Mokum

We’re back with a fresh dose of our podcast, Mokum! This week, we’re joined by summer programmes alumnus and First Generation Scholarship winner, Muhammad Bin Khalid. Muhammad studied with us in the summer of 2018, and told us that Amsterdam interrupted the trajectory of his life in the best way possible. In this episode, Ian and Muhammad catch up with each other as he tells us about his time in Amsterdam and how it changed his perspective on the world around him. Part of a diverse and keen group of students, Muhammad dove head first into a totally new environment. Now studying his bachelor degree in Singapore, he reflects on his the intervening four years since he came to the Netherlands as an intrepid high school student in our Pre-University Honours Programme. Tune into this episode to hear some inspiring stories and lots of hearty laughter.

Join Corina Enache and Bregje de Kok, two social scientists with a passion for thinking and researching holistically. In this episode of Mokum, we explore the impacts that social science perspectives have on a wide variety of work that we do, be that in the academy, for businesses, or organisations. In the first half of the episode, Corina - an expert in applied ethnography and learning by doing - welcomes us into the world of translating academic skills to the workplace, methods that she teaches in the Bootcamp: Ethnography and Design. In part two, Bregje breaks down the importance of doing nuanced work in the field of medical anthropology. Bregje runs the Social Science Switch course, and tells us how gaining new perspectives help us see the 'bigger picture' of the work we do with more clarity. Take a deep breath and get ready to dive into the world of the social sciences, what thinking-with theories and methods makes possible, and how the social sciences enrich the work that we do and our understanding of lived experiences. 

In this episode of Mokum, we're joined by Martina Huynh and Archie Noble as they introduce us to the topic of political economy. Both students in our recent summer programme on the topics, Martina and Archie dive into questions of development, trade, and policies in two fascinating case studies that introduce us to a political economy framework and perspective. So, political economy. Sounds like an unnecessary complication of two fields we know, right? Wrong. Political economy is an active framework that helps put two very important disciplines into dialogue with one another, making it more than a complication. Rather than seeing political economy as some sort of Frankenstein monster emerging from the depths of our history textbooks, lets think of it instead as a helpful guide that shows us the world in more nuance than reducing the objects of its study would normally allow for. Special thanks to Martina and Archie for lending their voices to Mokum on our season two debut!

Have you ever laid down for a short nap, only to wake up and realize that several months have passed by? No, we haven't either, but it's been a while since you've heard from us, and we are excited to be back! In this short update, we introduce you to some of the topics we will be tackling in Season 2, as well as introducing you to our new student-centered format. So buckle-up and keep refreshing that podcast feed: we will be coming at you with new episodes soon. 

In this episode of Mokum, Charlotte takes us on a further exploration of the concept of the Anthropocene. On the nature/culture dichotomy, anthropocentrism, dis-hoping, and opening ourselves up to imagining different ways of being in this world. Tune in for a journey along mountain kings, mushroom commodity chains and melting arctic ice on public squares in Europe. 

What is a conspiracy theory, how does it function, and how does it affect your daily life? The answers to these questions aren't straightforward, but they are visible in the world around us. In this episode, we are joined by Boris Noordenbos (Assistant Professor of Literary & Cultural Analysis at the UvA) and Grace Yano to help demystify why cultures of suspicion are on the rise, and the effects they have on everything from our politics, to the media we engage with, and the people we talk to. Though the present may be rife with suspicion, there is no better moment to unpack this interwoven and engaging topic with examples we see at large in the world around us, and theories to help make sense of it all.

Want to know more about the conversation Grace and Ian had? Watch the 2018 Netflix documentary Behind the Curve for more info. 

Tune in next week as we delve into the world of suspicious mindsets and conspiracy theory.