Matters of Humanities
Season 1: History of Islam in Europe
Arabist Maurits Berger talks about the history of the Islam in Europe: going back to the first Muslim who set foot in Europe, and seeing what kind of interactions have taken place between Muslims and Europeans since then.
Season 2: Scandal and Controversy in Russian literature
Senior lecturer Otto Boele examines eight notorious texts in Russian literature, paying particular attention to the commotion that they created.
Podcasting since 2022 • 18 episodes
Matters of Humanities
Latest Episodes
Scandal and Controversy in Russian literature - Episode 8: Farewell Europe
The eight episode of the podcast is about “The Big Green Tent” by Lyudmila Ulitskaya (born 1943), published in 2011. This final episode of the series focuses on a historical roman à clef. “The Big Green Tent” is a historical roman à clef about ...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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43:10
Scandal and Controversy in Russian literature - Episode 7: A very dark novel
The seventh episode of the podcast is about “The Sad Detective” by Viktor Astafiev (1924-2001), published in 1986.Did the increased openness under Mikhail Gorbachev (in power from 1985 until 1991) also have a downside? Absolutely! Some w...
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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42:19
Scandal and Controversy in Russian literature - Episode 6: Four little brats in Tallinn
The sixth episode of the podcast is about “A ticket to the stars” by Vasili Aksyonov (1932-2009), published in 1961. Although Soviet officials vehemently denied its existence, after the Second World War the Soviet Union saw the emergence of a r...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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58:03
Scandal and Controversy in Russian literature - Episode 5: Remorse of a terrorist
The fifth episode of the podcast is about “The Pale Horse” by V. Ropshin (pseudonym for Boris Savinkov, 1879-1925), published in 1909. Boris Savinkov was a well-known terrorist in late imperial Russia. He was the mastermind behind the deadly bo...
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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48:58
Scandal and Controversy in Russian literature - Episode 4: A pornographic novel of ideas
The fourth episode of the podcast is about “Sanin” by Mikhail Artsybasjev (1878-1927), published in 1907. In this year, Russia was swept by a wave of moral panic caused by Artsybashev’s novel “Sanin”. Russian youth was said to have united in se...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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43:22
