In a Nutshell

What challenges is Dutch democracy facing? Does democracy need a re-invention? And why does representative democracy reappear, even when we try to leave it behind? In this very last episode of In a Nutshell, Jara and her guest, Kristof Jacobs, gather in the studio to assess the state of Dutch democracy. Kristof is an associate professor of empirical political science. And in his research, he inves...

Thousands of children in the Netherlands have been conceived as donor children over the past few decades – and some of them through fraudulent practices. One of them is the Radboud historian Adriejan van Veen. In today’s episode, the first of a two-part-series, Antonia talks with Adriejan about why some doctors used fraudulent practices – for example by using their own sperm – to conceive children...

Thousands of children in the Netherlands have been conceived as donor children over the past few decades – and some of them through fraudulent practices. One of them is the Radboud historian Adriejan van Veen. In today’s episode, the first of a two-part-series, Antonia talks with Adriejan about why some doctors used fraudulent practices – for example by using their own sperm – to conceive children...

Why do young people want to read more than they actually do? Why does it sometimes require bravery to admit that one is a reader? And what makes reading literature so important for our development? In the 7th episode of In a Nutshell, Jara and her guest Jeroen Dera find answers to these questions. Together, they uncover the perks and pitfalls of BookTok, examine the connection between open-mindedn...

Why is producing more food not a solution to global hunger? What needs to happen for our food systems to become more sustainable? And what role does property play in all of this? In the new episode of In a Nutshell, host Jara explores food and the land on which it grows. Together with her guest, Adam Calo, she learns about growing populations, the myth of feeding the world, and soil as an underlyi...

How was the AIDS epidemic translated into theatre plays? Why is the way we talk about illness important? And what does Susan Sontag have to do with all of that In this episode of In a Nutshell, Antonia and guest Dirk Visser take a look at the way theatre can – and has – tackled heavy topics like AIDS. And why it matters how a story is being told. Dirk Visser has conducted his PhD at the Faculty of...

How political is theatre? What do plays have to do with Brexit? And how has theatre shaped (and commented on) political developments in the past? In this episode of In a Nutshell, Antonia and guest Ruud van den Beuken explore how political topics can be explored in theatre – and ask the question whether theatre is always the best way to address certain political issues, especially when it comes to...

Why should kids not choose where they sit in a classroom? How does where we sit affect our relationships and chances of success, both socially and academically? In the third episode of In a Nutshell, host Jara explores seating plans, distance, and proximity. Together with her guest, Yvonne van den Berg, she investigates why it matters where we sit and how we use distance to communicate our feeling...

Can we predict the future? How is identity shaped by the past? And how can history help with making sense of our present? In today’s episode, Antonia and guest Adriaan Duiveman go – quite literally – back to the future and talk about how a historian ends up studying a time that hasn’t even happened yet. And why being a “futurologist” is anything but straight-forward. Adriaan Duiveman is a postdoc...

Can we overcome capitalism? What alternatives to communism exist? And what keeps us from imagining new economies? In the first episode of In a Nutshell’s third season, we delve into the challenges of capitalism. Together with this week’s guest, Querine Kommandeur, we discuss whether it is possible to exit capitalism and learn why it matters how we talk about economics. Querine is a PhD candidate a...

How advanced are robots? Why do we communicate differently with them than with humans? And why are cats, in the end, perhaps the better companions than robots? In today’s episode, Antonia talks with Lynn de Rijk about how we communicate with beings that aren’t human, or, differently put: how we communicate with cats and robots. And why that is sometimes anything but straight-forward. Lynn talks ab...

Why has the European far-right become increasingly popular? How do they use religion to shape their anti-immigration discourses? And what role does TikTok play in all of this? In today’s episode, Jara investigates what is behind the anti-immigration discourse of the European far right. Together with her guest, Kirsten Smeets, she will explore how opponents are created, why religion still plays a r...

What is behind a black hole? What do they look like? And how on Earth do you take a picture of one? In today’s episode, Jara faces one of her childhood fears, namely being sucked into the darkest mystery of the universe – the black hole. How likely is Earth to disappear behind the universe’s final curtain? What would that mean? And what actually is this dreaded black hole, to begin with? Luckily,...

AI seems to have come to stay, but what does the future of artificial intelligence hold? And why is it perhaps one of the most penetrating technologies since the development of language? In the second part of the AI special, we take a look at the future of AI. Together with Pim Haselager, Antonia talks about how AI might change as a technology – and how humans will likely too. Will reading lose it...

How do you persuade an audience? What is ethos, and why is it so important? And what connects ancient philosophers like Aristotle with modern politicians like Donald Trump? Rhetoric is the answer — at least to many of the questions that arise when taking a closer look at the workings of public discourse. Invented in antiquity, rhetoric still shapes our present and future, and is therefore placed i...

Where did AI come from? How is it changing society? And why do we need a European approach to Artificial Intelligence? In today’s episode, we are tackling the most discussed topic in recent weeks: Artificial Intelligence. Whether people are remaking  The Lord of the Rings  entirely in the style of Studio Ghibli, power self-driving cars or ask ChatGPT to write their uni assignments, AI seems to be...

What makes and breaks a good romantic relationship? Why can’t our relationships be perfect? And how can mindfulness help us make better connections? Ah, romantic relationships. They make us see the world through rose-colored glasses and let us feel thousands of butterflies in our tummies, don’t they? Yet, many people would likely agree that having a romantic relationship can be quite a challenge....

Why are we afraid of math? Can you make peace with the school subjects you hate? And how important are feelings and attitudes towards a subject when it comes to doing well? (Spoiler alert: very.) Everyone has that one subject in school (or at university) they don’t like – and in today’s episode, Antonia is tackling precisely that: the subjects we dislike and the disciplines we are bad in. Or, at l...

What will a peak behind the governments’ screens show us? What do we need to know about digital governments? And how does digitalization change public values? Digitalization is not just technical – this is the key message of this week’s episode, in which Jara learns about the world of digital governments. Together with her guest Noortje Hoevens, she discusses the political and social aspects of di...

What are the things we don’t remember when we remember 9/11? Why is commemorating 9/11 still a heatedly discussed topic, even more than 20 years later? And where did theruins of the Twin Towers actually go? “Where were you when the planes hit the towers?” Is probably one of the most asked questions of the 21st century. In this week’s episode, Antonia takes a closer look at the aftermath of the ter...

Why do we have prejudices? How are they created? And how do prejudices influence how we see and interact with people around us? In this new episode of In a Nutshell, Jara learns that stereotypes are not only bad. With her guest, Gijs Bijlstra, she embarks on a journey to understand the power of prejudices, what we can use them for, and when we need to overcome them. Gijs is an Associate Professor...

Sex should be about having fun and pornography usually gets it wrong – at least according to Maerten Prins, long-time lecturer of the popular course Psychology of Sexuality. In today’s episode of In a Nutshell, Antonia and Maerten talk about why the Netherlands might have the best sex education in the world but still falls short for many students. But what makes for good sex – and good sex educati...

How can sports be inclusive and exclusive at the same time? What can baseball tell us about Dutch colonialism? And how can sports be a means of identification? In the first episode of 2025, Jara investigates the intersection of baseball and politics. Together with her guest Jan Bant, she explores notions of identity, belonging, and exclusion by taking a close look at what happens on the ball field...

How prominent is the male gaze in music reviews? Why are there no guilty pleasure songs? And how authentic can artists in an industry like the music industry really be? In this episode, Antonia delves into the world of music, more specifically, music reviews. Together with her guest, Alex van der Hulst, she explores the shift from rockism to popism, asks whether we can separate artists from their...

Do we need to treat nature differently? How can philosophy help us do so? And what makes documentaries about cats a good starting point? In this week’s episode, Jara explores nature. More specifically, she investigates how humans relate to nature, why we like to see ourselves as separate from it, and why we treat nature the way we do. As always, she does so with an expert guest. For this episode,...