Podcast
ACAM Dialogues Podcast
Hosted by ACAM Dialogues Podcast · EN
The ACAM Dialogues is a series of student-focused dialogues events that began in 2017 and continues today. The Dialogues is hosted annually by student staff members of the Asian Canadian and Asian Migration Studies (ACAM) program. With events and projects ranging from discussion events, symposiums, panels, multimedia productions, and social drop-ins, the Dialogues draws from topics that emerge in student discussions towards collective learning and community-building. This podcast was made possible by the Chan Family Foundation’s generous support. // LEARN MORE: acamdialogues.arts.ubc.ca
24episodes
Episodes
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More Than a Moment: Harpo Mander on the 5X Festival and the Rise of South Asian Music
Jun 7, 202500:34:35Tap to summarizePunjabi and South Asian music is receiving global attention, especially after the inaugural category of South Asian Music Recording of the Year at the JUNOs this year. To touch on the significance of this, Rhea is joined in conversation with Harpo Mander. Harpo is the Executive Director of 5X, which is the leading music and arts organization for diasporic Punjabis in Metro Vancouver. As a champion for South Asian artists, she has helped to transform the cultural landscape through advocacy, mentorship, and industry partnerships. As Co-Chair of the inaugural JUNOS South Asian Music Committee, Harpo has advanced national recognition for South Asian talent, and most recently made history as the first Punjabi woman appointed to the Board of BC’s PavCo.
Transcribe →From Seed to Story: Reflecting on the Backyard Garden Project
May 28, 202500:47:20Tap to summarizeJoin Nathan in conversation with Cat Hung and Jenny Lu as they reflect on their roles in the co-curated Backyard Garden Project—a collaborative exhibit between the Museum of Vancouver, ACAM, and ACRE. This episode traces the exhibit’s evolution, from its initial ideas and goals to the post-pandemic workshops and community gatherings that emerged from its development.Together, they explore themes of food security and sovereignty, and examine the cultural significance of food in Chinese communities—how it connects to memory, place, intergenerational knowledge, and identity. Through personal stories and collaborative insight, the episode offers a thoughtful look at how community-based projects can nurture both cultural resilience and collective healing.
Transcribe →An ACAM Catch-Up with Nathan and Rhea
May 13, 202500:39:37Tap to summarizeJoin your ACAM Dialogues hosts, Nathan Ko and Rhea Mann, as they catch-up and reflect on the end of the semester. The hosts discuss some of their favourite episodes and moments in the ACAM community from the past few months, as well as some personal updates. Rhea shares some thoughts on her exchange term at the University of Edinburgh, and Nathan talks about graduating, his new job, and future plans!
Transcribe →Celebrating Asian-Canadian Filmmaking in ACAM With Curtis Huang and Evens Wong
Apr 1, 202500:53:00Tap to summarizeThis episode, Rhea is joined by two UBC ACAM alums Curtis Huang and Evens Wong. Both Curtis and Evens, and their short films featured in our ACAM 350 event from February. In this roundtable discussion, we get to take a deeper look into their respective films “Vancouver Special” and “Looking for Popo”. Exploring themes of migration, nostalgia, grief, and memory, Evens and Curtis remind us why Asian Canadian voices and stories must continue to be uplifted! Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
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Breaking Down the Boba Scandal and Cultural Appropriation
Nov 30, 202400:33:25Tap to summarizeIn this episode of the ACAM Dialogues Podcast, Nathan and Rhea discuss the recent Dragons Den episode that features a white-owned Boba tea company. Rhea gives a recap of the episode and how guest Dragon Simu Liu addresses the issues of cultural appropriation. Nathan also discusses The Mahjong Line, a company created by three white women with the intent to redesign the game that has well known roots in China. Nathan and Rhea end the episode with their segment The Watchlist, where they discuss Richard Fung’s “Reorientations” and UBC alumni Victoria So’s “In Search of Mah Hang”.
Transcribe →Interrogating the White Gaze: A Conversation with Chris Cheung
Nov 15, 202400:49:18Tap to summarizeJoin Nathan and Rhea in conversation with Chris Chueng, Vancouver journalist and author of “Under the White Gaze: Solving the Problem of Race and Representation in Canadian Journalism”. Chris speaks to how journalists can write stories that defy the white gaze, how readers can question who stories are for, and how to be a more conscious consumer of media. Nathan and Rhea also continue their new segment “The Watchlist” discussing Shogun, Late Bloomers, and Culinary Class Wars.
Transcribe →Mini Episode: Get to Know Rhea and Nathan
Oct 18, 202400:21:12Tap to summarizeThis week, get to know your new ACAM Dialogues hosts: Rhea Mann and Nathan Ko. Rhea and Nathan introduce themselves to listeners, share their respective migration stories to so-called Canada, speak about their passions and interests. The new podcast team also shared their plan for future episodes, and introduced a new segment: The Watchlist. This week Rhea and Nathan discuss Fly Me to the Moon, The Juno Awards, and Past Lives. Tune in now.
Transcribe →The beginnings of ACAM: Japanese Canadian Activism (w/ Mary & Tosh Kitagawa)
Sep 24, 202400:46:39Tap to summarizeTo celebrate ACAM’s 10 year anniversary, this month we have a special conversation with Mary and Tosh Kitagawa - two Japanese-Canadian advocates who were instrumental in the creation of the ACAM program. Tune in as we speak with Mary and Tosh about fighting for recognition of the 76 interned Japanese-Canadian students, the necessity of speaking up, and how we might find community in the process. Tune in now. – Guest bio - Mary and her husband Tosh Kitagawa are educators and advocates, best known for their campaign to recognize the 76 Japanese Canadian students who were forcibly removed from the University of British Columbia during internment. ACAM Welcome Back Party & Journal Launch
Transcribe →Centering joy: health, cultural identity, and group therapy (ft. Dr. Ben Cheung)
Jul 31, 202400:41:21Tap to summarizeHealth—whether physical or mental well-being—is a crucial focus in many of our lives. Yet, it becomes even more complex within the context of diasporic communities. This episode dives into these intricacies, emphasizing the transformative power of centering joy. For this month’s episode, we sat down with Dr. Benjamin Cheung who teaches ACAM 320B: Health amongst Asian diaspora in Canada to talk joy, cultural psychology, and his experience teaching the course. Tune in now. – Guest bio - Dr. Benjamin Cheung is a Lecturer and Indigenous Initiatives Coordinator in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia.
Transcribe →Flight mode: travel, privilege, and identity (ft. Chris Patterson)
Jun 27, 202400:35:02Tap to summarizeLike many of us travelling for the first time, Isa’s first solo-trip to Asia brought about a lot of conflicting feelings, questions and thoughts — What privileges might our passports and accents afford us as we move through the world? What does it mean to be marked foreign or have to deliberately mark yourself foreign in places where everyone looks like you? What happens when we voyage to places and find ourselves caught in the middle of existing conflicts larger than ourselves? Hoping to find some answers, this month she sat down with Chris Patterson, author of Stamped: an anti travel novel, and lead developer of “Stamped: an anti travel game” to discuss these hard questions around travel, privilege and identity. Tune in now. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Guest bio - Christopher B. Patterson is an Associate Professor in the Social Justice Institute at the University of British Columbia. His research focuses on transpacific discourses of literature, games, and films through the lens of empire studies, queer theory and creative writing.
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