Sustainability Matters

Social and political conditions, in association with the self, can hardly be explained by one factor. Instead, they are shaped by several factors in diverse, mutually influencing ways. This is the essence of intersectionality, a concept that helps us understand the complexity of the human experience. In the third episode of our new themed series Across the Rainbow , catch us in discussion with Dr....

Imagination is a fundamental trait of the human species.  Given how our most commonplace experiences get filtered differently through the lens of our imaginations, it deeply influences everything we think about and do. For better or worse, imagination is “the resin that binds human civilization together.” In this new episode, Keith Moser, Professor of French and Francophone Studies at Mississippi...

In this episode, Steven Fine, Churgin Professor of Jewish History at Yeshiva University, Israel, discusses his new book Arch of Titus: From Jerusalem to Rome—and Back , published in Brill’s Religious Studies, Theology and Philosophy E-Books Online collection.  He explores how the Arch has been a symbol of subjugation as well as empowerment for both Jewish and Christian cultures as they evolved acr...

The highest literacy rates worldwide, free universal healthcare, social security, strong economies —these are traits commonly associated with the Nordic countries.   They also reflect the equally renowned, well-developed system of education available to the residents of each country.  Despite the similarities, each country’s education system is distinct, thanks to their differing historical experi...

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced people indoors and has moved even important businesses and interactions online. Diplomatic interactions are no exception.  In the second episode of our new themed series Across the Rainbow , we speak with Dr. Ann Towns, Professor of Political Science at the University of Gothenberg, and Dr. Katarzyna Jezierska, Associate Professor of Political Science at University...

Queer lives in semi-urban and rural India are typically required to conform to heteronormativity in a way that stands apart from Western and urban Indian experiences. In the first episode of our new themed series Across the Rainbow , Dr. Jayaprakash Mishra, a research scholar at the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, India, shares with us why he chose to examine the emotions of guilt in Sou...

Today, millions of immigrants have found a home in the United States. But often, such people end up losing their individual cultures, languages, and identities—simply because they aren’t aligned with those of the rest of the crowd. So what is it like to be living in a nation you weren’t born in? What are the stories and experiences of people who find themselves alternating between two linguistic a...

Forced labor and human trafficking in fisheries, albeit present in most parts of the world, have gone unnoticed for many years. Fishers at sea are out of sight for a long time, living in difficult and often inhumane conditions. But this problem does not affect just fishers: it is much more layered than we think and can impact most of our lives. How, exactly?  Prof. Vasco Becker-Weinberg from the U...

In the modern world, human trafficking and slavery take various forms: one such example is forced labor. But understanding exactly how and where forced labor might occur has been a challenge for researchers and regulatory authorities.  In the third episode of our new themed series In Chains , we speak with Dr. Alexis Aronowitz from University College Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands, who is the a...

Key to the revolutionary ideas of 19th century Italian modernist sculptor Medardo Rosso are his materials and technique. But for a long time, scholars and experts on his work took little time to truly explore these.  In this episode, Dr. Sharon Hecker, art historian and curator, and author of a recent Brill publication on Medardo Rosso titled Finding Lost Wax: The Disappearance and Recovery of an...

For centuries, slavery was prominent, driving economies and defining cultures. But in today’s socio-economically liberal world, it seems to have retreated into the shadows: where can it be found? In the second episode of our new themed series In Chains , we speak with Dr Alexis Jonathan Martig, Adjunct Professor at the University of Alberta, Instructor at MacEwan University, and author of the arti...

The term “slavery” brings to mind transatlantic ships and human trade—both very disturbing visualizations of human experience. Historically, such slave trade has been at the center of the practice of slavery, which is still prevalent in the modern world.  In the first episode of our new themed series called In Chains , we speak with Dr. Raphaël Lambert, Professor at the Department of British and A...

Viruses are not very different from machines that process information, and thus, how the virus functions can be simulated on a computer. This ability to “imitate” the way viruses behave is particularly useful today, as we battle the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and struggle to prepare for similar events. Dr. Klaus Mainzer, Co-founder and Senior Professor at the Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker...

Amidst the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Dr. Daniel J.N. Weishut, psychologist and lecturer at Hadassah Academic College in Israel, developed a cross-cultural friendship with a Palestinian Bedouin man.  In Brill’s new In this podcast episode, Dr. Weishut assesses the vast cultural differences that he observed through this close friendship, which he describes as a ‘life-changing experience’...

The story of the Passion of Christ has lived through the ages in the Netherlands despite secularism growing in the popular narrative of the nation.  In this episode, Dr. Mirella Klomp, of the Protestant Theological University, the Netherlands, discusses her book “ Playing On: Re-staging the Passion after the Death of God ,” published by Brill, and talks about how the Passion has seeped out from th...

The British Library preserves a unique collection of pictorial maps and descriptions of places and cultures along the road from Lhasa to Leh. But finding the people behind this collection and decoding it have been journeys of their own. In this latest podcast episode, Dr. Diana Lange of Humboldt University, Germany, opens her book “ An Atlas of the Himalayas by a 19th Century Tibetan Lama: A Journ...

There is no doubt that teaching is a meaningful profession, but teachers often find themselves in stressful, emotionally challenging situations. How do they cope? How do they tackle commonly experienced emotions like anger and shame?  In this podcast episode, Roger Patulny, Associate Professor at University of Wollongong, Australia, and Alberto Bellocchi, Associate Professor and Principal Research...

There is no doubt that teaching is a meaningful profession, but teachers often find themselves in stressful, emotionally challenging situations. How do they cope? How do they tackle commonly experienced emotions like anger and shame?  In this podcast episode, Roger Patulny, Associate Professor at University of Wollongong, Australia, and Alberto Bellocchi, Associate Professor and Principal Research...

Sociocognitive abilities of animals have been studied over the past few decades, but there is still a huge gap in research looking at animal ethics. What are the implications of this and how does this influence human behavior towards animals?  In a new podcast, Dr. Judith Benz-Schwarzburg, Senior Postdoctoral Researcher at the University for Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, talks about pertinent quest...

In the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the world has turned to science for effective solutions. However, using scientific research to influence government policies, especially in the middle of a crisis, requires the use of multiple other skills, which the humanities can provide. The field of humanities is more relevant now than ever before.  In this podcast episode, Dr. Amy Daughton, Lectu...

Miniature ivory anatomical models or “manikins” were first created in the late 17th century, but their history as props for man-midwives, or even as kunstkammer objects, has not been fully explored. In this podcast episode, Dr. Cali Buckley, of the Pennsylvania State University College, discusses how manikins grew as figures that mechanically and emotionally engaged with its owners, arousing their...

Is morality solely a human creation? Or can we find evidence of morality in other parts of nature? Honeybees and flowers have co-evolved to form a mutualistic relationship. This means that these creatures have developed optimization processes that ultimately contribute to the continuity of life itself, pointing towards the existence of morality between the two.  In this podcast episode, Dr. Christ...

Rwanda witnessed a 100-day mass genocide back in 1994, when the ethnic Hutu government and its supporters led a campaign that left around 800,000 people, including Tutsis and moderate Hutus, dead. And while, shockingly, the event was not given enough attention by the international community at the time, Rwanda’s genocide later led to reform and innovation in order to prevent and respond to such cr...

Rwanda witnessed a 100-day mass genocide back in 1994, when the ethnic Hutu government and its supporters led a campaign that left around 800,000 people, including Tutsis and moderate Hutus, dead. And while, shockingly, the event was not given enough attention by the international community at the time, Rwanda’s genocide later led to reform and innovation in order to prevent and respond to such cr...