Podcast - Us and Them

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

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

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. 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 4^th 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

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

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

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

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