The recent arrivals of boatloads of Rohingya refugees on Aceh’s shores is a stark reminder that the asylum seeker issue is not going away. With onward pathways to Australia and beyond cut off and resettlement extremely slow, will Indonesia shift its rhetoric and recognise its status as a destination, rather than a transit country for refugees? What will this mean for those stranded in Indonesia? Will they finally be permitted to integrate and make a place in society? In this week's episode Dr. Jemma Purdey chats with Antje Missbach, Professor of Sociology at Bielefeld University, Germany.

The frenzied final weeks of campaigning leading up to the presidential election on 14 February were high octane and packed with promises, symbols, celebrity and cash. When the dance literally stopped, in the traditional cooling off period a few days ahead of the polls opening, a documentary film called Dirty Vote dropped on YouTube.

In 2023 an EL Niño weather pattern across Indonesia made it the hottest year on record, leading to drought conditions and impacting rice production, with delayed harvests and low yields. Since late last year rice prices have continued to climb. In this episode of Talking Indonesia Jemma Purdey chats with Associate Professor Jamie Davidson, leader of the Cluster ‘Food Politics and Society' at the National University of Singapore, about the current state of food production and food security in Indonesia.

In the recent national elections, the candidates paid surprisingly little attention to one of the greatest challenges Indonesia and the world at large is currently facing – that of climate change. What are Indonesia’s stated commitments and ambitions towards an energy transition away from fossil fuels? Does it have a plan to get there? And what will it take?

Prabowo has exceeded expectations to claim victory in 2024 Indonesian presidential election. What do our Talking Indonesia's co-hosts think about the result? In this episode of Talking Indonesia, the co-hosts Jemma Purdey, Lis Kramer, Jacqui Baker and Tito Ambyo get together to chat about the election result, their analysis plus their hopes and fears for the future of Indonesian democracy.

With the election just weeks away the campaign for the presidency is in full flight. In this week’s episode Jemma Purdey chats with Marcus Mietzner, Associate Professor at the Department of Political and Social Change, Coral Bell School of Asia-Pacific Affairs, Australian National University.

Formal diplomatic relations do not exist between Israel and Indonesia so direct interactions between these two peoples are rare. Yet as Indonesia’s expanding middle classes enjoy greater access to international travel, Muslim and Christian Indonesians are increasingly visiting the holy land. Have these encounters shifted the perceptions of these pilgrims about the conflict Israel-Palestine conflict? Jemma Purdey explores this question with anthropologist Mirjam Lücking.

In her new book 'Systemic Silencing: Activism, Memory and Sexual Violence in Indonesia', Kate McGregor takes a close look at the treatment of women in Indonesia and seeks to understand it in the context of Indonesia’s own colonial and post-colonial history. What were the social contexts in Indonesia prior to and following the Japanese Occupation in relation to women, sexual exploitation and prostitution? What did it take for the voices of these survivors to be heard? How is this period in Indonesia’s history remembered today? And what are its legacies for activism on sexual violence?