The SCAS Talks Podcast

SCAS TALKS Episode 69 - Elizabeth Jacqueline Marcus: "The University as a Global Microcosm"

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 09:18:52 +0100

Theme: Knowledge, Epistemes, Universities

Keywords: Global university, Cité U, empire and education, knowledge production, academic freedom

SCAS TALKS Spotlight - "Academic Freedom" - part 2/2025

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 11:19:56 +0100

A collection of voices from "A Week on Academic Freedom" 2025.

Keywords: Academic freedom, democracy, student protests, Institutes for Advanced Study, political interference

SCAS TALKS Spotlight - "Academic Freedom" - part 1/2025

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 11:04:36 +0100

A collection of voices from "A Week on Academic Freedom" 2025.

Keywords: Academic freedom, university autonomy, free speech, self-censorship, democracy

SCAS TALKS Episode 68 - Emrah Yildiz: "Economic Sanctions, Aimed at Global Isolation, Generate Regional Connections"

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 15:28:18 +0100

Theme: Global Governance

Keywords: Global governance, economic sanctions, cross-border trade, tariffs, regional connections

SCAS TALKS Spotlight - "Transitions: Future Trajectories of Institutes for Advanced Study (IASs) in Academia" (SCAS Jubilee) - part 2

Thu, 06 Nov 2025 11:23:01 +0100

A collection of voices from the jubilee symposium "Future Trajectories of Institutes for Advanced Study (IASs) in Academia".

Keywords: Institutes for Advanced Study, academic hospitality, academic diplomacy, early career researchers, intellectual exchange

SCAS TALKS Episode 67 - Linda Wedlin: "A Governance Dimension of Academic Freedom"

Fri, 17 Oct 2025 13:43:22 +0200

Theme: Knowledge, Epistemes, Universities

Keywords: Academic freedom, democratic society, individual and institutional autonomy, knowledge, organizational dynamics

SCAS TALKS Spotlight - "Transitions: Future Trajectories of Institutes for Advanced Study (IASs) in Academia" (SCAS Jubilee) - part 1

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 13:10:22 +0200

A collection of voices from the jubilee symposium "Future Trajectories of Institutes for Advanced Study (IASs) in Academia".

Keywords: Institutes for Advanced Study, academic freedom, knowledge, intellectual curiosity, academic ecosystem

SCAS TALKS Episode 66 - Mathias Thaler: "Can Science Fiction Help Us Imagine New Ways of Acting Together in the Anthropocene?"

Tue, 12 Aug 2025 12:13:29 +0200

Theme: The Anthropocene

Keywords: Anthropocene, science fiction, utopianism, political imagination, social theory

SCAS TALKS Spotlight - “Climate Policy in a Turbulent World: Complementary Perspectives”

Thu, 03 Jul 2025 14:03:24 +0200

A collection of voices from the symposium “Climate Policy in a Turbulent World: Complementary Perspectives”.

Keywords: climate policy, public-private partnerships, Agenda 2030, energy transition, anthropocene

SCAS TALKS Episode 65 – Axel Palmér: "Historical Linguistics: A Window into the Human Past"

Wed, 11 Jun 2025 11:10:02 +0200

Theme: Languages

Keywords: Indo-European languages, Rigveda, agricultural vocabulary, Center for the Human Past, academic career

SCAS TALKS Episode 64 – Johan Östling: "The University as a History of Knowledge"

Wed, 23 Apr 2025 09:40:26 +0200

Theme: Knowledge, Epistemes, Universities

Keywords: universities, history of knowledge, Europeanization, interdisciplinarity, Pro Futura Fellowship

SCAS TALKS Episode 63 – Mònica Ginés Blasi: "Exploiting Chinese Migrants in the 19th Century"

Thu, 06 Mar 2025 10:58:10 +0100

Theme: Migration & Displacement

Keywords: Chinese migration, indentured labor migration, labor intermediaries, global history, migration patterns

SCAS TALKS Episode 62 – Ayse Caglar: “City-making through the Lens of Displacement”

Wed, 15 Jan 2025 12:12:29 +0100

Theme: Migration & Displacement

Keywords: migration, displacement, city making, political economy, social anthropology

SCAS TALKS Episode 61 – Sari Nauman: "What Early Modern History Can Offer Refugee Studies"

Fri, 29 Nov 2024 13:39:51 +0100

Theme: Migration & Displacement

Keywords: migration, displacement, internally displaced persons, early modern history, historical concepts

SCAS TALKS Episode 60 – Iryna Mogilevkina: “Reproductive Health Always Matters”

Tue, 03 Sep 2024 17:18:06 +0200

Theme: Women and Medicine

Keywords: sexual health, reproductive rights, policy implementation, Ukraine

SCAS TALKS Episode 59 – Stefan Enroth: "Self-sampling for Better Screening and Diagnosis of Gynecological Cancers"

Wed, 29 May 2024 11:56:53 +0200

Theme: Women and Medicine

Keywords: gynecological cancers, biomarkers, self-screening, diagnosis, healthcare system

SCAS TALKS Spotlight - "Sciences against Misinformation"

Wed, 15 May 2024 13:25:13 +0200

A collection of voices from the symposium "Sciences against Misinformation".

Keywords: misinformation, democracy, critical thinking, trust, post-truth era

SCAS TALKS Episode 58 – Desiree Fields: "How Finance and Technology are Changing the Meaning of Housing"

Fri, 26 Apr 2024 14:07:24 +0200

Theme: Cities as Mega-Projects

Keywords: housing market, real estate investment, landlords, cities

SCAS TALKS Episode 57 – Anat Biegon: "Why Do Women Go to the Doctor Twice as Often as Men? Bias and Education about Women's Health"

Fri, 19 Apr 2024 11:15:35 +0200

Theme: Women and Medicine

Keywords: women's health, gender-based medicine, bias, sex differences, clinical trials

SCAS TALKS Episode 56 – John Stinchcombe: "Evolution, Adaptation, and Resilience of Plants in the Anthropocene"

Fri, 05 Apr 2024 10:02:22 +0200

Theme: The Anthropocene

Keywords: climate change, agriculture, herbicide resistance, genetic engineering, anthropocene

SCAS TALKS Episode 55 – Jennifer Mack: "Modernist Suburbs and Their Missing Stories"

Thu, 29 Feb 2024 11:43:24 +0100

Theme: Cities as Mega-Projects

Keywords: million program, suburbs, urban planning, social transformation, architecture

SCAS TALKS Episode 54 – Carol Upadhya: "The Rise and Fall of the Amaravati Greenfield City Project”

Fri, 26 Jan 2024 13:41:26 +0100

Theme: Cities as Mega-Projects

Keywords: Amaravati project, infrastructure, greenfield cities, urbanization

SCAS TALKS Spotlight - ”Academic Freedom”

Wed, 13 Dec 2023 17:03:41 +0100

A collection of voices from "A Week on Academic Freedom".

Keywords: academic freedom, collegiality, research, education, Ukraine

SCAS TALKS Episode 53 – Anandi Hattiangadi: ”A Philosopher’s Reflections on the Emergence of Artificial General Intelligence”

Mon, 20 Nov 2023 16:49:46 +0100

Theme: AI

Keywords: artificial general intelligence, philosophy, language, large language models, interdisciplinary research

SCAS TALKS Episode 52 – Jan Komorowski: ”Life Sciences in Silico: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning as Tools for New Discoveries”

Tue, 03 Oct 2023 10:54:46 +0200

Theme: AI

Keywords: artificial intelligence, bioinformatics, life science, machine learning, scientific discovery

SCAS TALKS Episode 51 – Jan Hennings: “Historic Encounters in Early Modern Diplomacy”

Tue, 19 Sep 2023 16:04:11 +0200

Theme: Diplomacy & International Relations

Keywords: diplomacy, international relations, Russia, ottoman empire, early modern history

SCAS TALKS Episode 50 – Aaron M. Ellison: ”Decentering Ourselves from the Anthropocene”

Fri, 01 Sep 2023 15:49:38 +0200

Theme: The Anthropocene

Keywords: anthropocene, ecology, nature, landscape, photography

SCAS TALKS Episode 49 – Eliel Camargo-Molina: ”When Technology Meets the Humanities: The Interdisciplinary World of AI”

Mon, 26 Jun 2023 14:28:07 +0200

Theme: AI
Keywords: artificial intelligence, large language models, chatGPT, interdisciplinary research, technology

SCAS TALKS Spotlight - ”Indo-European Afterlife”

Wed, 07 Jun 2023 11:54:28 +0200

A collection of voices from the symposium Indo-European Afterlife.

Keywords: Indo-european languages, afterlife, religion, archeology, LAMP project

SCAS TALKS Spotlight - ”Efficient Light to Electric Power Conversion for a Renewable Energy Future”

Fri, 02 Jun 2023 12:10:43 +0200

A collection of voices from the Nobel Symposium NS191: Efficient Light to Electric Power Conversion for a Renewable Energy Future

Keywords: solar energy, photovoltaics, renewable energy, Nobel prize, sustainability

SCAS TALKS Episode 48 – Gísli Pálsson: ”The Discovery of Extinction”

Wed, 24 May 2023 13:43:13 +0200

Theme: The Anthropocene

Keywords: anthropocene, ecology, extinction, environmental humanities, rewilding

SCAS TALKS Episode 47 – Valbona Muzaka: ”Vaccines in Times of Financialisation”

Wed, 10 May 2023 16:38:30 +0200

Theme: Global Governance

Keywords: global governance, vaccine, pharmaceutical industry, global health, covid-19

SCAS TALKS Episode 46 – Hazem Kandil: ”War, Power, and History”

Tue, 11 Apr 2023 13:55:06 +0200

Theme: Diplomacy & International Relations

Keywords: diplomacy, international relations, Carl von Clausewitz, historical and political sociology, war

SCAS TALKS Episode 45 – Lisa Hellman: ”Captured by Russians, Enslaved by Dzungars: New Approaches to Global Diplomacy”

Wed, 29 Mar 2023 11:12:17 +0200

Theme: Diplomacy & International Relations

Keywords: global diplomacy, global history, Russia, China, microhistory

SCAS TALKS Episode 44 - Mikael Adolphson: ”Japan’s Medieval Monetization in a Historical Context”

Fri, 10 Mar 2023 13:52:22 +0100

Theme: Asia (Citizens and state relations)

Keywords: Asia, citizen and state relations, sino-japanese trade, medieval societas, historical narratives

SCAS TALKS Episode 43 – Jeffrey Paller: ”The Contentious Politics of African Urbanization”

Wed, 01 Feb 2023 15:22:10 +0100

Theme: Africa

Keywords: Africa, urbanization, rural societies, post-colonial development, governance

SCAS TALKS Episode 42 – Racha Kirakosian: ”Researching Women’s Lives: The Story of Katarina of Württemberg”

Fri, 16 Dec 2022 14:07:51 +0100

Theme: Gender

Keywords: gender, middle ages, Katharina von Württemberg, women’s history, female mystics

SCAS TALKS Episode 41 – Philipp Lepenies: ”Development Aid - From Practitioner to Scholar”

Wed, 07 Dec 2022 16:41:17 +0100

Theme: Development Issues & Human Rights

Keywords: development aid, political science, GDP, sustainability, academic career

SCAS TALKS Episode 40 – Jeremy Mumford: ”The Untold Story of Beatriz Coya - A Microhistory of a Marriage in Cuzco in 1565”

Tue, 08 Nov 2022 12:02:04 +0100

Theme: Latin America

Keywords: Latin America, microhistory, Inca kingdom, child marriage, Beatriz Coya

SCAS TALKS Episode 39 – Michael Watts: ”Oil and Its Afterlives: The Past and the Future of Oil in Nigeria”

Thu, 06 Oct 2022 11:36:18 +0200

Theme: Development Issues & Human Rights

Keywords: human rights, development issues, oil industry, Nigeria, global south

SCAS TALKS Episode 38 – Sohini Ramachandran: ”The Human Genome as a Historical Text”

Mon, 26 Sep 2022 10:47:41 +0200

Theme: Genetics & Evolution

Keywords: genomics, ancient DNA, human evolution, population genetics, diversity

SCAS TALKS Episode 37 – Maria Ågren: ”Gender and Work”

Fri, 16 Sep 2022 11:06:16 +0200

Theme: Gender

Keywords: gender, work, economic history, verb-orientated method, open science, digital humanities

SCAS TALKS Episode 36 – Michael Goodhart: “The Complexity and Contradictions of Human Rights”

Mon, 11 Jul 2022 09:14:02 +0200

Theme: Development Issues & Human Rights

Keywords: human rights, democracy, activism, emancipatory politics, justice

SCAS TALKS Spotlight - “Opening the Ivory Tower Wide”

Tue, 05 Jul 2022 10:31:55 +0200

A collection of voices from the symposium "Opening the Ivory Tower Wide"

Keywords: outreach, innovation, science and society, policy advice, academic freedom

SCAS TALKS Episode 35 – Rebecca Earle: “How the Humble Potato Has Travelled the World and Shaped History”

Thu, 16 Jun 2022 14:41:14 +0200

Theme: Latin America

Keywords: Latin America, potato, food history, global history, plant domestication

SCAS TALKS Episode 34 – Janette Boughman & Maria Servedio: “New Insights into Speciation: Collaboration between a Mathematical Modeler and an Empirical Biologist”

Thu, 09 Jun 2022 14:09:36 +0200

Theme: Genetics & Evolution

Keywords: genetics, evolution, speciation, mathematical model, sexual selection

SCAS TALKS Episode 33 – Helen Anne Curry: ”Endangered Maize: Industrial Agriculture and the Crisis of Extinction”

Thu, 28 Apr 2022 12:08:18 +0200

Theme: Genetics & Evolution

Keywords: genetics, maize, agriculture, seed banks, conservation, plant breeding

SCAS TALKS Episode 32 – Karsten Paerregaard: ”Climate Change, Climate Perception and Water Management in Peru”

Tue, 05 Apr 2022 09:41:25 +0200

Theme: Latin America

Keywords: Latin America, Andes, rituals, anthropocene, water management

SCAS TALKS Episode 31 – Susan Pedersen: ”Balfours in Love and Trouble”

Tue, 15 Mar 2022 11:21:06 +0100

Theme: Gender

Keywords: gender, Frances Balfour, Suffragettes, political wife, woman politician

SCAS TALKS Episode 30 – Shalini Randeria: ”Looking at Citizens and State Relations in India through the Lens of Displacement”

Mon, 14 Feb 2022 17:16:44 +0100

Theme: Asia (Citizens and state relations)

Keywords: India, citizen and state relations, displacement, internally displaced persons, Central European University

SCAS TALKS Episode 29 – Susanne A. Wengle: “Black Earth, White Bread: A Technopolitical History of Russian Agriculture and Food”

Thu, 27 Jan 2022 11:05:48 +0100

Theme: Infrastructures

Keywords: infrastructure, agriculture, technopolitical history, Russia, bread

SCAS TALKS Episode 28 - Barak Kushner: “What Do War Crimes Trials in East Asia Tell Us about the History of Justice?”

Wed, 12 Jan 2022 10:03:11 +0100

Theme: Asia (Citizens and state relations)

Keywords: Asia, sino-japanese interactions, citizen and state relations, war crime history, ramen

SCAS TALKS Episode 27 - Jessica Abbott: ”Evolution of Sex Chromosomes and (the Importance of) Science Communication”

Mon, 20 Dec 2021 15:40:42 +0100

Theme: Life Sciences

Keywords: evolution, fruitflies, sex differences, science communication, Fråga Lund

SCAS TALKS Spotlight – “Beyond Advanced Studies: Interdisciplinary Theory and Research Careers” – part 2

Thu, 16 Dec 2021 09:51:32 +0100

(2/2)

Keywords: interdisciplinarity, research environment, institutes for advanced study, applied science, outreach

SCAS TALKS Spotlight – “Beyond Advanced Studies: Interdisciplinary Theory and Research Careers” – part 1

Thu, 16 Dec 2021 09:45:07 +0100

(1/2)

Keywords: interdisciplinarity, academic career, research environment, institutes for advanced study, science and society

SCAS TALKS Episode 26 – Ash Amin: ”Infrastructures, Habitats and Slum Lives”

Fri, 03 Dec 2021 15:03:37 +0100

Theme: Infrastructures

Keywords: India, global south, infrastructure, covid-19, mental health

SCAS TALKS Episode 25 – Troy Day: ”From Educated Guesses to Accurate Predictions: Modelling of the Pandemic”

Wed, 24 Nov 2021 11:24:41 +0100

Theme: Life Sciences

Keywords: life science, covid-19, epidemiology, mathematical modeling, policy making

SCAS TALKS Episode 24 – Michael J. Puett: ”Rethinking the World by Considering Chinese History”

Wed, 20 Oct 2021 11:54:25 +0200

Theme: Asia (Citizens and state relations)

Keywords: Asia, world view, Chinese history, historical narratives, imperialism

SCAS TALKS Episode 23 – Elise Dermineur Reuterswärd: ”Banking before Banks: Credit and Debt in Preindustrial France”

Tue, 05 Oct 2021 11:55:18 +0200

Theme: Infrastructures

Keywords: infrastructures, banks, credit, financial markets, human economy

SCAS TALKS Episode 22 - Ericka Johnson: ”A Cultural Biography of the Prostate”

Wed, 08 Sep 2021 16:41:11 +0200

Theme: Life Sciences

Keywords: life science, prostate, medical humanities, technology, masculinity

SCAS TALKS Episode 21 – Rebekah Lee: "Death and Memory in Modern South Africa"

Tue, 20 Jul 2021 14:25:45 +0200

Theme: Africa

Keywords: South Africa, funeral practices, HIV/AIDS, memory, ethnographic studies

SCAS TALKS Episode 20 – Anna Neubeck: "Nickel - A Catalyst for Life on Earth and in Space"

Fri, 16 Jul 2021 11:00:03 +0200

Theme: Life in Outer Space

Keywords: life in outer space, origin of life, biosignatures, nickel isotopes, biogeochemistry

SCAS TALKS Episode 19 – Nikolai Piskunov: "Using New Technology to Study Conditions for Life in Space"

Wed, 14 Jul 2021 09:54:21 +0200

Theme: Life in Outer Space

Keywords: life in outer space, exoplanets, Kepler, telescopes, technology development

SCAS TALKS Episode 18 – Stephanie Wynne-Jones: "Connecting Past and Present through Urban Ecologies on Zanzibar"

Mon, 12 Jul 2021 12:27:10 +0200

Theme: Africa

Keywords: Africa, Zanzibar, historical ecology, sustainability, Unguja Ukuu

SCAS TALKS Episode 17 - Martin Sahlén: "The Big Picture: From Cosmic Origins to Life on Exoplanets"

Tue, 29 Jun 2021 16:27:17 +0200

Theme: Life in Outer Space

Keywords: life in outer space, exoplanets, astrophysics, galaxies, cosmobiology

SCAS TALKS Episode 16 – Terje Falck-Ytter: “Understanding Autism: What Can Infants Teach Us?”

Fri, 18 Jun 2021 14:56:17 +0200

Theme: The Brain

Keywords: brain, autism spectrum disorders, psychology, ADHD, eye-tracking

SCAS TALKS Episode 15 – Jenny Andersson: “Neoliberalism in the Nordic Countries: Developing an Absent Research Theme”

Tue, 01 Jun 2021 15:45:27 +0200

Theme: Global Governance

Keywords: global governance, neoliberalism, social life of ideas, Swedish society, new public management

SCAS TALKS Episode 14 – Andreas Eckert: "Where Have the Workers Gone? Labour in Postcolonial Africa"

Mon, 17 May 2021 16:45:07 +0200

Theme: Africa

Keywords: Africa, labour market, work, covid-19, outreach

SCAS TALKS Episode 13 – Dan Larhammar: “Fascinated by the Human Brain: Studies of Memory and the Phenomenon of Pseudoscience”

Tue, 04 May 2021 16:41:12 +0200

Theme: The Brain

Keywords: brain, consciousness, long term memory, pseudoscience, misinformation

SCAS TALKS Episode 12 - Karin Jensen: “The Complexity of Pain and Placebo Effects”

Mon, 19 Apr 2021 10:22:46 +0200

Theme: The Brain

Keywords: brain, placebo effect, doctor-patient relationship, nocebo effect, chronic pain

SCAS TALKS Episode 11 – David Ciepley: “Constitutional Democracy and the Corporation”

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 15:46:22 +0200

Theme: Global Governance

Keywords: global governance, democracy, corporation, charter, government

SCAS TALKS Episode 10 – Bruce G. Carruthers: “Trust, Credit and Credit Ratings as the Basis of a Modern Economy”

Tue, 09 Mar 2021 09:52:01 +0100

Theme: Global Governance

Keywords: global governance, credit, credit rating, history, economic sociology

SCAS TALKS Episode 9 – Benjamin Madley: "An American Genocide: The United States and the California Indian Catastrophe"

Mon, 25 Jan 2021 12:06:50 +0100

Theme: Diversity

Keywords: diversity, indigenous studies, genocide, native Americans, colonialism

SCAS TALKS Episode 8 - Sofia Lodén: “Translations Create New Literary Traditions and Links between European Cultures”

Fri, 11 Dec 2020 13:38:05 +0100

Theme: Languages

Keywords: languages, medieval literature, translations, King Arthur, Astrid Lindgren

SCAS TALKS Episode 7 - İnan Özdemir Taştan: “Threats on Media, Academic Freedom and Democracy in the Post-truth Era”

Thu, 03 Dec 2020 16:33:00 +0100

Theme: Diversity

Keywords: diversity, academic freedom, climate of fear, peace academics, Turkey

SCAS TALKS Episode 6 - Marianne Gullberg: "Our Capacity for Language Learning is Really Powerful - Also as Adults"

Wed, 25 Nov 2020 16:55:08 +0100

Theme: Languages

Keywords: languages, learning, psycholinguistics, gestures, humanities lab

SCAS TALKS Episode 5 – Alisse Waterston: “In Search of Light in Dark Times” (Recorded 22 Oct, 2020)

Thu, 05 Nov 2020 10:49:37 +0100

Theme: Diversity

Keywords: diversity, anthropology, outreach, US election, auto-ethnography

SCAS TALKS Episode 4 – Jenny Larsson: “A Treasure Hunt to Find the Origin of the Indoeuropean Langauges”

Wed, 04 Nov 2020 09:28:40 +0100

Theme: Languages

Keywords: Indo-european languages, LAMP project, ancient DNA, archeomythology, research environment

SCAS TALKS Episode 3 - Fredrik Charpentier Ljungqvist: “Corona and the Forgotten Lessons from Historical Pandemics”

Mon, 06 Jul 2020 15:41:53 +0200

Theme: The Corona Pandemic

Keywords: covid-19, historic pandemics, paleoclimatology, infodemic, spread of disease

SCAS TALKS Episode 2 – Sverker Sörlin: “The Corona Crisis as a Moment of Expectation”

Wed, 01 Jul 2020 14:22:45 +0200

Theme: The Corona Pandemic

Keywords: covid-19, environmental humanities, science and society, social change, new public management

SCAS TALKS Episode 1 - Ulf Landegren: "I Have Dedicated My Whole Scientific Career to How to Measure Things"

Wed, 01 Jul 2020 11:20:35 +0200

Theme: The Corona Pandemic

Keywords: covid-19, covid test, molecular methods, measurable human, biomarkers