Podcast - Us and Them

The new HGGS Podcast, created by members of the Organizing Committee of the Summer Forum 2025, is a special Forum series exploring this year’s central theme, "Us and Them". Drawing from their own research, professors, PhDs and experts explore how boundaries are drawn, identities are shaped, and power is negotiated across disciplines—from history and literature to sociology, political science, and beyond.Tune in as they unpack how the theme resonates in different cultural, political, and theoretical contexts, offering fresh insights ahead of the Forum itself.The podcast is available on all major streaming platforms, including YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more.

HGGS Linktree

Episode 1: The Trauma Hero in Films about the War on Terror

Laura Herges in conversation with Sinan Barış Yaşar 

Our first episode introduces our theme “Us and Them” and opens the series with an interview between Sinan Barış Yaşar and Laura Herges (Heidelberg University): The traumatized war hero has become a well-known film trope. But how does the image of the suffering veteran influence our opinions on wars that happened in real life? Laura, who writes her thesis in American studies, discusses two movies about the War on Terror: Zero Dark Thirty (2012), which justifies the CIA’s torture of prisoners, and American Sniper (2014), which turns a controversial Navy SEAL into a patriotic martyr-icon. How strongly do films influence our judgement and moral values? Find out in the first episode of “Us and Them.“

Episode 1: Laura Herges

Laura Herges

Episode 2: Saving Strangers – The 'False Promise' of Responsibility to Protect

Professor Richard Caplan in conversation with Sinan Barış Yaşar 

In the second episode, we welcome Prof. Dr. Richard Caplan, Professor of International Relations at the University of Oxford. Sinan Barış Yaşar (Law) from the HGGS interviews Professor Caplan, who reflects on the question: Has the Responsibility to Protect, particularly in the context of United Nations peacekeeping operations, amounted to a ‘false promise’? The conversation explores the historical evolution of the UN’s peacekeeping mandate, the enduring challenges in the execution of peacekeeping operations—including the so-called “Intervention Dilemma” articulated by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan—as well as the rising global influence of nationalist movements on the politics of the UN and the changing role of regional organizations in global peacekeeping efforts. How might international peacekeeping be reimagined for the future? We sincerely thank Professor Caplan for delivering the keynote lecture at the HGGS Summer Forum “Us and Them” on June 27, and for sharing his expertise and reflections in this podcast episode.

Episode 2: Professor Richard Caplan, Oxford

Prof. Dr. Richard Caplan

Episode 3: The Role of War Posters in the Russo-Ukrainian War: Constructing 'Us' and 'Them'

Dr. Liudmyla Pidkuimukha in conversation with Laura Herges 

When Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022, the world was left in shock. In times of war, the dichotomy between ‘Us’ and ‘Them’ becomes clearer than ever; and one specific medium in which this is illustrated are war posters. Dr. Liudmyla Pidkuimukha has analyzed more than 2,000 Ukrainian war posters with a special focus on the interplay of visual and verbal elements. In this episode, she talks with Laura from HGGS about the role these posters play to the Ukrainian people, how they function in different media and what differentiates them from posters in other wars. How do war posters portray the enemy? And how have they changed since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014? Listen to find out in episode 3 of Us and Them.

Episode 3: Dr. Liudmyla Pidkuimukha, Gießen 

Dr. Liudmyla Pidkuimukha and Laura Herges

Episode 4: Antigypsyism in German Popular Culture & the Other in Ancient and Medieval Visual Arts

Dr. Tatiana Tereshchenko and Dr. Pavel Brunssen in conversation with Jiacheng Mo

What do ancient and medieval visual arts have in common with modern Antigypsyism in German pop culture? At first glance, these topics seem entirely unrelated — one rooted in the distant past, and the other in urgent contemporary concerns. Yet, in our 4th podcast episode, Dr. Tatiana Tereshchenko (Moscow) and Dr. Pavel Brunssen (Heidelberg), in conversation with Jiacheng Mo (HGGS), open up a surprising conversation between two very different fields of study. Even though their research topics differ widely in time period and subject matter, both scholars explore how visual culture reflects and reinforces the ways societies define and exclude “the Other”. Our discussion raises compelling questions about the power of images — whether ancient or modern — to shape public perception, transmit social values, and sometimes determine who belongs and who doesn’t. Join us for a thought-provoking exchange that bridges disciplines, histories and media forms. You might find that the gap between past and present isn’t quite as wide as it first appears.

Episode 4: Dr. Tereshchenko, Moscow, and Dr. Brunssen, Heidelberg

Jiacheng Mo and Dr. Pavel Brunssen

Episode 5: Magical Urbanism: Thresholds, Hybridity, and the Transformative Power of 'Us and Them'

Tetyana Kasima in conversation with Sinan Barış Yaşar

As human beings, we are all embedded in time and space—but how does the space we inhabit shape our perspectives and experiences? Drawing on her research into Clarice Lispector’s The Besieged City and Virginia Woolf’s Solid Objects, Tetyana Kasima (University of Tartu) joins Sinan from HGGS to explore how literature reflects and reimagines urban life. The conversation touches on the concept of magical urbanism in literature and examines how philosophical concepts intersect with fictional worlds. Tetyana investigates the meaning of city life and the influence of urban environments on individuals, as portrayed in literary texts. Join us for Episode 5 of the HGGS Podcast Series Us and Them to discover how literature reshapes our understanding of the spaces we live in.

Episode 5: Tetyana Kasima, Tartu

Sinan Barış Yaşar and Tetyana Kasima (left)

Episode 6: America’s Enemy Images – The Socio-Cognitive Framing of National Identity and Exclusion in the Mainstream Media

Laura Herges in conversation with Isabella Gomez O’Keefe

Polarization in the United States did not start when Donald Trump was elected President for the second time in 2024 – but it might be more visible now than ever, largely due to social media: the ‘enemy within,’ the un-American enemy image, has become a common denominator for right-wing politicians and alt-right influencers on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. In this interview, Isabella Gomez O’Keefe (University of Cambridge) explains how foreigners, academia, “woke” activists and left-wing politicians are turned into enemy images in contemporary political debates and on social media. Tune in if you want to learn more about the banning of books in American schools, the difference between the United States and other countries with regards to political polarization, and the alt-right’s fear of progressive women.

Episode 6: Isabella Gomez O’Keefe, Cambridge

Laura Herges and Isabella Gomez O’Keefe

Episode 7: Group Cohesion, Digital Education and AI Literacy: Bridging the Gap Between ‘Us and Them’ in the Digital Age

Alberto Carballo Soca in conversation with Sinan Barış Yaşar 

Group Cohesion, Digital Education, and AI Literacy: three distinct topics that come together in this episode through the lens of the „Us and Them“ dichotomy. Having dedicated his academic life to these fields, Alberto Carballo Soca from the Faculty of Psychology, University of Havana shares insights from his research and personal experiences, both within the Cuban context and on a global scale. Moving between individual and societal perspectives, this episode of the Podcast Series ‘Us and Them’ explores the challenges and opportunities in the fields of group cohesion, digital education, and AI literacy.

Episode 7: Alberto Carballo Soca, Havana

Alberto Carballo Soca and Sinan Barış Yaşar

Episode 8: Child Protection, Social Work and Cultural Difference

Florence Wieder-Kinne in conversation with Laura Herges

In child protection, "Us and Them“ manifests itself in different ways: Social workers and families often encounter each other with different expectations, shaped by institutional structures, biographical experiences, societal narratives and cultural influences. One of the greatest challenges in this context is the encounter with the cultural other. Social workers often interact with families whose cultural backgrounds, norms and value systems are very different from their own. How can cultural expectations be overcome? In this interview, social anthropologist Florence Wieder-Kinne talks to us about her life as a social worker, her PhD project and how lived experience and theoretical research go hand in hand.

Florence Wieder-Kinne, Heidelberg

Florence Wieder-Kinne and Laura Herges

Episode 9: Us? Them!: Constructing Identities and Subverting Otherness in a Drag Show in Kyoto

Marco Del Din in conversation with Laura Herges

Diamonds Are Forever is not only the title of a James Bond film, but also the name of a drag show in Kyoto. In today's episode, Marco Del Din, PhD candidate at Heidelberg University and Ca' Foscari University in Venice talks to us about drag queens that transform into monsters, aliens, animals, and freaks. How do the performers of the oldest and longest-running drag show in Japan construct identities that connect their gender and sexual identities and their art? Find out more by listening to Laura's interview with Marco.

Marco Del Din, Heidelberg & Venice

Marco Del Din and Laura Herges

Episode 10: Where Are the Feet? Narratives of Belonging and Alterity

A Conversation with Vanessa Márquez Vargas, Debby Avendaño Sánchez, and Adrián Navia Segovia, presented by Sinan Barış Yaşar 

In this episode, the three Baden-Württemberg scholars from the Universidad de Los Andes, Venezuela, present a hybrid theme combining text and image, with the goal of showing, from their perspective and experiences, how objects, walls, absences, and design shape social and spatial realities. For this, the cultural, urban, and architectural dimensions of belonging have been taken into consideration in order to foster a dialogue about the ‘Us’ & ‘Them’ dichotomy through three brief sections: 1) The Shoe as a Semiotic Object; 2) The Absence of Feet: The Uninhabited Space; 3) "Walking in Someone Else's Shoes": The Architect and the Community. 

They resume their topics, which they present in Spanish, in these words: “For us, what we have been saying and observing here just scratches the surface of the complex dynamics of belonging and alterity in everyday life, dynamics we believe deserve greater attention. Within these often-overlooked details, assumed as normalized, there is fertile ground for reflection and social action. The shoe, as a semiotic object, encodes status and identity, and in doing so, exposes social fractures. The absence of feet in urban spaces signals alienation, compelling us to reclaim the city as a shared place. In architecture, empathy transforms design into a collaborative act, creating spaces that resonate with community aspirations. These narratives challenge us to inhabit with intention, to bridge distances, tear down walls, and to walk, both literally and metaphorically, in the shoes of the other, forging a more inclusive, participatory, and meaningful world. Yet the question persists: Can we truly feel what the other feels, or will there always be an insurmountable distance? Each of us must arrive at our own answer, one that may spark dialogue, internal monologue, or, better yet, conscious action toward those we label as 'other' and normalize as 'them' in the continuous present.”

Vanessa Márquez Vargas, Debby Avendaño Sánchez & Adrián Navia Segovia

Debby Avendaño Sánchez, Adrián Navia Segovia and Vanessa Márquez Vargas

Episode 11: Comparative Perspectives on Literary Travel Motifs in Contemporary Jewish Literature of Germany, Israel and USA

Nadja Samira Fraenkel in conversation with Sinan Barış Yaşar

How does the travel motif shape narratives in third-generation Jewish literature? What are the differences between physical and metaphorical journeys? Can language serve as a space for belonging and identity? In this conversation, Nadja Samira Fraenkel from Heidelberg University discusses her PhD research on comparative perspectives of literary travel motifs in contemporary Jewish literature from Germany, Israel, and the USA. She explores the complexities of identity, the role of travel in shaping experiences, and the search for belonging and utopia within these narratives. The discussion also highlights the significance of language, the challenges faced by third-generation Jewish authors, and the political dimensions of art and literature.

Nadja Samira Fraenkel, Heidelberg

Nadja Samira Fraenkel and Sinan Barış Yaşar

Episode 12: Us and Them in East and West: Jewish Identity Constructions in the Habsburg Monarchy

Maximilian Kathan in conversation with Sinan Barış Yaşar

What is the impact of nationalism and antisemitism in the late Habsburg Monarchy? How did Karl Emil Franzos and Nathan Birnbaum contribute to the (re)construction of Jewish identity? What roles do language and literature play in defining national identity? In this episode, Maximilian Kathan from Heidelberg University of Jewish Studies discusses his research on Jewish identity constructions within the Habsburg Monarchy, focusing on the interplay of history, literature, and Jewish studies. He explores the impact of nationalism and antisemitism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the Habsburg Monarchy, in light of the diverse perspectives of Jewish writers Karl Emil Franzos and Nathan Birnbaum. The conversation delves into the complexities of identity, language, and cultural tensions in a rapidly changing empire, as well as the methodological challenges faced in historical literary studies.

Maximilian Kathan, Heidelberg

Maximilian Kathan