Podcasts by History of Southeast Asia

Episode 130: More Southeast Asian Monsters from 2023-10-31T10:30:36

This episode is a Halloween special, a short sequel to one I recorded four years ago. Meet five more of the monsters that Southeast Asians believe in!

Do you think you would like to...

A Very Special Announcement from 2023-10-15T14:54:33

Today, instead of announcing a podcast episode, I am announcing the 2023 Intelligent Speech Conference. This year I will be one of the speakers giving a presentation. Listen here for the details...

Episode 129: Sumba, the Forgotten Island from 2023-09-19T10:22:18

I started working on Episode #129 of the podcast in the middle of August, but was interrupted in early September by illness. Now I have recovered enough to finish the episode, so here it is. Thi...

Episode 128: Komodo and Flores, or Here be Dragons, and Hobbits from 2023-07-22T14:49:51

Please accept my apology (again) for taking so long to finish the latest episode! I honestly tried to get it done in less than two months, but again real world concerns got in the way.

Listen

Episode 127: Sumbawa, or I Don’t Know Where I’m A Gonna Go When The Volcano Blows from 2023-05-20T17:36:44

I had a challenging time creating the podcast episode that I am releasing today. I was ill for much of April, and I had to take time out to work on my taxes, as most Americans have to do. Then m...

Episode 126: Lombok and the Volcano from 2023-03-25T14:38:10

Hello! As you have been expecting, here is the next episode in the podcast mini-series on eastern Indonesia. Today we visit Lombok, a little-known island just east of Bali. Lombok is home to a v...

Mini-Episode: It Must Be The Mystery Factor from 2023-02-18T16:09

This is a special mini-episode. It has nothing to do with Southeast Asian history. In a recent conversation I had, the subject of ancient aliens came up. For the record, here are my opinions on ...

Episode 125: Sulawesi and the Way of the Ancestors from 2023-02-02T15:42:38

Happy Groundhog Day, if you are in the United States! But seriously, after nearly three months of researching, recording, editing, and fighting off the challenges that kept me from working on th...

Episode 124: Another Look at Bali from 2022-11-05T16:18:30

One of my listeners requested I give equal time to eastern Indonesia, because in the past when I talked about this vast island nation, I concentrated on the big western islands: Java, Sumatra an...

Episode 123: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations from 2022-09-30T09:19:34

Thank you for your patience! This shows that despite all the little things life has thrown at me since the last episode, I was able to get another one done. Today's episode covers another topic ...

Episode 122: The Boat People from 2022-07-09T17:52:04

This is the first episode I promised on special topics that were overlooked when we were going through the historical narrative, in previous episodes. Today we have an in-depth look at the Boat ...

Episode 121: Question and Answer Session 5 from 2022-06-03T08:39:32

As promised, here is the newest episode! Today I answer the eleven questions I didn't have time for in the previous episode.

Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blu...

Episode 120: Question and Answer Session 4 from 2022-04-06T09:09:53

Okay, I am back at last! The previous episode of the podcast completed our historical narrative of Southeast Asia. Now for today's episode, I will start answering the questions you have sent me ...

Episode 119: The Unconquered Kingdom, One More Time from 2022-02-07T14:11:43

To all the listeners of this podcast, I want to thank you for your patience.  I actually started to record this in the third week of January (there is a reference to January early in the episode...

Episode 118: Which Way is Myanmar Going? from 2021-12-24T21:37:49

If you listen to the podcast, here is a Christmas present from me! This episode covers the turbulent recent years of Myanmar's history, from 2008 to 2121. The next episode will come out in 2022,...

Episode 117: East Timor, the New Kid on the Block from 2021-11-22T04:58

At last, after promising it for a long time, here is the episode on East Timor! Meet Southeast Asia's newest country.

Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? <...

Episode 116: The Philippines Muddle Through from 2021-10-28T11:21:45

Sorry again for making you wait five weeks. As compensation, this episode is the longest I have recorded in the past year. Today we finish up the narrative on the Philippines, covering...

Episode 115: A New Beginning for Indonesia from 2021-09-21T04:47

This episode of the podcast is the last one planned for Indonesia. Here we look at events in the world's largest archipelago, from 1998 to the present. Listen and you will understand w...

Episode 114: Cambodia, a Rocky Road to Recovery from 2021-08-23T16:03:09

This episode of the podcast covers Cambodia, from 1989 to the present. As you can guess from the title, it's mainly a story of how Cambodia has recovered from all the awful things that happened to...

Episode 113: Vietnam, the Phoenix of Asia from 2021-07-24T18:22

Today we finish up the podcast's narrative about Vietnam. This time it won't be war stories, but the story of how Vietnam recovered from the wars it suffered in the twentieth century, and how i...

Episode 112: Yesterday's Burma, Today's Myanmar from 2021-06-26T17:33

All right, Episode 112 of the podcast is now available! Today we pay another visit to Burma, to look at what happened from late 1988 to 2011. To start with, from this time onward, the country ...

Episode 111: Brunei, Southeast Asia's Little Marvel from 2021-06-06T14:30:51

Today's episode is the first that is just about Brunei, a country that the podcast has mentioned many times in the past. It is also the last, because this episode covers Brunei up to the present. ...

Episode 110: People Power in the Philippines from 2021-05-22T17:32:12

It has been five weeks since I gave you an episode, so thank you for your patience! This time we look at the Philippines from 1981 to 1992, the end of the Marcos presidency, and the presidency of ...

Episode 109: Thailand, the Game of Political Musical Chairs from 2021-04-17T16:15:20

Today's episode covers Thailand, from 1976 to 2000. In the middle of the nineteenth century, modernization became the top priority of the Thai kingdom. While the Thais found it fairly easy to ado...

Episode 108: Laos, Feeling Good . . . And That's All from 2021-03-30T13:59

Here's a phrase I want you to remember: sabai di, pronounced "sa-bye dee." In the Thai and Lao languages it means "feel good." Just as Swahili speakers may say "hakuna matata" (no worries) when ...

Episode 107: The Third Indochina War from 2021-03-09T09:58:24

Spring is on the way! While you are waiting for the season to change, here is the next episode of the podcast. This episode looks at Vietnam from 1975 to 1986, and Cambodia from 1979 to 1989. Du...

Episode 106: The Killing Fields of Democratic Kampuchea from 2021-02-16T14:56:51

Here is the next episode at last! I couldn't go anywhere yesterday, because the area where I live is covered with ice and snow, so I finally had time to finish Episode 106. At the beginning of th...

Episode 105: Malaysia, Another Success Story from 2021-01-17T16:13

This episode completes the historical narrative for another Southeast Asian nation. Here we see Malaysia from 1970 to 2021. In fact, one of the events covered, the 1MDB scandal, blew up after ...

Episode 104: Singapore, Success Despite the Odds from 2021-01-01T23:54:18

Although it has been said in many times and many ways, Happy New Year! To start the new year right, listen to the latest episode of the podcast, which covers the history of Singapore from 1965 to ...

Episode 103: Indonesia Under Suharto from 2020-12-16T12:35:12

Episode 103 of the podcast is now available, just in time for Beethoven's 250th birthday! Today we look at Indonesia during the 1970s, 80s and 90s. This was the time of Indonesia's long-lasting s...

Episode 102: Western New Guinea, Forgotten War, Unwanted People from 2020-12-01T17:14

This episode goes all the way to the eastern extremity of Southeast Asia -- western New Guinea. Geographically speaking, it's really part of the South Pacific region of the world, but it has be...

Episode 101: Burma, A Ne Win Situation from 2020-11-16T09:38:14

With this episode, the second hundred episodes of the podcast will begin! Today we look at Burma from the 1950s to 1988, going up to the point just before the country was renamed Myanmar. During ...

Episode 100: The Philippines, A Dictatorship Made For Two from 2020-11-01T07:29:46

Turn your clock back an hour (if you are in a place that does that), and tune in to the podcast! After four years and four months, here is the podcast's 100th episode! Today we go to the Philippi...

Episode 99: Thailand Experiments With Revolution from 2020-10-17T16:40:54

This episode looks at Thailand from 1957 to 1976. Here attempts are made to replace the military dictatorship with a true Western-style democracy, but the civilian government is too unstable to la...

Episode 98: Malaysia and Singapore Get Organized from 2020-10-03T16:41

For this episode, the narrative goes to Malaya, which was last covered in Episode 69, and to Singapore and the British-ruled areas on the north side of Borneo. We will hear how Singapore became...

Episode 97: Indonesia Under Sukarno from 2020-09-16T09:18:57

Today's episode begins a series of episodes on the recent history of Southeast Asia. We will start by looking at Indonesia from 1950 to 1967, when Sukarno was the country's first president. In ...

Episode 96: The Second Indochina War, Part 23 from 2020-09-01T15:00:14

This episode is the longest for the podcast yet, because it wraps up the narrative that has continued since Episode 71. Yes, today you will hear how the Second Indochina War ended, in Cambodia, Vi...

Episode 95: The Second Indochina War, Part 22 from 2020-08-16T14:20

The previous episode of this podcast was a bit on the short side, so to make up for it, this episode is twice as long! Today we look at Vietnam and Cambodia, in 1973 and 1974. A cease-fire is ...

Episode 94: The Second Indochina War, Part 21 from 2020-07-29T11:49

This episode covers the war in Vietnam, also called the Second Indochina War, during 1972. North Vietnam launches a major offensive that is eventually defeated, thanks to American air power, bu...

Episode 93: The Second Indochina War, Part 20 from 2020-07-12T12:14

Better late than never, as the saying goes! Sorry for the delays. This episode covers the war in Vietnam during 1970 and 1971. Also covered are events in the United States in the same time th...

An Important Announcement from 2020-07-01T16:44

Today the podcast is four years old. Listen for a special message on where the podcast is going from here.

Episode 92: The Second Indochina War, Part 19 from 2020-06-16T16:34:58

Today we look at the first half of the Cambodian Civil War, the phase of the Second Indochina War in Cambodia, from 1970 to 1972. Also, if you like educational podcasts besides this one, you won't...

Episode 91: The Second Indochina War, Part 18 from 2020-06-01T16:30:39

After thirteen episodes about the Second Indochina War in Vietnam, and four episodes about the same war in Laos, it is time to shift our attention to Cambodia. This episode covers Cambodian histor...

Episode 90: The Second Indochina War, Part 17 from 2020-05-16T18:37:34

Here is the second episode for May 2020, and this one is a hair-raiser for sure! Today we cover one of the Vietnam War's most notorious events, the My Lai Massacre. Do you think you would like to...

Episode 89: The Second Indochina War, Part 16 from 2020-05-01T23:24

This episode covers events in the Second Indochina War, also called the Vietnam War, in 1969. In the United States there is a new president, Richard M. Nixon, and he starts the process of remov...

Episode 88: The Second Indochina War, Part 15 from 2020-04-17T09:51:45

In the previous episode, we came to the Tet Offensive, which many consider the climax of the Second Indochina War. However, we still have a long way to go before the Vietnam story is finished. To...

Episode 87: The Second Indochina War, Part 14 from 2020-04-01T13:54:17

Today is April Fool's Day and a new episode is available for your listening pleasure. That's no joke! This episode covers what many people consider the climax of the Second Indochina War -- the T...

Episode 86: The Second Indochina War, Part 13 from 2020-03-16T10:50:31

With the previous episode of the podcast, we took a break from the narrative and had a question and answer session. Now with Episode 86, we resume our ongoing narrative about the Second Indochina ...

Episode 85: Question and Answer Session 3 from 2020-03-03T15:34:51

Today we have a special episode, where I answer the questions which you the listeners sent in last January. As with the previous Q&A show, listen and enjoy! Do you think you would like to become ...

Episode 84: The Second Indochina War, Part 12 from 2020-02-17T12:59:47

This episode is a day late, sorry to keep you waiting! Episode 84 continues our ongoing narrative of the Second Indochina War, better known as the Vietnam War in the United States, and the America...

Episode 83: The Second Indochina War, Part 11 from 2020-02-01T16:11:25

Today marks the beginning of a new month, and you know what that means: a new episode of the History of Southeast Asia Podcast is online for your listening pleasure! This time we cover events in ...

Episode 82: The Second Indochina War, Part 10 from 2020-01-15T21:20

Today we continue the ongoing narrative about the Second Indochina War in Vietnam, covering events for the rest of 1965, and culminating with the battle of Ia Drang. Do you think you would like ...

Episode 81: The Second Indochina War, Part 9 from 2020-01-01T17:35

Happy New Year, and here is the first episode for 2020! In Episode 81 the first American combat troops come to Vietnam, only to find that their visit will not be a short one, and that a lot mor...

Episode 80: The Second Indochina War, Part 8 from 2019-12-16T16:51:46

Episode 80 is now available, and as promised, we are going back to follow the Second Indochina War in Vietnam. Today we look at events in 1964, with special attention on the Gulf of Tonkin Inciden...

Episode 79: The Second Indochina War, Part 7 from 2019-11-30T09:33:57

This episode covers the part of the Second Indochina War in Laos, the Laotian Civil War, from 1968 to 1974. Now all we have left to do with Laos is talk about how the Civil War ended, which I plan...

Episode 78: The Second Indochina War, Part 6 from 2019-11-19T15:25

After a two-episode break, we are going back to the narrative about the Second Indochina War in Laos, this time covering events from 1964 to 1968, with special emphasis on the battles for Nam Ba...

Episode 77: What Buddhism is All About from 2019-11-01T11:54

This is another special episode, prompted because a donor to the podcast asked three questions that I should have answered two or three years ago. May you find the answers enlightening (pun int...

Episode 76: Monsters of Southeast Asia from 2019-10-16T10:00:36

Today we are taking a break from the ongoing narrative. Several podcasts tell spooky stories for their late October episodes, so this episode will look at myths and legends from Southeast Asia, es...

Episode 75: The Second Indochina War, Part 5 from 2019-10-01T09:21:35

This episode continues the narrative we started last time, on the Second Indochina War's phase in Laos, also called the Laotian Civil War. Unfortunately, the cease-fire and the coalition governmen...

Episode 74: The Second Indochina War, Part 4 from 2019-09-16T19:09

Because the previous three episodes were focused on just Vietnam, it is now time to go west and catch up on the Second Indochina War in Laos. This episode covers the history of Laos from 1954 t...

Episode 73: The Second Indochina War, Part 3 from 2019-09-01T18:01:04

For today's episode, the narrative on the war in Vietnam continues, covering events in 1962 and 1963. We will see the Americans increase their commitment, because they are no closer to winning tha...

Episode 72: The Second Indochina War, Part 2 from 2019-08-16T09:16:14

Today's episode covers Vietnam during the early years of the Second Indochina War, from 1957 to the end of 1961. We will see communist guerrillas and their partners stage attacks, with guns and bo...

Episode 71: The Second Indochina War, Part 1 from 2019-08-01T10:02:16

Happy New Month, if you are listening on the day this episode was uploaded! Here the podcast narrative will begin covering the Second Indochina War, or as Americans call it, the Vietnam War. This...

Episode 70: The Hill Tribes of Vietnam and Laos from 2019-07-01T17:35

Today is the first day of a new month, Canada's 152nd birthday, and the third anniversary of the podcast! So naturally we have a special episode for today. This time, instead of the usual hist...

Episode 69: The Malayan Emergency from 2019-06-16T15:04:02

Happy Father's Day, if you are in the United States! And on this day 71 years ago, the communist revolt called "The Malayan Emergency" began. Now with today's podcast episode, we finish our cover...

Episode 68: The First Indochina War, Part 5 from 2019-06-01T18:04

Today we will wrap up the First Indochina War by covering the showdown which proved to the French that they couldn't stay in Vietnam anymore -- the battle of Dien Bien Phu! Over the course of ...

Episode 67: The First Indochina War, Part 4 from 2019-05-15T12:13

For Part 4 in our series on the First Indochina War, this episode covers the events of 1952 and most of 1953. We will look at the battles in northwest Vietnam, as the Viet Minh invade this area...

Episode 66: The First Indochina War, Part 3 from 2019-05-01T13:02

Today's episode is the third in our series about the Indochina Wars. Here we will look at the campaigns of 1951. In response to the successful Viet Minh (Vietnamese Communist) offensive of 195...

Episode 65: The First Indochina War, Part 2 from 2019-04-16T16:58

In this episode we begin covering the events of the First Indochina War, waged between the French and the Vietnamese communists, then called the Viet Minh. Here we go from 1946 to 1950. For most ...

Episode 64: The First Indochina War, Part 1 from 2019-04-01T09:41

This is the first in what will be a series of episodes about the Indochina Wars, which afflicted Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos for more than forty years (1945-1989). Today we introduce the scene a...

Episode 63: Modern Burmese Birth Pangs from 2019-03-16T00:13

Now for this episode, we will learn about how modern Burma (Myanmar since 1989) became independent. Although the Burmese do not have to fight the British anymore, their troubles will come in bu...

Episode 62: The Hukbalahap Rebellion from 2019-03-01T12:46:55

For the next part of our narrative on Southeast Asia in the postwar/Cold War era, we will look at the Philippines, from 1945 to 1957. Here independence comes to the islands on July 4, 1946. Then ...

Episode 61: Who Killed the King of Siam? from 2019-02-15T01:24

I hope you had a good time with the special person in your life on Valentines Day -- because that was yesterday. Now it is time to listen to the latest episode of the podcast! Today we look at...

Episode 60: The Indonesian War of Independence from 2019-02-01T15:13

This episode begins our look at the conflicts during the Cold War era, by covering Indonesia's struggle for independence, from 1945 to 1949. Here is a map of the situation in the Dutch East Indi...

Episode 59: Nationalism Triumphant from 2019-01-15T10:03:12

Here is the first episode for 2019. New years mean new beginnings, and because the previous episode finished what this podcast had to say about World War II, we will be making a new beginning here...

Episode 58: The End of World War II from 2018-12-16T02:32:44

We made it! This is the last World War II episode in this podcast series, and the last episode scheduled for 2018. To all of you in advance, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Do you think you ...

Episode 57: Talking With Two Guys in Singapore from 2018-12-01T00:24

Today we take a break from the narrative, because I have been interviewed again. This time it was done by the two hosts of a new Singapore-based podcast, called "We Don't Mean to Dwell, But . ....

Episode 56: The Forgotten War in Burma, Part 4 from 2018-11-16T00:16

With this episode we finish the podcast narrative about World War II in Burma, or as we now call it, Myanmar. Here the British and the Japanese fight for the city of Rangoon, modern day Yangon....

Episode 55: The Forgotten War in Burma, Part 3 from 2018-11-01T00:27

Today we return to Burma, now called Myanmar, to hear about the efforts of the Allies, especially the British, to take back this land during World War II. Also, the Ledo Road will be finished, ...

Episode 54: The Liberation of the Philippines, Part 4 from 2018-10-16T17:45:57

With this episode, the podcast narrative about World War II in the Philippines is concluded. Here is the story of how the US 8th Army, with the help of Filipino guerrillas, took back the central a...

Episode 53: The Liberation of the Philippines, Part 3 from 2018-10-04T18:57

The American campaign in the Philippines continues into 1945 with this episode. Now that the Japanese fleet has been mostly destroyed, and the Americans have taken back Manila, they and the Fil...

Episode 52: The Liberation of the Philippines, Part 2 from 2018-09-16T10:53

This episode continues, but doesn't quite finish, what we started in Episode 50, the American campaign to liberate the Philippines. General Douglas MacArthur's troops take the central islands o...

Episode 51: Question and Answer Session 1 from 2018-09-01T19:34

Today we take a break from the usual routine, and you will hear me answer the questions which you the listeners sent in over the past month or two. Listen and enjoy! Do you think you would like...

Episode 50: The Liberation of the Philippines, Part 1 from 2018-08-16T06:12

This episode begins a series on the battles fought in the Philippines during 1944 and 1945, pitting the Americans and Filipinos against the Japanese. Here we will see General Douglas MacArthur ...

Episode 49: The Forgotten War in Burma, Part 2 from 2018-08-04T17:09

Today we look at the climax of World War II in the China-Burma-India theater. Here in 1944, Japan invaded India, and launched its last offensive in China, while the American general Joseph Stilwel...

Episode 48: The Forgotten War in Burma, Part 1 from 2018-07-23T06:49

With this episode the podcast returns to Southeast Asia during World War II. This time we look at what happened in Burma, modern-day Myanmar, from the middle of 1942 until early 1944. Orde Char...

Episode 47: The New Guinea Campaign, Part 3 from 2018-07-01T09:47

With today's episode, the podcast finishes covering World War II in New Guinea. Although the war turned in the Allies' favor in 1942, the struggle here would go on until the war ended everywher...

Episode 46: The New Guinea Campaign, Part 2 from 2018-06-15T21:40

The podcast is back, after a month-long break! Here we continue the coverage we started in the previous episode, about World War II in New Guinea. This time we will see the crucial turning poi...

I Am Going Away For A While from 2018-05-20T07:55:59

The next episode is going to be late.  Originally I was planning to record and upload it by June 1, but now it looks like I will have to aim for a release date in the middle of June.  Listen in ...

Episode 45: The New Guinea Campaign, Part 1 from 2018-05-16T05:57:52

This is another episode that is not set in Southeast Asia, but next to it. Today we begin the long jungle war in New Guinea, as the Japanese stage their first invasions of the world's second large...

Introducing American Innovations from 2018-05-10T05:48

Today a new podcast has been launched that I think you're going to love. It is called "American Innovations," and it combines science and history with a dramatic presentation. Check it out on iT...

Episode 44: Life Under the Japanese from 2018-05-01T07:21

Today marks a new month, and you know what that means -- it's time for a new episode! This time we have an overview of what life was like for those in Southeast Asia, during the years when Japa...

Episode 43: The Indian Ocean from 2018-04-16T06:30

Today we have a diversion from the narrative the podcast has been following lately. When Japan conquered Southeast Asia in early 1942, it gained access to the Indian Ocean, and the Japanese ven...

Episode 42: The Retreat Through Burma from 2018-04-01T12:15

This year three holidays fall on April 1: April Fool's Day, Easter and Passover. Now you have another reason to celebrate; Episode 42 is now available! This episode begins coverage of the Burma ...

Episode 41: The Battle for the Philippines, Part 2 from 2018-03-16T06:51

Now it is time to finish what we started in Episode 38, and cover the co...

Episode 40: The History Fangirl Interview from 2018-03-01T05:40

This episode is a break from the narrative usually presented. Recently Charles Kimball was interviewed for another podcast, History Fangirl, to give the historical background behind Thailand an...

Episode 39: Japan Goes South from 2018-02-15T06:02:05

It only took three months for the Japanese to conquer most of Indonesia, an area the Dutch had dominated for more than three hundred years. This episode continues the World War II narrative of the...

Episode 38: The Battle for the Philippines, Part 1 from 2018-02-01T05:37

Episode 38 continues on the topic the podcast has been covering since the year began -- World War II in Southeast Asia. This time we will see the Japanese invasion of the Philippines begin, but...

Episode 37: Japan Strikes, The Fall of Malaya and Singapore from 2018-01-16T05:33

In the last episode you heard about Japan invading China, occupying French Indochina, and bombing Pearl Harbor. Now this episode covers the 1941 Japanese invasion of Thailand, Malaya, and Singa...

Episode 36: Prelude to the Pacific War from 2018-01-01T09:12

Happy New Year, and to begin 2018, the podcast will begin covering the course of World War II in Southeast Asia. We will start by looking at the events in the early twentieth century that mot...

Episode 35: French Indochina, Part 4 from 2017-12-16T10:24:06

This is the last episode in the French Indochina mini-series (the others are Episodes 25, 26 and 34), and the last episode for 2017. Here we wrap up by looking at the development of nationalist mo...

Episode 34: French Indochina, Part 3 from 2017-12-01T00:25:46

For Episode 34, we continue our look at Southeast Asia in the early twentieth century (up to 1941), with a visit to Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, while the French were running those countries. If yo...

Episode 33: Nationalism in the Dutch East Indies from 2017-11-16T11:10

This episode continues our narrative on Southeast Asia in the early twentieth century, by looking at Indonesia, then called the Dutch East Indies, from 1901 to 1941 (A.D.). First we will learn ...

Episode 32: Nationalism in British Burma from 2017-11-01T00:29

For our 32nd episode (33rd if you count the introduction), we will return to the Southeast Asian mainland, and cover the history of Burma, modern-day Myanmar, in the early twentieth century. In...

Episode 31: The Philippines, the Hollywood Years from 2017-10-16T16:28:16

With this episode, we begin a narrative completely in the twentieth century, so welcome to recent history! Here we also conclude the four-part miniseries about the Philippines, around the beginnin...

Episode 30: The American War in the Philippines from 2017-10-01T17:30:24

This is the third episode in the mini-series we are currently doing about the Philippines. Here we cover the three-year war the Americans fought to keep the islands after they arrived in 1898. ...

Episode 29: America Comes to the Philippines from 2017-09-16T08:58:31

This episode covers the part of the Spanish-American War that was fought in the Philippines. In doing so we will introduce the last colonial power to come to Southeast Asia, the United States. In...

Episode 28: Philippine Nationalism from 2017-09-02T16:47:40

This episode catches up on the Philippines, a part of Southeast Asia the podcast last talked about in Episode 14. Here you will hear how Spain lost its tight grip on the islands, and the developme...

Episode 27: A New Siam from 2017-08-16T10:42:09

Having talked about how the Europeans conquered other parts of Southeast Asia in previous episodes, today we will look at the one nation that kept itself from becoming a colony -- Siam. This episo...

Episode 26: French Indochina, Part 2 from 2017-08-01T19:29:46

This podcast episode finishes what the previous episode started, covering the French conquest of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, from 1867 to 1907. This map shows the French conquest, step by step. ...

Episode 25: French Indochina, Part 1 from 2017-07-16T19:50:44

Now the podcast moves to the east side of the Southeast Asian mainland. This is the first in a two-part series on how the French conquered Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. If you are interested in wh...

Episode 24: On the Road to Mandalay from 2017-07-01T14:52:32

Would you believe it, the podcast is now one year old! In continuation of the narrative, this episode will cover the history of Burma/Myanmar in the nineteenth century. The main event is the Brit...

Episode 23, British Singapore, Malaya, and Borneo from 2017-06-17T20:25:49

With this episode the podcast introduces the fourth Western empire to acquire colonies in Southeast Asia, the British Empire. Although Britain was a late participant in the imperial game, by the n...

Episode 22, The Dutch East Indies from 2017-06-01T13:36:58

After taking a bit of a break last month, we are now ready to resume the narrative, with the first episode covering events in the nineteenth century. This time we will see how the Dutch conquered ...

Episode 21, A Second Introduction from 2017-05-16T14:13:47

This is a special mini-episode, because if you have been listening to the narrative, we have finished the early modern era (1500 to 1800) and are now about to begin the colonial era (1800 to 1965) ...

Episode 20, Eighteenth Century Burma&Siam from 2017-05-01T14:30:35

This episode covers the latest round in the ongoing conflict between Myanmar and Thailand, or as they were called before the twentieth century, Burma and Siam. At the height of the fighting, the B...

Episode 19, The First Two Divisions of Vietnam from 2017-04-17T15:31:31

This episode covers Vietnam in the early modern era, from 1471 to 1819. Twice during this period, Vietnam was divided between rival factions, from 1527 to 1592, and then from 1592 to 1802. We wil...

Episode 18, Arakan and All That from 2017-04-01T14:32:36

Today's episode wraps up coverage of seventeenth-century events in Burma, Siam and Laos, with some really obscure stories about two kingdoms that no longer exist: Arakan and Lan Xang. We will cov...

Episode 17, The Dutch East India Company from 2017-03-16T15:04:13

In recent episodes we have met two European nations that explored and exploited parts of Southeast Asia, Portugal and Spain. Now this episode introduces the Dutch and tells how they got involved i...

Episode 16, The Elephant Wars, Part 2 from 2017-03-01T09:39:02

This episode finishes what we started covering last time, the wars on the Southeast Asian mainland in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Whereas we mainly looked at two Burmese kings l...

Episode 15, The Elephant Wars, Part 1 from 2017-02-15T09:41:30

The last four episodes have mainly talked about events on Southeast Asia's islands, so now we will return to the mainland and the conflict that we started to cover at the end of Episode 10. Specia...

Episode 14, The Spanish Philippines from 2017-02-01T10:58:57

In the previous episode we learned how Spain discovered the Philippines, so in this episode Spain will name and conquer the Philippine islands, making them a colony for more than three hundred year...

Episode 13, Magellan's Not-so-excellent Adventure from 2017-01-16T09:24:35

In this episode, a second European nation, Spain, gets involved in Southeast Asia by discovering the Philippines, a part of Southeast Asia that had not gotten much attention previously. Then we...

Episode 12, The Portuguese Trailblazers from 2017-01-01T10:31:34

This is the first episode of 2017, and the first episode covering events in the modern era. Here we will meet the Portuguese, the first Europeans to sail across the oceans in large numbers, see...

Episode 11, The Long Road From Mecca to Manila from 2016-12-16T07:14

There is one more major player in Southeast Asia to introduce before the Europeans arrive, and that player is Islam. This episode will focus on how Islam came to this part of the world, with sp...

Episode 10, The Birth of Siam and Laos from 2016-12-01T12:20:48

We're almost finished looking at Southeast Asia in the Middle Ages. This episode tells how Siam (modern Thailand) and Lan Xang (Laos) got started. And you will get to hear me mangle more names th...

Episode 9, The First Burmese Empire from 2016-11-16T06:11

This episode covers Burma (also called Myanmar) in the Middle Ages, with special emphasis on the Bagan Empire. Visit a city with more than 2,000 pagodas!  Learn what makes Theravada Buddhism di...

Episode 8, The Five Hundred Years War from 2016-11-01T09:00:14

This episode covers Vietnam from 939 to 1471. During this time two nations existed in the territory of present-day Vietnam (three if you count the Khmers ruling the Mekong delta). Those nation...

Episode 7, The Khmers from 2016-10-16T08:43

We're now up to the most spectacular civilization in ancient/medieval Southeast Asia. This episode covers Cambodia from 550 to 1431, the golden age of the Khmers, ancestors of today's Cambodian...

Episode 6, Pre-Islamic Indonesia from 2016-10-01T10:35

This episode covers Indonesia from the year 600 to 1500, the years when historical records become available, but before most Indonesians converted to Islam (that will be a topic for a future epi...

Episode 5, Ancient Burma and Nanzhao from 2016-09-16T13:32

For this episode, the main topic is how the nation of Burma, also called Myanmar, got started. We will see the Burmese and tribes related to them settle the north, and we will take a special lo...

Episode 4, Early Vietnam from 2016-09-01T09:18

This episode will focus on the east coast of the Southeast Asian mainland, going up to 938 A.D. This timeframe covers the beginning of two nations: Vietnam and Champa. Only one of them is aro...

Episode 3, Mandalas from 2016-08-16T09:11:55

The first Southeast Asian nations larger than a city-state appeared in or near the first century A.D. In other words, roughly two thousand years ago. This episode will look at Funan, the major...

Episode 2, The Main Players Arrive from 2016-08-01T07:55:23

The Southeast Asians you are familiar with came originally from China, in at least five waves of migration: the Austronesians or Malays, the Mon-Khmers, the Vietnamese, the Tibeto-Burmans and t...

Episode 1, The First Southeast Asians from 2016-07-15T21:18

Our narrative begins with Southeast Asia in prehistoric times. We will look at Java Man, Solo Man, Wadjak Man, Meganthropus, Gigantopithecus, Homo floresiensis, the Negritos, and the amazing Ba...

Episode 0, Introduction from 2016-07-01T20:14

Meet the podcaster and get a geographical description of Southeast Asia, before jumping into the historical narrative that will make up the rest of this podcast series.

Sup...