The Authority File Round-Up – December 2021

A quick overview of last month's episodes, in case you missed them

Posted on January 11, 2022 in Blog

When we think of climate change, we often picture cataclysmic failures—natural disasters, supply chain issues, public health crises. While these are certainly effects of climate change, getting lost in the scale of the impact can make us forget that these issues affect real people, communities, and regions. Is there a way to rethink the climate crisis in terms of the who rather than the what?

In December, we covered two topics: Anthropocene geopolitics and community music. The Anthropocene addresses the repercussions of the Industrial Revolution and human activity; what can we do to avoid crossing our planet’s climate boundaries? Community music, which prioritizes the musician over the music, looks at the impact of music-making on the maker and their community. Further, how can “musicking” reveal social, political, and economic inequalities that need addressing? Despite the differences in scope, both discussions come back to the human impact. How can centering the affected individual or community help address inequities—climate-based or otherwise—that often feel vastly out of reach?

Here’s a quick round-up of the episodes, in case you missed them. We hope you find the conversations stimulating, interesting, and useful. Thanks for listening!

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Anthropocene Geopolitics

Simon Dalby, author of Anthropocene Geopolitics: Globalization, Security, Sustainability, breaks down our current geological age. He explains the impacts of climate change, and why planetary boundaries must play a major role in our public health policies, economies, and border security. How can we protect our planet—and ourselves? Brought to you by University of Ottawa Press.

Episode one: Book Origins and Multidisciplinary Approaches

• What are the origins of Anthropocene Geopolitics? How did Simon’s background in geography better prepare him for his research? Listen to episode one here.

Episode two: Our Current Geological Age

• Simon provides context for the ongoing debate over our current geological age. What are the complications of using geological principles—which look to the past—to define the present? Why is there such urgency to define this period in the first place? Listen to episode two here.

Episode three: Living in a Globalized World

• What are the potential risks of geoengineering solutions like nuclear power? What is the connection between security and climate change? How will the unequal effects of climate change impact geopolitics in the future? Listen to episode three here.

Episode four: Climate Change Effects and Future Policies

• What are the necessary future policies of the Anthropocene Era? Plus, Simon breaks down key takeaways from 2021’s United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow. Listen to episode four here.

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Looking at Community Music

Lee Willingham, editor of Community Music at the Boundaries, and Mary Cohen and Stuart Duncan, co-authors of the upcoming Music-Making in U. S. Prisons: Listening to Incarcerated Voices, join the program to discuss community music. By prioritizing the musician over the music, this grassroots-led discipline has the potential to reap positive effects for both the music-maker and their community. Our guests look at “musicking” in prisons, the activist intentions of the field, and its development within higher education. Brought to you by Wilfrid Laurier University Press.

Episode one: A Fluid Definition

• How did Lee, Mary, and Stuart become involved in the study of community music? How is it defined, and how has it developed in the past decade? Listen to episode one here.

Episode two: Music-Making in Prisons

• What is the history and impact of music-making in prisons? Plus, we hear a performance clip from the Oakdale Community Choir. Listen to episode two here.

Episode three: Activism, Resources, and Current Movements

• How does community music connect to activism and social justice? What are some prison reform or abolition resources led by Black organizers? Listen to episode three here.

Episode four:  Can It Thrive Within Higher Education?

• What are the complications of bringing an activist-led discipline inside the institution of higher education? How can the scope of music education widen to embrace new genres or styles? Listen to episode four here.

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Missed November’s episodes? We’ve got you covered.

We had two great series in November. First, Nduka Otiono, author of DisPlace: The Poetry of Nduka Otiono, and Peter Midgley, editor of the collection, chat about the making of the title. They reflect on the complications of diaspora and identity in literature, the politics of language, and imperfect terms like “world literature” and “global south.” You can find the first episode here.

Our second series featured Dr. Rebecca Crites, a research fellow at the University of Warwick, and Felix Barnes, an editor at Adam Matthew Digital. Becky explains how she incorporates primary sources into curricula, and Felix updates us on the uses and features of Adam Matthew’s online learning tools. Both reflect on how primary source use has changed through new technologies, and therefore, the importance of strong digital literacy skills in young researchers. Click here to listen to the series.

What’s Coming Up in January

This month, Dr. Sarah Elaine Eaton, Series Editor of Ethics and Integrity in Educational Contexts and Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal for Educational Integrity, highlights the important topic of educational ethics and academic integrity. Sarah discusses the discipline’s history and development through our digital era, and helps us rethink the field as a responsibility that falls upon faculty and educators’ shoulders as much as young scholars. How has COVID-19 complicated the ethical academic environment? How can students protect themselves from predatory academic practices? You can find the first episode here.

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You can find more episodes of the Authority File here on our website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Thanks for listening! See you next month.

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