Best EXALT Initiative Podcasts (2025)

1
Manuela Picq - What lessons can activists/resistance around the world learn from Ecuadorian water defenders? 36:57

22d ago36:57

36:57

This month we had a compelling conversation with Manuela Picq, who is a Senior Lecturer in the Departments of Political Science and Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies at Amherst College (USA). However, this academic work is just part of Manuela’s life as she lives between Massachusetts and Ecuador where she is an activist defending the water and…

1
Tiina Seppälä - What are some of the limitations and possibilities of arts-based research? 1:00:16

2M ago1:00:16

1:00:16

This month we are honoured to be joined by one of our colleagues from Global Development Studies at the University of Helsinki. Tiina Seppälä came to Global Development Studies by way of International Relations. Her work has looked at global inequalities, poverty, war, and social justice issues among many others. Activism is also an area of interes…

1
TreesForDev - Maria Holmberg and Maria Ehrnström-Fuentes - Is focusing on carbon capture the best way to inspire local engagement in tree planting? 51:36

2M ago51:36

51:36

In this bonus episode of the TreesForDev podcast we are delighted to be joined by Project PI, Maria Ehrnström-Fuentes and Maria Holmberg who works for FIDA in Tanzania. Maria H. moved to Tanzania with her parents when she was 1 year old, grew up there, and has been working with different development projects in Tanzania since 1984. Currently, Maria…

1
Saana Hokkanen - If you are what you eat, shouldn’t we care more about how our food is grown? 41:12

3M ago41:12

41:12

We are delighted to present a really interesting conversation on a yet unexplored facet of extractivism. This month we talked with Saana Hokkanen who is a doctoral researcher in Global Development Studies at University of Helsinki. Saana’s main interest is in the concept of soil extractivism, which is “is a form of capital accumulation based on sys…

1
Evan Sullivan - How was disability constructed after the Great War? 44:12

4M ago44:12

44:12

This month we are honored to be joined by Evan Sullivan who is an assistant professor at SUNY Adirondack in Upstate New York. Evan is a historian whose research interests examine the intersections of disability, war and gender in the modern era, especially in the World War One era. Evan’s interest in this era stems from his master’s studies and fro…

1
TreesForDev - Season's Greetings 2:05

5M ago2:05

2:05

In this brief update, Sophia shares warm season's greetings and outlines what the audience has to look forward to coming up in 2025! Want to learn more about the TreesForDev project? www.treesfordev.fi

1
Sergio Fernández Bravo - How do pesticides exemplify the intersection of science and power? 52:17

5M ago52:17

52:17

This month we talked to Sergio Fernández Bravo, who is a fellow doctoral researcher from Global Development Studies at University of Helsinki. Sergio is interested in the relationship between natural sciences and politics, specifically in the Global South. His current research focuses on synthetic pesticides and how they are used as devices of powe…

1
Rauna Kuokkanen - What does Sámi democratic engagement in energy transition look like? 45:29

6M ago45:29

45:29

This month we were honoured to be joined by Rauna Kuokkanen, a Research Professor of Arctic Indigenous Politics at the University of Lapland (Finland) and Adjunct Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto. Over the course of her career, Rauna’s work has focused on comparative Indigenous politics and various forms of violence, from…

1
TreesForDev - Bruno Ramamonjisoa - How do plantations intersect with ecorestoration in Madagascar? 21:55

6M ago21:55

21:55

This month we are delighted to be joined by Prof. Bruno Ramamonjisoa from the University of Antananarivo in Madagascar. Bruno is the Director of the PhD School on Natural Resources Management and Development and coordinator of the Applied Research Laboratory at the School of Agronomy. Bruno is one of our key collaborators in Madagascar and an exper…

1
TreesForDev - Peter Dewees and Markus Kroger - What Drives Farmers to Cultivate Trees in their Farming Systems? 50:42

7M ago50:42

50:42

This month we are happy to be joined by Markus Kröger and Peter Dewees. Markus is a professor of Global Development Studies at University of Helsinki and one of the co-PIs of the TreesForDev Project. Peter is retired from a 30 plus year career with the World Bank. During his time with the World Bank Peter worked on many different projects, with a f…

1
Jojo Mehta - Why is criminalizing ecocide a gamechanger for the planet? 52:55

7M ago52:55

52:55

This month we are honored to be joined by Jojo Mehta from Stop Ecocide International, which is an international advocacy organization with the goal of making ecocide a crime. Jojo gives us insight into the continuous thread throughout her life that led her to this work. Her “outrage” moment was when she learned about fracking. Her work in the anti-…

1
Mario Blaser - How entangled are you in "infrastructures of displacement"? 42:21

8M ago42:21

42:21

This month we are delighted to be joined by Mario Blaser. Mario is a cultural anthropologist and an Associate Professor of Geography and Archaeology at the Memorial University of Newfoundland. Mario has engaged in ethnographic work with communities in many different parts of the world, including in Paraguay and Canada. His fascination with how peop…

1
TreesForDev - Marketta Vuola and Matthieu Pierre - How does tree planting actually work in different geographies of Madagascar? 39:13

8M ago39:13

39:13

In this episode we are joined by Marketta Vuola and Matthieu Pierre. Marketta is a project researcher from the TreesForDev project leading the work package on Madagascar. Matthieu Pierre is starting his PhD at the University of Antananarivo in Madagascar, focusing on protected areas and restoration in Madagascar. In this conversation we talk about …

1
Andrea Brock - Why were German police pepper spraying toilet seats in the Hambach forest? 44:07

9M ago44:07

44:07

This month we are delighted to be joined by Andrea Brock, who is a political ecologist at University of Sussex. Andrea works with forest defenders and environmental movements looking at the responses from state and corporate actors to ecological dissent. Andrea shares with us the trajectory of her research career which was influenced by being broug…

1
TreesForDev - Maria Ehrnström-Fuentes and Steffen Boehm - How do carbon markets work (and do they actually work)? 41:57

9M ago41:57

41:57

In this episode we are joined by Professor Steffen Böhm from University of Exeter School of Business and project PI and Associate Professor Maria Ehrnström-Fuentes from Hanken School of Economics. In this conversation we explore carbon markets and how they work (or do not work) and what their connection is to so-called green development. We talk ab…

1
TreesForDev - Maria Ehrnström-Fuentes and Forrest Fleischman - Is tree planting really a good idea everywhere? 46:22

10M ago46:22

46:22

In this episode we are joined by Forrest Fleischman from the University of Minnesota and the project principal investigator, Maria Ehrnstöm-Fuentes from Hanken School of Economics. Forrest gives us insight into the work he has done in the Indian context in relation to tree planting and the long-term outcomes of tree planting schemes. India has had …

1
Maija Lassila - How do new mining projects impact reindeer and reindeer herders? 51:30

10M ago51:30

51:30

This month we are delighted to welcome Maija Lassila back to the EXALT podcast for our second conversation. Maija is post-doctoral researcher at Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS) and recently received her doctorate from Global Development Studies at University of Helsinki. Maija takes to the North and gives us an overview of the…

1
Karen Nobre Krull - How is agroecology impacting livelihoods Amazonia areas in Pará State, Brazil? 40:39

11M ago40:39

40:39

In this month’s episode we are delighted to be joined by Brazilian agroecologist, Karen Nobre Krull, who has worked on projects in federal environmental and research institutions in Brazil, such as EMBRAPA and ICMBio, and in the last year with the NGO Imaflora. Her work focuses on developing strategies and implementing actions with rural communitie…

1
TreesForDev - Linda Annala Tesfaye and Bikila Warkineh - How has Ethiopian tree planting impacted itself and its neighbors? 43:39

11M ago43:39

43:39

In this episode we are joined by Linda Annala Tesfaye and Bikila Warkineh. Linda is a project researcher from the TreesForDev project leading the work package that is looking at Ethiopia. Bikila is the Head of Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management at Addis Ababa University and works as Associate Professor of Ecology. His research centers on the…

1
Marketta Vuola - How can rainforest "fortress conservation" approaches become dropping grenades from helicopters? 44:36

12M ago44:36

44:36

We are joined by Marketta Vuola from University of Helsinki’s Global Development Studies. In this conversation Marketta gives us insight into the work that she is doing in her doctoral research. She started her academic career interested in conservation and national parks, but during her field work she kept running into gold mining and its role in …

1
TreesForDev - Natacha Bruna and Ossi Ollinaho - How can carbon credits schemes actually exacerbate climate change? 32:53

12M ago32:53

32:53

In this episode we are joined by Ossi Ollinaho and Natacha Bruna. Ossi is a project researcher from the TreesForDev project leading the work package that is looking at Mozambique. Natacha is scholar activist and researcher who is doing a post-doctoral project at Cornell University in the Global Development Department, previously she worked at our p…

1
TreesForDev - Marketta Vuola and Zo Randriamaro - Who actually benefits from tree planting in Madagascar? 40:18

1y ago40:18

40:18

In this episode we are joined by Marketta Vuola and Zo Randriamaro. Marketta is a project researcher from the TreesForDev project leading the work package on Madagascar. Zo works for the Research and Support Center for Development Alternatives-Indian Ocean (RSCDA-IO) / Centre de Recherches et d’Appui pour les Alternatives de Développement-Océan Ind…

1
Rubén Vezzoni - Are "green" hydrogen plans just outsourcing emissions to the Global South? 56:40

1y ago56:40

56:40

This month we are really excited to have a conversation with Rubén Vezzoni, who is one of our University of Helsinki colleagues from the Doctoral Programme in Political, Societal and Regional Change. His work looks at different aspects of the political economy of the EU’s green transition, with case studies on solar panels, hydrogen, and post-grow…

1
Xander Dunlap - How is this system killing us and what can we do? 55:40

1y ago55:40

55:40

This month on the EXALT podcast we are super excited to be joined by Xander Dunlap for a precedent-breaking third conversation. Xander is a research fellow at the Institute for Global Sustainability at Boston University and a visiting research fellow at Global Develop Studies at University of Helsinki. Xander talks to us about his new book from Plu…

1
TreesForDev - Ossi Ollinaho & Máriam Abbas - Are tree planting schemes in Mozambique stealing carbon credits from the poor to give to the rich? 32:26

1y ago32:26

32:26

In this episode we are joined by Ossi Ollinaho and Máriam Abbas. Ossi is a project researcher from the TreesForDev project leading the work package that is looking at Mozambique. Máriam is a researcher from Observatório do Meio Rural (OMR), in Mozambique, who is coordinating the research line “Environment and Rural Areas”, which explores, among oth…

1
TreesForDev - Maria Ehrnström-Fuentes & Markus Kröger - Can tree planting schemes tackle climate change? 44:37

1y ago44:37

44:37

Welcome to the debut episode of the limited series TreesForDev project podcast. In this episode we are honored to be joined by the project principal investigators, Maria Ehrnström-Fuentes and Markus Kröger, from Hanken School of Economics and University of Helsinki respectively. In this conversation, they introduce us to who they are and what types…

1
Martta Kaskinen - How are radical feminists in Kenya making their voices heard? 37:42

1y ago37:42

37:42

This month we are overjoyed to be joined by fellow University of Helsinki Global Development Studies doctoral researcher, Martta Kaskien. Martta is currently working with the project Citizenship Utopias in the Global South: The Pursuit of Transformative Alternatives in Times of Civic Disillusionment. Her research is centred on feminist activist nar…

1
Avi KBH - Why do we need to break away from a war narrative with "pests"? 59:20

1+ y ago59:20

59:20

This month we have a deeply interesting conversation with social anthropologist, Dr. Avi KBH, who is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the project Animal Crosslocations, which is resourced through the Resilient and Just Systems (RESET) Network at University of Helsinki. We talked about his new project, “Mosquito Crosslocations and Participatory Evaluati…

1
Joonatan Ala-Könni - What can microclimates tell us about climate change? 44:04

1+ y ago44:04

44:04

This month we were absolutely delighted to be joined by Joonatan Ala-Könni, for a super interesting conversation that connects natural sciences and extractivisms. Joonatan Ala-Könni is a doctoral researcher in Atmospheric Science at the Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR) at the University of Helsinki. Joonatan’s work is all …

1
(Belated) 4th Anniversary and a Look Forward at 2024 8:31

1+ y ago8:31

8:31

To round out 2023, we wanted to release a brief episode tocelebrate (over) four years of the EXALT Podcast and give a sneak peak at some exciting new happenings in 2024! We apologize for not being able to get a full anniversary special to you this year. We have had a lot on our plates with our respective research, as well as some major (positive) l…

1
From the Cubby (pt. 2) - Why is inclusivity important for systems to work? 36:28

1+ y ago36:28

36:28

This month we are ecstatic to bring you the second part of our conversation with the creators of From the Cubby. We are once again joined by the same wonderful trio of guests, Joe Spence, Nick Chamberlain, and Avi Betz-Heinemann. From the Cubby, is a three-part documentary film series, which draws on six years of ethnographic fieldwork in Canterbur…

1
"From the Cubby" (Pt. 1) - What tales are coming from the modern streets of Canterbury? 47:59

1+ y ago47:59

47:59

This month we were delighted to be joined by three amazing guests, Joe Spence, Nick Chamberlain, and Avi Betz-Heinemann (whose name you might recognize from last month’s episode). All three of our guests have been involved with the documentary film series From the Cubby, which draws on six years of ethnographic fieldwork in Canterbury, England. The…

1
Niti Bhan - How can trans-disciplinary innovation bridge knowledge systems around the world? 1:03:32

1+ y ago1:03:32

1:03:32

This month we were delighted to be joined by Niti Bhan, who is a part-time doctoral researcher focusing on trans-disciplinary innovation at Aalto University in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Niti came to research after almost 30 years of situated practice. Niti specializes in human-centered design/innovation planning. This field asks que…

1
Ossi Ollinaho - How do you make destructive global patterns as relevant for people as a paycheck? 48:56

1+ y ago48:56

48:56

This month we are happy to welcome Ossi Ollinaho, a lecturer in Global Development Studies at University of Helsinki, on the podcast. In the conversation, we talk with Ossi about his journey from studying math and physics, to a Doctorate in Industrial Engineering and Management, to the experiences and questions which brought him to work in Global D…

1
Eija Ranta - When Indigenous movements lead governments, what space do they take outside government? 34:40

2y ago34:40

34:40

This month we are thrilled to be joined by Eija Ranta, University Lecturer at University of Helsinki in Global Development Studies. Eija leads two Academy of Finland research projects, 'Social Justice and Raciality in Latin America’ (2021-2026) and 'Citizenship Utopias in the Global South: The Pursuit of Transformative Alternatives in Times of Disi…

1
Toni Ruuska - Is utopian degrowth a silver bullet for dystopian capitalism? 54:28

2y ago54:28

54:28

This month we were honored to be joined by Toni Ruuska, who is a University Researcher and Adjunct Professor of Sustainable Economy at the University of Helsinki. His research focuses generally on alternatives to capitalism, agrarian political economy, and the skills of self-provisioning. In this captivating conversation, Toni lays out some of the …

1
Kumbutso Phiri - What pushes (and pulls) 30,000+ kids to live on the streets of Lusaka? 52:15

2y ago52:15

52:15

This month we go back to Zambia for an enlightening conversation with Kumbutso Phiri, a development specialist. Kumbutso works with a wide range of topics, but in this conversation, we explore the topic of street kids who live on the streets of Lusaka, Zambia’s capital city. Kumbutso gives us insight into the demographics and societal infrastructur…

1
FLASHBACK - Maria Ehrnström-Fuentes - Exploring the Pluriverse 40:29

2y ago40:29

40:29

This month on the podcast we are really excited to try something new…by revisiting something old! Christopher and I open the podcast with a short chat and some life updates. Then we turn our attention to one of the first EXALT podcasts, “Exploring the Pluriverse” featuring Maria Ehrnstrom-Fuentes, an associate professor at Hanken School of Business…

1
Patience Mususa - Why did flourishing communities start to crumble in the Zambian Copper Belt? 46:03

2y ago46:03

46:03

This month we are delighted to be joined by Patience Mususa from The Nordic Africa Institute. She is an anthropologist with a background in architecture working on mining and urbanization in Southern Africa. She is particularly interested in place and the ways in which people interact in the face of the large scale mining industry and the influence…

1
Mariam Khawar - What voices have been overlooked in Islamic economic philosophy? 1:05:17

2y ago1:05:17

1:05:17

This month we are thrilled to be joined by University of Helsinki doctoral researcher Mariam Khawar. Mariam is in the Doctoral Programme in Political, Societal and Regional Change, which is part of the Faculty of Social Sciences and is affiliated with Helsinki Centre for Global Political Economy. Mariam’s work focuses on Islamic economic philosoph…

1
Barış Can Sever - Can human-scale agriculture make Anatolia a breadbasket again? 49:31

2+ y ago49:31

49:31

This month we are delighted to be joined by Barış Can Sever who is Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Sociology at Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey. He is currently doing a 9-month research period at Global Development Studies at the University of Helsinki. Barış gives us an exciting insight into the agricultural geography in Turk…

1
Mariko Frame - What is ecological imperialism? (And why is it a dirty word in some of US academia?) 55:40

2+ y ago55:40

55:40

This month on the pod we are delighted to be joined by Mariko Frame, who is Assistant Professor of Economics at Merrimack College in Massachusetts. Dr. Frame is a political economist who focuses on ecological imperialism, which occurs when one country subjugates another country by controlling the resources, politics, labour, military, and the very …

1
Alexander Dunlap - Until You Become Ungovernable, Why Would Anyone Listen to You? 1:13:32

2+ y ago1:13:32

1:13:32

This month we are super excited to be joined again by friend of the podcast Alexander Dunlap, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Centre for Development and the Environment, University of Oslo. This conversation is a high energy journey through Alexander’s own trajectory into academic spaces, and the realities on the ground he has encountered in th…

1
Ksenija Hanaček - How does resistance to extractivism turn out in the arctic? 32:37

2+ y ago32:37

32:37

Ksenija Hanaček is a researcher at the Autonomous University of Barcelona’s Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA, UAB), Spain. Ksenija works for the Global Atlas of Environmental Justice (EJAtlas). Recently, she has collaborated with Markus Kröger at the University of Helsinki, looking at extractive projects and resistance to ext…

1
3rd Anniversary BONUS - Extractivism in Pop Culture - Lord Of The Rings (Feat. Jesse Barber) 54:39

2+ y ago54:39

54:39

This bonus episode of extractivism in pop culture is in honour of the three-year anniversary of the EXALT podcast. We are very excited to be joined again by Jesse Barber from the University of Helsinki Folklore Studies. In this bonus episode we explore J. R. R. Tolkien’s series, Lord of the Rings (LoTR) and how it relates to themes like modernity, …

1
Jesse Barber - Why would Christians write pagan sagas in Scandinavia? 1:08:22

2+ y ago1:08:22

1:08:22

This month on the podcast we are excited to present a conversation that is a bit outside our normal topics! This conversation is with Jesse Barber, a doctoral researcher in Folklore Studies in the Department of Cultures at the University of Helsinki. His research explores the continuity between pre-Christian Scandinavian religions and the folklore …

1
Usman Ashraf - Who could lose from planting billions of trees in Pakistan? 58:41

2+ y ago58:41

58:41

This month we were delighted to be joined by fellow University of Helsinki, Global Development Studies doctoral researcher, Usman Ashraf. Usman moved from the natural sciences to the social sciences and his research focuses on Chinese investment in Pakistan’s forestry sector. In particular we talked about the Billion Tree Tsunami Afforestation proj…

1
Sérgio Sauer - How have land struggles shaped social conflicts and extractivism in Brazil? 57:12

3y ago57:12

57:12

This month we are excited to present an in-depth conversation with Professor Sérgio Sauer, who works at University of Brasilia in Brazil and is a visiting scholar at University of Helsinki in Finland. We explored the landscape of land struggles in Brazil and how extractivism and social conflict has shaped Brazil. He started his career on the ground…

1
Syed Mustafa Ali and Dan McQuillan - Does Luddism hold lessons for resisting harmful tech paradigms? 1:17:11

3y ago1:17:11

1:17:11

This month we were joined by two exciting guests, Syed Mustafa Ali from The Open University in the UK and Dan McQuillan from Goldsmiths, University of London. They are both interested in AI, technology, and applying a critical lens to the development of digital infrastructures and applications. They met at the Histories of AI Seminar at Cambridge U…

1
Tim Oakes - How do big Chinese infrastructure projects impact people in China and around the world? 1:12:28

3y ago1:12:28

1:12:28

This month we are thrilled to be joined by Tim Oakes, who is a Professor of Geography at the University of Colorado Boulder. He is a human, social, and cultural geographer and his research focuses on Southwest China and the techno-political effects of infrastructural urbanism in China’s ‘new area’ urban zones. Needless to say, there have been a lot…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

EXALT Initiative Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen