Behind the Cover with Indiana University Press

Behind the Cover with Indiana University Press

episodes

Interviews with authors of Indiana University Press books.

Homes of the Past

June 1, 2026

Homes of the Past

Jeffrey Shandler
Hosted by YIVO Institute

In 1940s New York, immigrant Jewish scholars sought to build a museum to commemorate their lost worlds and people. Among the Jews who arrived in the U…

Janani Balasubramanian and Natalie Gosnell, "Art-Science Undisciplined: A Playbook for Transformative Collaboration" (U California Press, 2026)

May 30, 2026

Art-Science Undisciplined

Janani Balasubramanian and Natalie Gosnell
Hosted by Caleb Zakarin

Art-Science Undisciplined invites us into a collaborative journey grounded in mutual exploration and transformation. Moving beyond transactional excha…

Gary Hoover, "Ladder or Lottery: Economic Promises and the Reality of Who Gets Ahead" (U California Press, 2026)

May 30, 2026

Ladder or Lottery

Gary Hoover

In Ladder or Lottery: Economic Promises and the Reality of Who Gets Ahead (University of California Press, 2026), Gary Hoover asks the reader a simple…

Hannah Shepherd, "The Narrowing Sea: Fukuoka, Pusan, and the Rise and Fall of an Imperial Region" (U California Press, 2025)

May 27, 2026

The Narrowing Sea

Hannah Shepherd
Hosted by Samee Siddiqui

In The Narrowing Sea: Fukuoka, Pusan, and the Rise and Fall of an Imperial Region (U California Press, 2025), Hannah Shepherd examines the shared hist…

Utku Balaban, "Industrial Islamism: How Authoritarian Movements Mobilize Workers" (U California Press, 2025)

May 20, 2026

Industrial Islamism

Utku Balaban
Hosted by Jaclyn Michael

What explains the rise of religious populism in contemporary Turkish politics and society? How does industrialization help to explain change and…

Rachel Deblinger, "Saving Our Survivors: How American Jews Learned about the Holocaust" (Indiana UP, 2025)

May 20, 2026

Saving Our Survivors

Rachel Deblinger
Hosted by Ran Zwigenberg

How did American Jews come to learn about the Holocaust in the immediate aftermath of the war? What kinds of images and representations of Holocaust s…

Tara Mulder, "A Womb of One's Own: Lost Histories of Childbirth in Ancient Rome" (U California Press, 2026)

May 16, 2026

A Womb of One's Own

Tara Mulder
Hosted by Miranda Melcher

In the well-trod history of the Roman Empire, a pivotal moment has long gone unnoticed: It was in ancient Rome that medical men first set their sights…

Ishay Rosen-Zvi, "How to Read Mishnah and Midrash: An Introduction to Early Rabbinic Literature" (U California Press, 2026)

May 11, 2026

How to Read Mishnah and Midrash

Ishay Rosen-Zvi translated by Daniel Tabak
Hosted by Michael Motia

The early rabbinic period produced two major literary formations—the Mishnah and Midrash—which have since remained central pillars of Jewish textual t…

Rachel Grace Newman, "The Future in Their Hands: Making Mexico's Foreign-Educated Elite" (U California Press, 2026)

May 10, 2026

The Future in Their Hands

Rachel Grace Newman
Hosted by Miranda Melcher

The Future in Their Hands: Making Mexico's Foreign-Educated Elite (U California Press, 2026), by Dr. Rachel Grace Newman is a deep history of the poli…

Scott Kurashige, "American Peril: The Violent History of Anti-Asian Racism" (U California Press, 2026)

May 2, 2026

American Peril

Scott Kurashige
Hosted by Deidre Tyler

This probing account shines a new light on the problem of anti-Asian violence and inspires us to build lasting solidarity. During the COVID-19 pandem…

Andrea Horbinski, "Manga's First Century: How Creators and Fans Made Japanese Comics, 1905-1989" (U California Press, 2025)

April 30, 2026

Manga's First Century

Andrea Horbinski
Hosted by Nathan Hopson

Andrea Horbinski's Manga's First Century: How Creators and Fans Made Japanese Comics, 1905-1989 (U California Press, 2025) centers the fans and creato…

Laura Horak, "Trans Cinema: Making Communities, Identities, and Worlds" (U California Press, 2026)

April 23, 2026

Trans Cinema

Laura Horak
Hosted by Miranda Melcher

Since the 1990s, a largely underground upwelling of trans creativity has helped new trans identities, communities, and political movements come togeth…

Ladder or Lottery? Gary Hoover on the Consequences of Broken Economic Promises

April 20, 2026

Ladder or Lottery?

Gary A. Hoover
Hosted by Caleb Zakarin

Today I have the pleasure of speaking with Gary Hoover about his new book, Ladder or Lottery: Economic Promises and the Reality of Who Gets Ahead (Uni…

Rebecca Buxton and Samuel Ritholtz, "The Way Out: Justice in the Queer Search for Refuge" (U California Press, 2026)

April 20, 2026

The Way Out

Rebecca Buxton and Samuel Ritholtz
Hosted by Hannah Pool

The global refugee regime has shifted under our feet. Over the last forty years, international asylum practices have expanded to include the queer and…

Aurore Spiers, "Archiving the Past: Women's Film History in France, 1927–1978" (U California Press, 2026)

April 20, 2026

Archiving the Past

Aurore Spiers
Hosted by Alix Beeston

What happens when we assume women’s presence in film history instead of their absence? This is the question at the heart of Archiving the Past: Women’…

Miranda Banks and Kate Fortmueller, "Boom to Bust: How Streaming Broke Hollywood Workers" (U California Press, 2026)

April 19, 2026

Boom to Bust

Miranda Banks and Kate Fortmueller
Hosted by Pete Kunze

Boom to Bust is a timely investigation into the rise of Peak TV and the perfect storm that caused a rapid decline in Hollywood work. When Hollywood w…

Pavel Brunssen, "The Making of 'Jew Clubs': Performing Jewishness and Antisemitism in European Football and Fan Cultures" (Indiana UP, 2025)

April 9, 2026

The Making of "Jew Clubs"

Pavel Brunssen
Hosted by Keith Rathbone

Today we are joined by Pavel Brunssen, a Research Associate and Alfred Landecker Lecturer at the Research Center on Antigypsyism at Heidelberg Univers…

Cedric de Leon, "Freedom Train: Black Politics and the Story of Interracial Labor Solidarity" (U California Press, 2025)

April 9, 2026

Freedom Train

Cedric De Leon
Hosted by Thomas Discenna

Our guest today is Cedric de Leon, author of Freedom Train: Black Politics and the Story of Interracial Labor Solidarity (U California Press, 2025). I…

Peter Richardson, "Brand New Beat: The Wild Rise of Rolling Stone Magazine" (U California Press, 2026)

April 7, 2026

Brand New Beat

Peter Richardson
Hosted by Miranda Melcher

Rolling Stone's first decade was truly rock and roll: chaotic, wild, and unpredictable. Brand New Beat: The Wild Rise of Rolling Stone Magazine (U Cal…

Amelia Frank-Vitale, "Leave If You Can: Migration and Violence in Bordered Worlds" (U California Press, 2026)

April 2, 2026

Leave If You Can

Amelia Frank-Vitale
Hosted by Rachel Newman

The consequences of U.S. border policies through the experiences of Honduran migrants. Hondurans have been at the heart of some of the most visible mi…