50 episodes

Academia. It is a site of exclusion. For those of us who are first-generation, who are racialized, who are women, and who inhabit social locations that are traditionally unrepresented in this space, academia is full of landmines. This is why we need academic aunties. This podcast will bring you stories and advice about how to navigate this treacherous world and maybe even plant the seeds for structural transformation. Come listen to Auntie Ethel and her friends. Episodes drop monthly. Message us on Twitter at @AcademicAuntie and visit us online at academicaunties.com.

Academic Aunties Ethel Tungohan

    • Society & Culture
    • 4.9 • 60 Ratings

Academia. It is a site of exclusion. For those of us who are first-generation, who are racialized, who are women, and who inhabit social locations that are traditionally unrepresented in this space, academia is full of landmines. This is why we need academic aunties. This podcast will bring you stories and advice about how to navigate this treacherous world and maybe even plant the seeds for structural transformation. Come listen to Auntie Ethel and her friends. Episodes drop monthly. Message us on Twitter at @AcademicAuntie and visit us online at academicaunties.com.

    The Violence We Face

    The Violence We Face

    In this episode of Academic Aunties, host Dr. Ethel Tungohan talks to Dr. Rebecca Major about the realities of gendered, racialized violence in academia. Dr. Major reflects on her own personal experiences with threats and harassment as an Indigenous scholar, which escalated to involve doxing and cyber harassment. She provides insightful strategies for those undergoing similar experiences, such as documenting incidences, notifying relevant university personnel, implementing safety plans, and building supportive relationships within the institution. We also also talk about the need for changes in university practices.
    Related Links
    The UniSAFE Survey on Gender-Based ViolenceNational Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
    Thanks for listening! Get more information, support the show, and read all the transcripts at academicaunties.com. Get in touch with Academic Aunties on Twitter at @AcademicAuntie or by e-mail at podcast@academicaunties.com.

    • 41 min
    Academic Freedom and Palestine

    Academic Freedom and Palestine

    As the staggering death toll in Palestine rises, we talk about the censuring of Palestine solidarity discourse and the weaponization of anti-racism and equity, diversity, and inclusion language to silence and attack activists and scholars calling for peace. Joining Ethel is Dr. Rachel Brown, an activist with Jewish Voice for Peace, and Dr. David McNally, who has been a global justice activist since the Vietnam era.  
    Want to learn more? Please attend the "Academic Unfreedom: Speaking and Teaching Palestine" webinar, to be held on Tuesday, November 21, from 6 to 8 pm EST. Register to get the Zoom link.
    Registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf33hz-C-k55o3Z-yPaUDRC6tU1WafGGw6Oblj1sYcTm3gm8g/viewform
    Related Links
    Jewish Voice for Peace

    • 51 min
    What We Need To Know About Gaza

    What We Need To Know About Gaza

    The last few weeks have been devastating. Like many of you, I have been feeling this sense of immobilization, of helplessness, as we witnessed Hamas’s attack in Israel that killed 1,400 civilians and the Israeli state’s  bombing of Gaza that, as of the time of taping in late October 2023, have killed over 8000 Palestinians, as reported by the Associated Press.
    We had a long conversation about whether we should proceed, as planned, with the episodes that we have in store for this season. But doing so didn’t feel right. Instead, we wanted to make sense of the truly awful things we are seeing around us.
    So this week, we're joined by Academic Aunties producer, Dr. Nisha Nath as we talk with Palestinian scholar and activist Dr. Jennifer Mogannam, an Assistant Professor of Critical Race and Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Jennifer talks to us about how to understand what is happening now by understanding the larger historical context.
    Related Links
    Palestine Feminist Collective Digital Action ToolkitAn Open Letter from Columbia University and Barnard College Faculty in Defense of Robust Debate About the History and Meaning of the War in Israel/GazaLetter signed by over 140 prominant feminist scholarsMiddle East Studies Association Board Statement on Palestine and IsraelRace and Ethnicity Caucus at York Letter

    • 42 min
    The Feminist Killjoy Handbook with Sara Ahmed

    The Feminist Killjoy Handbook with Sara Ahmed

    Sara Ahmed, author, scholar, and one of our feminist heroes joins us to talk about her new book, The Feminist Killjoy Handbook!
    Sara's work both as a scholar in the academy working on queer phenomenology, on post coloniality, and on emotions, as well as her work after she left the academy has been an inspiration. Her work, Living a Feminist Life, her work on Complaint, and her bold and powerful blog, Feminist Killjoys, taught me so much about how institutions functioned and helped me understand my experiences in the academy.
    In this conversation, Sara and I talk about the book, but also talk about the aunties in her life and many other things.
    Join us in the Academic Aunties Bookclub!
    In December, we're going to gather some feminist killjoy aunties to talk about the book! So after listening to this episode, go out and buy a copy. And then stay tuned in December when we're going to have our very first Academic Aunties Book Club! If you'd like to contribute to the conversation, email us your thoughts or even a voice memo to podcast@academicaunties.com.
    Related Links and Mentioned in the Episode
    The Feminist Killjoy HandbookSara Ahmed's WebsiteThe Feminist Killjoy BlogThe Cancer Journals, by Audre Lorde
    Thanks for listening! Get more information, support the show, and read all the transcripts at academicaunties.com. Get in touch with Academic Aunties on Twitter at @AcademicAuntie or by e-mail at podcast@academicaunties.com.

    • 55 min
    How's Your September Going?

    How's Your September Going?

    We are back to school! So why do we feel so exhausted? On the season 4 premiere Ethel and Nisha listen to some academic aunties audio diaries about how September is going so far. We talk about why there are so many deadlines at this busy time of the year and what we can do to help make things more manageable.
    Thanks for listening! Get more information, support the show, and read all the transcripts at academicaunties.com. Get in touch with Academic Aunties on Twitter at @AcademicAuntie or by e-mail at podcast@academicaunties.com.

    • 39 min
    The Global Scholar

    The Global Scholar

    Season 3 finale! We conclude our series on academia in the UK and in Europe with Dr. Kidjie Saguin, an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam. In our chat we talk about his experiences moving from the Philippines, to Singapore, to the US and to the Netherlands across his academic journey and we explore other ways of being in academia.
    We'll be back in the Fall. See you then!
    Thanks for listening! Get more information, support the show, and read all the transcripts at academicaunties.com. Get in touch with Academic Aunties on Twitter at @AcademicAuntie or by e-mail at podcast@academicaunties.com.

    • 40 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
60 Ratings

60 Ratings

Meg Gaucher ,

Check it out!!

One of my favourite podcasts that is essential for scholars - specifically BIPOC and first-gen - navigating the hidden curriculum of academic spaces. In tackling complex topics with care, honesty and humor, Academic Aunties is a must listen!

ETLHaley ,

Crucial listening

This is a brilliant and timely podcast. Academic Aunties tells us how it is, providing essential mentorship. I look forward to every episode and recommend it to my graduate students.

JOttMom ,

Essential listening

Love all the episodes, thank you to the host and guests for their honesty! If possible I would like to hear more about the idea that Canadian PHD’s might actually be considered a liability when applying for TT jobs in Canada (mentioned in the episode on job applications - the guest seemed to say that PhD’s from elite US and English schools are preferred over Canadian degrees). Many thanks!

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