Latest Humanities Social Sciences Podcast Episodes

Humanities Matter by Brill artwork

“War and Peace” Episode 3: The Aggression Against Ukraine and the Effectiveness of Inter-state Cases in Case of War, with Kanstantsin Dzehtsiarou and Vassilis P Tzevelekos

Humanities Matter by Brill - August 24, 2022 14:00 - 33 minutes
The post-World War 2 period saw the emergence of several peace-keeping institutions. The Council of Europe is one such international organization tasked with the responsibility to uphold democracy, human rights, and the rule of law throughout Europe. In times of war, the world bears witness to a...

Humanities Matter by Brill artwork

Episode 44: Professional Power and Skill Use in the 'Knowledge Economy': A Class Analysis, with Dr. D. W. Livingstone

Humanities Matter by Brill - August 10, 2022 14:00 - 19 minutes
In the advanced capitalist nations, a new form of economic hierarchy is emerging, that of the professional class. While the managerial class thrives, the non-managerial workforce is plagued with decreasing job security, overqualified professionals, lesser role in organizational decision making, ...

Society Matters artwork

S4E1 - Independence and violence: understanding 75 years of India’s partition

Society Matters - August 10, 2022 06:57 - 24 minutes
Dr Volker Prott, a senior lecturer in modern history at Aston University, discusses the “bitter irony” of “celebrating” the 75th anniversary of the partition of India, given the violence and huge displacement of people it caused. He argues the partition was part of a global pattern and that deba...

Humanities Matter by Brill artwork

“War and Peace” Episode 2: International Security in the 21st Century: The Ukraine Crisis and the European Security Order, with Dr. Wolfgang Ischinger

Humanities Matter by Brill - July 27, 2022 14:00 - 21 minutes
The sudden Russian aggression on Ukraine, besides wreaking havoc on the latter, has created a ripple effect impacting the socio-economic conditions of the rest of Europe and the world. The carefully built security order has been dismantled, necessitating the forging of new trade ties and allianc...

Humanities Matter by Brill artwork

Episode 43: Redefining Food Security in the Light of Changes in the Socio-Political and Environmental Climates, with Dr. Olga Śniadach

Humanities Matter by Brill - July 13, 2022 14:00 - 18 minutes
Access to adequate food and nutrition is an essential human right. But ensuring food security has become a real challenge today. Climate change, natural disasters, and inefficient political systems are roadblocks in fortifying this basic need of human existence.  In this new episode, Dr. Olga Ś...

Humanities Matter by Brill artwork

“War and Peace” Episode 1: The Status of Crimea and the Sea of Azov as a Jurisdictional Hurdle in Ukraine v. Russia with Dr. Valentin Schatz

Humanities Matter by Brill - June 29, 2022 14:00 - 31 minutes
The UN has established a legal framework for marine and maritime activities called the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). It is a convention that allows fishing, shipping, and exploration rights, among others, to countries over waters owned by them. However, with wars and ...

Humanities Matter by Brill artwork

"Special Feature": Quarterly Roundup: Surviving the Climate Crisis

Humanities Matter by Brill - June 15, 2022 14:00 - 35 minutes
The climate crisis is here; its impacts are tangible. But surviving heat waves and hurricanes doesn’t mean we get through the crisis safe. What we need are systemic changes to the way we live and think.  If science tells us about the climate crisis and its consequences, the humanities tell us h...

Humanities Matter by Brill artwork

Episode 42: Going back to the roots: Addressing present-day racism by reflecting upon its violent past, with Christine Sleeter

Humanities Matter by Brill - June 01, 2022 14:00 - 20 minutes
Amid recent debates on racial injustice in the U.S.A, it is important to acknowledge the brutal historical roots of modern-day racism. To truly understand this problem and stimulate more meaningful societal change, one cannot disconnect the present from the past. In this episode of Humanities M...

Humanities Matter by Brill artwork

Episode 42: Going back to the roots: Addressing present-day racism by reflecting upon its violent past, with Christine Sleeter

Humanities Matter by Brill - June 01, 2022 14:00 - 20 minutes
Amid recent debates on racial injustice in the U.S.A, it is important to acknowledge the brutal historical roots of modern-day racism. To truly understand this problem and stimulate more meaningful societal change, one cannot disconnect the present from the past. In this episode of Humanities M...

Humanities Matter by Brill artwork

“Migration” Episode 3: Re-orienting the Diaspora–Development Nexus with Dr. Sarah Peck

Humanities Matter by Brill - May 18, 2022 14:00 - 22 minutes
One of the outcomes of globalization is the growth of diasporic communities worldwide. This population has continued to face a lot of complexities due to differences in ethnicities. However, these communities have the potential to contribute immensely to a nation’s development through their know...

Thesis artwork

Sovereign Digital Currencies: Parachute Pants or the Continuing Evolution of Money - Kimberley Houser

Thesis - May 05, 2022 23:20 - 1 hour ★★★★ - 3 ratings
In this conversation we delve into the evolution of money and why government(s) finds themselves at a crossroads with how to react to crypto and their potential threat to FIAT currencies.

Humanities Matter by Brill artwork

“Migration” Episode 2: Central Asia Under Brussels’ and Moscow’s Eyes with Dr. André W.M. Gerrits

Humanities Matter by Brill - May 04, 2022 14:00 - 18 minutes
The Soviet Republic once held tremendous sway over the politics of Central Asia as the grand hegemon of the region. But now, in the post-Soviet world, geopolitics in this region is influenced by other powers, including the European Union (EU), and Central Asia’s own tilt towards China. In this c...

Humanities Matter by Brill artwork

Episode 41: Yiddish in Europe, with Dr. Bart Wallet and Dr. Laura Almagor

Humanities Matter by Brill - April 20, 2022 14:00 - 15 minutes
Yiddish is part of the family of Germanic languages with influences of Hebrew and Aramaic and encompasses many dialects spoken in several parts of Europe. This renders a diversity to the language, the development of which merits exploration through a close scrutiny of its history.  In this new ...

Humanities Matter by Brill artwork

“Migration” Episode 1: Schengen Borders and Multiple National States of Emergency: From Refugees to Terrorism to COVID-19 with Dr. Elspeth Guild

Humanities Matter by Brill - April 06, 2022 14:00 - 29 minutes
The Schengen area consists of 26 European states, most members of the EU but some not, and consists of two main features: the absence of intra-Schengen state border controls on persons and a common external border control on entry into the Schengen area. However, this inclusivity has been threat...

Society Matters artwork

S3E3 - Ukraine invasion could result in total collapse of Russia

Society Matters - March 31, 2022 07:30 - 40 minutes
Dr Anton Popov, a senior lecturer in sociology and policy at Aston University, predicts that Russia could face economic collapse and civil war over its invasion of Ukraine. The Russian-born academic said his country was “sinking into a dark place" and could soon become a pariah state, somewhere ...

Humanities Matter by Brill artwork

Episode 40: The Samaritans: A Biblical People

Humanities Matter by Brill - March 23, 2022 14:00 - 29 minutes
The Samaritans have been around since biblical times. They share history with the Jews, Christians, and Muslims; yet their identity is at odds with the people who trace their roots to ancient Israel. Who actually are Samaritans? And why did these biblical people turn into a micronation in this a...

Society Matters artwork

S3E2 - Can protests in Russia stop the war in Ukraine?

Society Matters - March 22, 2022 07:30 - 24 minutes
Ernest A Reid, an expert in Russia protests at Aston University, takes part in our special series on the Ukraine war. He explains how anti-war protests are being stifled by a media blackout, which means many ordinary Russians don’t know how they feel about the invasion. Plus he says mass detenti...

Humanities Matter by Brill artwork

Episode 39: Religion and politics: Exploring the underbelly of populism

Humanities Matter by Brill - March 09, 2022 15:00 - 25 minutes
Populism has been at the center of academic and non-academic discussions over the past century and one may argue that there has been an upsurge in populist movements in recent times, often with prominent religious ideals determining the course of political thought. Is populism, then, the source ...

Society Matters artwork

S3E1 - The madness behind Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Society Matters - March 03, 2022 11:00 - 28 minutes
Dr Elisabeth Schimpfössl, a senior lecturer in sociology and policy at Aston University, and an expert on Russia, analyses fears of Putin’s ‘madness’ over the invasion of Ukraine. She also discusses speculation that only a “heart attack-style” assassination of the dictator by his senior military...

Humanities Matter by Brill artwork

Episode 38: Exploring Autonomy: A History of Jewish Self-Governance in Eastern Europe

Humanities Matter by Brill - February 23, 2022 15:00 - 18 minutes
The emergence of self-government in the Jewish community in Eastern Europe has been a slow process, often encouraged by invitations of existing regimes and sometimes to escape state persecution. Nonetheless, the Jewish community has succeeded in establishing its autonomy as well as maintain a ce...

Humanities Matter by Brill artwork

“Quality Education” Episode 5: A Guide to Administering Distance Learning, with Dr. Lauren Cifuentes

Humanities Matter by Brill - February 09, 2022 15:00 - 21 minutes
The Pandemic led to a massive shift in the course of education as the world was forced to switch to distance learning. And with a new model comes new barriers, whether institutional, pedagogical, technical, or personal. These need to be solved through inclusive and strategic planning, comprehens...

Society Matters artwork

S2E6 - What Germany’s new government means for the UK, Europe and Russia

Society Matters - February 09, 2022 07:30 - 22 minutes
Dr Ed Turner, a reader in politics at Aston University, discusses how a Germany without stalwart former leader Angela Merkel faces a number of huge challenges – not least the threat of Russia invading Ukraine. He explains that new Chancellor Olaf Scholz is also grappling with Covid-19, Germany's...

Humanities Matter by Brill artwork

“Quality Education” Episode 4: Pandemic, Disruption and Adjustment in Higher Education, with Susana Gonçalves and Suzanne Majhanovich

Humanities Matter by Brill - January 26, 2022 15:00 - 31 minutes
The pandemic has rapidly changed the world, making it one rife with online activity and information abundance. Education systems must be modified to match this new world. It must cater to the entrepreneurial, competitive, and independent generation that thrives in this world. In this podcast, S...

Society Matters artwork

S2E5 - Understanding refugee journeys

Society Matters - January 19, 2022 07:30 - 29 minutes
Dr Amanda Beattie, a senior lecturer in politics and international relations at Aston University, discusses how researching refugees' traumatic journeys across the Balkans resulted in an exhibition at Tate Liverpool that went worldwide. Now she's helping to launch a new Centre for Migration and ...

Humanities Matter by Brill artwork

“Quality Education” Episode 3: How World Events are Changing Education, with Dr. Rosemary Sage and Dr. Riccarda Matteucci

Humanities Matter by Brill - January 12, 2022 15:00 - 26 minutes
Formal education became widespread only as recently as the end of the 19th century, as a way to train people for jobs created by the boom in industrialization. Today, with most of those jobs phasing out, world politics radically changing at both the individual and macro levels, diverse cultures ...

Thesis artwork

Navassa: Property, Sovereignty, and the Law of the Territories - Joseph Blocher & Mitu Gulati

Thesis - January 08, 2022 16:45 - 59 minutes ★★★★ - 3 ratings
In this episode we will explore a specific slice of the legislative and judicial history of American Imperialism, namely the evolution of the policies under which the US governs it's overseas territories. My guests in this episode are Joseph Blocker, professor of constitutional law at Du...

Humanities Matter by Brill artwork

Survival by Degrees and Quality Education: Curriculum and Learning for Climate Action with Radhika Iyengar and Christina T. Kwauk

Humanities Matter by Brill - December 29, 2021 15:00 - 18 minutes
Education is one of our main weapons in the fight against climate change. The need of the hour, therefore, is to enhance the world’s commitment to climate education, and incorporate climate change into our education systems. In a special episode that combines two of our ongoing themed series, S...

Humanities Matter by Brill artwork

Survival by Degrees and Quality Education: Curriculum and Learning for Climate Action with Radhika Iyengar and Christina T. Kwauk

Humanities Matter by Brill - December 29, 2021 15:00 - 18 minutes
Education is one of our main weapons in the fight against climate change. The need of the hour, therefore, is to enhance the world’s commitment to climate education, and incorporate climate change into our education systems. In a special episode that combines two of our ongoing themed series, S...

Humanities Matter by Brill artwork

“Quality Education” Episode 2: Homeschooling: A Guidebook of Practices, Claims, Issues, and Implications, with Dr. Jameson Brewer

Humanities Matter by Brill - December 15, 2021 15:00 - 17 minutes
Over the past few years and especially now— with COVID-19-related lockdowns necessitating that families stay at home—an increasing number of parents have chosen to home-school their children. This choice stems from several reasons: political views and distrust in the education system; anxiety ab...

Society Matters artwork

S2E4 - Nativity plays: religion in today’s multicultural society

Society Matters - December 08, 2021 07:00 - 34 minutes
Dr Céline Benoit, a senior teaching fellow in sociology and policy at Aston University, says school nativity plays have a secure future – because children love them, and they are more of a cultural than a religious performance. But her research indicates that schoolchildren need more of a say on...