Political Podcasting in Hybrid Regimes: Expanding Informal Political Education in Singapore

Conference: The European Conference on Education (ECE2022)
Title: Political Podcasting in Hybrid Regimes: Expanding Informal Political Education in Singapore
Stream: Teaching Experiences, Pedagogy, Practice & Praxis
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Authors:
Walid Jumblatt Abdullah, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Abstract:

This article explores podcasting as both a pedagogical tool for informal political education and for navigating the contours of political realities in Singapore. As a hybrid or competitive authoritarian regime, the political space in Singapore is more constricted than in many other countries. Consequently, a culture of self-censorship has emerged. Through exploring a podcast called Teh Tarik With Walid, an Instagram Live-cum-podcast in which a local political scientist hosts politicians from various parties and political influencers in a roughly hour-long interview, I argue that podcasting expands the political space in hybrid regimes through two inter-related ways. First, it can make politics more accessible to the younger generation, one which is detached from mainstream media, television channels and newspapers, especially in a context where there is a subject political culture. Second, the informality of podcasting allows for more room for pushing of the political boundaries, through both the discussion of serious political issues in light-hearted ways, and through the normalization of conversations with politicians, including from the opposition. The combination of these two factors results in a version of deliberative democracy being at play through this online series.

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