Podcasts about Sociology

In this episode, we are joined by Dalton Lackey and Teagan Murphy, co-authors of the article "The COVID-19 Murders": Prison death-worlds and the fatal convenience of crisis. Their work offers a piercing critique of how carceral institutions weaponized the pandemic—not as an unprecedented emergency, but as a tactical opportunity to deepen control, dehumanization, and death. We'll begin by hearing from Dalton and Teagan about their political motivations, the methodologies they employed, and the intellectual scaffolding behind their analysis. From there, we'll unpack their challenge to the dominant narrative of "failure"—a framing that presumes the prison system was simply overwhelmed by crisis. Instead, they argue that the pandemic revealed not incompetence, but calculated cruelty. We'll also examine how disaster operates as a tool of tactical evolution within prisons. As the authors write, "Rather than revealing entirely new challenges, our findings demonstrate how the pandemic instead exacerbates what the literature has suggested are the preexisting goals of carceral punishment." We'll discuss how incarcerated people themselves narrated these shifts—how they recognized the charade of "safety" and named the degradation that exceeded even the brutal norm. From psychic death and coerced docility to the punitive treatment of those living with HIV/AIDS, we'll trace the historical continuities and contemporary parallels that shape this death-world. We'll ask how social distancing protocols, meant to protect, instead expanded estrangement—and how preexisting conditions of confinement intensified the crisis. Teagan Murphy (any/all) is a PhD candidate in the Department of Sociology at the University of Maryland, College Park. Their research, conducted primarily through qualitative interviews, ethnography, and content analysis, focuses on institutional and carceral logics and the reproduction of inequities via narratives of deservingness. Their dissertation, which draws on data collected from their time as an active courtwatcher in Prince George's County, presents a critique of the distinction courts draw between criminalized defendants and "the community," resulting in a pretrial system where Black bodies are deemed public safety risks that antagonize the moral sanctity of white civil society. They also argue for a literary reframing of "courtwatching," moving from reformist interpretations to an antifascist one aligned with broader abolitionist goals. IG: @veganmurphy  Dalton Lackey (they/them) is a PhD candidate in Sociology at the University of Maryland, College Park. Their research broadly concerns structural anti-blackness, carcerality and punishment, revolutionary social movements, and Fanonian psychopolitics. Dalton is currently working on their dissertation project, which explores the complexities of invention and signification that emerge in the haze of radical collective action against the anti-black social order. IG: @daltonjared American Prison Writing Archive The COVID-19 Murders": Prison death-worlds and the fatal convenience of crisis  Some related/referenced MAKC conversations: Joshua Myers discussion on Robinson's rebuttal to "Social Death" Conversations with Andrew Krinks Orisanmi Burton on Black Masculine Care Work Under Domestic Warfare Charlie Frank on AIDS & COVID-19 From the Free Alabama Movement to The Alabama Solution featuring Renee Johnston "Everybody Changes In The Process Of Building A Movement" - Ruth Wilson Gilmore on Abolition Geography (responding to the question of the 13th Amendment & prison conditions) Dylan Rodriguez on Domestic Warfare & prisons

Human-caused climate change is fueling extreme floods, wildfires, rising seas, and record-breaking heat all around the world. At the same time, some of the most senior U.S. government officials and other powerful actors are actively defunding climate programs, dismantling research institutions, erasing decades of environmental data, and launching direct attacks on climate professionals. This week's episode is about what it's like to be a climate scientist, researcher, or environmental professional trying to do meaningful work in a country with a government that increasingly doesn't want it. Many have faced harassment, threats, or dismissal — or live in fear that their funding will be frozen or cut. How does it feel to do climate work not just in an era of climate denial, but of deliberate climate erasure?  Episode Guests: Rachel Rothschild,  Assistant Professor, University of Michigan Law School Brent Efron, Senior Manager for Permitting Innovation, Environmental Policy Innovation Center J. Timmons Roberts, Professor of Environmental Studies and Sociology, Brown University **For show notes and related links, visit ⁠climateone.org/podcasts.⁠ Highlights:  00:00 – Intro 03:00 – Brent Efron on how he got into climate work 05:30 – Efron relates a casual date he had in DC 08:00 – Efron is contacted by Project Veritas, who plans to release a video they recorded of his comments about his work at the EPA during the date 11:00 – Hate and public backlash following his remarks, as well as the EPA 13:00 – Efron is contacted by EPA investigators and the FBI 17:30 – His new job in climate policy and how it feels to be doing that work again 21:30 – Rachel Rothschild explains climate superfund laws 25:00 – An organization uses FOIA to request Rothschild's emails with environmental groups, then filed a lawsuit 32:00 – Personal and professional toll it has taken on her 37:00 – Needing to have threat monitoring 41:00 – How she thinks about her work as a teacher 42:30 – J. Timmons Roberts explains his work on links between offshore wind opposition groups and entities tied to fossil fuel interests 48:00 – Marzulla Law sends a letter to Brown University demanding Roberts' work be redacted 52:30 – Universities in vulnerable position right now 58:45 – Why uncovering climate obstruction work is so important 59:45 – Climate One More Thing *** Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on ⁠Patreon⁠, you'll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. ⁠Sign up today⁠. Ad sales by ⁠Multitude⁠. Contact them for ad inquiries at ⁠multitude.productions/ads⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

America's fascination with true crime seems endless, from hit podcasts and documentaries to bestselling books and Netflix binges. But what's behind our collective obsession with murder and mayhem? Matt DeLisi, a forensic consultant and Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice at Iowa State University, joins us to unpack the cultural, psychological, and even political reasons we're drawn to stories about crime.

Human-caused climate change is fueling extreme floods, wildfires, rising seas, and record-breaking heat all around the world. At the same time, some of the most senior U.S. government officials and other powerful actors are actively defunding climate programs, dismantling research institutions, erasing decades of environmental data, and launching direct attacks on climate professionals. This week's episode is about what it's like to be a climate scientist, researcher, or environmental professional trying to do meaningful work in a country with a government that increasingly doesn't want it. Many have faced harassment, threats, or dismissal — or live in fear that their funding will be frozen or cut. How does it feel to do climate work not just in an era of climate denial, but of deliberate climate erasure?  Episode Guests: Rachel Rothschild,  Assistant Professor, University of Michigan Law School Brent Efron, Senior Manager for Permitting Innovation, Environmental Policy Innovation Center J. Timmons Roberts, Professor of Environmental Studies and Sociology, Brown University **For show notes and related links, visit ⁠climateone.org/podcasts.⁠ Highlights:  00:00 – Intro 03:00 – Brent Efron on how he got into climate work 05:30 – Efron relates a casual date he had in DC 08:00 – Efron is contacted by Project Veritas, who plans to release a video they recorded of his comments about his work at the EPA during the date 11:00 – Hate and public backlash following his remarks, as well as the EPA 13:00 – Efron is contacted by EPA investigators and the FBI 17:30 – His new job in climate policy and how it feels to be doing that work again 21:30 – Rachel Rothschild explains climate superfund laws 25:00 – An organization uses FOIA to request Rothschild's emails with environmental groups, then filed a lawsuit 32:00 – Personal and professional toll it has taken on her 37:00 – Needing to have threat monitoring 41:00 – How she thinks about her work as a teacher 42:30 – J. Timmons Roberts explains his work on links between offshore wind opposition groups and entities tied to fossil fuel interests 48:00 – Marzulla Law sends a letter to Brown University demanding Roberts' work be redacted 52:30 – Universities in vulnerable position right now 58:45 – Why uncovering climate obstruction work is so important 59:45 – Climate One More Thing *** Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on ⁠Patreon⁠, you'll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. ⁠Sign up today⁠. Ad sales by ⁠Multitude⁠. Contact them for ad inquiries at ⁠multitude.productions/ads⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For more than 60 years, the United States has trained fewer physicians than it needs, relying instead on the economically expedient option of soliciting immigrant physicians trained at the expense of other countries. The passage of the Hart–Celler Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 expedited the entry of foreign medical graduates (FMGs) from postcolonial South Asia and sent them to provide care in shortage areas throughout the United States. Although this arrangement was conceived as temporary, over the decades it has become a permanent fixture of the medical system, with FMGs comprising at least a quarter of the physician labor force since the act became law. This cohort of practitioners has not been extensively studied, rendering the impacts of immigration and foreign policy on the everyday mechanics of US health care obscure. In The Care of Foreigners: How Immigrant Physicians Changed US Healthcare, Dr. Alam foregrounds global dynamics embedded in the medical system to ask how and why Asian physicians—and especially practitioners from South Asia—have become integral to US medical practice and ubiquitous in the US public imaginary. Drawing on transcripts of congressional hearings; medical, scientific, and social scientific literature; ethnographies; oral histories; and popular media, Dr. Alam explores the enduring consequences of postcolonial physician migration. Combining theoretical and methodological insights from a range of disciplines, this book analyzes both the care provided by immigrant physicians as well as the care extended to them as foreigners. Our guest is: Dr. Eram Alam, who specializes in the history of medicine, with a particular emphasis on globalization, race, migration, and health during the twentieth century. She is an assistant professor in the Department of the History of Science at Harvard University. She received her PhD in History and Sociology of Science from the University of Pennsylvania, and holds a BA and BS from Northwestern University and a MA from the University of Chicago. Our host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, who is a developmental editor, and the producer of the Academic Life podcast. She writes the show's newsletter at ChristinaGessler.Substack.com Listeners may enjoy this playlist: Where Is Home? Immigration Realities Secret Harvests Who Gets Believed The House on Henry Street Womanist Bioethics Welcome to Academic Life, the podcast for your academic journey—and beyond! You can support the show by sharing episodes, or by donating here. Join us again to learn from more experts inside and outside the academy, and around the world. Missed any of the 275+ Academic Life episodes? Find them here. And thank you for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

For more than 60 years, the United States has trained fewer physicians than it needs, relying instead on the economically expedient option of soliciting immigrant physicians trained at the expense of other countries. The passage of the Hart–Celler Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 expedited the entry of foreign medical graduates (FMGs) from postcolonial South Asia and sent them to provide care in shortage areas throughout the United States. Although this arrangement was conceived as temporary, over the decades it has become a permanent fixture of the medical system, with FMGs comprising at least a quarter of the physician labor force since the act became law. This cohort of practitioners has not been extensively studied, rendering the impacts of immigration and foreign policy on the everyday mechanics of US health care obscure. In The Care of Foreigners: How Immigrant Physicians Changed US Healthcare, Dr. Alam foregrounds global dynamics embedded in the medical system to ask how and why Asian physicians—and especially practitioners from South Asia—have become integral to US medical practice and ubiquitous in the US public imaginary. Drawing on transcripts of congressional hearings; medical, scientific, and social scientific literature; ethnographies; oral histories; and popular media, Dr. Alam explores the enduring consequences of postcolonial physician migration. Combining theoretical and methodological insights from a range of disciplines, this book analyzes both the care provided by immigrant physicians as well as the care extended to them as foreigners. Our guest is: Dr. Eram Alam, who specializes in the history of medicine, with a particular emphasis on globalization, race, migration, and health during the twentieth century. She is an assistant professor in the Department of the History of Science at Harvard University. She received her PhD in History and Sociology of Science from the University of Pennsylvania, and holds a BA and BS from Northwestern University and a MA from the University of Chicago. Our host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, who is a developmental editor, and the producer of the Academic Life podcast. She writes the show's newsletter at ChristinaGessler.Substack.com Listeners may enjoy this playlist: Where Is Home? Immigration Realities Secret Harvests Who Gets Believed The House on Henry Street Womanist Bioethics Welcome to Academic Life, the podcast for your academic journey—and beyond! You can support the show by sharing episodes, or by donating here. Join us again to learn from more experts inside and outside the academy, and around the world. Missed any of the 275+ Academic Life episodes? Find them here. And thank you for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/medicine

For more than 60 years, the United States has trained fewer physicians than it needs, relying instead on the economically expedient option of soliciting immigrant physicians trained at the expense of other countries. The passage of the Hart–Celler Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 expedited the entry of foreign medical graduates (FMGs) from postcolonial South Asia and sent them to provide care in shortage areas throughout the United States. Although this arrangement was conceived as temporary, over the decades it has become a permanent fixture of the medical system, with FMGs comprising at least a quarter of the physician labor force since the act became law. This cohort of practitioners has not been extensively studied, rendering the impacts of immigration and foreign policy on the everyday mechanics of US health care obscure. In The Care of Foreigners: How Immigrant Physicians Changed US Healthcare, Dr. Alam foregrounds global dynamics embedded in the medical system to ask how and why Asian physicians—and especially practitioners from South Asia—have become integral to US medical practice and ubiquitous in the US public imaginary. Drawing on transcripts of congressional hearings; medical, scientific, and social scientific literature; ethnographies; oral histories; and popular media, Dr. Alam explores the enduring consequences of postcolonial physician migration. Combining theoretical and methodological insights from a range of disciplines, this book analyzes both the care provided by immigrant physicians as well as the care extended to them as foreigners. Our guest is: Dr. Eram Alam, who specializes in the history of medicine, with a particular emphasis on globalization, race, migration, and health during the twentieth century. She is an assistant professor in the Department of the History of Science at Harvard University. She received her PhD in History and Sociology of Science from the University of Pennsylvania, and holds a BA and BS from Northwestern University and a MA from the University of Chicago. Our host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, who is a developmental editor, and the producer of the Academic Life podcast. She writes the show's newsletter at ChristinaGessler.Substack.com Listeners may enjoy this playlist: Where Is Home? Immigration Realities Secret Harvests Who Gets Believed The House on Henry Street Womanist Bioethics Welcome to Academic Life, the podcast for your academic journey—and beyond! You can support the show by sharing episodes, or by donating here. Join us again to learn from more experts inside and outside the academy, and around the world. Missed any of the 275+ Academic Life episodes? Find them here. And thank you for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/south-asian-studies

For more than 60 years, the United States has trained fewer physicians than it needs, relying instead on the economically expedient option of soliciting immigrant physicians trained at the expense of other countries. The passage of the Hart–Celler Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 expedited the entry of foreign medical graduates (FMGs) from postcolonial South Asia and sent them to provide care in shortage areas throughout the United States. Although this arrangement was conceived as temporary, over the decades it has become a permanent fixture of the medical system, with FMGs comprising at least a quarter of the physician labor force since the act became law. This cohort of practitioners has not been extensively studied, rendering the impacts of immigration and foreign policy on the everyday mechanics of US health care obscure. In The Care of Foreigners: How Immigrant Physicians Changed US Healthcare, Dr. Alam foregrounds global dynamics embedded in the medical system to ask how and why Asian physicians—and especially practitioners from South Asia—have become integral to US medical practice and ubiquitous in the US public imaginary. Drawing on transcripts of congressional hearings; medical, scientific, and social scientific literature; ethnographies; oral histories; and popular media, Dr. Alam explores the enduring consequences of postcolonial physician migration. Combining theoretical and methodological insights from a range of disciplines, this book analyzes both the care provided by immigrant physicians as well as the care extended to them as foreigners. Our guest is: Dr. Eram Alam, who specializes in the history of medicine, with a particular emphasis on globalization, race, migration, and health during the twentieth century. She is an assistant professor in the Department of the History of Science at Harvard University. She received her PhD in History and Sociology of Science from the University of Pennsylvania, and holds a BA and BS from Northwestern University and a MA from the University of Chicago. Our host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, who is a developmental editor, and the producer of the Academic Life podcast. She writes the show's newsletter at ChristinaGessler.Substack.com Listeners may enjoy this playlist: Where Is Home? Immigration Realities Secret Harvests Who Gets Believed The House on Henry Street Womanist Bioethics Welcome to Academic Life, the podcast for your academic journey—and beyond! You can support the show by sharing episodes, or by donating here. Join us again to learn from more experts inside and outside the academy, and around the world. Missed any of the 275+ Academic Life episodes? Find them here. And thank you for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life

For more than 60 years, the United States has trained fewer physicians than it needs, relying instead on the economically expedient option of soliciting immigrant physicians trained at the expense of other countries. The passage of the Hart–Celler Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 expedited the entry of foreign medical graduates (FMGs) from postcolonial South Asia and sent them to provide care in shortage areas throughout the United States. Although this arrangement was conceived as temporary, over the decades it has become a permanent fixture of the medical system, with FMGs comprising at least a quarter of the physician labor force since the act became law. This cohort of practitioners has not been extensively studied, rendering the impacts of immigration and foreign policy on the everyday mechanics of US health care obscure. In The Care of Foreigners: How Immigrant Physicians Changed US Healthcare, Dr. Alam foregrounds global dynamics embedded in the medical system to ask how and why Asian physicians—and especially practitioners from South Asia—have become integral to US medical practice and ubiquitous in the US public imaginary. Drawing on transcripts of congressional hearings; medical, scientific, and social scientific literature; ethnographies; oral histories; and popular media, Dr. Alam explores the enduring consequences of postcolonial physician migration. Combining theoretical and methodological insights from a range of disciplines, this book analyzes both the care provided by immigrant physicians as well as the care extended to them as foreigners. Our guest is: Dr. Eram Alam, who specializes in the history of medicine, with a particular emphasis on globalization, race, migration, and health during the twentieth century. She is an assistant professor in the Department of the History of Science at Harvard University. She received her PhD in History and Sociology of Science from the University of Pennsylvania, and holds a BA and BS from Northwestern University and a MA from the University of Chicago. Our host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, who is a developmental editor, and the producer of the Academic Life podcast. She writes the show's newsletter at ChristinaGessler.Substack.com Listeners may enjoy this playlist: Where Is Home? Immigration Realities Secret Harvests Who Gets Believed The House on Henry Street Womanist Bioethics Welcome to Academic Life, the podcast for your academic journey—and beyond! You can support the show by sharing episodes, or by donating here. Join us again to learn from more experts inside and outside the academy, and around the world. Missed any of the 275+ Academic Life episodes? Find them here. And thank you for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is technology the source or salve of social isolation? Given the realities of increasing division, the epidemic of loneliness, and unwanted isolation today, how should we think about the theological, ethical, and spiritual dimensions of the human experience of aloneness?“AI technologies aren't capable of creating conditions in which grace can happen—it's endemic to personhood.”This episode is part 3 of a 5-part series, SOLO, which explores the theological, moral, and psychological dimensions of loneliness, solitude, and being alone.In this episode, sociologist Felicia Wu Song joins Macie Bridge to discuss the sociology of solitude, loneliness, and isolation, framed by today's most pressing technological challenges.Drawing from her work on digital culture and AI, Song distinguishes between isolation, loneliness, and generative solitude—what she calls “positive aloneness.” She explores how technology both connects and disconnects us, what's lost when care becomes automated, and why the human face-to-face encounter remains vital for grace and dignity. Together they consider the allure of AI companionship, the “better-than-nothing” argument, and the church's local, embodied role in a digitized age. Song invites listeners to rediscover curiosity, self-reflection, and the spiritual discipline of solitude as essential practices for recovering our humanity amid the noise of the crowd.Helpful Links and ResourcesFelicia Wu Song, Restless Devices: Recovering Personhood, Presence, and Place in the Digital Age — https://www.ivpress.com/restless-devicesAllison Pugh, The Last Human Job: The Work of Connecting in a Disconnected World — https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691240817/the-last-human-jobDavid Whyte, “Solace: The Art of Asking the Beautiful Question” — https://www.amazon.com/Solace-Art-Asking-Beautiful-Question/dp/1932887377Sherry Turkle, Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other — https://www.sherryturkle.com/alone-togetherEpisode Highlights“Even though I study technology, I'm really interested in what it means to be human.”“What happens when we have technologies that always bring the crowd? The crowd is always with us all the time.”“Loneliness is the gap between what I think I should have and what I actually have.”“AI technologies aren't capable of creating conditions in which grace can happen—it's endemic to personhood.”“We should cut ourselves a lot of slack. Feeling lonely is very human. It doesn't mean something's wrong with me.”About Felicia Wu SongFelicia Wu Song is a sociologist, writer, and speaker, and was Professor of Sociology at Westmont College for many years. She is author of Restless Devices: Recovering Personhood, Presence, and Place in the Digital Age. Her research examines digital technology, culture, and Christian formation, exploring how contemporary media ecosystems shape our social and spiritual lives. Learn more about her work at https://feliciawusong.com/Show NotesTechnology, Humanity, and SolitudeSong describes her sociological work at the intersection of culture, technology, and spirituality.She reflects on how technology reshapes our sense of identity, community, and human meaning.“Even though I study technology, I'm really interested in what it means to be human.”The question of loneliness emerges from the expectation of constant accessibility and permanent connection.The Crowd Is Always With Us“What happens when we have technologies that always bring the crowd?”Song critiques how digital connectivity erases silence and solitude, making stillness feel uncomfortable.Explores the challenge of practicing ancient spiritual disciplines like silence in the digital age.Connection and DisconnectionSong traces the historical celebration of communication technology's power to transcend time and space.Notes the danger of normalizing constant connectivity: “If you can do it, you should do it.”Examines how connection can become a cultural norm that stigmatizes solitude.Defining Loneliness, Isolation, and Solitude“Social isolation is objective; loneliness is subjective; solitude is generative.”Distinguishes “positive aloneness” as a space for self-conversation and divine encounter.References David Whyte and the Desert Fathers and Mothers as guides to solitude.Youth, Boredom, and the Portal of LonelinessDiscusses the value of “episodic loneliness” as a portal to self-discovery and spiritual growth.Connects solitude to creativity and reflection through the “boredom literature.”AI, Care, and the Better-Than-Nothing ArgumentExamines the emergence of AI chatbots and companionship tools.Engages Allison Pugh's critique of “the better-than-nothing argument.”“It sounds altruistic, but it actually leads to deeper and deeper inequality.”Raises justice and resource questions around replacing human teachers and therapists with chatbots.The Limits of Machine Grace“AI technologies aren't capable of creating conditions in which grace can happen—it's endemic to personhood.”Explores embodiment, dignity, and the irreplaceable value of human presence.Critiques the assumption that “being seen” by a machine equates to being known by a person.AI, Divinity, and ProjectionNotes human tendency to attribute divine or human qualities to machines.References Sherry Turkle's early studies on human-computer relationships.“We are so relational that we'll even take a clunky computer program and give it human-like qualities.”Faith, Solitude, and Social ConditionsSong emphasizes the sociological dimension: environments shape human flourishing.“Let's not make it so hard for people to experience solitude.”Advocates for embodied, place-based communities as antidotes to digital disembodiment.Loneliness, Curiosity, and GraceEncourages gentleness toward oneself in moments of loneliness.“Feeling lonely is very human. It doesn't mean something's wrong with me.”Promotes curiosity and acceptance as pathways to spiritual and personal growth.Production NotesThis podcast featured Felicia Wu SongEdited and Produced by Evan RosaHosted by Evan RosaProduction Assistance by Hope Chun, Alexa Rollow and Emily BrookfieldA Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/aboutSupport For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/give

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Founder and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities and Professor of Politics, Philosophy, and Human Rights at Bard College Roger Berkowitz, Professional speaker, speaking coach and Albany County legislator Mark Grimm, Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan, and Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at Vassar College Catherine Tan.

On this episode of the Hayek Program Podcast, Nina Bandelj delivers a keynote lecture at the 2023 Markets & Society conference on the social life of money for children. Drawing on research about what she calls the “parenting economy,” she shows that parents increasingly treat children as human capital investments, using savings plans, loans, and educational spending to secure their futures. Bandelj argues that the financialization of family life reflects parental pressures and social inequality, calling for children to be seen as a shared public responsibility rather than private investments.Dr. Nina Bandelj is Chancellor's Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of California, Irvine and the President of the Sociological Research Association. Her articles have been published in top discipline and specialty journals such as the American Sociological Review, American Journal of Sociology, Social Forces, Theory and Society, and Socio-Economic Review. She has published various books, including Overinvested: The Emotional Economy of Modern Parenting (Princeton University Press, forthcoming), Money Talks: Explaining How Money Really Works (Princeton University Press, 2017) coauthored with Frederick Wherry and Viviana Zelizer), and Socialism Vanquished, Socialism Challenged: Eastern Europe and China, 1989-2009 (Oxford university Press, 2012) coedited with Dorothy Solinger.**This lecture was recorded October 22, 2023 at the second annual Markets & Society conference.If you like the show, please subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and tell others about the show! We're available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you get your podcasts.Check out our other podcast from the Hayek Program! Virtual Sentiments is a podcast in which political theorist Kristen Collins interviews scholars and practitioners grappling with pressing problems in political economy with an eye to the past. Subscribe today!Follow the Hayek Program on Twitter: @HayekProgramFollow the Mercatus Center on Twitter: @mercatusCC Music: Twisterium

Are Speed Cameras a cash grab? Guest: Patrick Johnstone, Mayor Of New Westminster How will government funding cuts affect long term care homes? Guest: Janice Boyle, Chief Executive Officer, Three Links Care Society What happens when big companies lay off 1000s of people? Guest: Nita Chhinzer, Associate Professor, Department of Management, University of Guelph How does remote work reduce gender discrimination? Guest: Laura Doering Associate Professor , Rotman School of Management & Dept. of Sociology, University of Toronto Is Canada going to cut tariffs on Chinese EVs? Guest: Daniel Breton, President & CEO, Electric Mobility Canada Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brent Z. Kaup and Kelly F. Austin join This Is Hell! to talk about their new book "The Pathogens of Finance: How Capitalism Breeds Vector-Borne Disease" published by University of California Press. The Pathogens of Finance explores how the power and profits of Wall Street underpin the contemporary increases in and inadequate responses to vector-borne disease. (https://www.ucpress.edu/books/the-pathogens-of-finance/paper?fbclid=IwY2xjawNtwAhleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFGRVpZQzFoa1FZYXR4eUYzAR6-3zKbFGV7SDYV2U-xSBScfcX0UhnL3VQQ61-FYHAYxUqOttxWbvb3rKsV5Q_aem_jVwNXP3bFHvXiL3oGJDLyQ#about-book) Brent Z. Kaup studies how the transformation of nature affects social inequalities and societal well-being. In addition, he seeks to understand how the materiality of nature shapes markets, policies, and social movements.  Through his research, he has examined an array of topics including genetically modified crops in the Midwest, extractive industries in Bolivia, and the bugs in his own backyard. His areas of specialization include Environment, Energy, Political Economy, Socioeconomic Change and Development, and Globalization. Brent Z. Kaup is Professor of Sociology at William & Mary and author of Market Justice: Political Economic Struggle in Bolivia Kelly F. Austin grew up outside of Santa Cruz, California. She attended college at Oregon State University, and went to earn her PhD in Sociology at North Carolina State University. Kelly arrived at Lehigh University in 2012, and in addition to being a member of the Sociology and Anthropology department, has also served as Director of the Health, Medicine and Society program, Director of the Global Studies Program, and is currently Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs for the College of Arts and Sciences. Kelly lives in Fountain Hill and spends summers in Bududa, Uganda working with Lehigh undergraduates and local community groups.  We will have new installments of Rotten History and Hangover Cure. We will also be sharing your answers to this week's Question from Hell! from Patreon. Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: www.patreon.com/thisishell

Racism does not always follow the patterns of aggressive behaviour, or outright attempts to violate the human rights and equality of racialized people. A study of the experiences of first- and second-generation Haitian and Jamaican Canadians sheds light on a form of racial exclusion sociologist Dr. Karine Coen-Sanchez calls polite racism. She joins us on our podcast today.

On Labor History Today: In 2005 the Guinness Brewery at Park Royal, West London closed after seven decades of production. Tim Strangleman spent the last six months of the Brewery's life working with a photographer to record in words and picture the site before it closed. Subsequent research revealed an incredibly rich story of corporate cultural change and the transformation of work and the workplace. Drawing on material from his 2019 book, Voices of Guinness: An Oral History of the Park Royal Brewery, Strangleman, Professor of Sociology, in the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, University of Kent, Canterbury, reflects on what that story tells us about work meaning, identity and organizational life in the second decade of the twenty-first century. Our show – which originally aired on October 24, 2021 -- is excerpted from Strangleman's Zoom presentation at the October 5, 2021 edition of Our Daily Work/Our Daily Lives, the lecture series sponsored by the Michigan Traditional Arts Program and the Labor Education Program at Michigan State University. To get on the ODW/ODL email list email John Beck at mailto:beckj@msu.edu Click here for photos of the Park Royal Guinness Brewery.   And, on Labor History in 2:00, the year was 1940; that was the day that the federally mandated 40-hour work week went into effect for U.S. workers. Produced by Chris Garlock. To contribute a labor history item, email laborhistorytoday@gmail.com Labor History Today is produced by the Labor Heritage Foundation and the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor at Georgetown University. #LaborRadioPod #History #WorkingClass #ClassStruggle @GeorgetownKILWP #LaborHistory @UMDMLA @ILLaborHistory @AFLCIO @MichiganTradArts @MSUSHRLR @DIndustrialKent @SSPSSR @OxUniPress

We discuss Practical Radicals: Seven Strategies to Change the World—a guide for a new generation of activists seeking not just to understand power, but to build it.   Stephanie's civic action toolkit recommendations are:  1) Learn a new skill, like non cooperation or mutual aid 2) Find organizations that align with your values and check if they offer trainings   Stephanie Luce is Professor of Labor Studies at the School of Labor and Urban Studies and Professor of Sociology at the Graduate Center, City University of New York. She's also the co-author of Practical Radicals: Seven Strategies to Change the World.     Let's connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Stephanie on X:  https://x.com/stephanie_luce_   Sponsor:  Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Stephanie Luce Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

Welcome to Pulse: Amplify, where we sit down with the leaders and changemakers shaping the future of health. Today we have a frank and fun conversation with UK author Professor Joe McDonald who has just released a book –FHIR and Loathing in Las Vegas: Collected Essays on the Sociology, Anthropology, and Psychopathology of Big IT. Joe's anthology of essays, written over a 13 year timespan track the highs, the lows, the optimism, the realities, the struggles, of the digital transformation of the NHS. George and Louise talk with Jo about some of those learnings, his thoughts on AI, data standards, the future of healthcare, and his advice for others who are passionate about changing the system for the better.Follow Joe on LinkedInResources:Joe's book, FHIR and Loathing in Las Vegas – LinkVisit Pulse+IT.news to subscribe to breaking digital news, weekly newsletters and a rich treasure trove of archival material. People in the know, get their news from Pulse+IT – Your leading voice in digital health news.Follow us on LinkedIn Louise | George | Pulse+ITFollow us on BlueSky Louise | George | Pulse+ITSend us your questions pulsepod@pulseit.newsProduction by Octopod Productions | Ivan Juric

This week on the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP Global Head of Human Performance, Principal Scientist Dr. Kristen Holmes sits down with Dr. Martha Beck, world-renowned sociologist, bestselling author, and life coach, to explore what it means to live in alignment with your true self.Dr. Beck shares what her journey from academia at Harvard to becoming one of the world's most sought-after life coaches taught her about life's purpose. Together, Dr. Beck and Dr. Holmes discuss how living out of alignment can lead to physical and emotional distress, why the body often knows the truth before the mind, and how reconnecting with your inner self can restore clarity and fulfillment.Dr. Beck's wisdom will leave you rethinking success, redefining happiness, and inspired to create a life that feels truly your own. Get Off The WHOOP Advanced Labs Waitlist: The first 100 members to tap this link will unlock early access to WHOOP Advanced Labs.**Open the link on the same device as your WHOOP app.(00:48) Dr. Martha Beck: Background in Sociology and the Meaning of Life(03:03) Dr. Beck's Pivot from Sociologist to Life Coach(05:19) The Need to Drop Illusions: How To Overcome Limitations(08:26) WHOOP Podcast Rapid Fire Questions(09:24) The Physiology of Integrity: Accessing Your True Self(16:06) Signs That You Are Ignoring Your True Self(20:03) How The Loss of Integrity Fuels Addiction(23:37) How to Find Your Life Purpose(25:49) Where To Start: Find Your Truth and Live Your Best Life(33:58) High Achievers: How To Set Healthy Goals(36:37) Raising Future Generations To Be In Line with Their Passions(38:41) The Decision Matrix: Making Decisions That Align With Your True-Self(41:42) Gaining Control of Your Fears and Anxiety(45:47) Importance of Solitude and Self-Awareness in Finding Your Truth(49:13) Finding Solitude in a Technologically Connected World(58:16) Understanding Data and Your Body's Signals For Your Mental HealthFollow Dr. Martha Beck:InstagramFacebookYouTubeTiktokSupport the showFollow WHOOP: Sign up for WHOOP Advanced Labs Trial WHOOP for Free www.whoop.com Instagram TikTok YouTube X Facebook LinkedIn Follow Will Ahmed: Instagram X LinkedIn Follow Kristen Holmes: Instagram LinkedIn Follow Emily Capodilupo: LinkedIn

Let's talk about Anxiety! Nope-- I'm not talking about Doechii's song called "Anxiety," I'm talking about an experience that we all share. In this episode, we'll be exploring the sociology of anixety, discussing its definitions, societal trends, and the impact of social media. The conversation delves into two sociological theories—Structural Strain Theory and Postmodern Theory—to understand how societal pressures shape anxiety. I will offer practical solutions (specimen solutions) for managing anxiety, emphasizing the importance of viewing disruptions as opportunities, using anxiety as a roadmap, and the power of forgiveness. The episode concludes with personal reflections on the importance of being present and the benefits of stepping back from social media.If you're curious to learn-- press play and turn that volume up!Resources:DJ Nayiram (IG: djnayiram)Specimen the Sociologist LinkTree: Click here!

There are currently about 2,000,000 people incarcerated in the United States. Some say this system of justice is thoroughly unjust, costly and needlessly punishes instead of rehabilitates. What can be done to improve or even fix this system? Dick’s guest, Diane Endres-Ballweg is a business owner, philanthropist and author who recently attended the Advanced Leadership […]

Authors Alex M. Kempler, Sam Mitchell, and Dawson P. R. Vosburg discuss the article, "Free to Learn: Ungrading in Sociology Courses," published in the October 2025 issue of Teaching Sociology.

This week for our “Ready, Set, Leap” series, our host and founder, Yoli Tamu welcomes the very student who first inspired her to begin serving college students years ago! In this episode, we meet Rwanda Carter, ASW, PPSC, Psychiatric Social Worker for LAUSD's Black Student Achievement Plan (BSAP). Born in Belize and raised in Watts, Rwanda shares how her parents' sacrifices inspired her to uplift her community, build belonging, and lead with purpose. She recalls finding her voice through campus organizations like the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and the Summer Engineering Experience for Kids (SEEK)—programs that nurtured her drive to serve others. Now, as a mentor and advocate, Rwanda has come full circle, creating opportunities for high school students to experience growth, community wellness, and college exploration. Her powerful journey proves that when you invest in underserved communities, the results ripple across generations. Rwanda completed both her Master of Social Work and her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at California State University, Fullerton. She is a dedicated social worker committed to uplifting and serving communities with limited access to mental health resources. As the BSAP Psychiatric Social Worker, she promotes mental wellness among historically underserved students through representation, advocacy, and culturally responsive care. Her work centers on reducing stigma, expanding access to mental health services, and empowering Black youth through trauma-informed and identity-affirming interventions. By collaborating with educators, families, and community partners, Rwanda helps create safe, inclusive environments where students feel seen, heard, and supported. Her long-term goal is to influence mental health policy to expand equitable access to care and address systemic barriers impacting marginalized populations. To learn more about Rwanda and her work, visit her at LAUSD.org or connect with her on LinkedIn.

Original Video: https://rumble.com/v70faxq-discussing-pop-music-electricity-motherhood-we.-michael-jones.html ChicagoTalkShowHost eighth unfiltered interview with E. Michael Jones, we discuss the following: 1. What Theodore Adorno said about Pop Music in his book, Introduction to the Sociology of Music 2. A book called, The Invisible Rainbow: A History of Electricity and Life by Arthur Firstenberg 3. Reclaiming humanity through motherhood and the primordial connection to the home; also the book, Cultural Devastation of American Women : The Strange and Frightening Decline of the American Female (and her dreadful Timing) by Nancy Levant Dr. E. Michael Jones is a prolific Catholic writer, lecturer, journalist, and Editor of Culture Wars Magazine who seeks to defend traditional Catholic teachings and values from those seeking to undermine them. ——— Dr. Jones Books: fidelitypress.org/ Subscribe to Culture Wars Magazine: culturewars.com Donate: culturewars.com/donate Follow: https://culturewars.com/links CW Magazine: culturewars.com NOW AVAILABLE!: Walking with a Bible and a Gun: The Rise, Fall and Return of American Identity: https://www.fidelitypress.org/book-products/walking-with-a-bible-and-a-gun

00:08 — Muhannad Ayyash is Professor of Sociology at Mount Royal University in Calgary and Policy Analyst at Al-Shabaka. 00:33 — Jacqueline Sweet is an investigative journalist. Her work has been published in the likes of The Intercept, The Guardian, POLITICO and Mother Jones.  00:45 — Freddy Brewster is a reporter for the Lever.  The post Israel Continues to Ignore Terms of Ceasefire, Dropsite News Investigates Network of Canary Mission Connections; Plus, the Tech Companies Benefiting from an Inflated Defense Budget appeared first on KPFA.

Boaventura de Sousa ​Santos, Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Coimbra, discusses his professional training from law, to the philosophy of law and then to sociology, covering his time studying in Cold War Berlin, then Yale in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and his eventual involvement with the World Social Forum and his efforts to densify class struggle. Bouncing off his recent article on cancel culture, de Sousa Santos analyses the “narcissism of belongingness” and how identity politics is sabotaging the left, where the connection to the political economy is lost to the language of inclusion. Analysing the weaponisation of victimhood and lies that are used to create narratives that uniquely rely upon the perverse assumption of female innocence and male guilt, de Sousa Santos observes the current social discourse and protofascistic regimes of our times, where the Inquisition of the Dark Ages has returned. Noting the rise of social fascism, which he believes may potentially slide into political fascism, de Sousa Santos argues that the proliferation of victimhood narratives creates the subject as a type of inert res extensa, in Cartesian terms, that simultaneously negates the Spinozean notion of human potentia, something he believes will ultimately kill the feminist movement. Get full access to Savage Minds at savageminds.substack.com/subscribe

What do street lights, tree cover, and public art all have to do with criminology? According to the data, these small initiatives can move the needle on the prevalence of neighborhood crime. In the fourth special edition of the Ampersand Podcast, Mark Trodden, Dean of Penn Arts & Sciences and Thomas S. Gates, Jr. Professor of Physics & Astronomy, talks with John MacDonald, Professor of Criminology and Sociology, and Director of the Master of Science in Criminology, about crime prevention through design, big data and technology, and how the Cambridge inspired a new program at Penn.

Your stories with Nicole Myers, Criminologist and Associate Professor at the Department of Sociology, Queen's University.

Four conservative Biola profs (Sean McDowell, Thaddeus Williams, Fred Sanders, Erik Thoennes) respond to the recent "drama" surrounding the questions Alisa Childers, Monique Duson and I have been raising. I appreciate these brothers and want you to hear their responses in their words. I also want you to understand what they DIDN'T say. Bombshells: Sean won't send kids to "center-left" Sociology department; Fred admits left-leaning hires; Thad says Biola "got crazy" 2014-2020 and is now reforming. At the end, I recount my 2021 meeting with top-level administration. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ3rPKlc2Zk #Biola #IsBiolaWoke

The Sabbath is more than a day of rest. It reminds us of God's completed work in creation and redemption while pointing to the victorious future in Christ. It lifts us above the mundane into a position of dominion and hope as it anchors both work and rest in God's larger purpose. Hosted by Martin Selbrede and Andrea Schwartz

Why This Episode Is a Must-Listen Can strategic generosity help you thrive, emotionally and financially? In this Inspired Money episode, host Andy Wang brings together an expert panel to explore how acts of giving don't just change communities, but transform your own sense of purpose, happiness, and financial health. If you believe philanthropy is only “about the money,” this episode will give you a whole new perspective and practical strategies to make your giving more impactful. Whether you're an individual donor, family foundation, finance professional, or nonprofit leader, this is packed with actionable advice—and heart. Meet the Expert Panelists Caroline Fiennes is the Founder and Director of Giving Evidence, an organization that promotes evidence-based charitable giving to ensure donations create measurable impact. A Visiting Fellow at Cambridge University and author of It Ain't What You Give, It's the Way That You Give It, she is recognized globally as a “charmingly disruptive” expert on effective philanthropy and has advised leading donors, companies, and foundations worldwide. www.giving-evidence.com Paul G. Schervish is Professor Emeritus of Sociology and former Director of the Center on Wealth and Philanthropy at Boston College, where he pioneered research on the moral, social, and emotional dimensions of wealth and giving. A Fulbright Scholar and five-time honoree on The NonProfit Times “Power and Influence Top 50,” he has shaped how scholars and practitioners understand philanthropy as both a financial and spiritual endeavor. http://www.bc.edu/cwp Yvonne L. Moore is the Founder and Managing Director of Moore Philanthropy and President of Moore Impact, bringing over 25 years of experience across government, civil society, and philanthropy. A leading voice in equitable and cross-border giving, she helps families, individuals, and institutions design values-driven strategies that advance social impact in the U.S., Africa, and beyond. https://moorephilanthropy.com Stephen Kump is President of DAFs at Foundation Source, where he leads innovative philanthropic solutions for donors, institutions, and workplaces. A former Bain consultant and U.S. Army officer, he is also the founder of Charityvest and Chairman of Teen Advisors, combining technology and purpose to expand access to effective giving. https://foundationsource.com This episode is sponsored by Runnymede Capital Management. Get your free 3-minute financial plan at https://www.inspiredmoney.fm/getplan and discover your retirement age, income, and strategy today. Key Highlights 1. Building an Impactful Philanthropic Portfolio Caroline discusses why giving should be as strategic as any investment. Rather than random donations, align your charitable “portfolio” with your skills and resources—and verify that you're meeting real needs with evidence-based solutions. She advises, "It's important to think about what you have... Money is the most obvious thing, but there can be other things donors bring as well." 2. The Emotional Rewards of Giving Paul reveals that generosity is deeply connected to happiness and meaning. Drawing on Aristotle's concept of “philia”—friendship love—he explains, “The more you feel the people you are looking to help are actually yourself, or people like those whom you love...the greater is your generosity.” Joy comes from connecting your giving to your deepest values. 3. Values-Driven and Relationship-Centered Giving Yvonne urges donors to engage their families and communities—not just write checks. Impact starts with understanding the problems you're trying to solve, ongoing donor education, and building trust with nonprofits. “Philanthropy is not about wealth, it's about worth and how you understand the worth of other people,” she shares. 4. Technology and Financial Planning Tools for Greater Impact  Stephen demystifies donor advised funds and tax-smart strategies, making giving frictionless and empowering donors to commit more, without financial strain. “We want to put a lot of focus on making the transactional frictionless so the relational can flourish,” he says. From bunching to appreciated stock, financial tools are game changers for modern philanthropists. Call-to-Action Inspired Money Challenge: This week, take one intentional action toward generosity: set up a recurring donation, research a charity before giving, or simply give your time to someone who needs support. Do it with purpose, and notice how it makes you feel. Find the Inspired Money channel on YouTube or listen to Inspired Money in your favorite podcast player. Andy Wang, Host/Producer of Inspired Money

In this episode, the second of our feature on African Queenship, host Ellie Woodacre interviews Paula Akpan. Our discussion mirrors the same lines as the conversation in episode 1 of this mini-series, drawing deeply on her fantastic new book, When We Ruled (see links below) and the various case studies Paula examined in her research.Guest Bio: Paula Akpan is a historian, journalist and author. Her writing has appeared in British Vogue, Teen Vogue, The Independent, The i Paper, VICE, GAY TIMES, The Bookseller, DIVA Magazine, i-D and more. Her essays have featured in Loud Black Girls, The Queer Bible and The Black History Book. Paula holds a BA in Sociology and an MA in Black British History.  When We Ruled: The Rise and Fall of Twelve African Queens and Warriors is her first book.Follow Paula on Insta @paulaakpan 

In this distinctive episode of The Safety Guru, renowned safety expert Dr Andrew Hopkins joins us to explore the critical lessons from the Boeing 737 MAX. Drawing from his latest book, Andrew unpacks a comprehensive analysis of its troubled history, uncovering flawed system design, organizational blind spots, and safety decisions that led to devastating consequences. He shares key learnings for boards and executives, emphasizing safety as a core responsibility and underscoring the importance of understanding and managing risk at the highest levels, while addressing how long-term safety performance is essential to sustainable business success. This information-rich episode delivers valuable takeaways on strengthening the role of safety governance, enhancing risk oversight, improving leadership accountability, and building safer systems for the future. Listen now! About the Guest: Andrew Hopkins is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the Australian National University, Canberra. He was a consultant to the U.S. Chemical Safety Board in its investigations of the 2005 BP Texas City Refinery disaster and the 2010 BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill, and served as an expert witness at the Royal Commission into the 1998 Exxon gas plant explosion near Melbourne. He has written books on these and other disasters, including in mining, and has consulted for major companies in the mining, petroleum, chemical, electrical, and defence industries. He speaks regularly to audiences around the world about the human and organisational causes of major accidents. For more information: https://sociology.cass.anu.edu.au/people/professor-andrew-hopkins Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author Cinthia J. Romo Alba discusses the article, "Resisting Enforcement: The Civic and Political Mobilization Effects of Encountering the Immigration Enforcement System" published in the October 2025 issue of Sociology of Race and Ethnicity.

⚠️ The Middle East stands on a knife edge. Ceasefire talks hang by a thread, Gaza mourns its dead, and Israel continues its attacks despite growing international pressure. Meanwhile, Trump eyes a new deal, Europe faces political unrest, and global markets tremble. On The Mother of All Talk Shows, George Galloway asks: Will the dead finally break the Gaza peace?

What if freedom isn't the absence of limits, but the presence of form?In this episode of The Scenic Route, Jen explores the paradox of constraints – why the boundaries we resist might be the very thing that saves us. Drawing on the work of sociologist Zygmunt Bauman and his idea of liquid modernity, she unpacks how modern life's obsession with flexibility and endless options has left so many of us overwhelmed, exhausted, and floating without structure.You'll hear:Why too much freedom can make us feel lost instead of liberatedWhat Bauman meant by “liquid modernity”, and how it shapes our daily anxietyHow chosen limits can create space for creativity, rest, and meaningWhy personal boundaries matter and why collective ones matter even moreThis isn't a call to hustle smarter or embrace toxic gratitude. It's a quiet rebellion against a system that asks you to be endlessly available and endlessly improving. Jen invites you to build a life – and a world – solid enough to hold you.Survival is individual. Transformation is shared.They drained the public pool and sold you swimming lessons. The goalposts keep moving; nothing ever feels complete.You don't need to fix yourself; you need structures that hold you.If you've been feeling like you're always treading water, this episode is your permission to stop swimming and start building your boat.

We're thrilled to announce that our episode “S2.E2. Lost Women of Disco” has been named a finalist in the Best Indie Podcast category at the 2025 Signal Awards! This powerful episode dives deep into the untold stories of the trailblazing women who shaped the culture we now call “disco”, but were overshadowed by history. We are re-releasing this episode, which originally aired on July 22, 2025, to highlight this recognition and to celebrate the forgotten legacy of these groundbreaking artists. Thank you to our listeners and the Signal Awards for this incredible honor. If you haven't tuned in yet, now's the perfect time to discover the voices that helped define a generation. *** *** Women have been central to the evolution of dance music culture since its earliest days, yet their contributions have often been overlooked. From Régine Zylberberg's pioneering work in creating the modern discotheque in 1950s Paris to Sharon White's trailblazing presence at New York's legendary venues in the 1970s, female DJs have shaped dance floors worldwide. Sharon White broke barriers as a Black queer radio DJ, finding her way into the booth at the Paradise Garage in 1975. She became the first female DJ to play at the revered Saint club and spun records at Studio 54. Her influence can be seen in later pioneers like London's Smokin' Jo, who emerged from the British acid house scene to become one of England's most celebrated DJs and the only woman to be awarded DJ of the Year in DJ Magazine's Top 100. In the second episode of Season Two of Soundscapes NYC, hosts Ryan Purcell and Kristie Soares welcome DJ, academic, and journalist Lulu Le Vay to explore the often-untold stories of women in dance music culture. Le Vay, who holds a PhD in Sociology from Goldsmiths and performs as DJ Lulu Levan, represents a new generation of "PhDJs" combining academic inquiry with dance floor experience. From writing for publications like The Face, i-D, and The Guardian to spinning at festivals like Lovebox and Bestival, she documents club culture from multiple perspectives. Currently working on a documentary about women DJs with director Sonja Phillips, Le Vay is also part of Love Underground, a new collaboration with producer Tommy D whose new single "The Journey Part 1" is out on Chillifunk records. Through her podcast Where Love Lives and her work preserving dance music history, Le Vay continues to celebrate the women who built the foundations of club culture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Old Testament scholar Brian Doak talks with author & speaker Andy Crouch 17 years after the release of Crouch's popular book, Culture Making. What exactly does the word “culture” mean, and are Christians supposed to contribute to it? What is the fastest way for a Christian to make a million dollars today? Where does the term “Mainline” Christian come from? (It's not what you think).Andy Crouch is a well known author, speaker, and partner for theology and culture at Praxis, a venture-building ecosystem advancing redemptive entrepreneurship.Dr. Brian Doak is an Old Testament scholar and professor.Jerry B. Jenkins & Tim LaHaye's Left Behind series.The Chosen TV series.Listen to The Brilliance.If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

We're thrilled to announce that our episode “S2.E2. Lost Women of Disco” has been named a finalist in the Best Indie Podcast category at the 2025 Signal Awards! This powerful episode dives deep into the untold stories of the trailblazing women who shaped the culture we now call “disco”, but were overshadowed by history. We are re-releasing this episode, which originally aired on July 22, 2025, to highlight this recognition and to celebrate the forgotten legacy of these groundbreaking artists. Thank you to our listeners and the Signal Awards for this incredible honor. If you haven't tuned in yet, now's the perfect time to discover the voices that helped define a generation. *** *** Women have been central to the evolution of dance music culture since its earliest days, yet their contributions have often been overlooked. From Régine Zylberberg's pioneering work in creating the modern discotheque in 1950s Paris to Sharon White's trailblazing presence at New York's legendary venues in the 1970s, female DJs have shaped dance floors worldwide. Sharon White broke barriers as a Black queer radio DJ, finding her way into the booth at the Paradise Garage in 1975. She became the first female DJ to play at the revered Saint club and spun records at Studio 54. Her influence can be seen in later pioneers like London's Smokin' Jo, who emerged from the British acid house scene to become one of England's most celebrated DJs and the only woman to be awarded DJ of the Year in DJ Magazine's Top 100. In the second episode of Season Two of Soundscapes NYC, hosts Ryan Purcell and Kristie Soares welcome DJ, academic, and journalist Lulu Le Vay to explore the often-untold stories of women in dance music culture. Le Vay, who holds a PhD in Sociology from Goldsmiths and performs as DJ Lulu Levan, represents a new generation of "PhDJs" combining academic inquiry with dance floor experience. From writing for publications like The Face, i-D, and The Guardian to spinning at festivals like Lovebox and Bestival, she documents club culture from multiple perspectives. Currently working on a documentary about women DJs with director Sonja Phillips, Le Vay is also part of Love Underground, a new collaboration with producer Tommy D whose new single "The Journey Part 1" is out on Chillifunk records. Through her podcast Where Love Lives and her work preserving dance music history, Le Vay continues to celebrate the women who built the foundations of club culture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/music

We're thrilled to announce that our episode “S2.E2. Lost Women of Disco” has been named a finalist in the Best Indie Podcast category at the 2025 Signal Awards! This powerful episode dives deep into the untold stories of the trailblazing women who shaped the culture we now call “disco”, but were overshadowed by history. We are re-releasing this episode, which originally aired on July 22, 2025, to highlight this recognition and to celebrate the forgotten legacy of these groundbreaking artists. Thank you to our listeners and the Signal Awards for this incredible honor. If you haven't tuned in yet, now's the perfect time to discover the voices that helped define a generation. *** *** Women have been central to the evolution of dance music culture since its earliest days, yet their contributions have often been overlooked. From Régine Zylberberg's pioneering work in creating the modern discotheque in 1950s Paris to Sharon White's trailblazing presence at New York's legendary venues in the 1970s, female DJs have shaped dance floors worldwide. Sharon White broke barriers as a Black queer radio DJ, finding her way into the booth at the Paradise Garage in 1975. She became the first female DJ to play at the revered Saint club and spun records at Studio 54. Her influence can be seen in later pioneers like London's Smokin' Jo, who emerged from the British acid house scene to become one of England's most celebrated DJs and the only woman to be awarded DJ of the Year in DJ Magazine's Top 100. In the second episode of Season Two of Soundscapes NYC, hosts Ryan Purcell and Kristie Soares welcome DJ, academic, and journalist Lulu Le Vay to explore the often-untold stories of women in dance music culture. Le Vay, who holds a PhD in Sociology from Goldsmiths and performs as DJ Lulu Levan, represents a new generation of "PhDJs" combining academic inquiry with dance floor experience. From writing for publications like The Face, i-D, and The Guardian to spinning at festivals like Lovebox and Bestival, she documents club culture from multiple perspectives. Currently working on a documentary about women DJs with director Sonja Phillips, Le Vay is also part of Love Underground, a new collaboration with producer Tommy D whose new single "The Journey Part 1" is out on Chillifunk records. Through her podcast Where Love Lives and her work preserving dance music history, Le Vay continues to celebrate the women who built the foundations of club culture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION “We have smoothly transitioned from one form of feminine subservience to another, but we pretend that this one is liberation.” “…Western sexual culture in the twenty-first century…promotes the interests of the Hugh Hefners of the world at the expense of the Marilyn Monroes.”~Louise Perry, British journalist in The Case Against the Sexual Revolution “For we were the purpose of [Christ's] embodiment, and for our salvation he so loved human beings as to come to be and appear in a human body.” “He became what we are so that he might make us what he is.”~Athanasius of Alexandria (c.296-373), On the Incarnation “The dignity of human nature, fashioned in the divine image, is such that God can take it for himself—and keep it.”~Nigel Cameron, bioethicist “[The] central doctrines of Christianity prompted and sustained attractive, liberating, and effective social relations and organizations…. [P]erhaps above all else, Christianity brought a new conception of humanity to a world saturated with capricious cruelty and the vicarious love of death…. [W]hat Christianity gave to its converts was nothing less than their humanity.”~Rodney Stark (1934-2022), Professor of Sociology and Comparative Religion “It is a serious thing…to remember that the dullest most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare…. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal…. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit….”~C.S. Lewis (1893-1963), The Weight of Glory “Christianity's success is to be found in its inclusiveness. More than any other of its [ancient] competitors it attracted all races and classes…. Christianity, too, was for both sexes…. The Church welcomed both rich and poor…. No other [religion]…took in so many groups and strata of society.”~Kenneth Scott Latourette (1884-1986), historian at Yale UniversitySERMON PASSAGEselected passages (ESV)Genesis 1 26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image,    in the image of God he created him;    male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Matthew 22 15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. 16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar's.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.... 34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” 1 Corinthians 6 18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. Hebrews 2 14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

Driving Productivity: Automation, Labor, and Industrial Development in the United States and Germany (Brill, 2025) reconstructs the industrial histories of the American and German automotive industries in a new light. From the Fordist assembly line to Japanese lean production and Industry 4.0, Anthony J. Knowles critically examines major technical developments within the historical dynamics of capitalism. Both countries face the pressure to automate, transform labor, and increase efficiency, yet their responses differ due to divergent paradigms of integrating business, labor, and government. Driving Productivity makes the case that improving productivity is a never-ending process that becomes a compulsory social imperative that industries must respond to but are nevertheless responded to differently between countries. Guest: Anthony Knowles (he/him) is a Teaching Assistant Professor in Sociology and a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Center for Transportation Research at the University of Tennessee. Host: Jenna Pittman (she/her), a Ph.D. student in the Department of History at Duke University. She studies modern European history, political economy, and Germany from 1945-1990. Scholars@Duke: here Linktree: here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

Few places are more notorious for civil rights–era violence than Philadelphia, Mississippi, the site of the 1964 “Mississippi Burning” murders. Yet in a striking turn of events, Philadelphia has become a beacon in Mississippi's racial reckoning in the decades since. In Between Remembrance and Repair: Commemorating Racial Violence in Philadelphia, Mississippi (UNC Press, 2020) Claire Whitlinger investigates how this community came to acknowledge its past, offering significant insight into the social impacts of commemoration. Examining two commemorations around key anniversaries of the murders held in 1989 and 2004, Whitlinger shows the differences in how those events unfolded. She also charts how the 2004 commemoration offered a springboard for the trial of former Klan leader Edgar Ray Killen for his role in the 1964 murders, the 2006 passage of Mississippi's Civil Rights/Human Rights education bill, and the initiation of the Mississippi Truth Project. In doing so, Whitlinger provides the first comprehensive account of these high profile events and expands our understanding of how commemorations both emerge out of and catalyze associated memory movements.Threading a compelling story with theoretical insights, Whitlinger delivers a study that will help scholars, students, and activists alike better understand the dynamics of commemorating difficult pasts, commemorative practices in general, and the links between memory, race, and social change. Claire Whitlinger is Associate Professor of Sociology at Furman University. Host: Michael L. Rosino is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Molloy University, studying racial politics, media, and democracy. His most recent book, Democracy Is Awkward: Grappling with Racism Inside Grassroots Political Organizing, is now available with the University of North Carolina Press. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-american-studies

Few places are more notorious for civil rights–era violence than Philadelphia, Mississippi, the site of the 1964 “Mississippi Burning” murders. Yet in a striking turn of events, Philadelphia has become a beacon in Mississippi's racial reckoning in the decades since. In Between Remembrance and Repair: Commemorating Racial Violence in Philadelphia, Mississippi (UNC Press, 2020) Claire Whitlinger investigates how this community came to acknowledge its past, offering significant insight into the social impacts of commemoration. Examining two commemorations around key anniversaries of the murders held in 1989 and 2004, Whitlinger shows the differences in how those events unfolded. She also charts how the 2004 commemoration offered a springboard for the trial of former Klan leader Edgar Ray Killen for his role in the 1964 murders, the 2006 passage of Mississippi's Civil Rights/Human Rights education bill, and the initiation of the Mississippi Truth Project. In doing so, Whitlinger provides the first comprehensive account of these high profile events and expands our understanding of how commemorations both emerge out of and catalyze associated memory movements.Threading a compelling story with theoretical insights, Whitlinger delivers a study that will help scholars, students, and activists alike better understand the dynamics of commemorating difficult pasts, commemorative practices in general, and the links between memory, race, and social change. Claire Whitlinger is Associate Professor of Sociology at Furman University. Host: Michael L. Rosino is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Molloy University, studying racial politics, media, and democracy. His most recent book, Democracy Is Awkward: Grappling with Racism Inside Grassroots Political Organizing, is now available with the University of North Carolina Press. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Driving Productivity: Automation, Labor, and Industrial Development in the United States and Germany (Brill, 2025) reconstructs the industrial histories of the American and German automotive industries in a new light. From the Fordist assembly line to Japanese lean production and Industry 4.0, Anthony J. Knowles critically examines major technical developments within the historical dynamics of capitalism. Both countries face the pressure to automate, transform labor, and increase efficiency, yet their responses differ due to divergent paradigms of integrating business, labor, and government. Driving Productivity makes the case that improving productivity is a never-ending process that becomes a compulsory social imperative that industries must respond to but are nevertheless responded to differently between countries. Guest: Anthony Knowles (he/him) is a Teaching Assistant Professor in Sociology and a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Center for Transportation Research at the University of Tennessee. Host: Jenna Pittman (she/her), a Ph.D. student in the Department of History at Duke University. She studies modern European history, political economy, and Germany from 1945-1990. Scholars@Duke: here Linktree: here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Driving Productivity: Automation, Labor, and Industrial Development in the United States and Germany (Brill, 2025) reconstructs the industrial histories of the American and German automotive industries in a new light. From the Fordist assembly line to Japanese lean production and Industry 4.0, Anthony J. Knowles critically examines major technical developments within the historical dynamics of capitalism. Both countries face the pressure to automate, transform labor, and increase efficiency, yet their responses differ due to divergent paradigms of integrating business, labor, and government. Driving Productivity makes the case that improving productivity is a never-ending process that becomes a compulsory social imperative that industries must respond to but are nevertheless responded to differently between countries. Guest: Anthony Knowles (he/him) is a Teaching Assistant Professor in Sociology and a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Center for Transportation Research at the University of Tennessee. Host: Jenna Pittman (she/her), a Ph.D. student in the Department of History at Duke University. She studies modern European history, political economy, and Germany from 1945-1990. Scholars@Duke: here Linktree: here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/german-studies

In this episode Chrisley Confessions 2.0, Todd Chrisley is joined by Rick Stover, Special Assistant to the Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) who has been with the Bureau for nearly 29 years. They dive deep into the First Step Act (FSA) and its implementation within the Bureau of Prisons. He shares insights on the challenges and successes of the FSA since its inception in 2018, including the complexities of good conduct time calculations and the impact of the Second Chance Act.We discuss the growing pains experienced during the rollout of the FSA, the importance of accurate time credit calculations, and the steps being taken to improve the process for inmates. Our guest addresses common misconceptions about home confinement eligibility and the role of case managers in determining release dates.Listen in as we explore the ongoing efforts to streamline the FSA implementation, the establishment of a triage team to address inmate concerns, and the commitment to ensuring that inmates receive the benefits they are entitled to under the law. This episode is packed with valuable information for anyone interested in criminal justice reform and the future of the Bureau of Prisons.THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!- LEAN: Get 20% OFF when you enter code CHRISLEY at https://www.takelean.com!- Just Thrive: Go to https://www.justthrivehealth.com/CONFESSIONS to save 20%! Take the 90-Day Just Thrive Challenge today because when your gut thrives, you thrive!- HOME TITLE LOCK: Go to https://www.hometitlelock.com/chrisley and use promo code CHRISLEY to get a FREE title history report and a FREE TRIAL of their Triple Lock Protection! For details visit https://hometitlelock.com/warranty - BOLL & BRANCH: Get 20% off plus free shipping on your first set of sheets at https://www.BollAndBranch.com/confessions!- RULA: Use Rula to get affordable, high-quality therapy that's actually covered by insurance. Visit https://www.rula.com/Chrisley to get started. You deserve mental healthcare that works with you, not against your budget. #rulapod - Genesis Gold Group: Visit https://www.chrisleylovesgold.com today for your FREE Family Wealth Protection Gold Guide and join thousands of Americans who've protected their legacy with real assets!FOLLOW US ON SOCIALS:Todd Chrisley:Insta: (https://www.instagram.com/toddchrisley)Facebook: (https://www.facebook.com/toddchrisley)Julie Chrisley:Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/juliechrisley)Facebook: (https://www.facebook.com/JulieChrisley)Chrisley Confessions 2.0:Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/chrisleyconfessions2.0)TikTok: (https://www.tiktok.com/@chrisleyconfessions2.0)YouTube: (https://www.youtube.com/@ChrisleyConfessions)Produced and Edited by: The Cast Collective (Nashville, TN)YouTube: (https://www.youtube.com/@TheCastCollective)Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/thecastcollective)TikTok: (https://www.tiktok.com/@castcollective)About Rick Stover:Rick Stover currently serves as the Special Assistant to the Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. He began his career in corrections with the Virginia Department of Corrections, where he worked for several years before joining the Bureau of Prisons in April 1997 as a Case Manager at FCC Forrest City (AR).In his current role, Mr. Stover leads the Bureau's efforts to advance implementation of the First Step Act (FSA). He was selected for this position in recognition of his prior leadership in developing and negotiating the FSA Time Credits policy. His work has included oversight of policy improvements aimed at enhancing inmate outcomes and fostering collaboration across federal, state, and local agencies to support justice system reform.Mr. Stover has also provided expert guidance on policy development and legal interpretation to ensure consistent application of FSA provisions across law enforcement entities. Throughout his tenure in the Correctional Programs Division and as Warden, he actively engaged with advocacy groups, legal professionals, and community stakeholders to promote transparency and trust in the justice system. In his current role, he is prioritizing agency-wide FSA training and advising the Director on significant immigration matters affecting the Bureau.Mr. Stover holds a bachelor's degree in Sociology with an emphasis in Criminal Justice from Duquesne University and a master's degree in the Administration of Criminal Justice from the State University of New York at Albany. He has been a member of the Senior Executive Service since 2024.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sahil Bloom is a writer, investor, and former collegiate athlete who is the author of the New York Times bestseller The 5 Types of Wealth. He earned his undergraduate degree in Economics & Sociology and a master's in public policy from Stanford, where he also played baseball. He also leads SRB Holdings and SRB Ventures, where he invests in early-stage companies. And Sahil has amassed a massive following online, with over 800,000 subscribers to his newsletter and more than 1 million followers on X. In this episode we discuss the following: We can't truly feel successful until we define what success means for ourselves. If we look at the scorecard that is handed to us, which consists of accumulating money, status, titles, and promotions, we will always feel like we need to reach for more, a trap made worse by the arrival fallacy.  Our ability to achieve our goals is influenced by our surroundings. The goal to live a simple life is much easier to accomplish in small town America than New York, where Sahil sees extraordinarily rich people spend their time figuring out ways to impress even more extraordinarily rich people. To help us reveal how much our decisions are influenced by external validation, we can ask ourself some version of the question, “Do I really want this job, or do I want other people to see me having this job?” True success is built on five types of wealth (time, social, mental, physical and financial) rather than chasing society's default measures. 

Today we explore tax cuts as a form of government expenditure and what that means for social inequality, politics, and government services. My guest is Melinda Cooper. Melinda Cooper is a professor in the School of Sociology in the Colelge of Arts & Social Sciences at the Australian National University. Her newest book is Counterrevolution: Extravagance and Austerity in Public Finance (Zone Books/Princeton University Press, 2024) . I spoke with Melinda in front of a live audience at the Manning Clark House in Canberra for the second part of an event called Taxing Times. I'd like to thank Claire Manning and Luciana Todd for organizing and hosting this event. freshedpodcast.com/cooper -- Get in touch! Twitter: @FreshEdpodcast Facebook: FreshEd Email: info@freshedpodcast.com

⸻ Podcast: Redefining Society and Technologyhttps://redefiningsocietyandtechnologypodcast.com _____ Newsletter: Musing On Society And Technology https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/musing-on-society-technology-7079849705156870144/_____ Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/nFn6CcXKMM0_____ My Website: https://www.marcociappelli.com_____________________________This Episode's SponsorsBlackCloak provides concierge cybersecurity protection to corporate executives and high-net-worth individuals to protect against hacking, reputational loss, financial loss, and the impacts of a corporate data breach.BlackCloak:  https://itspm.ag/itspbcweb_____________________________A Musing On Society & Technology Newsletter Written By Marco Ciappelli | Read by TAPE3A new transmission from Musing On Society and Technology Newsletter, by Marco CiappelliReflections from Our Hybrid Analog-Digital SocietyFor years on the Redefining Society and Technology Podcast, I've explored a central premise: we live in a hybrid -digital society where the line between physical and virtual has dissolved into something more complex, more nuanced, and infinitely more human than we often acknowledge.Introducing a New Series: Analog Minds in a Digital World:Reflections from Our Hybrid Analog-Digital SocietyPart II: Lo-Fi Music and the Art of Imperfection — When Technical Limitations Become Creative LiberationI've been testing small speakers lately. Nothing fancy—just little desktop units that cost less than a decent dinner. As I cycled through different genres, something unexpected happened. Classical felt lifeless, missing all its dynamic range. Rock came across harsh and tinny. Jazz lost its warmth and depth. But lo-fi? Lo-fi sounded... perfect.Those deliberate imperfections—the vinyl crackle, the muffled highs, the compressed dynamics—suddenly made sense on equipment that couldn't reproduce perfection anyway. The aesthetic limitations of the music matched the technical limitations of the speakers. It was like discovering that some songs were accidentally designed for constraints I never knew existed.This moment sparked a bigger realization about how we navigate our hybrid analog-digital world: sometimes our most profound innovations emerge not from perfection, but from embracing limitations as features.Lo-fi wasn't born in boardrooms or designed by committees. It emerged from bedrooms, garages, and basement studios where young musicians couldn't afford professional equipment. The 4-track cassette recorder—that humble Portastudio that let you layer instruments onto regular cassette tapes for a fraction of what professional studio time cost—became an instrument of democratic creativity. Suddenly, anyone could record music at home. Sure, it would sound "imperfect" by industry standards, but that imperfection carried something the polished recordings lacked: authenticity.The Velvet Underground recorded on cheap equipment and made it sound revolutionary—so revolutionary that, as the saying goes, they didn't sell many records, but everyone who bought one started a band. Pavement turned bedroom recording into art. Beck brought lo-fi to the mainstream with "Mellow Gold." These weren't artists settling for less—they were discovering that constraints could breed creativity in ways unlimited resources never could.Today, in our age of infinite digital possibility, we see a curious phenomenon: young creators deliberately adding analog imperfections to their perfectly digital recordings. They're simulating tape hiss, vinyl scratches, and tube saturation using software plugins. We have the technology to create flawless audio, yet we choose to add flaws back in.What does this tell us about our relationship with technology and authenticity?There's something deeply human about working within constraints. Twitter's original 140-character limit didn't stifle creativity—it created an entirely new form of expression. Instagram's square format—a deliberate homage to Polaroid's instant film—forced photographers to think differently about composition. Think about that for a moment: Polaroid's square format was originally a technical limitation of instant film chemistry and optics, yet it became so aesthetically powerful that decades later, a digital platform with infinite formatting possibilities chose to recreate that constraint. Even more, Instagram added filters that simulated the color shifts, light leaks, and imperfections of analog film. We had achieved perfect digital reproduction, and immediately started adding back the "flaws" of the technology we'd left behind.The same pattern appears in video: Super 8 film gave you exactly 3 minutes and 12 seconds per cartridge at standard speed—grainy, saturated, light-leaked footage that forced filmmakers to be economical with every shot. Today, TikTok recreates that brevity digitally, spawning a generation of micro-storytellers who've mastered the art of the ultra-short form, sometimes even adding Super 8-style filters to their perfect digital video.These platforms succeeded not despite their limitations, but because of them. Constraints force innovation. They make the infinite manageable. They create a shared language of creative problem-solving.Lo-fi music operates on the same principle. When you can't capture perfect clarity, you focus on capturing perfect emotion. When your equipment adds character, you learn to make that character part of your voice. When technical perfection is impossible, artistic authenticity becomes paramount.This is profoundly relevant to how we think about artificial intelligence and human creativity today. As AI becomes capable of generating increasingly "perfect" content—flawless prose, technically superior compositions, aesthetically optimized images—we find ourselves craving the beautiful imperfections that mark something as unmistakably human.Walking through any record store today, you'll see teenagers buying vinyl albums they could stream in perfect digital quality for free. They're choosing the inconvenience of physical media, the surface noise, the ritual of dropping the needle. They're purchasing imperfection at a premium.This isn't nostalgia—most of these kids never lived in the vinyl era. It's something deeper: a recognition that perfect reproduction might not equal perfect experience. The crackle and warmth of analog playback creates what audiophiles call "presence"—a sense that the music exists in the same physical space as the listener.Lo-fi music replicates this phenomenon in digital form. It takes the clinical perfection of digital audio and intentionally degrades it to feel more human. The compression, the limited frequency range, the background noise—these aren't bugs, they're features. They create the sonic equivalent of a warm embrace.In our hyperconnected, always-optimized digital existence, lo-fi offers something precious: permission to be imperfect. It's background music that doesn't demand your attention, ambient sound that acknowledges life's messiness rather than trying to optimize it away.Here's where it gets philosophically interesting: we're using advanced digital technology to simulate the limitations of obsolete analog technology. Young producers spend hours perfecting their "imperfect" sound, carefully curating randomness, precisely engineering spontaneity.This creates a fascinating paradox. Is simulated authenticity still authentic? When we use AI-powered plugins to add "vintage" character to our digital recordings, are we connecting with something real, or just consuming a nostalgic fantasy?I think the answer lies not in the technology itself, but in the intention behind it. Lo-fi creators aren't trying to fool anyone—the artifice is obvious. They're creating a shared aesthetic language that values emotion over technique, atmosphere over precision, humanity over perfection.In a world where algorithms optimize everything for maximum engagement, lo-fi represents a conscious choice to optimize for something else entirely: comfort, focus, emotional resonance. It's a small rebellion against the tyranny of metrics.As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly capable of generating "perfect" content, the value of obviously human imperfection may paradoxically increase. The tremor in a hand-drawn line, the slight awkwardness in authentic conversation, the beautiful inefficiency of analog thinking—these become markers of genuine human presence.The challenge isn't choosing between analog and digital, perfection and imperfection. It's learning to consciously navigate between them, understanding when limitations serve us and when they constrain us, recognizing when optimization helps and when it hurts.My small speakers taught me something important: sometimes the best technology isn't the one with the most capabilities, but the one whose limitations align with our human needs. Lo-fi music sounds perfect on imperfect speakers because both embrace the same truth—that beauty often emerges not from the absence of flaws, but from making peace with them.In our quest to build better systems, smarter algorithms, and more efficient processes, we might occasionally pause to ask: what are we optimizing for? And what might we be losing in the pursuit of digital perfection?The lo-fi phenomenon—and its parallels in photography, video, and every art form we've digitized—reveals something profound about human nature. We are not creatures built for perfection. We are shaped by friction, by constraint, by the beautiful accidents that occur when things don't work exactly as planned. The crackle of vinyl, the grain of film, the compression of cassette tape—these aren't just nostalgic affectations. They're reminders that imperfection is where humanity lives. That the beautiful inefficiency of analog thinking—messy, emotional, unpredictable—is not a bug to be fixed but a feature to be preserved.Sometimes the most profound technology is the one that helps us remember what it means to be beautifully, imperfectly human. And maybe, in our hybrid analog-digital world, that's the most important thing we can carry forward.Let's keep exploring what it means to be human in this Hybrid Analog Digital Society.End of transmission.______________________________________