S6 Ep1 Bridging research and practice to save democracy: being brave & stepping into the unknown

Welcome to the People vs Inequality Podcast! In a time of crisis and fast change, this podcast is a space to reflect and learn with changemakers on how to tackle inequality. In this season we dive into the question of how academics and practitioners can better collaborate at this time of great need. As more and more countries are facing democratic backlash, both activists and academics are under attack. They are also in a unique position to defend civic space and human rights - especially if they come together. What can we learn from those working across these spaces on doing this well?In this first episode we speak to someone who is particularly effective in bringing together knowledge and practice for real change. Liza Mügge is a political scientist at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands who was recently nominated for a prestigious gender equality price. She’s well known for groundbreaking research ánd media impact in her field of gender and democracy. It's a great kick-off to the series that will hopefully leave you inspired to be brave and step into the unknown - because where else would change happen?So please grab a coffee or tea and listen in on the conversation! Resources: More about Liza: https://www.uva.nl/en/profile/m/u/l.m.mugge/l.m.mugge.html#Ancillary-activities More about the research group https://politicsofdiversity.euCartoons: https://pushbacklash.eu/dissemination/cartoons/Toolkit theatre of the oppressed:  Tools of Resistance – Participatory Theatre against the Anti-Gender Backlash: A Toolkit for Universities and NGO’sMen4dem project and reports: https://men4dem.eu/Short summery of theatre experiment: https://men4dem.eu/news-events-in-the-media/radical-immersion-a-theatre-experiment-at-oerolSee also Instagram: @pushbacklash @beldan_sezen @MEN4DEM**See https://afsee.atlanticfellows.org/academic-practitioner-collaborations for previous work of the podcast host on 'AcPrac collaboration' as part of the Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity Politics of Inequality project that also supported this podcast series.Credits: The People vs Inequality Podcast is a co-production between Barbara van Paassen (host, creator) and Elizabeth Maina (producer). This episode was edited by Charles Righa.The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity programme, the International Inequalities Institute, or the London School of Economics and Political Science.