The Limits Of Identity Politics

March 30, 2021 Culture, Global Issues, History, Language, Politics, Race/Identity

University of Manchester sociology professor Gary Younge joins us to talk about how societies operate based on assumptions and privileges granted to people based on their identities.

A 50-Year Look At American Immigration

March 29, 2021 Culture, Current Events, History, Politics

Sarah R. Coleman, assistant professor of history at Texas State University, joins us to work through near-term policy options and to talk about ideas for improving the conditions in the countries migrants are fleeing.

The People Left Out By The Classical Definition Of Beauty

March 26, 2021 Culture, History, Race/Identity

Philosophy professor Chloé Cooper Jones joins us to talk about the vulnerability and rejection of being “othered” because of a disability while learning to find strength and solace within herself.

New To America? Here’s Where To Start

March 25, 2021 Culture, Current Events, Education, History, Race/Identity

Roya Hakakian joins us talk about her instruction manual for newcomers to this country, acting as tour operator for all the wonder of American sights and sounds.

Fatphobia And Covid Risk

March 24, 2021 Culture, Health, History, Science and Technology

Virginia Sole-Smith, a journalist and author of The Eating Instinct, joins us to talk about weight stigma in scientific research and subpar medical treatment attached to high BMI.

A Case For A Great Migration Back To The South

March 24, 2021 Culture, Education, History, Race/Identity

New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow joins us to talk about his ideas for how to create lasting social change, honor culture and memory, and fight back against systemic racism.

The Brilliant Women Walt Disney Drew From

March 23, 2021 Culture, History

Nathalia Holt joins us to talk about Disney’s Golden Age and the women who fought gender discrimination behind the scenes.

The Genesis Of The Bible

March 22, 2021 Culture, Education, History, Language, Literature

Kristin Swenson is an associate professor of religious studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, and she joins us to talk about approaching the Bible anew with a sense of wonder and context.

When Helping A Patient Means Ending Their Life

March 22, 2021 Culture, Health, History, Science and Technology

Katie Engelhart is a fellow at New America, and she joins us to talk about the doctors who assist patients with their own deaths and the tightrope they walk in doing so.

Bulk And Beauty: The Evolution Of Women Bodybuilders

March 18, 2021 Culture, Health, History, Sports

Petra Browne joins us to talk about her own journey into the world of competitive bodybuilding, why exceptional power must come with weight loss, and how traditional female roles still reign supreme in a boundary-breaking sport.

When Birth Mothers Were Shamed Into Adoption

March 17, 2021 Culture, Health, History, Race/Identity

Gabrielle Glaser joins us to tell the story of how a system of closed adoptions across the nation operated on shifty moral ground and separated mother from child in the name of a wholesome environment.

Why Scientists Experiment With Demons (Yes, Really)

March 15, 2021 Education, History, Science and Technology

Jimena Canales of the University of Illinois joins us to talk about the scientific thought process of some of the world’s most brilliant minds, a wild journey into imagination, fear, and theory to make the impossible, possible.