Work Society and Unworked Community

Unproductive Labor, Episode Three

James Chamberlain is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Mississippi State University. His dissertation, Undoing Work, Rethinking Community, was published in 2020. It explores some of the normative and theoretical questions around the topic of work.  James has also co-edited a forthcoming volume (with Albena Azmanova) exploring a series of ...
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The History of LGBTQ+ Pride

Past Present Podcast, Episode 284

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: Controversy has flared over the presence of police at this year’s New York Pride March. Neil drew on this Time retrospective on the more than 50 years of Pride protests and parades.  In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History: Natalia discussed ...
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Naomi Osaka, Athletes, and Mental Health

Past Present Podcast, Episode 283

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: Citing mental health concerns, tennis champion Naomi Osaka decided not to participate in post-match press conferences at the French Open. Natalia referred to this history at Forbesof how the press conference supplanted locker room interviews. Neil drew on this three-part ...
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For Only $184 million You Can Have a Bespoke Labor Category For Your Business: A Conversation with Alex Press about Gig Work

Unproductive Labor, Episode Two

In this episode, we have a conversation with Alex Press, a staff writer at Jacobin magazine who covers a range of topics around labor in the United States, including the gig economy. We talked about the gig economy, what’s at stake for companies in and workers in categorizing workers as employees, ...
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Cicadas!

Past Present Podcast, Episode 282

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: After seventeen years underground, billions of cicadas are emerging on the east coast of the United States. Niki referred to this History article about Benjamin Banneker, who first classified the cicada in the eighteenth century. Natalia recommended historian Catherine McNeur’s ...
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Critical Race Theory

Past Present Podcast, Episode 281

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: A series of legislative bills seek to ban the teaching of critical race theory in K-12 public institutions. At CNN, Niki looked at how the controversy over journalist Nikole Hannah-Smith’s appointment at the University of North Carolina is part of ...
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Gas Panics and the Colonial Pipeline Cybersecurity Breach

Past Present Podcast, Episode 280

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: A cybersecurity breach at Colonial Pipeline caused panic, prompting motorists to line up atservice stations up and down the East Coast. Natalia, Niki, and Neil all drew on historian Meg Jacobs’ work, and Natalia referred to Dan Taberski’s podcast Surviving ...
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Peloton and the History of Product Recalls

Past Present Podcast, Episode 279

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: Peloton, the digital fitness company made famous by its internet-connected stationary bike, is complying with a federal voluntary recall of its Tread+, which has killed one child and injured many other children and pets. Natalia referred to historian Richard Bushman’s ...
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The Past and Future of the Office

Past Present Podcast, Episode 278

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: New York magazine published a sprawling collection of essays about experiences of office life. Natalia referred to this Atlantic article about the persistence of deep cleaning protocols despite evidence that the coronavirus does not spread on surfaces. Niki cited historian ...
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A Roaring Twenties Redux?

Past Present Podcast, Episode 276

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: As “post-pandemic life” becomes imaginable, predictions of a second “Roaring Twenties” are ubiquitous. Niki referred to her article about the promise and limits of such comparisons for CNN. Natalia drew on historian Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz’ Campus Life: Undergraduate Cultures from ...
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