Season Two
Recent Episodes
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What to listen to this Pride Month
3 months agoPride Month is here! And we’re celebrating by showcasing our favorite discussions on gender, sexuality, and identity + 35% off the books from these episodes when you use code Pride21 at checkout. Featuring conversations with Jenn Pelly, Carol J. Adams, and special guest Alok Vaid-Menon.
Don’t forget to explore the rest of our Pride Month Reading List with free digital resources and discounted books through June.
Season 2 Trailer
4 months agoThe Bloomsbury Academic Podcast is more than just a book talk. Each episode is its own unique forum, bringing Bloomsbury authors and experts to the front of the conversation and tackling key issues in today’s culture, both in academia and beyond. Season one is now available here on our website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever it is you get your podcasts. Season 2 starts June 10 and is the same exciting format, with a whole host of new authors.
Conversations on the Environment
5 months agoCritical debates around the climate crisis continue to dominate social and political discourse, requiring us to consider the consequences that our actions, both individually and as a society, have on our planet. This Earth Day, take a listen to these four important conversations exploring sustainability in the fashion industry, the environmental impact of the pandemic, the state of the Anthropocene, and the politics behind meat consumption. With each episode, our authors outline today’s key issues and highlight how all of us can help to improve the world we live in.
Our anniversary gift to you
5 months agoThe Bloomsbury Academic Podcast is officially one year old! And though we don’t have season two ready for you just yet, we are celebrating our anniversary with a look back at last year’s episodes and a special discount on all our season one books. Check out the episodes below for any you might have missed, use code BAP35 on our website to get 35% off your favorite books, and keep an ear out for our upcoming season two announcement.
Celebrating Women’s History Month
6 months agoWe’ve put together some of our favourite episodes highlighting the struggles and achievements of women throughout contemporary history. Listen in as authors Carol J. Adams, Ayanna Dozier, Jenn Pelly, Rafia Zakaria and Kate Kirkpatrick discuss everything from feminism, sexuality, misogyny, anti-Blackness, Islamophobia, veganism, and more. These are five conversations you don’t want to miss.
More Episodes
1 month agoBack to Black with Kehinde Andrews, Part One
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2 months agoHole's Live Through This with Anwen Crawford, Part Two
Live Through This is an album about girlhood and motherhood; desire and disgust; self-destruction and survival. There have been few rock albums before or since so intimately concerned with female experience. It is an album that changed lives – so why is Courtney Love’s achievement as a songwriter and musician still not taken seriously, two decades on? In part two of this episode, we continue our discussion of how Courtney Love both challenged and parodied ideals of womanhood, the gendered connotations of fandom, Hole’s influence on the music of today, and more.
Listen now2 months agoHole's Live Through This with Anwen Crawford, Part One
Live Through This is an album about girlhood and motherhood; desire and disgust; self-destruction and survival. There have been few rock albums before or since so intimately concerned with female experience. It is an album that changed lives – so why is Courtney Love’s achievement as a songwriter and musician still not taken seriously, two decades on? In part one of this episode, we explore Hole’s origin and influences, their glam 90s LA image, and the 3rd wave feminist backlash against Courtney Love as she challenged every preconceived notion of “good” womanhood.
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2 months agoOctavia E. Butler with Kendra R. Parker
Octavia E. Butler is widely recognized today as one of the most important figures in contemporary science fiction. In this episode, Kendra R. Parker discusses what attracted her to Butler’s work, before jumping into discussions about Afrofuturism, the environment, representation in literature, and much more. Connecting current social movements to those of Butler’s time, this episode ultimately reflects on the timeless nature of Butler’s work and her uncanny ability to predict the future.
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3 months agoPaulo Freire with Walter Omar Kohan, Part Two
Paulo Freire (1921-1997) is one of the most widely read and studied educational thinkers of our time. His seminal works, including Pedagogy of the Oppressed, sparked the global social and philosophical movement of critical pedagogy, and his ideas about the close ties between education and social justice and politics are as relevant today as they ever were. In part two of this episode, Walter Omar Kohan discusses his book, Paulo Freire: A Philosophical Biography, as well as the relationship between education and politics more broadly. He contextualizes Freire’s work within the past and current political terrain in Brazil and encourages educators to put themselves and their educational work into question by highlighting some of Freire’s lesser known thoughts on time.
Listen now3 months agoPaulo Freire with Walter Omar Kohan, Part One
Paulo Freire (1921-1997) is one of the most widely read and studied educational thinkers of our time. His seminal works, including Pedagogy of the Oppressed, sparked the global social and philosophical movement of critical pedagogy, and his ideas about the close ties between education and social justice and politics are as relevant today as they ever were. In part one of this episode, Walter Omar Kohan discusses his book, Paulo Freire: A Philosophical Biography, as well as the relationship between education and politics more broadly. He contextualizes Freire’s work within the past and current political terrain in Brazil and encourages educators to put themselves and their educational work into question by highlighting some of Freire’s lesser known thoughts on time.
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3 months agoPrison Theatre and the Global Crisis of Incarceration with Ashley E. Lucas - Part Two
Obscured behind concrete and razor wire, the lives of the incarcerated remain hidden from public view. Inside the walls, imprisoned people all over the world stage theatrical productions that enable them to assert their humanity and capabilities. In part two of this episode, Ashley E. Lucas discusses her most recent book, Prison Theatre and the Global Crisis of Incarceration, as well as her very personal experience with the carceral system growing up. We cover her in-depth research into prison institutions around the world, the role that theatre plays in creating community, and how it can transform the lives of the people forced into the prison system.
Listen now3 months agoPrison Theatre and the Global Crisis of Incarceration with Ashley E. Lucas - Part One
Obscured behind concrete and razor wire, the lives of the incarcerated remain hidden from public view. Inside the walls, imprisoned people all over the world stage theatrical productions that enable them to assert their humanity and capabilities. In part one of this episode, Ashley E. Lucas discusses her most recent book, Prison Theatre and the Global Crisis of Incarceration, as well as her very personal experience with the carceral system growing up. We cover her in-depth research into prison institutions around the world, the role that theatre plays in creating community, and how it can transform the lives of the people forced into the prison system.
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10 months agoJanet Jackson's The Velvet Rope with Ayanna Dozier
A Black female artist fighting to control her career, her body, and her life, Janet Jackson was a 20th century icon. As a part of our minicast on politics, Ayanna Dozier – author, filmmaker, and performance artist – shares her experience writing about The Velvet Rope for our 33 1/3 series, while tackling Black women’s sexuality and bodily autonomy, technophilia, online structures of oppression, and much more. This episode is for anyone wondering about Janet Jackson’s life and legacy and the influence she still has on artists today.
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10 months agoSlavery in the Age of Memory with Ana Lucia Araujo
Slavery is a horrifying yet fundamental part of history that still shapes modern racism and culture. As a part of our minicast on politics, author and historian Ana Lucia Araujo draws on archival research, interviews, slave narratives, and other resources to explain how slavery is discussed and taught in modern society and the role that memory plays in how we understand race. This episode addresses issues such as the collective and public memory of enslaved people, the willful forgetting of past trauma, and modern attempts at reparations. It also addresses current movements such as the Black Lives Matter protests, the dismantling of pro-slavery monuments and symbols, and the construction of memorials around the world. For anyone looking to discuss collective memory and learn how we can create systemic change to heal from the past.
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11 months agoThe Art of Political Storytelling with Philip Seargeant
In order for any politician to be successful, they need to tell a good story—one they can weave into their platform and policies, and one that grabs the voter’s attention. As a part of our minicast on politics, author Philip Seargeant discusses how narratives are used by conservatives and progressives, activist movements and conspiracy theorists, to create a political identity. Covering everything from the US presidential election to domestic terrorism to the climate strikes and Black Lives Matter protests, this episode is for anyone wondering how our leaders, our media, and the people around us are manipulating facts in the era of social media.
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11 months agoHow to Lose the Information War with Nina Jankowicz
The spread of false information, whether purposeful or unintentional, poses one of the biggest threats to democracy today. As a part of our minicast on politics, author and analyst Nina Jankowicz draws from her experience working in Russia, Ukraine, and Washington DC to answer questions on combating Russian interference, regulating tech and media companies, fighting foreign and domestic terrorism, and confronting disinformation in the digital age. This episode is for anyone wondering how we can protect our democratic process while still maintaining our basic rights and freedoms.
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1 year agoD'Angelo's Voodoo with Faith Pennick
D’Angelo is an artist with endless emotion and honesty, one who seems to literally put the soul in soul music. In this episode, author Faith Pennick discusses why so many are entranced by his work and how his songs inspired her to write D”Angelo’s Voodoo. We go beyond his music, analyzing his career, the strong messages of mental health in his lyrics, his experience as a Black musician, the release of his “Untitled” music video, and more. For R&B fans looking to explore the meaning behind D’Angelo’s music and discover what has everyone so captivated.
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1 year agoThe Raincoats' The Raincoats with Jenn Pelly
Born out of 1970s Britain, The Raincoats were a band formed from the ashes of experimental punk and rebellion. In this episode, author and journalist Jenn Pelly transports you back to a world of indie record stores, feminist ideals, DIY music, and a fight against capitalism as she discusses four independent, talented women, their work as artists, and their impact as a group. Explore their history, songs, opinions, and culture with someone who traveled to London to speak with The Raincoats themselves.
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1 year agoSex and Suits with Alok Vaid-Menon
Fashion, in many ways, is an extension of the person who wears it and can be used to make a statement, create a persona, or even claim an identity. In this special episode, performance artist, writer, and LGBTQ+ rights activist Alok Vaid-Menon talks about their experience reading Sex and Suits, the history behind gendered fashion, their own choices in style, and the fight against the gender binary.
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1 year agoOthello with Ayanna Thompson
Ayanna Thompson is a scholar, activist, and self-proclaimed Othello whisperer. She is the co-author of Teaching Shakespeare with Purpose, the author of Passing Strange and Performing Race and Torture on the Early Modern Stage, and the editor of Weyward Macbeth, Colorblind Shakespeare, and the Arden Third Series’ Othello. In this episode, Ayanna Thompson outlines the complexities of Othello, the history of racism in theater, and the strides the industry still needs to make to reach equality. For any theater buff, aspiring performer, literature professor, or Shakespeare fan, this is a conversation you’ll want to join.
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1 year agoFashion Forecasting with Lorynn Divita
An important skill for any designer is the ability to create the future of fashion, or at least be able to predict it. Learn how to do just that with author Lorynn Divita as she shares her secrets to anticipating emerging trends in the fashion industry. Covering a wide range of topics including fashion theory, cultural appropriation, economic status and affordability, style tribes, and more, this episode is perfect for any aspiring fashionista or trend-setting trainee.
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1 year agoAn Ethical Guidebook to the Zombie Apocalypse with Bryan Hall
Everyone knows that in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, what is considered normal or rational human behavior goes out the window. How would you react? Author Bryan Hall has some ideas. In this interview, we discuss philosophical theory in the fictional context of an ungoverned, zombie-infested world and in the very real context of COVID-19. An interesting exploration of ethics and society, this episode is for anyone looking to study moral philosophy in a new light.
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1 year agoTom Petty's Southern Accents with Michael Washburn
Having grown up in northern Florida, Tom Petty had a distinctly narrow view of America—something that is apparent in his album, Southern Accents. In this interview, author Michael Washburn analyzes these songs and Petty himself, commenting on the prevailing racial prejudices that still exist in the south today. Covering everything from 80’s rock ‘n’ roll to white nationalism, this episode discusses a music legend while also revealing some of the vital southern culture that he was misconstruing.
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1 year agoThe Lion and the Nightingale with Kaya Genc
Turkey is home to a vast creative community and a complex political climate—something that author and journalist Kaya Genc is extremely familiar with. During this episode, we explore the tense dynamic that exists between the Turkish government and the people who live there, touching on the country’s rich history and the many interviews Kaya has had with marginalized citizens whose voices often go unheard. If you’re interested in learning more about foreign politics or following the story behind Kaya’s literary journalism, take a listen.
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1 year agoThe Beatles’ "Let it Be" with Steve Matteo
May 8th 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ Let It Be album—the recording sessions for which might be the most dramatic, creative, and chaotic of their career. In celebration, author Steve Matteo gives a behind-the-scenes look into the Beatles themselves, the story of Let It Be, and the many interviews he had with people close to the band.
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1 year agoChina's Forgotten People with Nick Holdstock
Xinjiang, China is home to the largest known concentration camp network in the modern world. Author and journalist Nick Holdstock discusses his work investigating the mass imprisonment of Muslims by Chinese officials and the tight government control that makes gathering information and providing aid to the Uyghur people so difficult. This episode covers the history and politics surrounding this human rights crisis.
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1 year agoSustainability and Social Change in Fashion with Leslie Davis Burns
The fashion industry is currently responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions. In this episode, Dr. Leslie Davis Burns explains how we can change that, breaking down key concepts and ideas covered in her own classroom. Discover what different organizations and retailers are doing to be more sustainable and learn how you can help to reduce the negative impact the fashion industry has on our environment.
Listen now1 year agoBonus Episode: Coronavirus and the Anthropocene
In the midst of this international pandemic, there are many new and important discussions taking place. During this special follow-up episode, author Chris Schaberg is back to talk about the impact of coronavirus on the environment around us—including the rapid decrease in air travel, employment, economic stability, and overall human interaction. A quick listen for anyone looking to consider how these extreme conditions are changing the climate conversation.
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1 year agoSearching for the Anthropocene with Christopher Schaberg
Debated, denied, unheard of, encompassing: the Anthropocene is a vexed topic, and requires interdisciplinary imagination. Christopher Schaberg invites listeners on an atmospheric, impressionistic adventure with the environmental humanities. This episode is not about defining or settling the Anthropocene, but rather about articulating what it’s like to live in the Anthropocene, to live with a sense of its nagging presence, even as the stakes grow higher with each passing year.
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1 year agoVeil with Rafia Zakaria
The veil is a complex and unique object, one that holds personal and cultural significance and often prompts very passionate and even aggressive reactions. Author Rafia Zakaria is here to help us consider the veil from a range of perspectives, including her own. This episode takes a close look at the veil in relation to women, aesthetics, power, and identity, and is for anyone looking to join the conversation.
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1 year agoThe Sexual Politics of Meat with Carol J. Adams
Veganism. Animal rights. Feminism. Masculinity. Capitalism. The climate crisis. Racism. Author Carol Adams discusses how each of these issues is connected. If you’re eager to explore the intersectional relationships between them and discover how they relate to the way society thinks about meat consumption and gender politics, then this is the episode for you.
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1 year agoBecoming Beauvoir with Kate Kirkpatrick
Simone de Beauvoir was an existentialist philosopher who laid the foundation for the modern feminist movement. We sat down to talk to author Kate Kirkpatrick about everything Beauvoir, from her childhood, to her personal relationships, to her commitment to social justice movements such as the decolonization of Algeria. This episode is for anyone interested in discussing Beauvoir’s social ideals and discovering how they remain relevant today.
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