OxPods

OxPods
  • 4.6 (10)
  • COURSES

The podcast by Oxford students and their professors. OxPods aims to create thought-provoking and easily digestible podcast episodes, made for anyone with an interest in the world around them. Each episode entails an Oxford student interviewing one of their world-leading professors on the niche, weird, and wonderful of their subjects. With episodes exploring the nooks and crannies of the Natural Sciences, English, History, Human Sciences, and PPE, OxPods has something for everyone. If you would like the transcript of an episode, please get in touch with us via email - contact@oxpods.co.uk

  1. Ashrams and the War on Non-Violence

    21 HR AGO

    Ashrams and the War on Non-Violence

    How do religious communities engage with questions of empire, power, peace, and political action? And what can these debates tell us about global histories of non-violence? I’m Robert Taylor, a History DPhil student at New College, researching the post-1945 British counterculture’s interest in India. Today I’m joined by Floris de Ruiter, a PhD candidate at the Institute for History, University of Leiden, whose research examines intellectual debates around violence and non-violence within ashram communities. In this episode, we’re exploring ashrams and the history of ideas about violence and non-violence in 20th-century South Asia.

    41 min
  2. Sufi Islam and Western Followers

    16/12/2025

    Sufi Islam and Western Followers

    What is Sufism? How do we investigate its global history? And through what processes did it come to influence those in the West? I’m Robert Taylor, a History DPhil student at New College, researching the post-1945 British counterculture’s interest in India. Today I’m joined by Nile Green, a Professor at UCLA. Nile is a historian of South Asia with a diverse range of publications spanning global, social, religious, cultural, and literary history. He studied in Britain and taught at Oxford, before moving to the United States.

    45 min
  3. ​Hinduism and Comparative Religion

    17/11/2025

    ​Hinduism and Comparative Religion

    What is Hinduism? Where does it come from? How do we look at it comparatively? And which ideas have made it so influential outside of South Asia? I’m Robert Taylor, a History DPhil student at New College, researching the post-1945 British counterculture’s interest in India. Today I’m joined by Professor Gavin Flood at Campion Hall. Gavin is Professor Emeritus of Hindu Studies and Comparative Religion at Oxford.

    34 min
  4. Soviet Hippiedom

    06/11/2025

    Soviet Hippiedom

    How did hippiedom manifest in the Soviet Union? What were the differences between Western and Russian hippies? What are the problems and possibilities of using oral history to tell these sometimes-controversial stories? And how did the political views of some hippies change after the 60s and 70s? I’m Robert Taylor, a History DPhil student at New College, researching the post-1945 British counterculture’s interest in India. Today I’m joined by Professor Juliane Fuerst to discuss her 2021 book, Flowers through Concrete: Explorations in Soviet Hippieland.

    48 min
  5. Gulag Fiction: Narratives of Soviet Imprisonment

    23/10/2025

    Gulag Fiction: Narratives of Soviet Imprisonment

    Formally emerging in 1929, the Gulag was a vast system of incarceration that came to reach every corner of the USSR. At its peak, in the early 1950s, 2.5 million citizens were interned in its camps and settlements; over its lifetime, an estimated 20 million people were forcibly imprisoned. In this episode, Professor Polly Jones discusses her new book, Gulag Fiction, which considers the literary output of this expansive carceral archipelago. How did writers seek to relate the trauma they experienced while imprisoned in the Gulag? And how is that trauma fictionalised today?

    38 min
  6. The Evolution of Autosexual Behaviour

    20/10/2025

    The Evolution of Autosexual Behaviour

    Across the animal kingdom sexual behaviours have evolved which increase the chances of individuals finding a mate and successfully reproducing. However, some are more of a challenge to explain than others. Masturbation has historically been considered a behaviour which hasn’t evolved to directly improve reproductive success, but recent research has shown that its important in optimising sperm quality, and even allowing females to choose which males fertilise them.

    23 min
  7. The History of Yoga

    23/08/2025

    The History of Yoga

    What is the history of Yoga? And how can something apparently Indian have become such an everyday activity for people across the world? I’m Robert Taylor, a History DPhil student at New College, researching the post-1945 British counterculture’s interest in India. Today I’m joined by Dr Suzanne Newcombe, who was an undergraduate at Amherst College, before completing her MSc at the London School of Economics and PhD in History at Cambridge. Suzanne is now a Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies at The Open University. We will be discussing Suzanne’s research, particularly focusing on her book ‘Yoga in Britain: Stretching Spirituality and Educating Yogis’. You can find out more about Suzanne’s research here (https://profiles.open.ac.uk/suzanne-newcombe) and Robert’s here (https://history.web.ox.ac.uk/people/robert-taylor). Host: Robert Taylor Editor: Robert Taylor Looking to make the most of Oxford’s world-leading professors, we decided to set up a platform to interview these academics on the niche, weird and wonderful from their subjects. We aim to create thought-provoking and easily digestible podcast episodes, made for anyone with an interest in the world around them, and to facilitate university access and outreach for students aspiring to Oxford or Cambridge.   To learn more about OxPods, visit our website ⁠www.oxpods.co.uk⁠⁠, ⁠or follow us on socials ⁠@ox.pods. ⁠ ⁠ If you would like an audio transcription of this episode, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us. OxPods is made possible through the support of our generous benefactors. Special thanks to: St Peter's College JCR, Jesus College JCR & Lady Margaret Hall JCR for supporting us in 2024. OxPods © 2023 by OxPods is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

    37 min
  8. Witchcraft in the English Imagination

    16/08/2025

    Witchcraft in the English Imagination

    The witch craze that gripped early modern Europe has been the subject of many studies. What can we learn about English society in this period through the lens of belief in and persecution of witches? To begin to answer these questions, Charlie Bowden, a History student at Jesus College, speaks to Dr George Southcombe, Fellow by Special Election in History at Wadham College and author of a forthcoming book-length study of witchcraft in early modern England. Host: Charlie Bowden Editor: Charlie Bowden Looking to make the most of Oxford’s world-leading professors, we decided to set up a platform to interview these academics on the niche, weird and wonderful from their subjects. We aim to create thought-provoking and easily digestible podcast episodes, made for anyone with an interest in the world around them, and to facilitate university access and outreach for students aspiring to Oxford or Cambridge.   To learn more about OxPods, visit our website ⁠www.oxpods.co.uk⁠⁠, ⁠or follow us on socials ⁠@ox.pods. ⁠ ⁠ If you would like an audio transcription of this episode, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us. OxPods is made possible through the support of our generous benefactors. Special thanks to: St Peter's College JCR, Jesus College JCR & Lady Margaret Hall JCR for supporting us in 2024. OxPods © 2023 by OxPods is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

    25 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.6
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

The podcast by Oxford students and their professors. OxPods aims to create thought-provoking and easily digestible podcast episodes, made for anyone with an interest in the world around them. Each episode entails an Oxford student interviewing one of their world-leading professors on the niche, weird, and wonderful of their subjects. With episodes exploring the nooks and crannies of the Natural Sciences, English, History, Human Sciences, and PPE, OxPods has something for everyone. If you would like the transcript of an episode, please get in touch with us via email - contact@oxpods.co.uk

Information

  • Creator
    OxPods
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    86
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © OxPods
  • Show Website
    OxPods