Pop culture in protests

As the repertoires and aesthetics of contemporary protest movements evolve, elements of East Asian popular culture come into focus. The episode examines how pop culture is assigned political significance, embraced as a pro-democracy symbol, and transforms the landscape of global political activism.  This episode is hosted by Ms Earn Asanasak, in conversation with Ms Ratu Ayu Asih Kusuma Putri.  Ratu Ayu Asih Kusuma Putri is a PhD candidate and a 2025 Law Academic Associate at the Asian Law Centre, Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne. Her research interests focus on forced migration, migrant activism, and human rights in Southeast Asia.  Recommended further reading: East Asia’s Pop Culture in an Age of Protest https://thediplomat.com/2025/04/east-asias-pop-culture-in-an-age-of-protest/ Gen Z Protesters are Uniting Behind a Manga Pirate Flag https://edition.cnn.com/2025/09/19/asia/one-piece-flag-indonesia-nepal-protesters-intl-hnk-dst The Aesthetics of Global Protest: Visual Culture and Communication https://cris.brighton.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/7777839/1006541_1_.pdf Asian Law Voices presents interviews with an array of expert voices on legal issues throughout Asia, covering the law and its myriad connections with politics, culture, art, society and the everyday.  Asian Law Voices is a podcast of the Asian Law Centre (ALC) and the Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society (CILIS), at Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne.   Our theme music is by Melbourne Community Gamelan.  We acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners of the land on which we record, learn, and live.