State Of The Theory

This is Episode 37 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 the Netflix show "Mindhunters" and examine how in its depiction of the Behavioral Science Unit of the FBI and its investigations of serial killers, it can be seen to be performing what Michel Foucault terms discourse. We examine the show, its depiction of insanity, criminality, university, and the FBI, in a

This is Episode 36 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 welcome friend of the pod, psychologist Dr Kate Cross to talk about gender and sex, and the differences in which the sciences and humanities approach sex differences and gendered identities. We explore the distinctions between gender and sex, and what the way this distinction is conceptualized by the various disci

This is Episode 35 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 of sexual harassment, focusing on a recently published list of Indian academics who have been accused of sexual harassment. This episode was recorded on 26 October 2017, and events may have changed since. Our theme music is "The Face of God" by The Agrarians (http://freemusicarchive.org/m

This is Episode 34 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 the Harvey Weinstein story, the #metoo campaign that was created in part as a response to it, and explore the intersections of power, celebrity, and wealth, and the role these play in continuing sexual abuse. Our theme music is "The Face of God" by The Agrarians (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/The_Agr

This is Episode 33 of the State of the Theory Podcast, or the first episode of our second series. 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 how space and the way spaces are designed affect our identities. You can read the op-ed piece about gender neutral bathrooms here: http://time.com/4702962/gender-neutral-bathrooms/ You can read Lacan’s essay “The Instance of the Letter in the Unconscious” here:

This is Episode 32 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 the phenomenon of the British Christmas Advert, and why we love them and hate them at the same time. We interrogate the ideology of humanism as it is constructed and reinforced through these adverts. You can watch the Waitrose advert here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtKYdG9r0Pk You can watch the John

This is Episode 31 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 the current Indian government’s policy of demonetization. You can read more about the policy and its effects here: https://ruralindiaonline.org/articles/the-cashless-economy-of-chikalthana/ Our theme music is "The Face of God" by The Agrarians (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/The_Agrarians/The_Jovial_

This is Episode 30 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 back at the US Presidential elections, and think about the role played by Social Media and Algorithms in voting behaviour. The Guardian article we mention can be found here: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/nov/10/facebook-fake-news-election-conspiracy-theories The Medium.com article can be foun

This is Episode 29 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 think about next week’s US Presidential elections, and engage with the apocalyptic tone that has been generated as a result. The Daily Show video we mention can be watched here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvhqTNzpmYo David Wong’s article can be found here: http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-reasons-trumps-rise-t

This is Episode 28 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 two recent news stories coming out of the United States - the protests over the pipeline in Standing Rock, North Dakota 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 is brought to you by Hanna

This is Episode 27 of the State of the Theory Podcast, or the first episode of our second series. 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 recent news stories about the reality TV show, the Great British Bake Off, British cycling, and the England football manager. We examine what these stories have to tell us about British nationalism, and its connections to economics. Our theme music is "The Face of

This is Episode 26 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 ramifications of public inquiries in Britain and America – focusing on the Chilcot Report, and the investigations into the Hilary Clinton Email scandal. What purposes do they serve, and how does State power act in and through them? Our theme music is "The Face of God" by The Agrarians (http://freemusic

This is Episode 25 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. What is the relationship between violence and the State? We look at some recent examples of State and non-State violence in Kashmir and the USA and think about the politics of violence and non-violence in relation to State power and non-State resistance. The text we refer to is: Max Weber’s “Politics as a Vocation: (http://anthropo

This is Episode 24 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. How and why do nations remember wars? Following from the recent commemorations of the centenary of the Battle of the Somme, we invited Sam Haddow from “Stage Blether” (https://soundcloud.com/user-964883338) to discuss the politics of national commemorations. The texts we refer to are: “Spectres of Marx” by Jacques Derrida (https://w

This is Episode 23 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 identities and identity politics. How does power and privilege work across various identity categories, and how might notions of solidarity and allyship help to subvert these dynamics of power? You can watch the Owen Jones Sky interview here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsLIRHUzqvU You can listen to the

This is Episode 22 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 examine the issue of guns and gun-control. We think about the role of economics, individual and collective rights, and identity politics, in the way in which the debate around guns is constructed. You can read the FiveThirtyEight article on terrorism and gun-control here: http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/terro

This is Episode 21 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 consider the results of this week's EU referendum. What will it mean for Britain to leave the European Union? How can we begin to explain the results of the referendum? How does class and race factor in the analysis of the results? You can read John Harris's piece here: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/commenti

This is Episode 20 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 ahead to the forthcoming EU Referendum in the United Kingdom. What might it mean for Britain to vote to leave or remain in the European Union? How would we look back at this pre-referendum period once it happens, and the result is known? What role does the immigration and race debate play in the EU debate. Yo

This is Episode 19 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 a few recent stories about the teaching of history in schools. Whose interests are served in the design of school history syllabi? Who gets to decide what narratives of history should be taught? What messages do such curriculum decisions send about the nation-state and its relationship to its past? You ca

This is Episode 18 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 the history and politics of mapping. Using the theories of Brian Harley and Sumathi Ramaswamy, we explore the power dynamics of maps, and how nation-states seek to control the production and reception of maps. The texts we refer to are: “Geography and Some Explorers” by Joseph Conrad (http://www.ric.edu/f