Ding dong! In this week’s episode, Alyssa and Brendane are talking about sovereignty, non-sovereignty, and the death of the sovereign Queen Elizabeth II to ask whether it’s possible (and desirable!) to leave the past behind while creating our collective future. (CW: rape, sexual assault 1:05:00- 1:16:00) What’s the Word? Sovereignty. Defined as autonomy, freedom from external control,…
S3 E2: The Death of Sovereignty
S3 E1: Dangerously in Love with Celebrity
Your favorite terrestrial commoners are back! For our first episode of the new THIRD season, we’re talking about popular culture, the cult of celebrity and influence, and how they undermine radical movements for change. What’s the Word? Postfeminism. Originally used to describe the backlash to the second wave feminist movement, postfeminism is an ideology that…
S2 E16: Practicing Zora
In this final episode of the season, you will hear our incredible conversation with Professors Riché J. Daniel Barnes, Kevin Quashie, and Autumn Womack, and vocalist and composer Candice Hoyes from Wednesday, May 4th. Traditionally, Zora Neale Hurston has been more widely celebrated for her contributions to American literature than as an anthropologist and folklorist.…
S2 E15: What In The World?!
In today’s episode, we are too TIED to repeat ourselves! There is simultaneously so much to talk about and little we haven’t said in previous episodes, so we’re treating this as a moment to hold space, be in community with each other and you all, and really, just rant about what in the world is…
S2 E14: Defund the Non-Profit Industrial Complex
The industrial complex is an industrial complex! Today we’ll be talking about the spread of industrial complexes, non-profits, so-called activist influencers, the controversy around BLM Global Network spending, and the whispers around Nikole Hannah-Jones and Kimberlé Crenshaw being problématique. What’s the Word? Industrial Complex. Popularized by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the industrial complex refers to…
S2 E13: No Body Is Normal
Sometimes it’s love and light, sometimes it’s love and light that ass up! In this episode, we’re joined by founder, inventor, and curator Adero Knott to discuss accessibility, disability, technology, and the ableist joke Chris Rock made that got him slapped at the Oscars. What’s the Word? Accessibility. We define the term, explain how we…
S2 E12: Villain Origin Story
Is rejection and trauma the Black Manosphere and Toxic Femininity villain origin story?! In today’s episode we’re joined by soon-to-be PhD Candidate Anuli Akanegbu to discuss patriarchy, the know-your-place aggression towards Black women online, and what draws people to these spaces on the internet. What’s The Word? Patriarchy. This term is used to describe a society that…
S2 E11: Notes On The Field
Today we’re talking about the quintessential anthropological experience: fieldwork! We heeded your requests to do more casual episodes, so we’re answering questions about what the field is, what it’s like to go to the field, and other tips we have. We start out with Zora Neale Hurston’s imagery of culture as a tight chemise and…
S2 E10: Entitled IX
Happy Birthday to our wonderful co-host Alyssa! We’re back for our second episode of the semester to talk about hegemony, institutional power, and the academic hierarchies that fail to protect Black queer and trans women. What’s the Word? Hegemony. We give a brief explanation of hegemony and how it comes into being. What We’re Reading…
S2 E9: Separate But Equal Month
There wouldn’t be a fabric of the nation if Black Americans hadn’t picked the cotton for it! Brendane and Alyssa are back for Semester 2 with announcement of all the big things we’ve been talking about and getting into decolonization, history and national myths with The 1619 Project, banning books, racial constructs, and whether we…