New Books Network Podcast

Indian Religions April 27, 2023

Two Masterpieces of Kūṭiyāṭṭam

Mantrankam and Anguliyankam

David Shulman and Heike Oberlin

Hosted by Raj Balkaran

Kūṭiyāṭṭam, India’s only living traditional Sanskrit theatre, has been continually performed in Kerala for at least a thousand years. David Shulman and Heike Oberlin's Two Masterpieces of Kūṭiyāṭṭam: Mantrankam and Anguliyankam (Oxford …

Religion March 24, 2023

Intimate Alien

The Hidden Story of the UFO

David J. Halperin

Hosted by David Kunsman

In his book Intimate Alien: The Hidden Story of the UFO (Stanford University Press, 2020), David J. Halperin explores the phenomena of UFO's through a psychological lense. UFOs became part of our …

Folklore March 22, 2023

Oral Traditions in Contemporary China

Healing a Nation

Juwen Zhang

Hosted by Timothy Thurston

Oral Traditions in Contemporary China: Healing a Nation (Lexington Books, 2022) is the newest monograph from Professor Juwen Zhang of Willamette College. Through a historical survey and analyses of oral traditions like …

Princeton UP Ideas Podcast March 15, 2023

Gods and Mortals

Ancient Greek Myths for Modern Readers

Sarah Iles Johnston

Hosted by Mark Klobas

Gripping tales that abound with fantastic characters and astonishing twists and turns, Greek myths confront what it means to be mortal in a world of powerful forces beyond human control …

Anthropology March 12, 2023

Unlearning

Rethinking Poetics, Pandemics, and the Politics of Knowledge

Charles L. Briggs

Hosted by Jolon Timms

A provocative theoretical synthesis by renowned folklorist and anthropologist Charles L. Briggs, Unlearning: Rethinking Poetics, Pandemics, and the Politics of Knowledge (Utah State UP, 2021) questions intellectual foundations and charts new …

Indian Religions March 9, 2023

The Vinayaka Mahatmya

Greg Bailey

Hosted by Raj Balkaran

The Vinayaka Mahatmya is a late Puranic text which contains myths of eight of Gaṇeśa’s avatāras. It presents Gaṇeśa as the supreme deity who empowers Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva to …

Japanese Studies December 25, 2022

The Pleasures of Metamorphosis

Japanese and English Fairy Tale Transformations of "The Little Mermaid"

Lucy Fraser

Hosted by Amanda Kennell

“The Little Mermaid” has become popular around the world since the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen published it almost two centuries ago. Lucy Fraser’s The Pleasures of Metamorphosis: Japanese and …

Irish Studies December 14, 2022

Irish American Civil War Songs

Identity, Loyalty, and Nationhood

Catherine V. Bateson

Hosted by Aidan Beatty

Dr Catherine Bateson is Associate Lecturer of American History at the University of Kent. She researches and writes about the role of song in the American Civil War, the sentiments …

Music December 8, 2022

An American Singing Heritage

Songs from the British-Irish-American Oral Tradition as Recorded in the Early Twentieth Century

Norm Cohen, Carson Cohen, and Anne Dhu McLucas

Hosted by Kristen Turner

The Music of the United States of America Series of musical editions is a monumental undertaking funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities with financial and organizational support from …

Religion November 29, 2022

Orthodox Christianity, New Age Spirituality and Vernacular Religion

The Evil Eye in Greece

Eugenia Roussou

Hosted by Tiatemsu Longkumer

Eugenia Roussou's book Orthodox Christianity, New Age Spirituality and Vernacular Religion: The 'Evil Eye' in Greece (Bloomsbury, 2021) thoroughly illustrates the novel synthesis of Christian religion and New Age spirituality in …

Literary Studies November 25, 2022

Fairy Tales in Contemporary American Culture

How We Hate to Love Them

Kate Christine Moore Koppy

Hosted by Carmen Gomez-Galisteo

In the twenty-first century, American culture is experiencing a profound shift toward pluralism and secularization. In Fairy Tales in Contemporary American Culture: How We Hate to Love Them (Lexington Books …

Literary Studies November 14, 2022

World Literature and the Question of Genre in Colonial India

Poetry, Drama, and Print Culture 1790-1890

Kedar Arun Kulkarni

Hosted by Gargi Binju

In 1818, the East India Company defeated the Maratha confederacy, acquiring vast domains in central and western India. Through coercion if not outright violence, the Company transformed many aspects of …

Writ Large November 2, 2022

On "Grimms' Fairytales"

A Discussion with Annie Pfeifer

Annie Pfeifer

Hosted by Zachary Davis

You probably already know the story of Snow White—as well as Little Red Riding Hood, Briar Rose, The Frog Prince, and so many others. These tales have a rich history …

Music October 28, 2022

The Folk

Music, Modernity, and the Political Imagination

Ross Cole

Hosted by Gummo Clare

In The Folk: Music, Modernity, and the Political Imagination (U California Press, 2021), Ross Cole revisits the remarkable upswell of interest in folk songs in fin de siècle Britain and …

American Studies October 18, 2022

Trash Talk

Anti-Obama Lore and Race in the Twenty-First Century

Patricia A. Turner

Hosted by Deidre Tyler

Barack Obama and his family have been the objects of rumors, legends, and conspiracy theories unprecedented in US politics. Outbreaks of anti-Obama lore have occurred in every national election cycle …

Ancient History October 11, 2022

Monsters and Monarchs

Serial Killers in Classical Myth and History

Debbie Felton

Hosted by Elizabeth Barrett

Even if the term "Serial Killer" wasn’t coined until the end of the 20th century, the practice of multiple murder has followed humanity through the ages. In Monsters and Monarchs …

Nordic Asia Podcast September 23, 2022

"Riding the Wild Horse in Chinese Literature”: Translation and Research on "Jin Ping Mei"

A Conversation with Vibeke Børdahl

Vibeke Børdahl

Hosted by Julia Heinle

What is the oral tradition of Chinese storytelling about and what is the connection to the great Chinese novels? How to translate a Chinese classic such as the famed and …

Gender Studies September 21, 2022

The Goddess Myth in Contemporary Literature and Popular Culture

A Feminist Critique

Mary J. Magoulick

Hosted by Iqra Shagufta Cheema

Goddess characters are revered as feminist heroes in the popular media of many cultures. However, these goddess characters often prove to be less promising and more regressive than most people …

Mobilities and Methods August 26, 2022

Cultural Labour

Conceptualizing the 'Folk Performance' in India

Brahma Prakash

Hosted by Lakshita Malik

Folk performances reflect the life-worlds of a vast section of subaltern communities in India. What is the philosophy that drives these performances, the vision that enables as well as enslaves …

General History August 19, 2022

Pan

The Great God’s Modern Return

Paul Robichaud

Hosted by Jana Byars

From ancient myth to contemporary art and literature, a beguiling look at the many incarnations of the mischievous—and culturally immortal—god Pan. Pan—he of the cloven hoof and lustful grin, beckoning …