New SOAS podcast: Making Sense hosted by Dr Somnath Batabyal
24 January 2022
Making Sense is a new podcast series hosted by Dr Somnath Batabyal which aims to make sense of our complex world. In each episode, Somnath is joined by SOAS academics to interpret global affairs through a multi-disciplinary approach.
Discussing the reasons for creating the “Making Sense” podcast, Dr Somnath Batabyal said:
“When I saw the kind of work SOAS academics are doing, I felt that the adage of academics living in ivory towers was nonsense. Academics at SOAS are engaged with the world, especially the Global South, and our research reflects the complexity of our globe. I wanted to engage with my colleagues and reflect their work in accessible ways to a wider audience.
Alongside this was a more personal gain; we get so busy with our own research and teaching that we barely get time to read the work of our colleagues in the various centres and departments at SOAS. Starting this podcast allowed me the space and time to read across disciplinary silos. Already, I have read about legal systems in the USSR, an ethnography of a lower court in New Delhi and thought about the criminal justice systems in the non-West.
And, finally, through this podcast, I hoped to create a space where, at SOAS, we can listen and learn about each other’s work and come together as a virtual community. Podcasts are a great medium which allows space for reflection on serious research and I have very high hopes from Making Sense.”
The first episode features Scott Newton, Head of the School of Law, Gender and Media at SOAS. Scott, a true polymath, explains legal systems and philosophy, the unfairness of justice systems, Critical Race Theory, and the coming age of Transhumanism.
‘Making Sense’ is produced by Andrew Glen, Senior Teaching Fellow at the School of Arts and SOAS Studio Manager, and MA student Theingi Lynn is the Researcher. The creation of 'Making Sense' was made possible by SOAS Impact & Knowledge Exchange funding (IKE) funding.