New Books Network Podcast

Irish Studies March 24, 2023

Animals and Sacred Bodies in Early Medieval Ireland

Religion and Urbanism at Clonmacnoise

John Soderberg

Hosted by Danica Ramsey-Brimberg

Clonmacnoise was among the busiest, most economically complex, and intensely sacred places in early medieval Ireland. In Animals and Sacred Bodies in Early Medieval Ireland: Religion and Urbanism at Clonmacnoise (Lexington …

MIT Press Podcast March 9, 2023

Animal Tongues

A Conversation with Jan Harrison

Jan Harrison

Hosted by MIT Press

Artist Jan Harrison's work explores the connections between human and animal psyches and takes the form of painting, pastel, sculpture, and performance. Jan's essay in the current (January 2011) issue …

Animal Studies March 4, 2023

What We Fed to the Manticore

Talia Lakshmi Kolluri

Hosted by Kyle Johannsen

Through nine emotionally vivid stories, all narrated from animal perspectives, Talia Lakshmi Kolluri’s debut collection explores themes of environmentalism, conservation, identity, belonging, loss, and family with resounding heart and deep …

Language February 25, 2023

What It All Means

Semantics for (Almost) Everything

Philippe Schlenker

Hosted by Malcolm Keating

In What It All Means: Semantics for (Almost) Everything (MIT Press, 2022), Philippe Schlenker takes readers on tour of meaning, from the animal kingdom to human culture, arguing that semantics …

Medieval History February 12, 2023

Hawking Women

Falconry, Gender, and Control in Medieval Literary Culture

Sara Petrosillo

Hosted by Jana Byars

Fantastic and informative talk with Sara Petrosillo of the University of Evansville about her new book, Hawking Women: Falconry, Gender, and Control in Medieval Literary Culture (Ohio State University Press, 2023) …

Animal Studies January 28, 2023

Animals in Irish Society

Interspecies Oppression and Vegan Liberation in Britain's First Colony

Corey Lee Wrenn

Hosted by Kyle Johannsen

Irish vegan studies are poised for increasing relevance as climate change threatens the legitimacy and longevity of animal agriculture and widespread health problems related to animal product consumption disrupt long …

Animal Studies January 26, 2023

If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal

What Animal Intelligence Reveals About Human Stupidity

Justin Gregg

Hosted by Miranda Melcher

What if human intelligence is actually more of a liability than a gift? After all, the animal kingdom, in all its diversity, gets by just fine without it. At first …

History of Science January 4, 2023

Oceans Under Glass

Tank Craft and the Sciences of the Sea

Samantha Muka

Hosted by Victor Monnin

In Oceans Under Glass: Tank Craft and the Sciences of the Sea (University of Chicago Press, 2022), Samantha Muka, Assistant Professor of Science, Technology, and Society at Stevens Institute of …

Animal Studies January 3, 2023

Voracious Science and Vulnerable Animals

A Primate Scientist's Ethical Journey

John P. Gluck

Hosted by Callie Smith

The National Institute of Health recently announced its plan to retire the fifty remaining chimpanzees held in national research facilities and place them in sanctuaries. This significant decision comes after …

Animal Studies December 31, 2022

Justice for Animals

Our Collective Responsibility

Martha C. Nussbaum

Hosted by Caleb Zakarin

A revolutionary new theory and call to action on animal rights, ethics, and law from the renowned philosopher Martha C. Nussbaum. Animals are in trouble all over the world. Whether …

On Religion December 12, 2022

Metamodernism

The Future of Theory

Jason Ananda Josephson Storm

Hosted by Gregory Soden

For decades, scholars have been calling into question the universality of disciplinary objects and categories. The coherence of defined autonomous categories—such as religion, science, and art—has collapsed under the weight …

Japanese Studies December 9, 2022

Japan's Empire of Birds

Aristocrats, Anglo-Americans, and Transwar Ornithology

Annika A. Culver

Hosted by Nathan Hopson

Annika Culver’s Japan's Empire of Birds: Aristocrats, Anglo-Americans, and Transwar Ornithology (Bloomsbury Academic 2022) uses a previously unavailable archive of photographs as the jumping off point to follow the careers …

East Asian Studies December 7, 2022

The Curious Case of the Camel in Modern Japan

(De)Colonialism, Orientalism, and Imagining Asia

Ayelet Zohar

Hosted by Nathan Hopson

Ayelet Zohar’s The Curious Case of the Camel in Modern Japan: (De)Colonialism, Orientalism, and Imagining Asia (Brill, 2022) traces the use of camels in the visual vocabulary of Japan’s definition …

Animal Studies December 6, 2022

Rescue Me

On Dogs and Their Humans

Margret Grebowicz

Hosted by Jimena Ledgard

Margret Grebowicz's Rescue Me: On Dogs and Their Humans (U Minnesota Press, 2022) is a little book about the oldest relationship we humans have cultivated with another large animal—in something …

Animal Studies December 2, 2022

The Vegan Matrix

Understanding and Discussing Privilege Among Vegans to Build a More Inclusive and Empowered Movement

Melanie Joy

Hosted by Kyle Johannsen

A short guidebook to understanding and discussing privilege among vegans and vegan organizations in the wake of #metoo, including how to establish accountability while honoring dignity and ways to communicate …

Recall This Book December 1, 2022

The Nature of the Future

A Discussion with Elizabeth Kolbert

Elizabeth Kolbert

Hosted by Elizabeth Ferry and John Plotz

How should humans respond to our ongoing human-made climate catastrophe? To answer that question, Recall this Book turned to prize-winning climate reporter Elizabeth Kolbert, who visited Brandeis this Fall. The …

Animal Studies November 18, 2022

The Animals in that Country

Laura Jean McKay

Hosted by Kyle Johannsen

In this episode, I talk to Dr. Laura Jean McKay about her award-winning novel The Animals in that Country (Scribe US, 2020). Hard-drinking, foul-mouthed, and allergic to bullshit, Jean is …

Animal Studies November 16, 2022

Experimenting with Humans and Animals

From Aristotle to CRISPR

Anita Guerrini

Hosted by Callie Smith

Experimentation on animals—particularly humans—is often assumed to be a uniquely modern phenomenon. But the ideas and attitudes that encourage biological and medical scientists to experiment on living creatures date from …

Princeton UP Ideas Podcast November 15, 2022

The Sounds of Life

How Digital Technology Is Bringing Us Closer to the Worlds of Animals and Plants

Karen Bakker

Hosted by Mark Klobas

The natural world teems with remarkable conversations, many beyond human hearing range. Scientists are using groundbreaking digital technologies to uncover these astonishing sounds, revealing vibrant communication among our fellow creatures …

Film November 15, 2022

Hollywood at the Races

Film's Love Affair with the Turf

Alan Shuback

Hosted by Rachel Pagones

Today I talked to Alan Shuback about his book Hollywood at the Races: Film's Love Affair with the Turf (UP of Kentucky, 2019) A love of the slapstick film duo Laurel and …