Darlene Machell ESPENA
Full-time Faculty
Associate Professor of Southeast Asian Studies (Education); Associate Dean (Student Matters); Associate Fellow of PSR; Course Coordinator for Big Questions
College of Integrative Studies
CIS
Qualifications
- PhD in History, Nanyang Technological University, 2017
- MSc in Asian Studies, Nanyang Technological University, 2012
- BA in Social Sciences (Major in Area Studies), University of the Philippines Manila, 2006
Research Interests
- Southeast Asian Cultural History
- Dance and Film in Cold War in Southeast Asia
- Memory, Film, and Politics in Transnational Asia
- Film, Interdisciplinary Pedagogy, and Education
Course(s) Taught in SMU
- Big Questions
- Scratches on their Minds: Images of Asia in Hollywood
- Cultural History of the Cold War: Battle for Hearts and Minds
- Screening Asia: History, Society and Politics in Film
- Special Topics in Political Science: International Relations of Asia on Film
- Film in Southeast Asia
Research Areas and Areas of Expertise
Strategic Priorities
HighlightsDarlene Machell de Leon Espeña is an interdisciplinary scholar and educator specializing in Southeast Asian history, film, politics, and heritage, with a decade of university teaching and a strong record of research, curriculum development, and academic service across Asia and beyond.
Bridges historical, political, and cultural analysis with innovative teaching and curriculum development; recognized for advancing interdisciplinary approaches to Southeast Asian studies and film; recipient of multiple international awards and fellowships; active in academic leadership, mentoring, and outreach; fosters global perspectives through research, teaching, and community engagement.
Focused research areas include Intersections of cinema, politics, and nation-building in Cold War Southeast Asia; transnational networks in Asian film; corporeal diplomacy and cultural performance; pedagogical value of film in interdisciplinary education; migration, identity, and globalization in Southeast Asia.
Bridges historical, political, and cultural analysis with innovative teaching and curriculum development; recognized for advancing interdisciplinary approaches to Southeast Asian studies and film; recipient of multiple international awards and fellowships; active in academic leadership, mentoring, and outreach; fosters global perspectives through research, teaching, and community engagement.
Focused research areas include Intersections of cinema, politics, and nation-building in Cold War Southeast Asia; transnational networks in Asian film; corporeal diplomacy and cultural performance; pedagogical value of film in interdisciplinary education; migration, identity, and globalization in Southeast Asia.
Areas of Expertise
HistoryFilmPoliticsHeritageEducation
Past Awarded Grant
- Educational Research Fellowship, Singapore Management University (2021)
- SMU Internal Research Grant, Cat. A. Singapore Management University, funded by the Ministry of Education: Tier 1 Academic Research Fund: For project: Corporeal Politics: Cambodian Dancers in the West. (2021)
- SMU Internal Research Grant, Cat. A. Singapore Management University, funded by the Ministry of Education: Tier 1 Academic Research Fund: For project: Choreographing the Nation: Dance as Diplomacy in the Cold War, Cambodia. (2019)
- Pacific Delegate, Carnegie Council: Asia Dialogues, Fact-Finding Trip to Indonesia (2017)
- Top 15 Essay Contribution, "Defeating the Bondage of Opulence in Nigeria: A New Class of World's Richest Blacks" St. Gallen Symposium, Switzerland (2015)
This highlights are AI-generated content using the faculty's CV.
Qualifications
- PhD in History, Nanyang Technological University, 2017
- MSc in Asian Studies, Nanyang Technological University, 2012
- BA in Social Sciences (Major in Area Studies), University of the Philippines Manila, 2006
Research Interests
- Southeast Asian Cultural History
- Dance and Film in Cold War in Southeast Asia
- Memory, Film, and Politics in Transnational Asia
- Film, Interdisciplinary Pedagogy, and Education
Course(s) Taught in SMU
- Big Questions
- Scratches on their Minds: Images of Asia in Hollywood
- Cultural History of the Cold War: Battle for Hearts and Minds
- Screening Asia: History, Society and Politics in Film
- Special Topics in Political Science: International Relations of Asia on Film
- Film in Southeast Asia