Episodes
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When HBO series Watchmen premiered in October 2019, the show—a dramatically different take on Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’s original comic book/graphic novel—was noted for its direct confrontation of racism in America. Systemic racism, police brutality, collective trauma, and vigilante justice are all central themes to the TV remix. In light of ongoing deaths of Black Americans at the hands of police, nationwide protests, and calls for reforms, the show is now getting a second look with many calling it eerily prescient.
Tune in to a conversation, originally held on June 25th, 2020, about how Watchmen and other popular entertainment can highlight and help us understand critical issues around race and policing. Speakers include:
Chris LeBron, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Johns Hopkins University Leah Wright Rigueur, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School, Brandeis University Deva Woodly, Associate Professor of Politics, The New School Christopher Robichaud (Moderator), Senior Lecturer in Ethics and Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School⚠ Spoiler alert! This discussion will reveal key moments from the show, if you haven't seen it already and plan to, we highly encourage you to watch before listening.
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Chris Lebron, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Johns Hopkins University, returns to talk about the HBO TV series based on the 1980s comic.
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Missing episodes?
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We kick off season three of This Week in Dystopia with a discussion of The Joker. From the DC Comics’ character to Heath Ledger and then Joaquin Phoenix portrayal of the super villain, host Chris Robichaud and guest Lauren Spohn discuss the charter we love to hate. Is the Joker the product of society? An inevitable part of Gotham? Can you have Batman without the Joker? Tune in for this and more.
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When Beyoncé gives you Lemonade, make a reader (and a podcast episode). We close out season 2 of This Week in Dystopia with a discussion of Beyonce's audio-visual experience and album.
Host Chris Robichaud is joined by The Lemonade Reader co-authors Kinitra Brooks, Audrey and John Leslie Endowed Chair in Literary Studies in the Department of English at Michigan State University, and Kameelah Martin, Professor of African American Studies and English at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. The discussion covers why Lemonade is so popular and ends with a conversation about pop culture's role in education.
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Despite the persistent threat of video game domination, board games are still here and gaining popularity. And people aren't just dusting off their boxes of Monopoly and Life. New games are pushing the boundaries of how fun, engagement, and empathy intersect.
Host Chris Robichaud talks to Co-Founders of Magpie Games Mark Truman and Marissa Kelly about how the game industry is changing and what we can expect out of the next-generation of tabletop games. Questions around how social justice and gaming can intersect are answered, and of course, D&D is mentioned.
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The devil may be in the details, but Satan also has a home in Salem Massachusetts, the headquarters of the Satanic Temple. The Temple, both self-described and now labeled by the IRS as a religious organization, is growing in popularity. The recent premiere of Hail Satan? at the Sundance Film Festival propelled the religious organization even more into the spotlight. Host Chris Robichaud sits down with Lucien Greaves, Cofounder of The Satanic Temple, to talk about the Temple's mission and why the movement has seen such an uptick in fame and following.
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Winter is here. Sunday, April 14th, 17.4 million viewers tuned in to watch the battle for the Iron Throne continue when the final season of Game of Thrones premiered. Ilya Somin, Professor of Law at George Mason University, joins host Chris Robichaud to talk about how the power struggle at the heart of this extremely popular show relates to governance.
🚨 This episode does NOT contain any season 8, episode 1 spoilers. However, we do briefly discuss some important scenes from earlier seasons.
Intro music credit: KSHMR & The Golden Army https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=no2dG9OlXZo
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This podcast is brought to you by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School.
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Baseball has long been called America's pastime, but some feel the pastime is just that, past. Do conversations happening in and around the NFL and NBA better reflect America today? Or is the game of baseball just too long for the 21st-century sports fan? This week, we sit down with Liz Bloom, current Harvard MBA/MPP and former Pittsburgh Pirates beat reporter at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, to talk about how baseball has historically been a petri dish for society's issues and where the league is today.
Want more This Week in Dystopia? Don't forget to subscribe, follow This Week in Dystopia on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WeekinDystopia and like the show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThisWeekinDystopia/
This podcast is brought to you by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School.
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🚨 SPOILER ALERT: If you haven't already seen Us, listen at the peril of your movie-going experience. Better yet, go see the film and come right back to this episode!
Jordan Peele may fear his doppelgänger, but he isn't afraid of melding horror with social commentary. This week, Kinitra Brooks, Hutchins Fellow at Harvard University and co-editor of the forthcoming volume, The Lemonade Reader (yes, that Lemonade!), joins host Chris Robichaud to discuss the Peele's newest thriller Us.
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This podcast is brought to you by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School.
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The theatre has influenced political thought since at least the days of the Athenian Democracy. Today, the tradition of theatre as a medium to spark political debate is alive and well. Now, contemporary artists are more than ever contemplating how the theatre can not only convey their thoughts but truly reflect and engage the lived experiences of their communities.
This week, host Chris Robichaud sat down with two artists who actively straddle the worlds of theatre and social justice. Ilana M. Brownstein, director of new work at Company One, and David Valdes Greenwood, nonfiction author and playwright, join in a discussion about the role of theatre in society and a new project that is working to convey the experiences of Boston's undocumented community.
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This podcast is brought to you by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School.
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From the moment your alarm goes off until your head hits the pillow at night, fitness is in your face. During the day, most of us will either go to the gym, think about working out, get a reminder from our fitness tracker, walk by a fitness studio, or feel bad for not getting any exercise at all. Fitness is not only a large part of our day, but it's a part of our cultural identity and pop culture.
This week Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Associate Professor of History at The New School, joins This Week in Dystopia Host Chris Robichaud for a conversation about fitness, pop culture, and public policy. We talk about everything from SoulCycle to physical education in schools.
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This podcast is brought to you by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School.
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🚨 SPOILER ALERT: Host Chris Robichaud has already seen this movie (twice!) and the episode contains spoilers. If you haven't already seen Captain Marvel, listen at the peril of your movie-going experience.
Julian Chambliss, English Professor at Michigan State University and comic book aficionado, joins host Chris Robichaud to discuss Captain Marvel. They discuss both what Carol Danvers portends for the Avengers storyline as well as what her cultural significance is as the leading female superhero to grace the silver screen in the most popular superhero universe (sorry DC Comics, but let's be real).
Want more This Week in Dystopia? Don't forget to subscribe, follow This Week in Dystopia on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WeekinDystopia and like the show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThisWeekinDystopia/
This podcast is brought to you by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School.
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In episode 20, we asked, can you keep politics out of football? The answer was a resounding no. Not only are politics a part of contemporary sports culture, but politics is woven throughout sports and entertainment history. Host Chris Robichaud sits down with Justin Tinsley, a writer at ESPN's Undefeated, to talk about social activism in sports and pop culture. The conversation touches on everything from Jackie Robinson to Sammy Davis Jr., Travis Scott, and sneaker culture.
Want more This Week in Dystopia? Don't forget to subscribe, follow This Week in Dystopia on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WeekinDystopia and like the show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThisWeekinDystopia/
This podcast is brought to you by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School.
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This week, host Chris Robichaud sits down with author, scholar, and executive producer Tananarive Due to talk about the complicated relationship Black filmmakers and Black audiences have with horror.
Mentioned in the show
Horror Noire
Get Out
The Sunken Place
My Soul to Keep (African Immortals series)This episode was FULL on mentions, find them all on our Medium page.
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This podcast is brought to you by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School.
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The Grammys have been criticized for lacking diversity and not giving hip-hop artists their due. This year, Donald Glover, also known as Childish Gambino, took home both song and record of the year awards. This is America, Glover's chart-topping song best known for its music video, has something to say about the state of the U.S. from gun violence to race. We sat down with Chris Lebron, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Johns Hopkins, to talk about the significance of Glover's Grammy win in light of recent criticism as well as his no-show at the Awards. The conversation turns to the broader music scene, Janelle Monáe, Afrofuturism, and Kanye West.
Mentioned in the show
This is America Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYOjWnS4cMY
Boston Review, What Happened to Kanye West?: http://bostonreview.net/race/christopher-lebron-what-happened-kanye-west
Boston Review, Janelle Monáe for President: http://bostonreview.net/race-literature-culture/chris-lebron-janelle-monae-president
Kanye West Interview with Charlamagne: http://digg.com/video/kanye-charlamange-interview
Dirty Computer by Janelle Monáe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFK6k-pvXmIWant more This Week in Dystopia? Don't forget to subscribe, follow This Week in Dystopia on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WeekinDystopia and like the show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThisWeekinDystopia/
This podcast is brought to you by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School.
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Are comic books just for kids? Is there more to pop culture then pure entertainment? I think you know our answer. Tune in to hear host Chris Robichaud discuss why This Week in Dystopia is focusing on pop culture and politics this season and how we'll prove that comic books aren't just for kids.
Mentioned in the show
Bill Maher's comments on comic books: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgInmHHO0m4
Maher's blog on the topic: http://www.real-time-with-bill-maher-blog.com/index/2018/11/16/adulting?rq=comic%20books
Brett Easton Ellis on Black Panther: https://www.indiewire.com/2019/02/bret-easton-ellis-black-panther-oscar-noms-no-one-thinks-its-good-movie-1202041009/Want more This Week in Dystopia? Don't forget to subscribe, follow This Week in Dystopia on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WeekinDystopia and like the show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThisWeekinDystopia/
This podcast is brought to you by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School.
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In advance of Super Bowl LIII, tune in to hear host Christopher Robichaud in conversation with Mark Leibovich, Chief National correspondent for The New York Times Magazine, author of Big Game: The NFL in Dangerous Times, and Leah Wright Rigueur, Assistant Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School.
Want more This Week in Dystopia? Don't forget to subscribe, follow This Week in Dystopia on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WeekinDystopia and like the show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThisWeekinDystopia/
This podcast is brought to you by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School. Special thanks go to the JFK Jr. Forum at Harvard's Institute of Politics for allowing us to share this discussion.
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On Tuesday, March 20th, the Institute of Politics hosted a conversation with students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School titled, “#NEVERAGAIN: How Parkland Students are Changing the Conversation on Guns.” This week, we listen in to the discussion to reflect on both the power of young advocates in our democracy and the deep impact of gun violence, particularly in schools.
Want more This Week in Dystopia? Don't forget to subscribe, follow This Week in Dystopia on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WeekinDystopia and like the show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThisWeekinDystopia/
This podcast is brought to you by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School.
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Gun rights have dominated headlines the past two weeks. This isn’t the first time that debate around gun control has erupted following a mass shooting, but momentum and teenage advocacy have some people believing that this time the conversation won’t fade. With strong advocates arguing both sides of the issue, it can be difficult to deeply reflect on the role of guns and self-defense in a modern democracy.
This week, host Chris Robichaud is joined by Caroline Light, Harvard Senior Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality. Light, an expert on America’s relationship with self-defense, provides insight into today's debate over gun control.
Want more This Week in Dystopia? Don't forget to subscribe, follow This Week in Dystopia on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WeekinDystopia and like the show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThisWeekinDystopia/
This podcast is brought to you by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School.
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New ways of governing, policy, protests, and more have been introduced across the globe for centuries to try and curb inequality. So, what actually worked? According to Walter Scheidel, author of "The Great Leveler: Violence and the History of Inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-First Century," history reports that violence and catastrophe are the only proven effective interventions. On February 26th, Walter Scheidel, Dickason Professor in the Humanities, Professor of Classics and History, Stanford, joined This Week in Dystopia host Chris Robichaud for a conversation at Harvard Kennedy School.
More about "The Great Leveler: Violence and the History of Inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-First Century" can be found online here: https://press.princeton.edu/titles/10921.html
Want more This Week in Dystopia? Don't forget to subscribe, follow This Week in Dystopia on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WeekinDystopia and like the show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThisWeekinDystopia/
This podcast is brought to you by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School.
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