Talking Culture
58 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 1 year ago -Talking Culture is about what it means to be human and all the paths anthropology takes to explore that question. The deep conversations and stories layered with field recordings and found sound approach a broad range of anthropological topics. Produced with support from CKUT and the McGill University Anthropology department.
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Episodes
Queering Anthropology
November 29, 2022 05:00 - 50 minutes - 34.9 MBIn this episode, Daniel interviews Marielle Aithamon, a PhD student from Université de Montréal. They discuss what would it mean to queer anthropology, from creating research questions, to the field, and the classroom. You can read more of her exciting work by looking at her article: "Silence: A predicament for feminist anthropology and social innovation" (Feminist Anthropology, 3: 373-380. https://doi.org/10.1002/fea2.12096).
Entwined Practices
September 29, 2022 13:00 - 27 minutes - 18.8 MBIn the opening episode of season three, Alejandra introduces the season's theme "practice" with a refection on her own fieldwork experience, and the ways in which she saw her own practices mirrored in those of her participants. Works Cited: Asad, Talal, ed. 1973. Anthropology and the Colonial Encounter. Atlantic Highlands, NJ: Humanities Press. Castaing-Taylor, Lucian and Ilisa Barbash, directors. 2009. Sweetgrass. Cinema Guild. Clifford, James, and George E. Marcus. 1986. Writing Cultu...
In the News: September 2022
September 15, 2022 13:00 - 27 minutes - 18.8 MBIn the first episode of this season, Alejandra and Daniel welcome a new producer Riley. We also take a look forward at what is coming and the new theme of the season.
Season Two Wrap Up
June 09, 2022 08:00 - 22 minutes - 15.2 MBIn this episode Alejandra, Daniel, and Meghan discuss our favourite episodes from the season and lessons learned. Plus we announce the our theme for season 3 which will be Practice. Keep an eye on our social media for an official season announcement and episode pitch callout this summer. We can't wait to work with you to bring your ideas to Talking Culture!
The Road More or Less Traveled
May 26, 2022 12:00 - 36 minutes - 25 MBIn this episode, Daniel interviews Julie Romagon about the ways in which her training in anthropology has had an effect on her career outside of the discipline.
In the News: May 2022
May 12, 2022 12:00 - 26 minutes - 17.9 MBIn this episode Daniel and Meghan discuss the leaked draft of the Supreme Court of the United States ruling regarding Roe v Wade. Episode sources: https://www.talkingculture.ca/sources
The Charon Job
April 28, 2022 14:00 - 1 hour - 56.3 MBIn this episode Alejandra explores the possible in anthropology through an original piece of speculative fiction entitled The Charon Job. Lila is three years post-PhD and struggling to find her place in the academic job market when the opportunity of a lifetime presents itself. I mean, what university will turn down the anthropologist who went to space. Music and sounds in this episode are used courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com. Detailed music accreditation can be found at https://www.ta...
In the News: April 2022
April 07, 2022 08:00 - 23 minutes - 16.3 MBIn this episode Alejandra and Meghan discuss the latest IPCC report on the global climate crisis as well as the recent meetings between Indigenous leaders from what is now called Canada and Pope Francis. Episode sources: https://www.talkingculture.ca/sources
Surfaces for the Possible
March 24, 2022 13:00 - 27 minutes - 18.6 MBIn this episode, Khando Langri discusses what she conceives of as "surfaces for the possible;" surfaces which help exiled Tibetans navigate what Edward Said describes as the pathos of exile. Focusing on the roads built by Tibetan refugees in the 1960s, she posits that in enacting everyday acts of beauty - planting flowers in repurposed oil cans, work songs sung against a backdrop of rock breaking - refugees recast foreign landscapes into collective spaces of survival and transformation.
In the News: March 2022
March 10, 2022 13:00 - 20 minutes - 14.1 MBThis week, it comes as no surprise that Alejandra and Daniel discuss Russia's invasion of Ukraine. They come at it from two different angles. While Daniel looks at the way Russian media is portraying the situation, Alejandra compares 'Western' responses to the invasion to responses to other invasions and occupations. Articles and sources cited in this episode: https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2022/3/6/what-the-war-in-ukraine-thought-us-palestinians https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yucxu...
In the News: March
March 10, 2022 13:00 - 20 minutes - 14.1 MBThis week, it comes as no surprise that Alejandra and Daniel discuss Russia's invasion of Ukraine. They come at it from two different angles. While Daniel looks at the way Russian media is portraying the situation, Alejandra compares 'Western' responses to the invasion to responses to other invasions and occupations. Articles and sources cited in this episode: https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2022/3/6/what-the-war-in-ukraine-thought-us-palestinians https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yucxu...
A Heart-Centered Practice
February 24, 2022 09:00 - 1 hour - 41.8 MBThis week Meghan talks to Dr. Kisha Supernant and Dr. Natasha Lyons about a heart-centered practice of archaeology and the book they co-edited Archaeologies of the Heart. They examine the ways in which we can make room for care, emotion, and relationality alongside rigour in our work and how the seemingly simple idea of beginning from the heart can radically change the way we practice archaeology. Dr. Kisha Supernant is an associate professor in the Department of Anthropology and Director o...
In the News: February 2022
February 10, 2022 05:00 - 17 minutes - 12.2 MBIn this episode Meghan and Daniel discuss the "Freedom Convoy," their use of media and the government's response to the protest in comparison to others. Episode sources: https://www.talkingculture.ca/sources
The Sapphic Date Generator
January 20, 2022 14:00 - 36 minutes - 25 MBAn episode filled with loads of play, laughs, and sapphic yearning, Alejandra and contributor Rhian Lewis discuss Rhian's creation "the Sapphic Date Generator" and how it explores the possibilities of lesbian love that moves beyond cisheteronormative scripts. Special thanks to Kit Mitchell, Diana Nguyen, Kate Bundy, Sarah Wishloff, Daisy Couture, and Angie Sassi for their participation in this episode. Check out the Sapphic Date Generator: https://www.galpals.xyz/ Works Cited: Luise...
The Sapphic Date Generator
January 20, 2022 14:00 - 36 minutes - 25 MBAn episode filled with loads of play, laughs, and sapphic yearning, Alejandra and contributor Rhian Lewis discuss Rhian's creation "the Sapphic Date Generator" and how it explores the possibilities of lesbian love that moves beyond cisheteronormative scripts. Special thanks to Kit Mitchell, Diana Nguyen, Kate Bundy, Sarah Wishloff, Daisy Couture, and Angie Sassi for their participation in this episode. Check out the Sapphic Date Generator: https://www.galpals.xyz/ Works Cited: Luise...
In the News: January 2022
January 06, 2022 10:00 - 16 minutes - 11.7 MBAlejandra, Daniel and Meghan discuss the legislation around the right to repair, celebrate the oldest person to graduate from a Masters program at York University, and the discovery of a 70 million year-old dinosaur embryo. Episode sources: https://www.talkingculture.ca/sources
Season 2 UPDATE
December 17, 2021 15:00 - 1 minute - 1.01 MBTalking Culture is taking a short break, but don't worry we'll be back soon! Look for a new In the News on Thursday, January 6th and a new full episode on Thursday January 20th. And in the meantime, come follow us on twitter @talkculturepod and instagram @talkculturepodcast. Theme music for Talking Culture is by Justin Cober, cover art by Sophia Melian. Additional sounds in this episode were used under a CC 0 1.0 license.
In the News: December 2021
December 09, 2021 14:00 - 28 minutes - 19.3 MBIn this episode, Meghan and Daniel discuss the recent floods in British Columbia and the vaccination policies of China. Episode sources: https://www.talkingculture.ca/sources
Ethnographic Film: A Historical Retrospective
November 25, 2021 05:00 - 39 minutes - 27.4 MBIn this essay-styled episode, we delve into the history of ethnographic film by looking closely at six iconic films, taking into account their theoretical and stylistic approaches. Written and produced by Daniel Chiu Castillo, special guest voice and editing by Marianne Lezeau.
In the News: November 2021
November 11, 2021 09:00 - 24 minutes - 16.9 MBAlejandra and Meghan discuss the SB8 abortion ban in Texas and its implications for other legal rights in the United States as well as the COP26 climate action meetings taking place in Scotland. Episode sources: https://www.talkingculture.ca/sources Show your support for abortion access in Texas by donating to: The Lilith Fund https://www.lilithfund.org/donate or at www.payforabortions.com
Possibility and Climate Change
October 28, 2021 08:00 - 45 minutes - 31.3 MBAlejandra, Daniel, and Meghan host their colleague and friend Adam Fleischmann, an anthropologist, writer, teacher, and currently a PhD candidate at McGill University. In this episode, Adam explores the idea of possibility by sharing anecdotes from his research and a thoughtful reflection on how we might consider what is possible in the face of a problem like the climate crisis that can often seem insurmountable. Episode sources: https://www.talkingculture.ca/sources Music attribution: L...
In the News: October 2021
October 14, 2021 12:00 - 22 minutes - 15.3 MBMeghan and Daniel discuss Quebec's decision to make vaccines mandatory for all health-workers and the appalling statistics of disappearances in Mexico. Episode sources: https://www.talkingculture.ca/sources
In the News: October
October 14, 2021 12:00 - 22 minutes - 15.3 MBMeghan and Daniel discuss Quebec's decision to make vaccines mandatory for all health-workers and the appalling statistics of disappearances in Mexico.
A Possible Anthropology
September 23, 2021 10:00 - 1 hour - 45.7 MBIn order to open Talking Culture's second season under the theme "possibility", Alejandra talks with Dr. Anand Pandian, author of A Possible Anthropology. They discuss the idea of getting lost in our ideas, reading, actions, and spaces as anthropologists and what that means or holds for the future of the discipline. They also dive into the struggles of trying to get lost and be imaginative in times of crisis, and even touch on the possibilities of podcasting itself!
A Possible Anthropology
September 23, 2021 10:00 - 1 hour - 45.7 MBIn order to open Talking Culture's second season under the theme "possibility", Alejandra talks with Dr. Anand Pandian, author of A Possible Anthropology. They discuss the idea of getting lost in our ideas, reading, actions, and spaces as anthropologists and what that means or holds for the future of the discipline. They also dive into the struggles of trying to get lost and be imaginative in times of crisis, and even touch on the possibilities of podcasting itself!
Season Two Introduction
September 09, 2021 11:00 - 14 minutes - 9.93 MBWe're back! In this introductory episode, Daniel, Meghan, and Alejandra launch Talking Culture's second season by giving an update on their current and upcoming anthropological exploits as well as introduce the theme of Season Two—Possibility.
Crossover with Anthro Airwaves!
July 30, 2021 17:00 - 32 minutes - 22.6 MBThe Talking Culture team is thrilled to have participated in the mini-series by our friends at Anthro Airwaves. We were honoured to be highlighted along with some other truly spectacular anthropology podcasts. Take a listen to what we have to say about our podcast, our process, and our perspectives on Anthropology.
Season One Wrap-Up
May 13, 2021 13:00 - 21 minutes - 14.8 MBAlejandra, Meghan and Daniel reflect on their experience producing the first season of Talking Culture and talk about what's next for the podcast.
Zora Neale Hurston
April 29, 2021 13:00 - 56 minutes - 38.6 MBIn Talking Culture's final full episode in season one, Alejandra, Meghan, and Daniel explore the work of Zora Neale Hurston. They discuss the boundaries she came up against in her pursuit of anthropology as well as the disciplinary boundaries between anthropology and folklore studies and where much of her work sits on the line of fiction and nonfiction. Throughout the episode the point to the debt anthropology owes to Hurston, and how her work paved the way for much of what anthropology stri...
In the News: April 2021
April 08, 2021 12:00 - 21 minutes - 15 MBAlejandra and Meghan discuss the Amazon workers unionization vote in Bessemer, Alabama as well as the anti-trans legislation recently passed in Arkansas. Sources and links: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bessemer-amazon-union-vote-count-drags-on/ https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/arkansas-transgender-youth-medical-treatments-banned-1.5977115 https://www.transjusticefundingproject.org/
In the News: April
April 08, 2021 12:00 - 21 minutes - 15 MBAlejandra and Meghan discuss the Amazon workers unionization vote in Bessemer, Alabama as well as the anti-trans legislation recently passed in Arkansas. Sources and links: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bessemer-amazon-union-vote-count-drags-on/ https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/arkansas-transgender-youth-medical-treatments-banned-1.5977115 https://www.transjusticefundingproject.org/
Disciplinary Divides
March 25, 2021 12:00 - 55 minutes - 38.1 MBGrab your trowel and jump in a square hole, because this week we're talking archaeology! Host Meghan McGill interviews her colleague and friend Lara McFadden Baltutis, a professional archaeologist working in British Columbia, to discuss the divide between academic and consulting archaeology as well as the broader questions of who archaeology should be done by and for.
In the News: March 2021
March 11, 2021 14:00 - 23 minutes - 16 MBMeghan and Daniel talk about the "International Women's Day" protest in Mexico City and the desecration of a burial site of the Shíshálh Nation. We bring these topics to anthropology through feminism and ongoing struggles against domination. Sources and links: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/08/world/americas/mexico-city-womens-day-protest.html https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5935934
Learning Between Boundaries
February 25, 2021 14:00 - 59 minutes - 41 MBIn academia, like in so many industries currently, day to day work is done online. What does this mean for our learning and teaching when we are separated from professors, students, and peers by our screens? And what does it mean that those same screens that separate us also bring us together? Host Alejandra Melian talks with Drs. Setrag Manoukian and Samuele Collu as well as colleague Segolene Guinard about what the Zoom classroom has meant for education.
In the News: February
February 11, 2021 14:00 - 20 minutes - 13.9 MBAlejandra and Daniel talk about the farmers' protests in India and the Golden Globe's snub of the show "I May Destroy You." We bring these topics to anthropology through race, class and the internet.
In the News: February 2021
February 11, 2021 14:00 - 20 minutes - 13.9 MBAlejandra and Daniel talk about the farmers' protests in India and the Golden Globe's snub of the show "I May Destroy You." We bring these topics to anthropology through race, class and the internet.
Precarious Beings
January 28, 2021 14:00 - 43 minutes - 30.1 MBHost Alejandra Melian takes a stab at ethnographic storytelling. She brings listeners with her back to her MA fieldwork in New Mexico and talks about ecological teaching and learning in the desert breaking down the boundaries between beings and even between species.
In the News: January
January 14, 2021 12:00 - 17 minutes - 12.2 MBThis month in current events Alejandra and Meghan inevitably discuss US politics, focusing on the Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol building and boundaries that were made and broken in the process.
In the News: January 2021
January 14, 2021 12:00 - 17 minutes - 12.2 MBThis month in current events Alejandra and Meghan inevitably discuss US politics, focusing on the Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol building and boundaries that were made and broken in the process.
Tales from Tangiers
December 31, 2020 10:00 - 46 minutes - 31.9 MBIn this week's episode, contributors Julia and Marie share stories from their experiences of fieldwork in Morocco where they worked with migrants from West Africa making the long journey to Europe. We're talking boundaries at many different scales, from the borders between countries to the lines we draw around our safe spaces.
In the News: December
December 17, 2020 14:00 - 29 minutes - 20 MBIn this month's discussion of what's happening in the news, Meghan, Alejandra, and Daniel discuss large-scale religious ceremony in COVID times, the anniversary of the truth and reconciliation commission and its legacy, as well as the outcome of the trial of Brayden Bushby. To learn more about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission: Govt of Canada Page: https://www.rcaanccirnac.gc.ca/eng/1450124405592/1529106060525#chp1 CBC Beyond 94 website: https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/longform-sing...
In the News: December 2020
December 17, 2020 14:00 - 29 minutes - 20 MBIn this month's discussion of what's happening in the news, Meghan, Alejandra, and Daniel discuss large-scale religious ceremony in COVID times, the anniversary of the truth and reconciliation commission and its legacy, as well as the outcome of the trial of Brayden Bushby. To learn more about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission: Govt of Canada Page: https://www.rcaanccirnac.gc.ca/eng/1450124405592/1529106060525#chp1 CBC Beyond 94 website: https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/longform-sing...
Behind the Lens
November 26, 2020 15:00 - 58 minutes - 40.3 MBThis episode looks at a boundary that exists tangibly, that's physical. It's one that an ethnographer (or any person, really) holds in their hands and peers through. Today we're talking about the camera. What about cameras or, more specifically lenses, creates a boundary between a filmmaker and their subject? What about the camera can break other boundaries down. In today's episode, host Alejandra Melian talks to Olivia du Vergier and Malcolm Sanger about ethnographic film, art film, and all...
In the News: November 2020
November 12, 2020 21:00 - 18 minutes - 12.5 MBIn this In the News episode, producers Meghan McGill and Alejandra Melian discuss current events from the month of November including the US Presidential election through the lens of "possibility" and the protests about abortion law in Poland.
In the News: November
November 12, 2020 21:00 - 18 minutes - 12.5 MBIn this In the News episode, producers Meghan McGill and Alejandra Melian discuss current events from the month of November including the US Presidential election through the lens of "possibility" and the protests about abortion law in Poland.
Caring For the Hunted
October 29, 2020 13:00 - 37 minutes - 26 MBGuest host and fellow McGill anthro graduate student Philippe Blouin talks with Shannon Chief, wolf clan spokesperson for the Anishinabe people of the Ottawa River Watershed about the Anishinabe’s struggle to transmit their language, culture and governance system, and also about their current fight to prevent moose overhunting – with no less than 19 000 moose killed by non-indigenous hunters alone in Quebec in 2018. Show your support here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/372217760398748
In the News: October 2020
October 08, 2020 14:00 - 18 minutes - 13 MBIn this short news based episode, hosts Alejandra Melian and Meghan McGill discuss current events through the lens of anthropology. They discuss the US Vice Presidential debates via performance and art, as well as the death of Joyce Echaquan and the structural racism that caused it. Donate to Joyce's family: https://ca.gofundme.com/f/justice-pour-joycejustice-for-joyce
The Others
September 24, 2020 13:00 - 1 hour - 42.1 MBHost Alejandra Melian tackles a central issue of anthropology, that of The Other. She and guests Kariuki Karigia, Marie-Elise Laforest, Adam Fleischmann, and Alonso Gamarra Montesinos approach the topic from a variety of directions. Each guest brings a perspective from their own experiences in the field and in academia to explore the boundary between self and other and what consequences that boundary has had for the discipline of anthropology.
Introductions
September 10, 2020 16:00 - 16 minutes - 11.6 MBAt the launch of Talking Culture's first season, hosts Alejandra Melian and Meghan McGill introduce themselves, their work, and the season theme: boundary.
COVID Conversations: Sahar Sadjadi
August 13, 2020 14:00 - 52 minutes - 35.8 MBIn the last episode of Talking Culture's COVID Conversations series, host Alejandra Melian talks to Dr. Sahar Sadjadi about how the pandemic has affected Iran and the West's failure to learn from other countries' experiences. Alejandra also wraps up the series and discusses her hopes for anthropology to contribute to a rebuilding.