Podcast recommendations: Host interviewing academics
April 22, 2023 8:46 PM Subscribe
Some of my favorite podcasts share a similar format, for at least some episodes: The host, whose podcast is all about a particular broad topic in the humanities, interviews academics about their writing or research in sub-specialties and niches of the main topic. I'd love recommendations for podcasts with that format, or that scratch the same kind of itch.
This is certainly a sub-species of the broader genre of "people talking excitedly about the things they find interesting, but it has its own quirks.
The three I have in mind are:
Tides of History (where there's a mix of narrative episodes and deep academic dives with researchers)
Let's Talk about Myths, Baby (the host isn't a credentialed expert but a curious and well-read amateur, who interviews various kinds of experts, typically but not exclusively credentialed academics)
Not Just the Tudors (the host is herself a Professor, and each episode is an interview with another academic specialist)
I should also throw in the AskHistorians podcast as an example where the guests are typically not professional academics, and there's not nearly as much structure as Tides of History, but it's still a good example of of the vibe I'm going for.
The thing I appreciate about these shows is that as a curious layman, I can follow along just fine and learn new things about topics I'm only broadly familiar with. But it's also not 'dumbed down.' The audience is expected to keep up and be pretty engaged and familiar with a lot of context.
I should note that while I'm open to topics all over the humanities, not just history, I do *not* want anything based on current events, contemporary US politics, or modern business, and I don't want people talking about themselves or their own accomplishments or art. How I Built This, for example, doesn't work for me at all.
This is certainly a sub-species of the broader genre of "people talking excitedly about the things they find interesting, but it has its own quirks.
The three I have in mind are:
Tides of History (where there's a mix of narrative episodes and deep academic dives with researchers)
Let's Talk about Myths, Baby (the host isn't a credentialed expert but a curious and well-read amateur, who interviews various kinds of experts, typically but not exclusively credentialed academics)
Not Just the Tudors (the host is herself a Professor, and each episode is an interview with another academic specialist)
I should also throw in the AskHistorians podcast as an example where the guests are typically not professional academics, and there's not nearly as much structure as Tides of History, but it's still a good example of of the vibe I'm going for.
The thing I appreciate about these shows is that as a curious layman, I can follow along just fine and learn new things about topics I'm only broadly familiar with. But it's also not 'dumbed down.' The audience is expected to keep up and be pretty engaged and familiar with a lot of context.
I should note that while I'm open to topics all over the humanities, not just history, I do *not* want anything based on current events, contemporary US politics, or modern business, and I don't want people talking about themselves or their own accomplishments or art. How I Built This, for example, doesn't work for me at all.
kickingtheground beat me to it. Seconding In Our Time. I also like the History Extra podcast.
I've also found Key Conversations both interesting and accessible. There are not a lot of episodes for this one.
With all of these I tend to pick and choose episodes that fit my interests, and you can easily skip the occasional ones that touch on contemporary politics.
Also, if you like Not Just the Tudors then try Gone Medieval.
posted by gudrun at 9:16 PM on April 22, 2023
I've also found Key Conversations both interesting and accessible. There are not a lot of episodes for this one.
With all of these I tend to pick and choose episodes that fit my interests, and you can easily skip the occasional ones that touch on contemporary politics.
Also, if you like Not Just the Tudors then try Gone Medieval.
posted by gudrun at 9:16 PM on April 22, 2023
Best answer: I’ll recommend you check out Darts & Letters. It fits well with your criteria of by academics with a not-dumbed-down delivery, focused largely on research and researchers. I think it fits well with a taste for the humanities. However, this is not a history focused podcast, so may be too current-affairs for your liking.
posted by tamarack at 10:25 PM on April 22, 2023
posted by tamarack at 10:25 PM on April 22, 2023
Best answer: Ologies is this in a nutshell. The host, Alie Ward, talking to specialists in their chosen field. It's great.
posted by d_hill at 10:37 PM on April 22, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by d_hill at 10:37 PM on April 22, 2023 [7 favorites]
Best answer: Hidden Brain is pretty much like this, where guests discuss various topics related to human behavior. And seconding d_hill, if you haven't already, definitely check out Ologies.
posted by carlypennylane at 11:00 PM on April 22, 2023
posted by carlypennylane at 11:00 PM on April 22, 2023
Best answer: Complexity podcast is ending soon but it’s the nerdiest nerdy nerd stuff from the Santa Fe institute of complexity science.
If you’re ok with professors interviewing professors, Sean carrell’smindscape
All of these have episodes with humanities professors / experts. Complexity’s episodes with Andrea Wulf, mindscape’s episode with Margaret Levi
Also +1 for ologies. That one is great too
posted by markovitch at 11:53 PM on April 22, 2023
If you’re ok with professors interviewing professors, Sean carrell’smindscape
All of these have episodes with humanities professors / experts. Complexity’s episodes with Andrea Wulf, mindscape’s episode with Margaret Levi
Also +1 for ologies. That one is great too
posted by markovitch at 11:53 PM on April 22, 2023
Best answer: The New Books Network has a subject menu of podcast series in exactly this format, so you can subscribe to the ones that interest you.
posted by amestoy at 12:34 AM on April 23, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by amestoy at 12:34 AM on April 23, 2023 [4 favorites]
Best answer: Liz Davidson's podcast Beyond Solitaire is about board games, but often they're historical games that required a lot of research, and she'll also interview people who are using games for educational purposes.
posted by amk at 5:10 AM on April 23, 2023
posted by amk at 5:10 AM on April 23, 2023
Best answer: Lingthusiam for linguistics!
posted by damayanti at 5:46 AM on April 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by damayanti at 5:46 AM on April 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Drafting the Past interviews academics about their writing.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 6:26 AM on April 23, 2023
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 6:26 AM on April 23, 2023
Best answer: Talking Politics (which ended, but still has its episodes available) is hosted by two academics and most of the time, they are interviewing another academic. (A glance at the episode title will let you know if they're talking to an academic, author, or journalist.)
The successor, Past, Present, Future (which hasn't started yet) is going to be more of the same, except not as pegged to current events.
posted by ignignokt at 8:32 AM on April 23, 2023
The successor, Past, Present, Future (which hasn't started yet) is going to be more of the same, except not as pegged to current events.
posted by ignignokt at 8:32 AM on April 23, 2023
Best answer: Dialogues with Richard Reeves. A social scientist interviews other social scientists, most of whom are academics, but some journalists as well.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 11:39 AM on April 23, 2023
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 11:39 AM on April 23, 2023
Best answer: Byzantium and Friends. Byzantine scholar interviews academics broadly associated with Byzantium, very much for a non-specialist audience.
posted by crazy with stars at 5:34 PM on April 23, 2023
posted by crazy with stars at 5:34 PM on April 23, 2023
Best answer: Adam Conover's https://starburns.audio/podcasts/factually/ is this format
An older podcast of his is also in this format, specifically about video games: https://starburns.audio/podcasts/humans-who-make-games/
On that theme, https://eggplant.show is game makers interviewing game makers.
https://digitalfolklore.fm is pretty new, a half dozen episodes or so, about internet folklore and mythology and is of this nature in that it features interviews with experts. The interviews are mixed in with non-interview content so perhaps not entirely in the realm you're looking for.
posted by cCranium at 6:17 AM on April 25, 2023
An older podcast of his is also in this format, specifically about video games: https://starburns.audio/podcasts/humans-who-make-games/
On that theme, https://eggplant.show is game makers interviewing game makers.
https://digitalfolklore.fm is pretty new, a half dozen episodes or so, about internet folklore and mythology and is of this nature in that it features interviews with experts. The interviews are mixed in with non-interview content so perhaps not entirely in the realm you're looking for.
posted by cCranium at 6:17 AM on April 25, 2023
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posted by kickingtheground at 8:54 PM on April 22, 2023 [7 favorites]