Category Archives: The Very Short Introductions Podcast

Nelson Mandela – The Very Short Introductions Podcast – Episode 74

November 2, 2023The Very Short Introductions Podcastafrican national congress, apartheid, elleke boehmer, nelson mandela, reconciliation, south africa, south african history, the very short introductions podcast, vsi, winnie mandelaoxfordacademic

In this episode, Elleke Boehmer introduces the world-renowned figure of Nelson Mandela and looks critically at his legacy.

A PDF transcript for this episode can be found here: https://oxfordacademic.blubrry.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/VSI-Ep-74-Nelson-Mandela-transcript.pdf

Learn more about Nelson Mandela: A Very Short Introduction here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/nelson-mandela-a-very-short-introduction-9780192803016

Elleke Boehmer is Professor of World English at the University of Oxford and Director of the Oxford Centre for Life-Writing at Wolfson College. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, UK.

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The Beats – The Very Short Introductions Podcast – Episode 73

October 26, 2023The Very Short Introductions Podcastallen ginsberg, ann charters, anne waldman, beat generation, beatniks, bob kaufman, city lights bookstore, counterculture, david sterritt, diane diprima, greenwich village, hippies, hipsters, howl, jack kerouac, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, leroi jones, naked lunch, neal cassady, on the road, san francisco, the beats, the very short introductions podcast, vsi, william s burroughsoxfordacademic

In this episode, David Sterritt introduces the Beats, the generation of writers in the 1950s and 1960s who broke taboos and countered conservative culture to change American literature.

A PDF transcript for this episode can be found here: https://oxfordacademic.blubrry.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/VSI-Ep-73-The-Beats-transcript.pdf

Learn more about The Beats: A Very Short Introduction here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-beats-a-very-short-introduction-9780199796779

David Sterritt is Professor Emeritus of Theatre and Film at Long Island University and Editor-in-Chief of the Quarterly Review of Film and Video. He is also the former Chair of the National Society of Film Critics.

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Martyrdom – The Very Short Introductions Podcast – Episode 72

October 19, 2023The Very Short Introductions Podcastcharles i, christian martyrs, foxe's book of martyrs, iran-iraq war, jihad, joan of arc, jolyon mitchell, jose rizal, martyrdom, st stephen, suicide bombers, the very short introductions podcast, thomas beckett, vsioxfordacademic

In this episode, Jolyon Mitchell introduces martyrdom and explores why we view historical martyrdom differently than acts of martyrdom in today’s world.

A PDF transcript for this episode can be found here: https://oxfordacademic.blubrry.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/VSI-Ep-72-Martyrdom-transcript.pdf

Learn more about Martyrdom: A Very Short Introduction here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/martyrdom-a-very-short-introduction-9780199585236

Jolyon Mitchell is Principal of St John’s College, Durham University and a Professor specialising in Religion, Violence and Peacebuilding. He is author or editor of many books, articles, and essays, including War and Religion: A Very Short Introduction.

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Bohemians – The Very Short Introductions Podcast – Episode 71

October 12, 2023The Very Short Introductions Podcastbohemia, bohemians, david weir, decadence, greenwich village, gustave courbet, latin quarter, montmartre, paris commune, schwabing, starving artist, the very short introductions podcast, vsioxfordacademic

In the first episode of Season 7, David Weir introduces what we mean when we refer to the “bohemian” lifestyle and culture, and the way it has influenced spheres such as literature and cinema.

A PDF transcript for this episode can be found here: https://oxfordacademic.blubrry.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/VSI-Ep-71-Bohemians-transcript.pdf

Learn more about Bohemians: A Very Short Introduction here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/bohemians-a-very-short-introduction-9780197538296

David Weir is Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Goldsmiths, University of London, and Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature at Cooper Union in New York City. He has published ten books, including Decadence: A Very Short Introduction.

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Japanese Literature – The Very Short Introductions Podcast – Episode 70

June 8, 2023The Very Short Introductions Podcastalan tansman, confessions of a mask, haruki murakami, japanese history, japanese literature, murasaki shikibu, the tale of genji, the very short introductions podcast, vsi, yukio mishimaoxfordacademic

In the last episode of Season 6, Alan Tansman introduces Japanese literature, a canon that stretches back 1500 years, and includes writers such as Murasaki Shikibu and Haruki Murakami.

Learn more about Japanese Literature: A Very Short Introduction here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/japanese-literature-a-very-short-introduction-9780199765256

Alan Tansman is Professor and Louis B. Agassiz Chair in Japanese at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of The Writings of Kôda Aya, The Aesthetics of Japanese Fascism, and The Culture of Japanese Fascism, and coeditor of Studies in Modern Japanese Literature.

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