The oursociallandscape's Podcast

A Conversation with Bruce Cockburn

I'm joined by legendary musician Bruce Cockburn.  With over 9 million records sold, and countless lives impacted by his activism and altruism, he has spent over 50 years impacting folks around the globe.

Chelsea Conaboy Confronts Maternal Instinct: “It’s an Idea that Allows Us to do Less”

My guest is the journalist and writer Chelsea Conaboy, author of the fantastic book Mother Brain, which challenges the repressive notion of ‘maternal instinct’.  As she shows, "humans are designed to develop into cooperative caregivers!" 

Michael Roth on the Role of Higher Education as a Cultural Battleground

Wesleyan University President Michael Roth joins me to discuss the intersection between education and our current culture wars.

Dr. Roth has been the President of Wesleyan since 2007, and has written extensively about issues related to free speech on college campuses specifically, and larger cultural patterns more broadly.

This episode features two Bob Dylan songs, “Visions of Johanna” and “Shelter from the Storm”.

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Transgender Medicine: Dr. Hussein Abdullatif

A discussion on treating transgender youth with pediatric endocrinologist Hussein Abdullatif.

Martyn Joseph Discusses Music, Charity, and Family

I'm joined by Welsh singer-songwriter Martyn Joseph, a folk artist who has used his platform to campaign for human rights and social justice for over 40 years. 

Vincent Valdez: Confronting America Through Art

The contemporary American artist Vincent Valdez joins me to talk about the power of paint, brush, and canvas to hold a mirror up to America.

The End of Affirmative Action

The recorded version of my lastest blog post, including the song Sachi, by Matthew Halsall.

Bits and Pieces, Sport, Part 1

The recorded version of my last blog post, including the song Exuberant Burning, by Earthen Sea.

There Are No Accidents: Jessie Singer on Unequal Risk Exposure

I'm joined by investigative journalist Jessie Singer to talk about their book There Are No Accidents: The Deadly Rise of Injury and Disaster- Who Profits and Who Pays the Price.  

Elisabeth Anker: “Ugly Freedoms”, Spaces of Refusal, and De-idealizing Freedom

Elisabeth Anker is a professor of American Studies and Political Science at George Washington University.  Her first book, Orgies of Feeling: Melodrama and the Politics of Freedom lays a groundwork for analyzing freedom-based narratives in popular culture.  The theme is extended in her 2022 book Ugly Freedoms, which is the basis for our conversation.