“Water Connections,” a new episode of the “What Makes Us Human” podcast series, explores the critical role the oceans have played in Southeast Asia. The podcast’s fourth season -- "What Does Water Mean to Us Humans?" -- showcases the newest thinking across academic disciplines about the relationship between humans and water.
“I would describe myself as a historian of water, and how water, open ocean, regional seas, even rivers and creeks have connected disparate geographies,” says Eric Tagliacozzo, professor of history in the College of Arts and Sciences, in his podcast.
Tagliacozzo’s books include “Secret Trades, Porous Borders: Smuggling and States Along a Southeast Asian Frontier,” an analysis of the history of smuggling in the region, and “The Longest Journey: Southeast Asians and the Pilgrimage to Mecca.” He has also written on trans-nationalism in Asia, Burmese lives under a coercive regime, and on the parameters of Chinese trade. His current project examines the linked maritime histories of Asia, from Yemen east to Yokohoma.
The “What Makes Us Human?” podcast is produced by the College of Arts and Sciences in collaboration with the Cornell Broadcast Studios and features audio essays written and recorded by Cornell faculty. New episodes are released each Tuesday through the spring semester, airing on WHCU and WVBR. The episodes are also available for download on iTunes and SoundCloud and for streaming on the A&S humanities page, where text versions of the essays are also posted.
Image: Traditional Indonesian two-masted sailing ship featured in 100-rupiah banknote.
