Bearing Colonialism in Japanese Popular Culture
Benjamin Chin-Hung Kao looks beyond the often-cutesy appearance of bears in Japanese popular culture to discover their role in the country’s violent colonial history and present.
Tagged: History
Troubling Dualisms with the God in the Aquarium
God, pet, and research subject, axolotls transgress Western dualisms. Alex Ventimilla explores what these creatures tell us about science, companionship, and life in the Anthropocene.
What Comes After Earth Day?
In this special episode, Edge Effects and the SustainUW Podcast team collaborate to discuss the history of Earth Day in the United States, bring a glimpse of Earth Fest celebrations on UW-Madison’s campus, and underline the importance of embracing environmental protection beyond just April 22.
Consensual AI? A Call for Indigenous-Led Caribou Conservation
Genevieve Pfeiffer explores human-caribou entanglements and how Indigenous relationships with them could guide future conservation efforts—avoiding past disasters like the James Bay Project.
Thinking With Animal Companions: A Keynote
In this series keynote, professor emerita and historian Harriet Ritvo sets the stage for further investigation of “companion species.” She introduces the varied threads of animal companionship—from influence and impact to proximal, favored reciprocity.
Unearthing Buried History with REMOTE VIEWING & Land Art
Katherine Gregory explores how Cauleen Smith’s short film REMOTE VIEWINGÂ (2011) excavates buried histories of racial violence and challenges audiences to rethink who has the right to shape the land.
When Humans Burrow
Using the case of Claremont Road, Savannah Pearson speculates why tunneling activism is a popular form of protest in England historically used to fit against government harm to environmental and human systems.
Unruly Sediments
Jac Common & Katy Lewis Hood trace marine aggregates dredging in UK coastal waters across multiple scales, arguing that this extractive industry needs to be situated in colonial and capitalist ocean histories and presents.
Change of Air Travel & The Commodification of Leisure
What does turn-of-the-century “Change of Air” travel reveal about the role of vacationing in U.S. culture and society today? Alexis Schmidt examines the historical transition of Change of Air from a legitimate medical prescription into a commodified and efficient vacation on the coast—a cultural attitude that persists in “health” vacation narratives to this day.
What Lichens Teach Us About the Air We Breathe
What can we learn from lichens about the air we breathe? Lucy Sabin shares her creative research on sensing atmospheres with lichens as proxies.
