The Public Scholar

Wer sind Pick-up-Artists und was wollen sie eigentlich? In dieser Folge sprechen wir mit Léandre Chavand, Masterstudent der Soziologie an der Universität Bielefeld, über seine Forschung zu Pick-up-Artists und darüber, wie antifeministische Diskurse gezielt eingesetzt werden, um junge Männer anzusprechen und zu mobilisieren.Im ersten Teil der Episode sprechen wir außerdem mit Leo über seine laufende Archivforschung in der Stadtbibliothek: Wie nähert sich die Soziologie archivischem Material methodisch? Welche Erkenntnisse lassen sich daraus gewinnen und welche Grenzen hat diese Form der Forschung?Literatur in dieser Folge:-Wie konnte das geschehen? Deutschland 1933 bis 1945 von Götz Aly-Politische Männlichkeit von Susanne Kaiser-Warum Liebe endet: Eine Soziologie negativer Beziehungen von Eva Illouz

What’s really going on behind gig work and digital platforms? In this episode, we chat with Davis Wiedemann, a young researcher from Germany who’s recently been admitted as a PhD student at Bielefeld University.We get into big-picture questions about how economic relations have changed over time, the rise (and sometimes fall) of corporations, and what the platform economy means for how we work today. Davis also shares insights from his fieldwork with Uber drivers in Germany, giving us a look at the often unseen realities of gig work—and why it can be so problematic.Works cited in this episode:-The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith-The Vanishing American Corporation: Navigating the Hazards of a New Economy by Gerald F. Davis-Die globale Wirtschaftselite: Eine Legende by Michael Hartmann

What happens when migration and disability intersect? In this episode, we sit down with Claudia Castillo, a Latina PhD student at the University of Illinois Chicago, to talk all things disability studies and migration.From her personal journey as a migrant and PhD student to her experiences as a mother of a disabled child, this conversation moves between the personal and the political. We also dig into the evolution of disability studies, disability justice, and why these conversations matter right now.Plus, we highlight Claudia’s recent work, which we reference throughout the episode: https://literatura.unam.mx/nadie-es-ilegal-mexicanas-en-chicago/

In this intro episode, Melisa and Hêvîdar chat about who they are, where they come from, and what The Public Scholar Podcast is all about. Expect a mix of topics, a bit of rambling, and plenty of thoughts on things like early-career researchers, first-gen academics, figuring out how to be a good lecturer, and why scientific communication actually matters.Cited works: Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom by bell hooks