Season 1 Archive

Season One Episodes

Season 1, Episode 6: Stacey Robinson on Art, Hip-Hop, and Black Liberation

In this episode, host Augustus Wood and Professor Stacey Robinson explore numerous threads—from James Baldwin and Frances Cress Welsing to hip-hop historian Jeff Chang, and album cover artists Pedro Bell and Overton Lloyd to the golden age of hip-hop—as they consider questions like What is our vision for a better society? and What are the terms and conditions of Black liberation? They also discuss Robinson's new book with writer Alverne Ball, Across the Tracks: Remembering Greenwood, Black Wall Street, and the Tulsa Race Massacre, which was released this summer on the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre. Episode 6 and show notes
 

Season 1, Episode 5: Ken E. Salo on Grounding Truth and Developing Consciousness

What does it mean to be human at this moment in time, with rising resource inequality, the unaccountability of big tech, and a global pandemic exacerbating already-existing poverty? Professor Ken E. Salo and host Augustus Wood look to a panoply of works and ideas from Göran Therborn and Amartya Sen to Frantz Fanon and Steve Biko, Paulo Freire and Samira Mill to Rosa Luxemburg, Samir Amin, and C.L.R. James, as well as former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis and his concept of techno feudalism. Episode 5 and show notes

Season 1, Episode 4: Sundiata Cha-Jua on the "New Nadir"

Sundiata Cha-Jua (History, African American Studies) and host Augustus Wood explore Cha-Jua's concept of the "New Nadir," examining the impact of global capitalism on Black socioeconomics and community building. The discussion ranges from Cha-Jua's articles and research to foundational works by Hal Baron, W.E.B. Du Bois, and C.L.R. James. Cha-Jua outlines key historical periods of transition, illustrating how these transitional moments are “...where we can really see the role of agency and resistance.” Episode 4 and show notes
 

Season 1, Episode 3: Helen Neville on Black Liberation through the Lens of Black Psychology

Helen Neville (Educational Psychology, African American Studies) and Augustus Wood discuss the works of several scholars while exploring the concepts of self-emancipation, racial awakening, and critical consciousness—and how they relate to today's debates around "wokeness." Episode 3 and show notes
 

Season 1, Episode 2: Teresa Barnes on Apartheid and Higher Education

Teresa Barnes (History, Gender and Women's Studies, Director of the Center for African Studies) and host Augustus Wood take Barnes' book Uprooting University Apartheid in South Africa: From Liberalism to Decolonization off the shelf for a closer look. Episode 2 and show notes
 

Season 1, Episode 1: Lou Turner on the Hal Baron Project

Lou Turner (Urban and Regional Planning) shares his insights on the life and works of Hal Baron, a less well known but influential figure in the struggles against institutional racism and economic inequality. Episode 1 and show notes