Beyond the Margins: The University of California Press Podcast

Beyond the Margins: The University of California Press Podcast

episodes

Interviews with authors of University of California Press books.

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…

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…

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’…

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…

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…

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…

Christina Schwenkel, "Sonic Socialism: Crisis and Care in Pandemic Hanoi" (U California Press, 2025)

March 31, 2026

Sonic Socialism

Christina Schwenkel
Hosted by Camellia Pham

In an era dominated by visual information, what can the sounds of a pandemic reveal about crisis and care? How might attuning to sonic atmospheres unc…

Patricia B. O'Hara, "Food Chemistry in Small Bites: The Alchemist in the Kitchen" (U California Press, 2025)

March 30, 2026

Food Chemistry in Small Bites

Patricia B. O'Hara

Food Chemistry in Small Bites takes readers on an up-close scientific journey through the transformation of food when meals are prepared. Organized in…

James Lin, "The Global Vanguard: Agrarian Development and the Making of Modern Taiwan" (U California Press, 2025)

March 25, 2026

The Global Vanguard

James Lin

What does it mean for a small state to imagine itself as a model for the developing world? And how were these visions of agrarian development received…

Becca Voelcker, "Land Cinema in an Age of Extraction" (U California Press, 2025)

March 21, 2026

Land Cinema in an Age of Extraction

Land Cinema in an Age of Extraction considers nonfiction filmmakers and film collectives whose work advances an understanding of land as a locus of so…

Jake Nabel, "The Arsacids of Rome: Misunderstanding in Roman-Parthian Relations" (U California Press, 2025)

March 16, 2026

The Arsacids of Rome

Jake Nabel
Hosted by Michael Motia

At the beginning of the common era, the two major imperial powers of the ancient Mediterranean and Near East were Rome and Parthia. In this (open acce…