Undisciplinary

Send us Fan Mail We talk with Órla O'Donovan about how medical museums and university heritage spaces can hide violence in the display cabinets while still shaping what we treat as knowledge, normality, and progress. We discuss with the limits of consent, erasing records, and why real repair demands ongoing reckoning with the past.  References to topics discussed: Órla O'Donovan, Univers...

Send us Fan Mail We talk with Professor Jon Jureidini about why AHPRA’s adoption of the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism alarms many Australian healthcare workers, academics and students. We discuss how a narrow regulatory move can chill speech, fuel vexatious complaints, and sideline collective and intersectional anti-racist strategies in healthcare. Considering signing the “ Joint letter from he...

Send us Fan Mail We talk with Peter West-Oram about his new book - Justice, Solidarity and Global Health: From Globalisation to Collaboration - and discuss why solidarity is not automatically virtuous and how it can contribute to exclusion, coercion, and violence.  We use COVID-19, vaccine conflict, and global injustice to ask what a minimal pro-social solidarity looks like and who gets counted in...

Send us Fan Mail Dr Lisa Mitchell and A/Prof Diego Silva join us to discuss Netflix’s “Don’t Die” and use Bryan Johnson’s longevity regimen to talk about fear, meaning, and the politics of health. We ask what gets lost when anti-aging turns into an identity, a moral badge, or a business model.  • Brian Johnson’s “don’t die” project as a story about wealth, control, and death anxiety  • the tedium...

Send us Fan Mail We chart how social media turns low testosterone into a crisis, selling masculinity, anxiety, and medical fixes to healthy men while skirting regulation. Emma Grundtvig Gram joins us to unpack overdiagnosis, celeb MRI scans, and the manosphere’s grip on health norms. • harms of screening and the right to balanced information • direct-to-consumer tests, devices, and influencer adve...

Send us Fan Mail We return after a hard pause to sit with grief, public safety, and how quickly politics moves to claim tragedy. We point to real solidarity work, reflect on bioethics beyond the moment of death, and share plans for more focused conversations next year. • pause explained and schedule intentions • Bondi tragedy and the ethics of listening • Australia’s uneasy multicultural story and...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Nanette Ryan discusses gender open parenting, a model allowing children to determine their own gender in their own time without imposing gender expectations based on assigned sex at birth. According to Dr Ryan, this approach creates space for autonomy and protects children from potentially harmful patriarchal gender norms while providing them with knowledge to navigate gender...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Andrea Ford, cultural and medical anthropologist, explores the fascinating world of femtech and period tracking apps, revealing how these technologies are transforming our understanding of bodies, health, and gender. The conversation examines how these digital tools function within surveillance capitalism while promising personal empowerment through data collection. • Period t...

Send us Fan Mail Five years after COVID-19 upended our lives, we've developed a curious collective amnesia. When was the last time you seriously reflected on playground closures, door-to-door testing teams, or the "disappointing Dan" press conferences? These once-extraordinary interventions now seem like strange artifacts from another era. Jane Williams shares how COVID researchers...

Send us Fan Mail We celebrate five years of Undisciplinary by reflecting on our journey and the changing academic landscape since our podcast began in July 2020. • Chris and Jane discuss recent conference experiences, noting the different atmospheres between academic gatherings • We listen to and react to our original five-minute teaser episode from July 23, 2020 • Reflections on Courtney Hempton&...

Send us Fan Mail A/Prof Seye Abimbola explores how global health as a concept reinforces colonial power structures and argues for decentering Western institutions in health governance. His critique reveals how aid flows primarily benefit donor countries while creating dependencies that hinder meaningful health system development in recipient nations. • The term "global health" itself is...

Send us Fan Mail Part 2 of our conversation with philosopher Megan Dean. We explore the ethics of hosting and the tensions that arise when accommodating guests with dietary restrictions. We dive into her paper "The Worst Dinner Guest Ever" to understand why people with food allergies and gut issues often face skepticism and judgment when sharing their needs. • Megan was inspired by a blo...

Send us Fan Mail Philosopher Megan Dean joins us to explore the complex ethics of food restrictions, from hospital feeding tubes to revealing how deeply our identity and relationships are intertwined with what and how we eat. In this episode we discuss Case of mushroom attempted mushroom poisoning - Ask Polly: My In-Laws are careless about my deadly food allergy!  Smuggled Doughnuts and Forbidden...

Send us Fan Mail Chris and Jane kick off 2025 discussing their recent publication in the British Medical Bulletin titled "Obesity: Ethical Issues" and exploring how conversations about weight stigma have evolved in recent years. • Jane shares her experience appearing on ABC Radio National's "God Forbid" program where the topic shifted from "thinness and morality"...

Send us Fan Mail **Below is AI generated** This episode discusses weight stigma as a systemic issue deeply rooted in healthcare practices, often leading to misdiagnosis and mistreatment of individuals based on their body size. Dr. Patty Thille highlights the dangers of medicalization and pharmaceuticalization - especially the popularity of drugs like Ozempic - in addressing obesity and encourages...

Send us Fan Mail Undisciplinary - a podcast that talks across the boundaries of history, ethics, and the politics of health.  Follow us on Twitter @undisciplinary_ or email questions for "mailbag episodes" undisciplinarypod@gmail.com 

Send us Fan Mail **Below is AI generated** Ever found yourself secretly despising a beloved Christmas classic or questioning the charm of a holiday favorite as you share it with the next generation? Join us as we navigate the highs and lows of 2024, starting with a comedic dissection of Christmas music and films. We take a cheeky swipe at Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmas Time,"...

Send us Fan Mail **Below is AI generated** This episode explores the complexities of grief during festive seasons, focusing on the interplay between love, loss, and holiday traditions. Insights from bell hooks highlight the importance of love as an action, while discussions on technology's impact on mourning encourage listeners to consider their relationships with grief and community. • Discu...

Send us Fan Mail **Below is AI generated** Is "cheeky" the most overused word in our everyday vocabulary? We kick things off with a humorous exploration of this label being slapped on everything from muesli bars to sports drinks. As we chuckle through language missteps, we also tackle an advertisement from the Victorian Cancer Council that boldly claims "one in two is too many.&quot...

Send us Fan Mail **Below is AI generated** Is solidarity in healthcare a double-edged sword? That’s the intriguing question we explore with our returning guest, Pete West-Oram. In this episode, we dissect how solidarity can both unite and divide, especially when misinformation—what Pete candidly refers to as "bullshit"—pervades public discourse. With a focus on healthcare ethics, we disc...

Send us Fan Mail **Below is AI Generated** What if the key to equitable healthcare lies in the power of solidarity? Join us as we explore this profound question with Dr. Peter West-Oram, a senior lecturer in bioethics, who offers a nuanced perspective on the intersections of history, ethics, and politics in healthcare. Through his expertise, we tackle the pressing issues of systemic racism laid ba...

Send us Fan Mail **Below is AI generated** What if the key to safer medicines lies in the blood of an ancient, alien-looking creature? Join us as we uncover the fascinating world of horseshoe crabs with our special guest, Richard Gorman. Rich's journey from human geography to animal ethics opens up a riveting discussion about the ethical implications of using animals in healthcare and the piv...

Send us Fan Mail **The below is AI generated** What if bringing cake to work is as harmful as passive smoking? Join us for a thought-provoking exploration with our special guest, Sarah Attinger, as she shares her innovative approach to workplace treats. We dive deep into the public health implications of these sweet gestures and navigate a moral dilemma involving found cigarettes, debating the eth...

Send us Fan Mail ** Below is AI generated** What happens when religion, politics, and reproductive rights collide? Join us in this thought-provoking episode of Undisciplinary, featuring Risa Cromer, an Associate Professor in Anthropology at Purdue University. Risa takes us on her unique journey from a secular upbringing to studying the powerful intersections of religious politics and reproductive...

Send us Fan Mail **Below was generated by AI and doesn't really have much to do with what we actually talked about!** Curious about how American English phrases like "it's been a minute" are shaping everyday language? Join us as we explore this playful debate and kick things off with an engaging discussion. We also introduce an exciting new feature that lets you send us anonymo...