New Books Network Podcast

Critical Theory November 29, 2022

Indexicalism

The Metaphysics of Paradox

Hilan Bensusan

Hosted by Adam Bobeck

In Indexicalism: The Metaphysics of Paradox (Edinburgh UP, 2021), Hilan Bensusan clarifies the logic and structure of an essentially situated and indexical metaphysics that is paradoxical and can also be regarded …

Literary Studies November 17, 2022

Violent Phenomena

21 Essays on Translation

Kavita Bhanot and Jeremy Tiang

Hosted by Gargi Binju

Frantz Fanon wrote in 1961 that 'Decolonisation is always a violent phenomenon,' meaning that the violence of colonialism can only be counteracted in kind. As colonial legacies linger today, what …

Novel Dialogue November 17, 2022

Translation is the Closest Way to Read

A Discussion with Ann Goldstein and Saskia Ziolkowski

Ann Goldstein and Saskia Ziolkowski

Hosted by Novel Dialogue

In our season finale, Ann Goldstein, renowned translator of Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels, gives a master class in the art and business of translation. Ann speaks to Duke scholar Saskia …

Language November 15, 2022

Speak Not

Empire, Identity and the Politics of Language

James Griffiths

Hosted by Miranda Melcher

As globalisation continues languages are disappearing faster than ever, leaving our planet's linguistic diversity leaping towards extinction. The science of how languages are acquired is becoming more advanced and the …

Philosophy November 10, 2022

Meaning and Metaphysical Necessity

Tristan Grøtvedt Haze

Hosted by Carrie Figdor

In 1980, the philosopher and logician Saul Kripke published a small but hugely influential book, Naming and Necessity, in which he argued that some claims that we discover empirically to …

Recall This Book November 3, 2022

"Let's Go Brandon," QAnon and Alt-Right Language (EF, JP)

A Discussion with Janet McIntosh

Janet McIntosh

Hosted by Elizabeth Ferry and John Plotz

Elizabeth and John talk with Brandeis linguistic anthropologist Janet McIntosh about the language of US alt-right movements. Janet's current book project on language in the military has prompted thoughts about …

Indian Religions October 31, 2022

Online Sanskrit Study Resources

A Discussion with Michael Fiden

Michael Fiden

Hosted by Raj Balkaran

A conversation with Michael Fiden about University of Texas at Austin’s new open access online resource for second-year Sanskrit students, either for self-study or as a supplement to instruction. Raj …

Language October 27, 2022

The Human Mind Through the Lens of Language

Generative Explorations

Nirmalangshu Mukherji

Hosted by Malcolm Keating

Some time, millenia ago, people began using sounds: to coordinate, to solve problems, to think. Explaining this leap—from non-linguistic beings to language-users—Nirmalangshu Mukherji argues that we shouldn’t focus only on …

East Asian Studies October 21, 2022

On Saving Face

A Brief History of Western Appropriation

Michael Keevak

Hosted by Li-Ping Chen

In On Saving Face: A Brief History of Western Appropriation (Hong Kong UP, 2022), Michael Keevak traces the Western reception of the Chinese concept of “face” during the past two …

The Vault October 10, 2022

Eric Hobsbawm on "Literacy and the Tower of Babel"

Eric Hobsbawm

Hosted by New York Institute for the Humanities

In this episode from the Vault, we hear from historian Eric Hobsbawm, a frequent visitor at the New York Institute for the Humanities. His talk, Literacy and the Tower of …

Novel Dialogue October 6, 2022

Strange Beasts of Translation

Yan Ge and Jeremy Tiang in Conversation

Yan Ge and Jeremy Tiang

Hosted by Novel Dialogue

Yan Ge and Jeremy Tiang are both writers who accumulate languages. Sitting down with host Emily Hyde, they discuss their work in and across Chinese and English, but you’ll also …

Sociology September 19, 2022

The Souls of White Jokes

How Racist Humor Fuels White Supremacy

Raúl Pérez

Hosted by Pete Kunze

Having a "good" sense of humor generally means being able to take a joke without getting offended—laughing even at a taboo thought or at another's expense. The insinuation is that …

Novel Dialogue September 8, 2022

“Sometimes I’m just a little disappointed in English”

Alejandro Zambra, Megan McDowell, and Kate Briggs Tackle Translation

Alejandro Zambra, Megan McDowell, and Kate Briggs

Hosted by Novel Dialogue

A novelist, a translator and a theorist of translation walk into a Zoom Room......Alejandro Zambra, Megan McDowell, and Kate Briggs provide the perfect start to Season 4 of Novel Dialogue …

Media September 5, 2022

A Linguistic Overview of Whatsapp Communication

Lucía Fernández-Amaya

Hosted by Caleb Zakarin

Digital discourse has become a widespread way of communicating worldwide, WhatsApp being one of the most popular Instant Messaging tools. A Linguistic Overview of Whatsapp Communication (Brill, 2022) offers a critical state-of-the-art …

Law September 1, 2022

Social Media, Freedom of Speech, and the Future of Our Democracy

Lee C. Bollinger and Geoffrey R. Stone

Hosted by Caleb Zakarin

One of the most fiercely debated issues of this era is what to do about "bad" speech, hate speech, disinformation, propaganda campaigns, incitement of violence on the internet, and, in …

Islamic Studies August 26, 2022

Palimpsests of Themselves

Logic and Commentary in Postclassical Muslim South Asia

Asad Q. Ahmed

Hosted by SherAli Tareen

In his dense yet delightful new book Palimpsests of Themselves: Logic and Commentary in Postclassical Muslim South Asia (University of California Press, 2022), Asad Ahmad examines in layered detail the textual and …

Performing Arts August 25, 2022

Nobody Wants to Talk about It

Race, Identity, and the Difficulties in Forging Meaningful Conversations

Michael Sidney Fosberg

Hosted by Andy Boyd

In Nobody Wants to Talk About It: Race, Identity, and the Difficulties in Forging Meaningful Conversations (Incognito, 2020), Michael Sidney Fosberg draws on twenty years of experience leading conversations about race to …

General History August 17, 2022

Inventing the Alphabet

The Origins of Letters from Antiquity to the Present

Johanna Drucker

Hosted by Miranda Melcher

Inventing the Alphabet: The Origins of Letters from Antiquity to the Present (University of Chicago Press, 2022) by Dr. Johanna Drucker provides the first account of two-and-a-half millennia of scholarship …

Jewish Studies July 22, 2022

The Routledge Introductory Course in Modern Hebrew

Giore Etzion

Hosted by Michael Morales

Thinking about learning Modern Hebrew, but waiting for the perfect grammar? The Routledge Introductory Course in Modern Hebrew by Giore Etzion is an integrated language course adopting an eclectic approach. The course …

General History July 21, 2022

The Rise of English

Global Politics and the Power of Language

Rosemary Salomone

Hosted by Miranda Melcher

Spoken by a quarter of the world's population, English is today's lingua franca--its common tongue. The language of business, popular media, and international politics, English has become commodified for its …