Antarapologist: Recent Episodes
Antara Rao
Feminism has formed the core of my identity but growing up, I started to wonder whether it was futile because of the significant strides made towards gender equality, especially felt in my all-girls school in London.
But today, looking at the world around me, from how social media frames feminism and womanhood, to the commercialisation of feminism and the rise of #girlboss, to the pervasiveness of the 'male gaze', I now understand that sexism's subtle force is ubiquitous and still, demands our focus.
Please note that some ideas in this episode concerning the sexualisation of young girls and women may be unsuitable for some listeners.
In this episode, I talk about how the timeless human impulse of nostalgia has manifested in politics, focusing on how it has enhanced ethnoreligious nationalism and defined the rhetoric of right-wing parties, drawing on examples such as the German Volk and Trump's call to Make America Great Again.
Thank you to Ian Prasad Philbrick for his article on 'Trump's Nostalgia Boom' which led me to uncover other ways nostalgia influenced politics.
Find my other sources here:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10670564.2014.898907
https://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/fellows-book/nostalgia-for-the-future-modernism-and-heterogeneity-in-the-visual-arts-of-nazi-germany/
https://deseraestage.medium.com/donald-trump-s-good-old-days-266c4df74822
https://www.history.com/topics/european-history/enlightenment
In this episode, I will explore the accents of my identity as a code-switching, second-generation immigrant and the ever-evolving relationship I have with my Indian culture.
What's your reaction to the question, "Alexa, is this man guilty?". Most likely, if yours is anything like mine, she will say, "Sorry, I don't know that one," but what if this changes? What if Artificial Intelligence is used to decide whether a person is guilty or not, whether they should be released or kept behind bars for the next half of their life?
In this episode, I talk about how feasible it is to introduce AI to the legal sector and the ethical and practical implications of this. From efficiency and accuracy to racial and gender bias to whether computers can actually understand humans as well as we can, is a future where robots deliver verdicts in court even possible? Listen now to find out!
On the 24th of June, 2022, the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
A shocking reversal that has allowed states to drastically reduce or outlaw abortion access after it was legalised 50 years ago.
In this episode, I will talk about why abortion is necessary and simply a part of healthcare, why this regressive and divisive ruling will not even have the intended consequences (of reducing the number of abortions that happen) and why and how this has even happened in 2022!
Polarisation is an issue that the world has been fraught with for a while now but lately, it seems that every news story has the capacity to divide the nation. From dicey elections to violent protests to controversial bills, political animosity and division are at an all-time high. In today's episode, I'll be looking at why this is. I'll be exploring how our beliefs are actually formed, our psychology- in an individual and group context and lastly, the role of social media plays in polarising people.
In a world seemingly full of wrongs, the youngest generation is determined to put it right. With the help of social media and the internet, Generation Z has fueled much-needed change and taken action when it comes to societal and environmental problems that have faced the world for decades. In this episode, I evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of our generation's, some of my own thoughts and how we can aim to cultivate a more balanced outlook on the issues that matter most to us.
Flawless skin, the perfect nose, toned arms, pouty lips, voluminous hair, slender legs, hourglass figure, attractive smile, flat belly. The list is endless. This episode addresses the toxicity and unrealistic beauty standards of today's society, which have left women and girls all across the globe fraught with insecurities and a warped definition of beauty.