Sociology podcasts

Andy Hall of Stanford and Anthropic discusses how advanced AI could change work, wealth redistribution, public trust and democratic decision-making. The conversation considers open models, collective safety, legislative assistance, ideological bias, model governance and international competition. It distinguishes competing expectations about AI’s economic and political effects and examines the practical challenges of governing widely available agents.

This episode examines the history of genetics and the Genetics Society’s relationship with the eugenics movement. The discussion draws on an article investigating how ideas about heredity became entangled with the discredited programme of applying selective breeding to human populations. It invites listeners to consider the scientific community’s own history and the responsibilities attached to genetic research.

Hosted by Mike Pointer

This Nature Podcast explores how anonymized banking records can reveal patterns of financial abuse and inform support for victim-survivors. A second segment examines how opposing forces within Earth’s core can change the planet’s rotation and the length of a day. Research highlights cover Mercury’s contraction and cognitive resilience in predicting Alzheimer’s dementia.

Yaron Matras discusses urban multilingualism through the Multilingual Manchester project. The conversation explores how language narratives can build inclusive civic identities, while tracing tensions between decolonial activism, university engagement and commercial uses of diversity. It contrasts practical multilingual spaces for access and heritage with national narratives that treat linguistic diversity as deficient citizenship.

Hosted by Ingrid Piller

Nelson Flores traces the institutionalisation of Spanish–English bilingual education in the United States after the Second World War and through the civil-rights era. Drawing on his book Becoming the System, he examines how racial hierarchies can persist within programmes intended to promote inclusion and how these histories connect with contemporary neoliberal education policy.

Hosted by Brynn Quick

Science writer Matt Kaplan discusses researchers whose ideas met institutional resistance, including Ignaz Semmelweis and Katalin Karikó. Drawing on his book I Told You So!, he considers how scientific incentives and organizational structures shape acceptance of new findings, and what reforms might better support high-risk research.

Hosted by Marty Martin, Cameron Ghalambor

Santiago Betancor Falcón discusses autonomous language learning among Roma autodidacts in Spain. The episode connects individual learning practices with the emergence of a Romani revitalisation movement, examining how speakers of minoritised languages use self-directed education as political activism and a means of strengthening collective linguistic life.

Hosted by Emily Pacheco

Brynn Quick compares communication imagined by Australian healthcare policies with the work required in multilingual clinical settings. Analysis of thirteen policies shows how patients are often expected to identify their own interpreter needs, while staff receive little guidance on assessing English proficiency. The discussion examines how apparently language-neutral communication standards can obscure unequal access.

Hosted by Emily Pacheco, Brynn Quick

Katharina Gensch discusses interviews with older adults attending English classes in Berlin. Participants respond differently to the spread of English, from welcoming international urban life to experiencing exclusion or ageism. The study examines language learning as a strategy for participating in changing neighbourhoods and the communicative demands of multilingual cities.

Hosted by Hanna Torsh

Jo Røislien discusses research on communicating expert information and lessons from public communication during the pandemic. Conversation in Norwegian.

Ingrid Piller discusses intercultural communication through discourse analysis and multilingualism research. The conversation examines how cultural identities are constructed, how languages acquire different prestige and how access to linguistic resources is distributed. Examples extend to migration, crisis communication and online interaction, drawing on the third edition of her textbook.

Hosted by Loy Lising, Ingrid Piller

Carl Henrik Knutsen discusses democratic institutions and how Norway might strengthen their resilience against authoritarian pressures. Conversation in Norwegian.

Trine Skei Grande discusses how political decisions are made in Norway and her experience of parliamentary, ministerial and party leadership. Conversation in Norwegian.

Gaute Einevoll reflects on scientific practice, trust in research and the relationship between researchers and society. Solo episode in Norwegian.

Hilde Østby discusses loneliness, its effects on wellbeing and research into why persistent social isolation occurs. Conversation in Norwegian.

Anders Giæver discusses newspaper journalism, the selection of stories and the work involved in presenting reliable accounts of events. Conversation in Norwegian.

Jonathan Parr discusses becoming a professional footballer and his experiences playing in England and for Norway. Conversation in Norwegian.

Thomas Hylland Eriksen discusses broad accounts of human history and questions conventional narratives about the development of complex societies. Conversation in Norwegian.

Ingebrigt Steen Jensen continues the discussion of teamwork through the successes and setbacks of Stabæk football. Second conversation in Norwegian.

Ingebrigt Steen Jensen discusses cooperation, communication and collective achievement, drawing on experiences in football and organizational life. First conversation in Norwegian.