar Jin, repetition does not so much describe a historical process as a pattern of thinking where your average person tries to make meaning out of the past when faced with an uncertain future.

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A new generation of activists/intellectuals are holding power to account. Huda Ramli, founder of Journal Sang Pemula, and Azura Nasrun, assistant manager of Rekod Media, join us this week to explore the cost of thinking.

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Malaysian Chinese literature is undergoing a new renaissance. Postdoctoral fellow at the Australia National University, Show Ying Xin, joins us this week to discuss the recent global attention that Mahua literature has been receiving.

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What is it about the photographic image that makes it so magical? Photo-historian Azril Ismail joins us this week to discuss the wonder that is photography.

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R.AGE has come of age and gone digital. Ian Yee joins us from behind the editor’s desk, to reflect on the principles of journalism he holds dearly to. He also shares with us what it takes to build a team of woke investigative journalists of the 21st century.

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Museums and galleries today are offering new ways of engaging with their exhibitions and collections, catering tailor-made programmes to different age groups. Rahel Joseph, director of Ilham Gallery, comes on the show to share with us why education is a priority for the privately funded public art institution she heads.

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What can design teach us about the work of bringing people together for a conversation? How does it differ from social work? Italian researcher on social innovation, Viola Petrella, discusses how design is more than just making things pretty and what it can contribute to addressing larger social issues.

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Mwaffa’a Al-Hajjar helps us to buka panggung for the year 2020. We discuss poetry, translation and the staying power of words. Because nothing is more pertinent or urgent.

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As we cross over the threshold into 2020, nostalgia often looms large in our imagination. Haniff and Simon turns to each other to wonder aloud why we wax lyrical about the past.

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Senario is a sketch comedy series that aired on public TV station, TV3 from June 1996 to 2013. Why take them seriously? Luqman Lee, a lecturer in screen studies from the University of Malaya, explores what television culture can tell us about state narratives.

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Researcher and community builder Rocky How visits us from Singapore and shares with us his long term interest to critically unpack social housing rhetoric through fostering inclusive conversations around issues of land justice.

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 How do we write a story about a colonial city from the perspective of the colonised? Scholar of Zamboanga’s visual culture, Felice Noelle Rodriguez, suggests we are required to place the city in its geographic context as it is part of events and changes of its neighbours and their relations as well with others. It is a story of borrowings and sharing.

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What changes the way we communicate with one another in the 19th century and how did it change the world of literature? Wan Azriq joins us this week to discuss Munshi Abdullah, a pioneer in modern Malay literature, as a social media influencer.

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Kellie’s Castle has been a cornerstone of Batu Gajah's history, receiving around 200,000 visitors each year. These numbers saw an interesting spike recently since the castle opened its doors to the public at night for the first time, exclusively in the month of October. The national heritage is an architecture carved in culture and shrouded in mystery. Admittedly, there's something ominous about the mansion that keeps its antiquity alive. And more importantly, what lies ahead for Kellie’s Castle in the future. BFM News explores.

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This week we examine the fascinating life of Luso-Malay mestiço cosmographer Manuel Godinho de Erédia, who lived and worked in the Portuguese Estado da Índia (including Malacca) around the turn of the seventeenth century. Chase Caldwell Smith, co-producer of the Global History Podcast, crosses over from the intern desk here at BFM to join us in exploring hybrid identities that empire and cultural exchange helped to shape in the early years of globalisation.

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Museums in our part of the world used to be called the Ajaib-khana, or the wonder house. It was a place that inspired through the collection and display of artefacts to tell a story about belonging to a place and also in the world. Joining us this week is Qaleeda Talib, a history graduate with a passion for public history. We explore the big question - what are museums established for? Are they still relevant today? How has it changed over time?

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Museums in our part of the world used to be called the Ajaib-khana, or the wonder house. It was a place that inspired through the collection and display of artefacts to tell a story about belonging to a place and also in the world. Joining us this week is Qaleeda Talib, a history graduate with a passion for public history. We explore the big question - what are museums established for? Are they still relevant today? How has it changed over time?

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What value can Islam bring to a state that prides itself for upholding laïcité (or secularism) as its founding principles? This week we are joined by Abdennour Bidar, a French philosopher on Islamic culture, who insists that understanding religion in our increasingly multicultural society can only happen if we are willing to engage in a conversation.

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There is renewed interest in history amongst the younger generation today and they are thinking about the value of history differently. One of them is Nadine Azalea Faisal, who joins us in our conversation this week. She has just returned from the University of Chicago from her undergraduate studies, where she read Indian Ocean history as well as South Asian languages and civilisations.

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The measure of democracy is not always defined by a process of consensus-building. The majority is not always right. Helping us understand the rights of migrants and refugees in this light, and her process of learning how to care is Elise Arya Chen, programme officer at Tenaganita.

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Media reportage on social movements can sometimes verge on the sensational. The story of a protest is often more than the confrontations one sees in the news. Joining us this week is creative hubs researcher and urbanist, Clarissa Lim, to explore what is at stake and the community building work that is seldom reported when a protest is not a one day street party but a marathon in search of one's identity.

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Punk is more than the music one listens to or the fashion one spots. Joining us this week is Joe Kidd, guitarist of punk rock band Carburetor Dung and historian of Southeast Asian rock and roll, to explore the moral universe of punks in Malaysia. We talk about his coming of age in Dungun Terengganu, the many different art worlds that punk would grant him access into, and also what it means to grow old as a punk - which is also a story about class, race, power, community, agency, and being true to oneself.

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Punk is more than the music one listens to or the fashion one spots. Joining us this week is Joe Kidd, guitarist of punk rock band Carburetor Dung and historian of Southeast Asian rock and roll, to explore the moral universe of punks in Malaysia. We talk about his coming of age in Dungun Terengganu, the many different art worlds that punk would grant him access into, and also what it means to grow old as a punk - which is also a story about class, race, power, community, agency, and being true to oneself.

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We spend so much of our time living in a space that takes on various degrees in semblance to reality - the digital world. What do we make of this world? How is it compelling us to rethink our commonplace notion of self and identity? Ong Kar Jin, full-time tech policy analyst, and amateur internet ethnographer introduces us to different facets of virtuality. He considers how this social form of consciousness-extension is both changing and reinforcing our understanding of what makes us human.

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The circulation and appeal of Western operatic groups from the early 19th century across Asia marked the emergence of a shared Western imperial culture that transcended national and colonial borders of Portuguese, Dutch, British and Spanish settlements. Joining us this week is historian Akiko Sugiyama from the history department at the University of Malaya, to discuss how music and performance - concerning unrequited love, courtly intrigues, murderous rage - became a shared cultural reference amongst a new generation of transnational political elite in the colonies.

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As Malaysians celebrate and reflect over what it means to live together as an imagined community in such fractious times, we thought that perhaps it is worth revisiting a particular ideal, planted almost thirty years ago by our then and current Prime Minister, that once offered a roadmap towards unity, prosperity, happiness and peace - Wawasan 2020. Joining us in the studio is Lim Sheau Yun, a researcher who is currently developing an archival project next year on this futurist ideal. We assess its legacies and explore what was it like growing up with this vision at the most formative periods of our lives.

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Night School is embarking on a new journey, and before we make that next step, we’ll reflect on what we’ve done so far, and ponder the importance of discussing ideas and theories within the context of contemporary society.

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Two BFM-type Malays try their best to translate some words from their own language. It turned out to be more complicated than they thought. Tune in to find out what they learned along the way. This episode is brought to you by pasrah, beria-ia, selamba, lantak, berkecimpung, leka, menyendeng, and lepa.

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We welcome Jamaluddin Aziz to the show to talk about the power of horror films. What makes this genre so compelling? Is it universal? What sort of entertainment does it provide? Tune in!

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Vipassana is a ten-day silent meditational retreat that aims to help you see things the way they are. How does it work? How does it feel? Stretch therapist and financial analyst Teh Chi Chang explains the fundamentals to us.

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This time we venture into the curious emphasis on "passivity" that is taken for granted in everyday Malay expressions. What does this say about our distinct appreciation of tact? Is there more to it than just an aversion to confrontation or straight-talking? More importantly, is it even properly "passive?"

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Cheah Yi Ting gives us an introduction on the psychology of music: its main questions, trajectories and upcoming developments.

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We stumble into the fascinating terrain of “hati” to appreciate its capacity to articulate the rich messiness of human attachments. Please be advised that this episode contains positive appraisals of interpersonal dependency and entanglements.

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Sivarajan Arumugam tempts you to join Parti Sosialis Malaysia's annual socialism conference. What do they offer for 2018? Tune in to find out!

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It is liberating to know your limits, or so we learn from Aiman Abu Bakar's journey as a boxer. There is no way to discover what you're made of until you're put to the test. But this requires methodically placing yourself at the heart of discomfort and injury. We reflect on how professional fighting is a window into refining the distinct textures of your growth, as much as it is a sport.

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We have a brief discussion about what to do with the self. How does one balance an openness to risk and the unknown, while also nourishing the right emotional and moral resources to remain resilient through the painful demands of growth? Where do values come into play? Sandy Clarke offers his perspectives, again.

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This special live edition features special guest Jean-Christophe Rufin, notable author, historian, doctor and diplomat, as he shares his thoughts on the state of world politics today. We discuss his unique career trajectory and general outlook on life and politics, including the shifting terrain of empire. The event was jointly organised by BFM 89.9 and Alliance Francaise.

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The era of the ego creeps up to you in different ways: self-obsession, hypersensitivity and inadequacy, among other things. Sandy Clarke offers some insights on how to think through this circumstance.

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Two BFM-type Malays try their best to translate some words from their own language. It turned out to be more complicated than they thought. Tune in to find out what they learned along the way. This episode is brought to you by peduli, tak kuasa, buang tabiat, tersengih-sengih, and terima kasih.

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We have a light chat this week with German journalist Cora Knoblauch on the ironies of globalisation. With so much of the world levelled to become 'similar' how do we envision 'difference' and 'uniqueness' that do not fall into the trappings of reactionary politics? What other models of modernity are there other than the European one?

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We take a brief tour into the psychology of ageing with Karuna Sarah Thomas. What sets this apart from other psychological fields? And more curiously, why is it a growing field?

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Aka Post-Coital Tristesse, Aka Post-Nut Syndrome. However you call it, it refers to a distinct form of sadness that emerges after sex. Clinical psychologist Vizla Kumaresan explains its psychological and social dimensions for us.

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We get to the bottom of emotional gaslighting and blackmail with Eugene Tee. How does enmeshment become an emotional tug of war and worse, a form of manipulation?

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Three BFM-type Malays try their best to translate some words from their own language. It turned out to be more complicated than they thought. Tune in to find out what they learned along the way. This episode is brought to you by masyuk, merapu, membawang and many more.

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Filmmaker, scholar and skater Dag Yngvesson takes us through his observations on Indonesian pop culture and its grapplings with modernisation.

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We've heard of emotional intelligence but what about emotional literacy? We get into the intricacies of trying to read (while feeling) emotions and the bigger questions they raise.

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We speak to Japanese artist Kentaro Hiroki about "Malaysian Citizenship", his current exhibition at A+ Works of Art. He reflects on the meaning of citizenship at a crucial time of political transition while sharing his thoughts on the importance of beauty and slowness for his creative process.

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What does Buddhism say about gratitude? Night school regular and quasi monk Sandy Clarke joins us to share lessons on thankfulness from one of the worlds most fascinating spiritual traditions.

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We commemorate Merdeka by talking about how difficult it is to buy vintage books on Malaysia. What might this say about our reading culture? What should be improved? Muhammed Nazreen of Bukuku Press and book collector Amir Al-Helmy share their thoughts.

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We try to translate some common English terms and phrases from the world of modern romance.

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Ethnomusicologist Adil Johan joins the show again, this time to speak about his book on the music of Malay films during the independence era. Tune in to find out how some of P. Ramlee's most memorable songs speak to the contradictions and aspirations of Malaysian nation-building.

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This time we do it the other way round: we find BM equivalents of English words, focusing on the liberal lexicon and its curious view of personhood.

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There has been a lot of discussion about the remarkable result of the recent GE14, with many factors influencing the outcome. This week, we explore the role of the arts during the election period, and how politically-driven crafts might resonate with the public. We speak to two artistes turned politicians to hear their experiences and insights.

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This week, we reflect on the happiness industry and the world it has formed by going back to basics: what is happiness? Do we really mean 'happy' when we mean something else? How has the pursuit of happiness left so many people miserable? Sandy Clark and Sarah Yung help us think through these questions and more.

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Three BFM-type Malays try their best to translate some words from their own language. It turned out to be more complicated than they thought. Tune in to find out what they learned along the way. This episode is brought to you by sengal, meroyan, mengada, segan, cuak, hati, menganjing, kasihan, and jambu.

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PSM suffered massive defeats during the 14th general elections. Why? What were the lessons learned? And how will they move on from here? The party's secretary-general Sivarajan Arumugam joins us to explain it all.

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Evone Phoo joins us this week to preview "Let's Grief: Trauma, Loss and Growth", an upcoming international conference at HELP University (July 21-22), organised by Existential-Humanistic Psychology Malaysia. Among other things, we discuss the social implications of grief with a little help from Winnie the Pooh.

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In this episode, Govindran Jegatesen takes us into his study on urban migrants among the Orang Asli community. We reflect on the challenges they encounter in negotiating contextual and cultural transitions while being under the microscope of power.

Note: Govindran misspoke and said "white collar" when he meant "blue collar" and vice versa, towards the end of the episode.

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Three BFM-type Malays try their best to translate some words from their own language. It turned out to be more complicated than they thought. Tune in to find out what they learned along the way. This episode is brought to you by syahdu, ayu, rock kapak, rock leleh, gersang and meleret.

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Or rather the beginner's guide to understanding this much discussed but unfairly maligned sub-culture. What do Ah Beng values represent? Why are they always looked down upon? Who is an Ah Beng, to begin with? If they're so hardworking could they really be considered a counterculture? Rachel Chan Suet Key tells us more.

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This week, we look at the link between sound, branding and national identity. Like anything else, the nation too, should be branded. But in what way is this a sonic experience? It turns out that feeling and listening too must be politicised. Shazlin Amir Hamzah tells us all about how this works.

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Three BFM-type Malays try their best to translate some words from their own language. It turned out to be more complicated than they thought. Tune in to find out what they learned along the way. This episode is brought to you by mengungkit, poyo, perasan, skema, ranggi, asmara, alang-alang and gabra.

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We welcome Thai photographer, artist and activist, Manit Sriwanichpoom to the studio this week, where he shares his thoughts on the links between art, activism and technology. We also discuss LOST, his exhibition at A+ WORKS of ART, which explores the temporal and conceptual gaps that the transition from analog and digital imaging reveal and provoke, and the potential they may inspire for new political imaginations.

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The parent-child relationship is one of life's most persistent enigmas. It's a bond that is as formative as it is excessive, enduring into adulthood and for some, long after loss. What role might forgiveness play in negotiating this journey and its many hauntings? Elaine Fernandez shares us some key pointers on this matter.

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Novelist Sabah Carrim joins us this week to discuss grief. What is mourning? How do we mourn without being consumed by its pains? How is mourning a crucial aspect of self-discovery? How do we know when to 'move on'?

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Two BFM-type Malays try their best to translate some words from their own language. It turned out to be more complicated than they thought. Tune in to find out what they learned along the way. This episode is brought to you by  gedik, layan, sejuk hati, geram, gedebak-gedebuk, merajuk and dengki.

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We talk about the legacy of P. Ramlee as legendary icon. What did his stardom mean for his generation and ours? What made him unique in comparison to other stars of his time, local and abroad? Join us for this discussion as we welcome Jonathan Driskell to the show.

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We welcome legendary scholar and historian Ahmat Adam to the show again, this time to discuss his controversial claim that Hang Tuah does not exist. He explains the bases for his arguments and the stakes of rethinking myth and politics in light of history's evidences.

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This episode inaugurates 'Minor Blues,' our new segment exploring terrible feelings. We begin with self-pity. What makes it so painful, yet so tempting? Is this a distinctly modern problem? Why is it so difficult to talk about? Eugene Tee, our regular psychology lecturer from HELP University, helps us better understand it.

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We reflect on the impact of childhood in the formation of identity. Why does it remain so powerful? Are we forever condemned by our parents’ decisions? We also consider the role of grit in development. Sybella Ng and Eugene Tee tell us all about it.

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We've heard from the curators, we've heard from the advisors. Now it's time to hear from the artists of Merata Suara, an art exhibition by Projek Dialog. They share their experience of working collaboratively with the supposed 'margins' of society. What did they learn? What were the challenges they faced? What does this say about how we can more critically understand the limits of our standpoints? Okui Lala, Yana Rizal and Poodien lead the way.

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The Other “mediates” language and all communication, or so Jacques Lacan argued. What is this Other? How does it offer a different view of how intersubjectivity is usually thought of (as a matter between two individuals)? How is the Other trans-individual? Fuad and Sharaad talk through this very intriguing but complicated concept in Lacanian psychoanalysis.

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Pamela Corey, Ashley Thompson and Erika Tan join us this week to discuss the project of decolonial thinking and its pedagogical strategies. Among other things, we reflect on its challenges in Southeast Asia, as well as the practical ways it can be approached in the classroom.

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Tired of the same, old thing? Then you will want to consider Gabungan Kiri’s ‘Manifesto for the 99 Percent’, a detailed outline of demands that you, as a citizen and worker, are entitled to. Join us as Arul and Maryam, the coalition representatives, explain their objectives, address some difficult questions about their agenda, and why there is always time to envision a better world.

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This week, we discuss how neuroscience views love and what we might learn from its technology about the age-old conundrum of opposite sexes.

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This week we consider the humbling lessons from Meratasuara, Projek Dialog's upcoming exhibition that explores the intricacies of engaging with peripherality. How does art broaden (or limit) multicultural understanding? What does it mean to designate a perspective or community as 'marginal'? How do we ensure that a 'process'-oriented project remains creative and rigorous without beholding it to a rigid structure? We reflect on these questions and more with exhibition curator Suzy Sulaiman and comrade Simon Soon.

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We offer you a general introduction to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the increasingly popular martial arts. We look into its history and key components alongside suggestions for what to keep in mind when trying it for the first time.

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We try to understand "emotional intelligence" this week as Vizla helps us go through Daniel Goleman's classic book. What does it mean to understand and express out emotions wisely? Where does patience and resolve come in? Tune in to find out!

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This week, we critically explore the cultural significance of bookstores. What are they good for? Do they play a role in cultivating a more critically-informed culture? Or are they just another form of inconspicuous consumerism? How do we tell the difference between enterprises that aim to curate certain critical discourses from purely for-profit initiatives? Owners of two different types of independent bookstores join us this week to help us think through these questions and more.

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We consider the margins of the New Economic Policy now after some decades of hindsight into its gains and losses. What are the narratives and experiences that tend to be overlooked when considering its impact on Malays? Featuring special guest Professor Maznah Mohamad.

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Knowledge production occurs in a political economy that limits discourse to certain rigid epistemic and class presumptions. In this panel, we speak of different ways that this can be undone. We consider the impact of colonial history, the gap between modernity and tradition, and the ethics of discovering.

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Ecological collapse, mass extinction and increasing inequality. These are just a few in a long list of crises that face today's youths. How does one be young in a world that seems so rapidly falling apart? Tune in this week to find out.

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Vizla Kumaresan, clinical psychologist and co-host of Digital Desires, joins us to explain the whys and hows of therapy. Among other things, we look into the relationship between emotional health and well being, as well as what makes therapy a unique experience.

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Joyce Liu visits us all the way from Taipei to share the history of cultural studies in Taiwan. She locates the emergence of the field as a reaction to Martial Law and the need for knowledge production to be in tune with democratisation and popular struggles.

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Every year, Parti Sosialis Malaysia organises a conference where everyone is invited to debate the major topics confronting the left and the world more broadly. Comrades Arul and Sharan join us to talk about this year's conference programme and the issues they aim to address.

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Given the global resurgence of right-wing politics into the mainstream, Sharaad and Fuad ask: what kind of future will liberalism have? We consider some of liberalism’s limits and problematic assumptions as well as the key questions to ask, in hoping for a better future.

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How do we affirm life in a world that's breaking down? How do we stay hopeful while politics, nature and the economy are falling apart? What role could ugly emotions - fear, pessimism, resignation, anxiety etc - play to refine our ideals?

ILHAM plays host to this live edition of BFM Night School which reflects on those questions and more to understand the uses and abuses of feelings amidst precarious times.

Inequality is widening and nuclear warfare is likelier than ever, intensifying fears as all sides evoke their insecurities for privilege and attention. Our era of digital hyper-connectivity has also amplified exclusion and inequality. Our political vocabulary is increasingly dominated by emotional wounds and appeals to injury.

Join us as we think through the ways we can grapple with the challenging present without losing our sense of curiosity and connection.

Panelists:

Diana Wong is a sociologist who has published extensively on gender justice, migration, labour, war and historical memory.

Diana Lea Baranovich is an Associate Professor at the Department Of Educational Psychology And Counselling in University Malaya.

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The heyday of positive-thinking self-help is over as popular psychology makes more room for negative emotions. We look into this development by considering the lessons in guilt, shame, sadness, struggle and other downcast feelings. How might they offer a more sober and grounded appreciation of 'happiness'? Why does it hurt so much to care? Tune in with a little help from Sandy Clarke and Eugene Tee.

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We feature a panel to explore the rise of activism among Malaysian youths. Is it a fad or is it substantial? How does it differ to previous generations? Is there long term potential, or is it just nothing more than contained social media angst? Netusha Naidu and Lim Yi Wei help us make sense of it all.

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We welcome Uthaya Sankar SB, author, activist and media personality to the show to talk about Indian / Hindu influences in Malay and Malaysian culture. It is more extensive and profound than you think! Tune in to find out more!

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Aslam Abdul Jalil gives us an overview of the refugee situation in Malaysia. We look at the extent of the problem, how it ties to global trends and some of the key considerations we should keep in mind when reading or approaching this very contested issue.

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We welcome Kua Kia Soong to the show. The legendary scholar, activist, and educator shares his thoughts on the power of history and alternative Merdeka narratives, while reflecting on his decades of advocacy for the marginalised.

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We bring together a politician, a youth activist, and a researcher from Merdeka Center to talk about why youths are jaded and disoriented with politics. Awareness of issues and socioeconomic tensions are at an all-time high, and yet politics is not their priority. What explains this? Shakir Ameer, Victoria Cheng, and Ehsan Shahwahid share their thoughts.

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