Matters of Humanities
Within the podcast series Matters of Humanities, we showcase the voices of researchers at the Faculty of Humanities at Leiden University.
Serie 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.
Serie 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.
Serie 3: Name that Language
Dr. Kate Bellamy and Dr. Andrew Wigman host the pilot podcast ‘Name That Language’, the podcast in which, with the help of an expert from the Leiden University Centre for Linguistics (LUCL), they explore the ins, outs, ups, and downs of one of the world’s 7000 or so languages. The catch? You won't hear the name of the language until the very end of the interview.
Serie 4: Muslim Futures
In this first ever podcast from LUCIS, hosts Yasmin Ismail & Sara Bolghiran explore what it means to imagine Muslim futures. Over 6 episodes we explore questions around what it means to imagine, the politics of imagination and what it would mean to engage with Muslims from the perspective of futures.
Matters of Humanities
Scandal and Controversy in Russian Literature - Trailer
Among the many emotions that Russian literature has triggered over the past 200 years, the triad of outrage, disbelief, and moral panic has been a particularly stubborn phenomenon. Literary critics, state authorities, and even disconcerted readers have regularly demonstrated their obsession with the assumed impact of novels and other ideologically charged literature on the moral state of society.
To highlight this scandalous aspect of Russian literature, senior lecturer Otto Boele examines eight notorious texts, paying particular attention to the commotion that they created. With no prior knowledge of Russian literature required, listeners will be introduced to a variety of topical issues, ranging from Russia’s ambiguous relationship with the West and socialist utopianism, to sexual morality, Soviet youth culture, and political dissent in present-day Russia. All in all, the podcast series offers a fresh look at the history of Russian literature: largely ignoring the obvious masterpieces and focusing mainly on “bad,” yet undeniably influential, novels.