In the new episode of the podcast ‘Woke as Science‘ from the UM Diversity and Inclusivity Office, philosopher Sophie Withaeckx explains to Constance Sommerey and Darian Meacham what “intersectionality” means for researchers and activists at UM and beyond.
Listen to the episode here.
Whether at UM, in the Netherlands or internationally, there is much commotion about ‘wokeness’ in academia. Everyone seems to have an opinion and these opinions are often confirmed by our own echo chambers resulting in a highly polarised discourse. A polarisation that seems impossible to overcome at times.
The strange thing is that most people actually agree with the underlying premise: addressing injustices in the classrooms, in (access to) research and society at large.
The idea behind this podcast and hence its title is to play with and explore exactly these associations of the term woke and its associated expressions. The aim is to unpack underlying assumptions and work through some of the ideas that move the UM community and animate the current debate. The podcast does not want to shy away from a label that has turned toxic but want to dissect the key ideas and debates behind the ‘woke wars’. Relevant guests help in this endeavour.
