Can You Hear Us?

Can You Hear Us?
Can You Hear Us?

Can You Hear Us? is a podcast by Monica Abad Yang and Madiera Dennison in partnership with the Department of International Development at LSE. The podcast is the first initiative of its kind in the Department and has the overall aim to prioritise BIPOC women and femmes' specific experiences and narratives by creating a space where we can discuss a multitude of topics that affect us as women, women of colour (WOC) and women in professional spaces such as: Colourism or Work Life Balance. The name Can You Hear Us? originates from the COVID-19 pandemic as it is commonly repeated on Zoom but also symbolically reflects the work left to do to empower WOC.

  1. Soumya Dabriwal: Menstrual Hygiene, Social Impact and Entrepreneurship

    SEP 12

    Soumya Dabriwal: Menstrual Hygiene, Social Impact and Entrepreneurship

    In today’s episode Can You Hear Us?,  is joined by Soumya Dabriwal; menstrual hygiene advocate, social entrepreneur and Founder of Project Baala - a menstrual health solutions provider with the sole aim of ending period poverty and illiteracy. Since 2018, Baala has provided 2.4  million reusable pads, conducted over 6,500 awareness workshops benefiting 800,000 menstruators across 4 countries around the globe and 26 states in India as well as generating income for an estimated 250 women as women’s health advocates. Join us to listen to Soumya walk us through the project’s three pillars (1) Awareness, (2) Sustainability and (3) Livelihood generation, her experience as a Ted X Speaker and Social Entrepreneur, and much more! Guest spotlight: https://projectbaala.com/teams/soumya-dabriwal/Links to other resources to spotlight shared by Soumya: Case Study, Warwick, UNDP “For a lot of us in the world we see  [menstruation] as biological phenomenon, but there is still a huge population where menstruation is a deterrent to economic productivity, to education [...] that’s the main inspiration: how can we maximise the potential of young girls and women in workspaces and educational spaces” - Soumya on the origins of Project Baala “The model came from a very bottoms up approach, everything that we do today in the organisation, is not something that we came up with while sitting in an office space or getting into a board room to discuss what are possible solutions or what could work. In fact it was being exactly where we needed the impact to be, so being in those communities, being in those slums, being in those villages or everything that we are building on as solutions” - Soumya on Project’s Baala’s model “You do not have to be extraordinary to do extraordinary things” - Soumya’s TedX quote and philosophy

    1h 6m
  2. Andrea Ho a discussion on: US modern histographies, the carceral state and Indigenous Self-Determination

    JUL 18

    Andrea Ho a discussion on: US modern histographies, the carceral state and Indigenous Self-Determination

    In today’s episode of Can You Hear Us?, sits down with Andrea Ho, a PhD student specialising in Modern U.S. history at Yale University, a Canadian Fellow at the Organisation of American States, and an activist both on and off campus. She focuses her research on ‘building upon existing community partnership with Indigenous communities and local advocates to continue her commitment to community engaged scholarship’. We discuss the history  and indigenous resistance to the carceral state, most notably focusing on the Diné (Navajo) Communities in New Mexico, United States.  Tune in to listen to her discuss indigenous self-determination, racial capitalism,  her involvement in Yale University’s Racial Capitalism and Carceral State Working Group, and insights into her thesis Freedom Beyond the Prison: Indigenous Incarceration and Resistance in the American West. Quotes from the interview: “Restorative justice is at the front of many people’s mind[s]. The Navajo nation, for example, practice peacemaking which is a form of dispute resolution. People are really thinking about what it means to punish someone and send them through a violent system”  “Prisons are not a part of native societies. They are a means of political control by settlers over a group of people who are refusing to live the settler way”  “Racial capitalism signifies a relationship between racism and capitalism which is intrinsic. Capitalism was racial from the beginning because it requires inequality. You cannot undo racism without undoing capitalism”  “Organising and being in community with one another changes the way people view their place in society which is crucial to making any broader movement happen” Additional resources: Guest spotlight: https://history.yale.edu/people/andrea-hoZachary Schrag's The Princeton Guide to Historical Research on pages 90-93 has a great explanation of historiography! Building Community Not Prisons (BCNP) Campaign

    1h 20m
  3. The Humanitarian Development Nexus, Urban revitalization and Life in Academia: A Conversation with Lama Tawakkol

    FEB 22

    The Humanitarian Development Nexus, Urban revitalization and Life in Academia: A Conversation with Lama Tawakkol

    In season 4’s debut episode Can You Hear Us?, sits down with Dr. Lama Tawakkol, Lecturer in International Relations in the Department of Politics  at the University of Manchester to talk about everything from her research on the Humanitarian Development Nexus in Jordan and Lebanon to her appreciation for definitions and Cairo’s urban revitalization! Tune in to listen to her discuss how power dynamics operate within a capitalist and global economy, including within the politics of development policy and aid. As well as expand on her conceptual framework on how international development and humanitarian aid projects have extended and reproduced Western imperialism.  Quotes from the interview: “ Like with any terms, these definitions, these terms, imperialism and colonialism the definitions for them are never uniform, they are always debated always contested between different scholars, and sometimes they are even used synonymously” - Lama on the Imperialism and Colonialism “And that’s the key thing; what is being prioritised? Yes things aren’t black and white but we need to be looking at who is benefitting and which interests are taking prominence in these project and in these policies etc” - Lama on the privatisation of public goods via the HDN “Put the people and the inhabitants first [...] have that be the compass” - Lama on Urban Revitalisation and revitalization initiatives “One of the key things is to not be afraid to bring one's perspective and ones experiences  into their research and their academic journey [...] in my experience this is how you find what you enjoy and what you are most passionate about, and they give you unique insights and contributions if we are thinking from an intellectual or academic perspective” - Lama on advice to future BIWOC in academia

    1h 17m

About

Can You Hear Us? is a podcast by Monica Abad Yang and Madiera Dennison in partnership with the Department of International Development at LSE. The podcast is the first initiative of its kind in the Department and has the overall aim to prioritise BIPOC women and femmes' specific experiences and narratives by creating a space where we can discuss a multitude of topics that affect us as women, women of colour (WOC) and women in professional spaces such as: Colourism or Work Life Balance. The name Can You Hear Us? originates from the COVID-19 pandemic as it is commonly repeated on Zoom but also symbolically reflects the work left to do to empower WOC.

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