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About Petra Alderman

Petra Alderman (prev. Desatova) is a post-doctoral research fellow at the International Development Department at the University of Birmingham, and a research fellow with Birmingham's Centre for Elections, Democracy, Accountability and Representation (CEDAR). She is also an associate researcher at the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies at the University of Copenhagen. Petra's research interests lie in the area of authoritarian legitimation, electoral studies and promotional politics. Her regional focus is on Southeast Asia and has a particular expertise on Thailand.

Petra Alderman (prev. Desatova) is an associate researcher at the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies and a post-doctoral research fellow at the International Development Department at the University of Birmingham. Her research interests lie in the area of authoritarian legitimation, electoral studies and promotional politics. Her regional focus is on Southeast Asia and has a particular expertise on Thailand.

Petra's website

NBN Episodes hosted by Petra:

People, Power, Politics November 17, 2023

Political Polarisation: Have We Got It Wrong?

A Discussion with Andreas Schedler

Andreas Schedler

Hosted by Petra Alderman
What is political polarisation? How different is it from ‘normal’ democratic conflict? And why have we been getting it wrong? Listen to Andreas Schedler and Petra Alderman talk about the …
Nordic Asia Podcast September 1, 2023

Digital Repression in Thailand

A Conversation with Janjira Sombatpoonsiri

Janjira Sombatpoonsiri

Hosted by Petra Alderman
Listen:
How serious an issue is digital repression in Thailand? Who is behind it? And what effects does it have on Thai people? Listen to Janjira Sombatpoonsiri as she talks to …
People, Power, Politics August 16, 2023

What Can We Learn from Indonesian Democracy?

A Conversation with Dan Slater

Dan Slater

Hosted by Petra Alderman
Listen:
What can we learn from Indonesia about democratic resilience and backsliding? Why should we think of Indonesian democracy as a useful example? And what are the three key lessons we …
People, Power, Politics July 25, 2023

Is Democracy in Trouble?

A Discussion with Nic Cheeseman

Nic Cheeseman

Hosted by Petra Alderman
Listen:
How much do we need to worry about the global state of democracy? And what do we need to do to better understand what is happening in different parts of …
Nordic Asia Podcast June 16, 2023

Can Thailand Move Forward?

A Discussion of the May 2023 Thai Election with Duncan McCargo and Ken Lohatepanont

Duncan McCargo and Ken Lohatepanont

Hosted by Petra Alderman
Listen:
Why was the May 2023 Thai election such a historic election? What does the surprising Move Forward victory tell us about the state of Thai politics? And what happens next …
Nordic Asia Podcast May 12, 2023

China's Green Consensus

A Discussion with Virginie Arantes

Virginie Arantes

Hosted by Petra Alderman
How has China’s one-party system dealt with the country’s growing environmental issues? And what implications does its green turn have on people’s everyday realities? Virginie Arantes joins Petra Alderman, associate …
Nordic Asia Podcast February 3, 2023

Broken Pathways

Women’s Political Leadership in Sri Lanka

Ramona Vijeyarasa and Nadine Vanniasinkam

Hosted by Petra Alderman
Why are there so few women from non-elite backgrounds in Sri Lankan politics? What barriers do they face on their pathways to politics? And what can be done to support …
Nordic Asia Podcast May 30, 2022

The Race for the Governor

Talking Bangkok Elections with Saksith Saiyasombut

Saksith Saiyasombut

Hosted by Petra Alderman
Why did Chadchart Sittipunt win the Bangkok governor race? What does his win tell us about broader political trends in Thailand? And how did it feel covering the Bangkok election …
Nordic Asia Podcast March 4, 2022

Thai Totalitarians? Why the Love of Authoritarian Symbols?

A discussion with Verita Sriratana

Hosted by Petra Alderman
Why did Restart Thailand, a 2020 student-led pro-democracy movement, sport a red Communist-style logo with a hammer and sickle? Why did a Thai BNK48 singer wear a swastika t-shirt for …
Nordic Asia Podcast December 20, 2021

Understanding South Korea’s Taegukgi Rallies

A Conversation with Myunghee Lee

Myunghee Lee

Hosted by Petra Alderman
Why did so many of South Korea’s senior citizens take to the streets between 2016 and 2019? What motivated their participation in rallies? And what do these rallies tell us …
Nordic Asia Podcast November 26, 2021

Network Monarchy’ and Its Challengers

Making Sense of Thai Politics with Duncan McCargo

Duncan McCargo

Hosted by Petra Alderman
What does a cup of coffee tell us about Thailand’s intricate power relations? Where does the country’s monarchy come into this? And why does it matter? Prominent political scientist and …
Nordic Asia Podcast September 17, 2021

Salafism and the State

Islamic Activism and National Identity in Contemporary Indonesia

Chris Chaplin

Hosted by Petra Alderman
How important is Islam to Indonesia’s identity? How different is Salafism from a more mainstream Sunni Islam? Why is it popular with mostly young Indonesian Muslims? And what effect does …
Nordic Asia Podcast January 20, 2021

Thailand's Rice Politics with Jacob Ricks

Jacob Ricks

Hosted by Petra Alderman
In this fascinating episode, Jacob Ricks joins Petra Desatova to talk about the politics of rice and rice prices in Thailand. Why is rice such a politically significant subject in …
Nordic Asia Podcast December 23, 2020

Sports Events, Nation Building and City Politics in Indonesia with Friederike Trotier

Friederike Trotier

Hosted by Petra Alderman
Friederike Trotier talks to Petra Desatova about her recent book titled Nation, City, Arena: Sports Events, Nation-Building and City Politics in Indonesia, published by NIAS Press. Friederike shares her insights …
Nordic Asia Podcast November 11, 2020

American Imperialism, Thai Scholarship and Buddhist Cosmology with Matthew Phillips

Matthew Phillips

Hosted by Petra Alderman
How did American imperialism affect Thai scholarship? And what does Buddhist cosmology got to do with the Thai royal tours to Burma and the United States in the 1960s? In …
Nordic Asia Podcast August 28, 2020

Hidden Histories of Thai Nuns with Martin Seeger

Martin Seeger

Hosted by Petra Alderman
In this podcast, Martin Seeger from the University of Leeds joins Petra Desatova of NIAS to talk about his recent book Gender and the Path to Awakening: Hidden Histories of …
Nordic Asia Podcast August 10, 2020

The Politics of Branding Kazakhstan and Qatar with Kristin Eggeling

Kristin Eggeling

Hosted by Petra Alderman
In this episode, Kristin Eggeling from the University of Copenhagen talks to Petra Desatova of NIAS about her recently published book Nation-Branding in Practice: The Politics of Promoting Sports, Cities and Universities …
Nordic Asia Podcast July 23, 2020

Ethnic Vietnamese in Cambodia with Lucrezia Canzutti

Lucrezia Canzutti

Hosted by Petra Alderman
In this episode, Lucrezia Canzutti talks to Petra Desatova of NIAS about the lives of ethnic Vietnamese in Cambodia: who are these people? How did they end up living in Cambodia …
Nordic Asia Podcast July 17, 2020

Buddhism and Constitutional Change in Thailand with Khemthong Tonsakulrungruang

Khemthong Tonsakulrungruang

Hosted by Petra Alderman
Since becoming a constitutional monarchy in 1932, Thailand has been governed by twenty different constitutions. Although they all had their own unique features, constitutions from 1997 onwards placed much emphasis …
Nordic Asia Podcast May 24, 2020

Thailand’s Politically Less Privileged People with Saowanee Alexander

Saowanee Alexander

Hosted by Petra Alderman
In this podcast Saowanee Alexander of Ubon Ratchathani University talks to Petra Desatova from NIAS about Thailand’s politically less privileged people: who are they and why do they matter? How do they …
Nordic Asia Podcast May 20, 2020

The Global Sushi Hype with Tine Walravens

Tine Walravens

Hosted by Petra Alderman
In this episode of The Nordic Asia Podcast, Tine Walravens of Copenhagen Business School joins Petra Desatova of NIAS for a conversation on the global sushi hype. Although often thought of …