Talking Culture

In 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).

In 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 Culture: The Poetics and Politics of Ethnography. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.Flaherty, Robert, director. 1922. Nanook of the North. Pathé Exchange.Haraway, Donna. 1984. “Teddy Bear Patriarchy: Taxidermy in the Garden of Eden.” Social Text 11: 20-64.Itano, Nicole, and Paul Harvey. 2020. “Our Planet: Our Impact.” WWF Report. https://www.wwf.org.uk/sites/default/files/2020-09/wwfuk_our%20planet%20impact%20report_final.pdf.MacDougall, David, and Judith MacDougall, directors. 1982. A Wife Among Wives. Berkeley Media. https://video.alexanderstreet.com/watch/a-wife-among-wives.MacDougall, David. 2005. The Corporeal Image: Film, Ethnography, and the Senses. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Mead, Margaret, and Gregory Bateson. 1951. “Trance and Dance in Bali.” Video. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Accessed October 18, 2021. https://www.loc.gov/item/mbrs02425201/.Mead, Margaret, and Gregory Bateson. 1977. “Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson the Use of the Camera in Anthropology” Studies on the Anthropology of Visual Communication 4(2): 78-80.

In 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.

In 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!

In 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 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

In 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.talkingculture.ca/sources.

In 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

In 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.

This 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-palestinianshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yucxuoa3xm4  Russia: Putin cracks down on media over Ukraine war- Channel 4 News https://youtu.be/M6ZbeBTGaGM  Two Days of Russian News Coverage: An Alternate Reality of War- New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/08/world/europe/russia-ukraine-media.html What Russian's Think of Putin's War- Today, Explained https://open.spotify.com/episode/35ZVgcIqx0N1Xhv0A4aYIs?si=22f26f13189641c0 Russia's Media Crackdown: “The Future is Pretty Dark” -The Journal https://open.spotify.com/episode/4q24an2uRKLtwiA3O9nXQ7?si=aa80ae2860fb4d9a 

This 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 of the Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archaeology at the University of Alberta. You can find Dr. Supernant on twitter @archaeomapper and if you'd like to learn more about the work of the Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archaeology you can find them on social media @uofa_ipia as well as through their website: www.ualberta.ca/prairie-indigenous-archaeologyDr. Natasha Lyons is an archaeobotanist and co-owner of Ursus Heritage Consulting as well as an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Archaeology at Simon Fraser University. To learn more about Dr. Lyons' work you can check out the Ursus Heritage website: www.ursus-heritage.ca

In 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

An 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: Luiselli, Valeria. Smashing Snow Globes: A Writer On Essays, Novels And Translation. https://www.npr.org/2014/12/21/371261474/smashing-snowglobes-a-writer-on-essays-novels-and-translationGainza, Carolina: Código, Lenguaje y Estéticas en la Literatura Digital Chilenahttps://revistas.uniandes.edu.co/doi/full/10.25025/perifrasis201910.20.06

Alejandra, 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

Talking 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 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

In 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.

Alejandra 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/sourcesShow your support for abortion access in Texas by donating to:The Lilith Fund   https://www.lilithfund.org/donate or at www.payforabortions.com

Alejandra, 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/sourcesMusic attribution:Lee Rosevere (CC BY 3.0), https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/album/music-for-podcasts-the-complete-collectionMaking ConnectionsThe PastWe Don't Know How it EndsWhat Happened in the Past Doesn't Stay ThereAngelo Guido (CC BY-NC 3.0), https://secretpress.bandcamp.com/album/heimatConca

Meghan 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 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! 

We'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. 

The 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.

Alejandra, Meghan and Daniel reflect on their experience producing the first season of Talking Culture and talk about what's next for the podcast.

In 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 strives to do today. Sources:Bascom, William R. 1953    Folklore and Anthropology. The Journal of American Folklore 66(262):283-290. https://www.jstor.org/stable/536722. Ben-Amos, Dan.1971    Toward a Definition of Folklore in Context. The Journal of American Folklore 84(331):3-15. https://www.jstor.org/stable/539729.Boyd, Valerie. 2003. Wrapped in rainbows: the life of Zora Neale Hurston. New York: Scribner.Darnell, Regna. 1973    American Anthropology and the Development of Folklore Scholarship: 1890-1920, Journal of the Folklore Institute 10(1/2):23-39. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3813878. Dorson, Richard M. 1963    Current Folklore Theories. Current Anthropology 4(1):93-112.  https://www.jstor.org/stable/2739820. Hemenway, Robert. 1976    Folklore Field Notes from Zora Neale Hurston. The Black Scholar 7(7):39-46. DOI: 10.1080/00064246.1976.11413814.Hurston, Zora Neale.  1939  Sound Recordings by Zora Neale Hurston. Library of Congress. Hurston, Zora Neale, Franz Boas, Arnold Rampersad, Henry Louis Gates, and Miguel Covarrubias. 2008. Mules and Men 1St Harper Perennial Modern Classics ed. Harper Perennial Modern Classics. New York: Harper Perennial.Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Zora Neale Hurston." Encyclopedia Britannica, January 24, 2021. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Zora-Neale-Hurston.Pooley, William G. 2018    Native to the Past: History, Anthropology, and Folklore. Past and Present 239(1): e1–e15. https://doi.org/10.1093/pastj/gtv038.Russell, Mary Catherine. 2017    Zora Neale Hurston: Scientist, Folklorist, Storyteller. Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at the University of Tennessee 8(1):124-138. http://trace.tennessee.edu/pursuit/vol8/iss1/13. 

Alejandra 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-1.5977115https://www.transjusticefundingproject.org/

Grab 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.

Meghan 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.htmlhttps://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5935934

In 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.

Alejandra 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.

Host 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.

This 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 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 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#chp1CBC Beyond 94 website: https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/longform-single/beyond-94?&cta=72PDF of the TRC Calls to Action Report: http://www.trc.ca/assets/pdf/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdfTo donate to Barbara Kenter's family: https://ca.gofundme.com/f/sarena-kentner-bone-marrow-transplant-support

This 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 the boundaries that exist between the two.

In 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. 

Guest 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 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

Host 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. 

At the launch of Talking Culture's first season, hosts Alejandra Melian and Meghan McGill introduce themselves, their work, and the season theme: boundary. 

In 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.

Host Alejandra Melian talks with Dr. Sandra Hyde about mask-wearing practices and advocacy, the surge in anti-Chinese racism in Canada during the pandemic, as well as "affective politics" and the way it affects how politicians and the public are dealing with COVID-19. 

In today's episode, host Alejandra Melian talks with colleagues in her own cohort, Kit Mitchell and Rhian Lewis. This conversation is between individuals who are in a very similar places right now in their graduate programs, yes, but also in their engagement with the world and to anthropology in general. They discuss what the pandemic will mean for their research, but also what it can mean for the world and their communities. 

Host Alejandra Melian talks with Dr. Les Sabiston about the inequalities in experiences of COVID, but also the implications of the rhetoric of economy vs. public health. They discuss  the responsibility of the state and how we feel it has been lacking, but also about social solidarity and our feelings of responsibility to one another. 

In this conversation with Dr. Raad Fadaak, a McGill University alum, host Alejandra Melian asks about an anthropological perspective on COVID from the ground. They speak about studying responses to the pandemic and reflecting on COVID in this different context: working directly with clinics, hospitals, and policy. 

Diverting from the anthropological perspective a bit, host Alejandra Melian speaks with Melissa Calixte, Dr. Nicholas King, Dr. Jay Kaufman, and Dr. Debra Thompson to explore the intersection between COVID and the current Black Lives Matter protests and growing movement. Link to donate to Hoodstock: https://www.hoodstock.ca/implique-toi-dans-le-hood

In this third episode of Talking Culture's mini-series on the topic of COVID-19, host Alejandra Melian talks with fellow anthropology graduate student Heather Anderson. They discuss some of the difficulties for graduate students the pandemic has revealed and highlighted, as well as the purpose of research and goals anthropologists should be setting for themselves going forward. Link to Code Switch's episode mentioned by Alejandra in the introduction: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/code-switch/id1112190608?i=1000478299112 

As part of Talking Culture's mini-series on the topic of COVID-19, host Alejandra Melian-Morse talks with Dr. Samuele Collu, who will be joining McGill's anthropology department as Assistant Professor in the fall. They discuss the implications of the current crisis for the discipline of anthropology and beyond, as well as what Dr. Collu calls the zoomification of our everyday lives.

 In this second episode of Talking Culture's mini-series on the topic of COVID-19, host Alejandra Melian-Morse talks with Dr. Todd Meyers, who will be joining the Department of Social Studies of Medicine at McGill as the Marjorie Bronfman Chair in Social Studies in Medicine this coming Fall. Their conversation ranges from war metaphors in relation to COVID to the intimacy of care in clinics and hospitals while also tackling issues surrounding the future of anthropology and what it will mean to address the issues that have been made clear due to the Pandemic.Produced by Alejandra Melian-MorseArtwork design by Alejandra Melian-Morse, Artwork attribution: Boca Vectors by VecteezyMusic by Justin CoberProduced with support from McGill University's Department of Anthropology