State Of The Theory

This is Episode 77 of the State of the Theory Podcast. Politics. Power. Popular Culture. And other stuff, probably. In this series, we’re like super nerdy philosophical DJs: mashing up Serious Academic Questions with the most topical news and trends in pop culture. Each week, we’ll tackle a new topic and collide it with ‘critical theory’ (we’re pretty loose with our definitions, though, so expect the unexpected). Our aim is to destroy the stuff we know, explore the stuff we don’t and unsettle everything we think we know about the world. We take the obvious, the commonsensical, the certain, and then we rip it all to shreds. We are your theory doctors and we are always on call. This week we discuss prizes – as the Booker and the Nobel both announce this year’s winners, we think of the role awards play in a capitalist economy. Do prizes help spread privilege, or do they reinforce privilege? Does “trickle-down” work when it comes to award-recognition and representation? And, perhaps most of all, why do we stil

This is Episode 76 of the State of the Theory Podcast. Politics. Power. Popular Culture. And other stuff, probably. In this series, we’re like super nerdy philosophical DJs: mashing up Serious Academic Questions with the most topical news and trends in pop culture. Each week, we’ll tackle a new topic and collide it with ‘critical theory’ (we’re pretty loose with our definitions, though, so expect the unexpected). Our aim is to destroy the stuff we know, explore the stuff we don’t and unsettle everything we think we know about the world. We take the obvious, the commonsensical, the certain, and then we rip it all to shreds. We are your theory doctors and we are always on call. This week we are excited by the return of “Spitting Image” (https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/sep/28/spitting-image-returns-chaotic-times-trump-putin-zuckerberg) and think about what makes effective satire. What is the relationship between satire and time, and why does some satire age well, while others don’t? What is the

This is Episode 75 of the State of the Theory Podcast. Politics. Power. Popular Culture. And other stuff, probably. In this series, we’re like super nerdy philosophical DJs: mashing up Serious Academic Questions with the most topical news and trends in pop culture. Each week, we’ll tackle a new topic and collide it with ‘critical theory’ (we’re pretty loose with our definitions, though, so expect the unexpected). Our aim is to destroy the stuff we know, explore the stuff we don’t and unsettle everything we think we know about the world. We take the obvious, the commonsensical, the certain, and then we rip it all to shreds. We are your theory doctors and we are always on call. Here we do a callback to Episode 37: Mindhunting with Foucault, in which we use the theories of Michel Foucault to analyse the Netflix show "Mindhunters". Now that Netflix has released the second season of the show, we return to these theories to think about what has changed in the second season, and how it finds ways of testing the l

This is Episode 74 of the State of the Theory Podcast. Politics. Power. Popular Culture. And other stuff, probably. In this series, we’re like super nerdy philosophical DJs: mashing up Serious Academic Questions with the most topical news and trends in pop culture. Each week, we’ll tackle a new topic and collide it with ‘critical theory’ (we’re pretty loose with our definitions, though, so expect the unexpected). Our aim is to destroy the stuff we know, explore the stuff we don’t and unsettle everything we think we know about the world. We take the obvious, the commonsensical, the certain, and then we rip it all to shreds. We are your theory doctors and we are always on call. In the middle of the possible impeachment of Donald Trump, Penguin Random House has released the nine-page letter from the anonymous CIA whistleblower as an audio book, which you can listen to hear (https://soundcloud.com/penguin-audio/the-whistle-blower-complaint-released-by-the-house-intelligence-committee-9262019) This got us think

This is Episode 73 of the State of the Theory Podcast. Politics. Power. Popular Culture. And other stuff, probably. In this series, we’re like super nerdy philosophical DJs: mashing up Serious Academic Questions with the most topical news and trends in pop culture. Each week, we’ll tackle a new topic and collide it with ‘critical theory’ (we’re pretty loose with our definitions, though, so expect the unexpected). Our aim is to destroy the stuff we know, explore the stuff we don’t and unsettle everything we think we know about the world. We take the obvious, the commonsensical, the certain, and then we rip it all to shreds. We are your theory doctors and we are always on call. In this episode, we continue our discussion about climate change and political activism from last week, and talk about teenage political activism. Focussing on Greta Thunberg, Emma Gonzalez and Malala Yousafzai, we interrogate the position occupied by these young women, and how their political activism is received and consumed by an a

This is Episode 72 of the State of the Theory Podcast. Politics. Power. Popular Culture. And other stuff, probably. In this series, we’re like super nerdy philosophical DJs: mashing up Serious Academic Questions with the most topical news and trends in pop culture. Each week, we’ll tackle a new topic and collide it with ‘critical theory’ (we’re pretty loose with our definitions, though, so expect the unexpected). Our aim is to destroy the stuff we know, explore the stuff we don’t and unsettle everything we think we know about the world. We take the obvious, the commonsensical, the certain, and then we rip it all to shreds. We are your theory doctors and we are always on call. In this episode, we talk about the climate change and political activism, and discuss what appears to us to be the strengths and the weaknesses of the Extinction Rebellion movement. We ask: what should be the relationship between the human and non-human, and who should have priority? Our theme music is "The Face of God" by The Agrari

This is Episode 71 of the State of the Theory Podcast. Politics. Power. Popular Culture. And other stuff, probably. In this series, we’re like super nerdy philosophical DJs: mashing up Serious Academic Questions with the most topical news and trends in pop culture. Each week, we’ll tackle a new topic and collide it with ‘critical theory’ (we’re pretty loose with our definitions, though, so expect the unexpected). Our aim is to destroy the stuff we know, explore the stuff we don’t and unsettle everything we think we know about the world. We take the obvious, the commonsensical, the certain, and then we rip it all to shreds. We are your theory doctors and we are always on call. In this episode, recorded on 5 July, we talk about the recent controversy arising from the decision to cast Halle Bailey (a black actor) in the role of Ariel in Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. We use this story to explore the role of race and gender in the politics of casting. We refer to this twitter thread about

This is Episode 70 of the State of the Theory Podcast. Politics. Power. Popular Culture. And other stuff, probably. In this series, we’re like super nerdy philosophical DJs: mashing up Serious Academic Questions with the most topical news and trends in pop culture. Each week, we’ll tackle a new topic and collide it with ‘critical theory’ (we’re pretty loose with our definitions, though, so expect the unexpected). Our aim is to destroy the stuff we know, explore the stuff we don’t and unsettle everything we think we know about the world. We take the obvious, the commonsensical, the certain, and then we rip it all to shreds. We are your theory doctors and we are always on call. In this episode, recorded on 30 August, we talk about Boris Johnson’s (Prime Minister of the United Kingdom) decision to prorogue parliament, which will reduce the time parliament has to try to work on a brexit deal. We explore this decision and the reaction to it, and try to understand what it tells us about democracy. Our theme mus

This is Episode 69 of the State of the Theory Podcast. Politics. Power. Popular Culture. And other stuff, probably. In this series, we’re like super nerdy philosophical DJs: mashing up Serious Academic Questions with the most topical news and trends in pop culture. Each week, we’ll tackle a new topic and collide it with ‘critical theory’ (we’re pretty loose with our definitions, though, so expect the unexpected). Our aim is to destroy the stuff we know, explore the stuff we don’t and unsettle everything we think we know about the world. We take the obvious, the commonsensical, the certain, and then we rip it all to shreds. We are your theory doctors and we are always on call. In this episode, we talk about the Indian government’s punitive and military measures in Kashmir. We think about effects of the combination of religious nationalism, racist misogyny and unbridled capitalism on the situation in Kashmir. #StandWithKashmir #EndKashmirBlockade We mention the work of Dibyesh Anand: https://westminsterre

This is Episode 68 of the State of the Theory Podcast. Politics. Power. Popular Culture. And other stuff, probably. In this series, we’re like super nerdy philosophical DJs: mashing up Serious Academic Questions with the most topical news and trends in pop culture. Each week, we’ll tackle a new topic and collide it with ‘critical theory’ (we’re pretty loose with our definitions, though, so expect the unexpected). Our aim is to destroy the stuff we know, explore the stuff we don’t and unsettle everything we think we know about the world. We take the obvious, the commonsensical, the certain, and then we rip it all to shreds. We are your theory doctors and we are always on call. In this episode, we talk about recent and historic controversies about sporting celebrations – from Sourav Ganguly taking his shirt off on the player’s balcony at Lord’s Cricket Ground, to Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe’s celebrations during the 2019 Women’s Football World Cup. We read politics of race, class, and empire into these cel

This is Episode 67 of the State of the Theory Podcast. Politics. Power. Popular Culture. And other stuff, probably. In this series, we’re like super nerdy philosophical DJs: mashing up Serious Academic Questions with the most topical news and trends in pop culture. Each week, we’ll tackle a new topic and collide it with ‘critical theory’ (we’re pretty loose with our definitions, though, so expect the unexpected). Our aim is to destroy the stuff we know, explore the stuff we don’t and unsettle everything we think we know about the world. We take the obvious, the commonsensical, the certain, and then we rip it all to shreds. We are your theory doctors and we are always on call. In this episode, we use the recent doctors’ strikes in West Bengal, India, and our own USS University strikes from last year to talk about trade unionism, industrial action, privilege and profit. What is a strike, and why is it important? Our theme music is "The Face of God" by The Agrarians (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/The_Ag

This is Episode 66 of the State of the Theory Podcast. Politics. Power. Popular Culture. And other stuff, probably. In this series, we’re like super nerdy philosophical DJs: mashing up Serious Academic Questions with the most topical news and trends in pop culture. Each week, we’ll tackle a new topic and collide it with ‘critical theory’ (we’re pretty loose with our definitions, though, so expect the unexpected). Our aim is to destroy the stuff we know, explore the stuff we don’t and unsettle everything we think we know about the world. We take the obvious, the commonsensical, the certain, and then we rip it all to shreds. We are your theory doctors and we are always on call. In this episode, we discuss the various ways nations perform their identities through national celebrations such as independence day. What do these performances tell us about the nation, and the way it functions in today’s world. Our theme music is "The Face of God" by The Agrarians (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/The_Agrarians/Th

This is Episode 65 of the State of the Theory Podcast. Politics. Power. Popular Culture. And other stuff, probably. In this series, we’re like super nerdy philosophical DJs: mashing up Serious Academic Questions with the most topical news and trends in pop culture. Each week, we’ll tackle a new topic and collide it with ‘critical theory’ (we’re pretty loose with our definitions, though, so expect the unexpected). Our aim is to destroy the stuff we know, explore the stuff we don’t and unsettle everything we think we know about the world. We take the obvious, the commonsensical, the certain, and then we rip it all to shreds. We are your theory doctors and we are always on call. In this episode, we continue our discussion on mental health from last week. Today we focus on the political economy of mental health, comparing the health-care systems in the UK and the USA, and what it means for the way we think about and manage mental health issues. More information about The Samaritans can be found at https://ww

This is Episode 64 of the State of the Theory Podcast. Politics. Power. Popular Culture. And other stuff, probably. In this series, we’re like super nerdy philosophical DJs: mashing up Serious Academic Questions with the most topical news and trends in pop culture. Each week, we’ll tackle a new topic and collide it with ‘critical theory’ (we’re pretty loose with our definitions, though, so expect the unexpected). Our aim is to destroy the stuff we know, explore the stuff we don’t and unsettle everything we think we know about the world. We take the obvious, the commonsensical, the certain, and then we rip it all to shreds. We are your theory doctors and we are always on call. In this episode, we respond to a number of programmes featured on the recent “Mental Health Season” on the BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04t6bc1 In particular, we discuss the programme on anxiety and Nadiya Hussain, and on psychosis with David Harewood. We think about the ways in which these documentaries dfealt with issues

This is Episode 63 of the State of the Theory Podcast. Politics. Power. Popular Culture. And other stuff, probably. In this series, we’re like super nerdy philosophical DJs: mashing up Serious Academic Questions with the most topical news and trends in pop culture. Each week, we’ll tackle a new topic and collide it with ‘critical theory’ (we’re pretty loose with our definitions, though, so expect the unexpected). Our aim is to destroy the stuff we know, explore the stuff we don’t and unsettle everything we think we know about the world. We take the obvious, the commonsensical, the certain, and then we rip it all to shreds. We are your theory doctors and we are always on call. In this episode, as we wait to see who the new British Prime Minister will be, we discuss the similarities of the right-wing shift that has occurred in British and American politics. We look at the transformation within the Republican Party and the Conservative Party, in the context of Trump and Brexit, and explore the ways in which f

This is Episode 62 of the State of the Theory Podcast. Politics. Power. Popular Culture. And other stuff, probably. In this series, we’re like super nerdy philosophical DJs: mashing up Serious Academic Questions with the most topical news and trends in pop culture. Each week, we’ll tackle a new topic and collide it with ‘critical theory’ (we’re pretty loose with our definitions, though, so expect the unexpected). Our aim is to destroy the stuff we know, explore the stuff we don’t and unsettle everything we think we know about the world. We take the obvious, the commonsensical, the certain, and then we rip it all to shreds. We are your theory doctors and we are always on call. In this episode, we mark the ongoing US Democratic Presidential Primary season by focusing on the candidacy of Marianne Williamson. We think through the politics of New Age thinking, and explore its connection to postmodernism and orientalism. Our theme music is "The Face of God" by The Agrarians (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/T

This is Episode 61 of the State of the Theory Podcast. Politics. Power. Popular Culture. And other stuff, probably. In this series, we’re like super nerdy philosophical DJs: mashing up Serious Academic Questions with the most topical news and trends in pop culture. Each week, we’ll tackle a new topic and collide it with ‘critical theory’ (we’re pretty loose with our definitions, though, so expect the unexpected). Our aim is to destroy the stuff we know, explore the stuff we don’t and unsettle everything we think we know about the world. We take the obvious, the commonsensical, the certain, and then we rip it all to shreds. We are your theory doctors and we are always on call. In this episode, we continue last week’s discussion on Capitalist Utopias, with friend of the pod and special guest Dr Katie Muth. Following on from the self-help industry, this week we focus on multi-level marketing and pyramid schemes, and their presence in capitalism. Along the way, we talk about Octavia E. Butler, Ursula K. Le Gui

This is Episode 60 of the State of the Theory Podcast. Politics. Power. Popular Culture. And other stuff, probably. In this series, we’re like super nerdy philosophical DJs: mashing up Serious Academic Questions with the most topical news and trends in pop culture. Each week, we’ll tackle a new topic and collide it with ‘critical theory’ (we’re pretty loose with our definitions, though, so expect the unexpected). Our aim is to destroy the stuff we know, explore the stuff we don’t and unsettle everything we think we know about the world. We take the obvious, the commonsensical, the certain, and then we rip it all to shreds. We are your theory doctors and we are always on call. In this episode, the first of a two-parter on Capitalist Utopias, we are joined by friend of the pod and special guest Dr Katie Muth to talk about the self-help industry, religion and politics. We discuss the work of science-fiction writer Octavia E. Butler and her use of self-help literature. We also consider as wide ranging a set of

This is Episode 59 of the State of the Theory Podcast. Politics. Power. Popular Culture. And other stuff, probably. In this series, we’re like super nerdy philosophical DJs: mashing up Serious Academic Questions with the most topical news and trends in pop culture. Each week, we’ll tackle a new topic and collide it with ‘critical theory’ (we’re pretty loose with our definitions, though, so expect the unexpected). Our aim is to destroy the stuff we know, explore the stuff we don’t and unsettle everything we think we know about the world. We take the obvious, the commonsensical, the certain, and then we rip it all to shreds. We are your theory doctors and we are always on call. In this episode, we look at student evaluations which fuels much of the decision-making processes in today’s Universities. We use the ideas of Michel Foucault to think about expertise, hierarchies and the problems of student evaluation. Our theme music is "The Face of God" by The Agrarians (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/The_Agrar

This is Episode 58 of the State of the Theory Podcast. Politics. Power. Popular Culture. And other stuff, probably. In this series, we’re like super nerdy philosophical DJs: mashing up Serious Academic Questions with the most topical news and trends in pop culture. Each week, we’ll tackle a new topic and collide it with ‘critical theory’ (we’re pretty loose with our definitions, though, so expect the unexpected). Our aim is to destroy the stuff we know, explore the stuff we don’t and unsettle everything we think we know about the world. We take the obvious, the commonsensical, the certain, and then we rip it all to shreds. We are your theory doctors and we are always on call. In this episode, the second of a two parter on sport, we focus on Muslim athletes in Britain, and think through the relationship between sporting success, religion and race. Our theme music is "The Face of God" by The Agrarians (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/The_Agrarians/The_Jovial_Shepherd/The_Face_of_God) State of the Theory