Best Miriam and Alan Podcasts (2025)

1
From Exhaustion to Empowerment: Burnout and the Path to Fulfillment with Emma Jones, MD 34:35

4d ago34:35

34:35

In this conversation, Dr. Jennie Berkovich and Emma Jones explore the critical issue of burnout in healthcare professionals. They discuss the definitions, symptoms, and broader context of burnout, emphasizing its prevalence across various professions. The conversation highlights the importance of recognizing early signs of burnout, understanding ri…

1
Gazi Mizanur Rahman, "In the Malay World: A Spatial History of a Bengali Transnational Community" (Cambridge UP, 2025) 50:53

4d ago50:53

50:53

Gazi Mizanur Rahman’s In the Malay World: A Spatial History of a Bengali Transnational Community (Cambridge University Press, 2024) offers the first sustained historical study of Bengali migration to British Malaya from the mid-nineteenth century to the late twentieth. Drawing on archival research in South and Southeast Asia, as well as oral histor…

1
Quentin Skinner, "Liberty as Independence: The Making and Unmaking of a Political Ideal" (Cambridge UP, 2025) 57:23

5d ago57:23

57:23

What does liberty entail? How have concepts of liberty changed over time? And what are the global consequences? Liberty as Independence: The Making and Unmaking of a Political Ideal (Cambridge UP, 2025) surveys the history of rival views of liberty from antiquity to modern times. Quentin Skinner traces the understanding of liberty as independence f…

1
Richey Edwards of The Manic Street Preachers 27:40

3d ago27:40

27:40

Richey was, beautiful says Cummins, a natural icon and a gift to photograph. He also believes his writing has been overshadowed by the fact of his disappearance in 1995. "I think nobody has looked beyond that for quite a long time.” Manic Street Preachers biographer, Simon Price, also knew Richey Edwards and says he was "the most intelligent rock s…

1
Helen Thompson on Disorder and the Analysis of Contemporary Geopolitics 1:16:20

6d ago1:16:20

1:16:20

Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, talks with Helen Thompson, Professor of Political Economy at Cambridge University and co-host of the great podcast, These Times, about her approach to geopolitical analysis and the centrality of energy geopolitics in that approach. The pair start by talking about Thompson’s book, Disorder: Hard Times in the 21st C…

1
Alan Strathern, "Converting Rulers: Global Patterns, 1450-1850" (Cambridge UP, 2024) 1:21:01

6d ago1:21:01

1:21:01

Why did so many rulers throughout history risk converting to a new religion brought by outsiders? In his award-winning Unearthly Powers (2019), Dr. Alan Strathern set out a theoretical framework for understanding the relation between religion and political authority based on a distinction between two kinds of religion - immanentism and transcendent…

1
Qingfei Yin, "State Building in Cold War Asia: Comrades and Competitors on the Sino-Vietnamese Border" (Cambridge UP, 2024) 47:15

7d ago47:15

47:15

Departing from conventional studies of border hostility in inter-Asian relations, Yin Qingfei explores how two revolutionary states - China and Vietnam - each pursued policies that echoed the other and collaborated in extending their authority to the borderlands from 1949 to 1975. Making use of central and local archival sources in both Chinese and…

1
Stuart Ward, "Untied Kingdom: A Global History of the End of Britain" (Cambridge UP, 2023) 1:15:16

9d ago1:15:16

1:15:16

How did Britain cease to be global? In Untied Kingdom: A Global History of the End of Britain (Cambridge University Press, 2023), Professor Stuart Ward tells the panoramic history of the end of Britain, tracing the ways in which Britishness has been imagined, experienced, disputed and ultimately discarded across the globe since the end of the Secon…

1
Optimism and Outcomes: Stress, Optimism, and Heart Health with Alan Rozanski, MD 31:00

11d ago31:00

31:00

In this conversation, Dr. Jennie Berkovich and Dr. Alan Rozanski explore the intricate relationship between stress, optimism, and cardiac health. They discuss the impact of chronic stress on cardiovascular disease, the importance of resilience, and how positive mindsets can promote longevity. The dialogue emphasizes the need for a holistic approach…

1
Benny Hill 27:28

10d ago27:28

27:28

Biography show in which the guest picks someone they admire. Benny Hill is a thorny choice but playwright Jonathan Maitland is determined that - despite accusations of sexism and racism later in his career - Britain's most successful comedian deserves a second look. Benny was fired by Thames TV in 1989. "The show was past its sell-by date," was the…

1
Ryan J. Vander Wielen et al., "The House that Fox News Built?: Representation, Political Accountability, and the Rise of Partisan News" (Cambridge UP, 2024) 30:49

13d ago30:49

30:49

The influence of partisan news is presumed to be powerful, but evidence for its effects on political elites is limited, often based more on anecdotes than science. Using a rigorous quasi-experimental research design, observational data, and open science practices, The House that Fox News Built?: Representation, Political Accountability, and the Ris…

1
Thriving in Menopause with Valerie Altmann, MD 35:51

17d ago35:51

35:51

Menopause is a natural phase of life, but many women find themselves unprepared for the changes it brings. In this episode, host Jennie Berkovich, DO, sits down with Valerie Altmann, MD, to break down everything you need to know about menopause—from common signs and symptoms to the differences between perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause. Dr…

1
Nolan L. Cabrera and Robert S. Chang, "Banned: The Fight for Mexican American Studies in the Streets and in the Courts" (Cambridge UP, 2025) 34:36

18d ago34:36

34:36

In Banned: The Fight for Mexican American Studies in the Streets and in the Courts (Cambridge UP, 2025), readers are taken on a journey through the intense racial politics surrounding the banning of Mexican American Studies in Tucson, Arizona. This book details the state-sponsored racism that led to the elimination of this highly successful program…

1
Maïa Pal, "Jurisdictional Accumulation: An Early Modern History of Law, Empires, and Capital" (Cambridge UP, 2020) 45:25

19d ago45:25

45:25

With rigorous attention to history and empire, Maïa Pal's Jurisdictional Accumulation: An Early Modern History of Law, Empires, and Capital (Cambridge UP, 2020) is a unique analysis of imperial expansion. Through an analysis of ambassadors and consuls in the Mediterranean—and attention to Castilian, French, Dutch, and British empires—Pal's multifac…

1
Maggi Hambling picks muse and lover Henrietta Moraes 27:35

20d ago27:35

27:35

“Henrietta's eyes looked into one's soul at the same time exposing her own. She posed for me most Mondays for the last seven months until two days before she died.” In a raw and very funny opener to the new series of Great Lives, painter and sculptor Maggi Hambling chooses someone she knew extremely well - her lover Henrietta Moraes. Born in India,…

1
Stephen H. Legomsky, "Reimagining the American Union: The Case for Abolishing State Government" (Cambridge UP, 2024) 59:15

20d ago59:15

59:15

Since American president Donald Trump was elected to a second term, it is common to hear citizens, journalists, and public officials distinguish between the laws and leaders of their states and the national government. Those who oppose Trump’s policies with regard to reproductive rights, gun violence, LGBTQ+, education, police, and voting often pre…

1
Subho Basu, "Intimation of Revolution: Global Sixties and the Making of Bangladesh" (Cambridge UP, 2023) 44:45

23d ago44:45

44:45

Intimation of Revolution: Global Sixties and the Making of Bangladesh (Cambridge UP, 2023) analyzes the growth of Bengali nationalism in East Pakistan during the 1950s and 60s, highlighting the interplay of global politics and local socio-economic changes. The book posits that the 1969 revolution and the 1971 liberation war were influenced by the "…

1
Timothy Twining, "The Limits of Erudition: The Old Testament in Post-Reformation Europe" (Cambridge UP, 2024) 1:10:06

24d ago1:10:06

1:10:06

The history of early modern biblical scholarship has often been told as a teleological narrative in which a succession of radical thinkers dethroned the authority of the sacred word. The Limits of Erudition: The Old Testament in Post-Reformation Europe (Cambridge UP, 2024) tells a very different story. Drawing on a mass of archival sources, Timothy…

1
Monika Amsler, "The Babylonian Talmud and Late Antique Book Culture" (Cambridge UP, 2023) 1:06:42

25d ago1:06:42

1:06:42

The Babylonian Talmud and Late Antique Book Culture (Cambridge UP, 2023) argues that the Talmud must be read and understood in the broader context of late ancient discursive and material contexts of books, rhetoric, and technology. As Dr. Amsler’s work reveals, the structure and form of the Talmud point to knowledge and mastery of rhetorical traini…

1
Harriet Harman on Maria Callas 27:57

26d ago27:57

27:57

The legendary opera star Maria Callas was lauded for her magnetic stage presence and extraordinary vocal range. Born in New York in 1923 to Greek immigrant parents, she moved with her mother and sister to Greece aged 13. In 1939 she attended the Athens Conservatoire where she embarked on a rigorous vocal training in the Italian "bel canto" traditio…

1
Annalisa Marzano, "Plants, Politics and Empire in Ancient Rome" (Cambridge UP. 2022) 49:23

28d ago49:23

49:23

Plants, Politics and Empire in Ancient Rome (Cambridge University Press, 2022) by Dr. Annalisa Marzano investigates the cultural and political dimension of Roman arboriculture and the associated movement of plants from one corner of the empire to the other. It uses the convergent perspectives offered by textual and archaeological sources to sketch …

1
Jerome Gellman, "The Problem of God in Jewish Thought" (Cambridge UP, 2025) 31:44

1M ago31:44

31:44

The Hebrew Bible contains two quite different divine personae. One is quick to anger and to exact punishment while the other is a compassionate God slow to anger and quick to forgive. One God distant, the other close by. This severe contrast posed a theological challenge for Jewish thought for the ages. The Problem of God in Jewish Thought (Cambrid…

1
Hot Flashes, Brain Fog, and Beyond: Understanding Perimenopause with Michelle Jacobson, MD 23:45

1M ago23:45

23:45

Perimenopause is often overlooked, yet it’s a transformative phase in a woman’s life that can bring a range of physical and emotional changes. In this episode, Dr. Jennie Berkovich sits down with Dr. Michelle Jacobson, an expert in women’s health, to discuss what perimenopause really is, how it differs from menopause, and the earliest signs women s…

1
Tadashi Ishikawa, "Geographies of Gender: Family and Law in Imperial Japan and Colonial Taiwan" (Cambridge UP., 2024) 1:06:35

1M ago1:06:35

1:06:35

In Geographies of Gender: Family and Law in Imperial Japan and Colonial Taiwan (Cambridge University Press, 2024) Dr. Tadashi Ishikawa traces perceptions and practices of gender in the Japanese empire on the occasion of Japan's colonisation of Taiwan from 1895. In the 1910s, metropolitan and colonial authorities attempted social reform in ways whic…

1
Margherita Zanasi, "Economic Thought in Modern China: Market and Consumption, c.1500–1937" (Cambridge UP, 2020) 1:29:25

1M ago1:29:25

1:29:25

In Economic Thought in Modern China: Market and Consumption, c.1500–1937 (Cambridge University Press, 2020), Margherita Zanasi argues that basic notions of a free market economy emerged in China a century and half earlier than in Europe. In response to the commercial revolutions of the late 1500s, Chinese intellectuals and officials called for the …

1
Shushma Malik, "The Nero-Antichrist: Founding and Fashioning a Paradigm" (Cambridge UP, 2020) 43:35

1M ago43:35

43:35

In The Nero-Antichrist: Founding and Fashioning a Paradigm (Cambridge UP, 2020), Shushma Malik reconstructs the means by which the emperor Nero came to be identified with the New Testament's antichrist. Malik surveys the first four Christian centuries to show how Nero mythology developed, often in ways that were much more positive than we might exp…

1
Fernanda Gallo, "Hegel and Italian Political Thought: The Practice of Ideas, 1832-1900" (Cambridge UP, 2024) 48:06

1M ago48:06

48:06

Political Theorist Fernanda Gallo (Homerton College, University of Cambridge) has a fascinating new book, Hegel and Italian Political Thought: The Practice of Ideas, 1832-1900 (Cambridge UP, 2024), about how Georg Hegel’s philosophical thought made its way to Italy and how it was integrated into the various schools of thought within Italy. This is …

1
Paul M. McGarr, "Spying in South Asia: Britain, the United States, and India's Secret Cold War" (Cambridge UP, 2024) 1:05:30

1M ago1:05:30

1:05:30

Spying in South Asia: Britain, the United States, and India's Secret Cold War (Cambridge UP, 2024) is the first comprehensive history of India's secret Cold War. It examines interventions made by the intelligence and security services of Britain and the United States in post-colonial India and their strategic, political, and socio-cultural impact o…

1
Yellowlees Douglas, "Writing for the Reader's Brain: A Science-Based Guide" (Cambridge UP, 2024) 1:01:55

1M ago1:01:55

1:01:55

What makes one sentence easy to read and another a slog that demands re-reading? Where do you put information you want readers to recall? Drawing on cognitive neuroscience, psychology and psycholinguistics, Writing for the Reader’s Brain (Cambridge University Press, 2025) provides a practical, how-to guide on how to write for your reader. It introd…

1
Andrew Wallace-Hadrill, "The Idea of the City in Late Antiquity: A Study in Resilience" (Cambridge UP, 2025) 1:15:19

1M ago1:15:19

1:15:19

The city was one of the central and defining features of the world of the Greek and Roman Mediterranean. Challenging the idea that the ancient city 'declined and fell', Andrew Wallace-Hadrill argues that memories of the past enabled cities to adapt and remain relevant in the changing post-Roman world. In the new kingdoms in Italy, France and Spain …

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David Wiles, "Democracy, Theatre and Performance: From the Greeks to Gandhi" (Cambridge UP, 2024) 1:11:24

1M ago1:11:24

1:11:24

Democracy, argues David Wiles, is actually a form of theatre. In making his case, the author deftly investigates orators at the foundational moments of ancient and modern democracy, demonstrating how their performative skills were used to try to create a better world. People often complain about demagogues, or wish that politicians might be more si…

1
Ryan M. Nefdt, "The Philosophy of Theoretical Linguistics: A Contemporary Outlook" (Cambridge UP, 2024) 1:07:56

2M ago1:07:56

1:07:56

Between the study of specific languages and the philosophy of language lies what Ryan Nefdt calls a “Goldilocks zone” of theoretical issues related to language. In The Philosophy of Theoretical Linguistics (Cambridge University Press, 2024), Nefdt introduces and explores the elements in this zone, including different theories of syntax, semantics, …

1
Special Episode: Health Advisory on Measles 45:16

2M ago45:16

45:16

This conversation focuses on the importance of health education and vaccination within the Orthodox Jewish community, particularly in light of recent measles outbreaks. Panelists discuss the roles of community leaders and health officials in addressing vaccine hesitancy, the significance of building trust between the community and health authoritie…

1
Kate Raworth on Donella Meadows 27:56

2M ago27:56

27:56

Born in Illinois in 1941, Dana Meadows studied Chemistry and Molecular Biology, before turning her back on a post doc position at Harvard, to pursue environmentalism. She joined her husband Dennis Meadows as part of the team working on Professor Jay Forester's World3 computer model of the world economy at MIT and wrote the report on the results of …

1
Lesley J. Gordon, "Dread Danger: Cowardice and Combat in the American Civil War" (Cambridge UP, 2024) 41:47

2M ago41:47

41:47

Those who fought in the Civil War were expected to overcome their fear of injury or death as they charged into a hail of bullets. Soldiers could expect erupting artillery shells or Minié balls to maim or tear their bodies apart. The 11th New York Fire Zouaves and the 2nd Texas Infantry were no different. They charged into battle with high, perhaps…

1
Roland Mayer, "The Ruins of Rome: A Cultural History" (Cambridge UP, 2025) 1:16:30

2M ago1:16:30

1:16:30

The beguiling ruins of Rome have a long history of allure. They first engaged the attention of later mediaeval tourists, just as they do today. The interest of travellers was captured in the Renaissance by artists, architects, topographers, antiquarians, archaeologists and writers. Once the ruins were seen to appeal to visitors, and to matter for t…

1
Matthew D'Auria et al., "The Cambridge History of Nationhood and Nationalism" (Cambridge UP, 2024) 1:41:07

2M ago1:41:07

1:41:07

The origins and nature of nationhood and nationalism continue to be topics of heated scholarly debate. This major new reference work with contributions from an international team of scholars provides a comprehensive account of ideas and practices of nationhood and nationalism from antiquity to the present. It considers both continuities and discont…

1
Angus Lockyer, "Exhibitionist Japan: The Spectacle of Modern Development" (Cambridge UP, 2025) 57:34

2M ago57:34

57:34

From the second half of the nineteenth century, Japan has been a particularly enthusiastic user of exhibitions. Large-scale international exhibitions, including Osaka 2025, form only the tip of an iceberg comprising over 1,300 industrial, regional, and local exhibitions held in Japan over the past 150 years. In Exhibitionist Japan: The Spectacle of…

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Specialty Spotlight: Miriam "Mimi" Knoll, MD, Radiation Oncology 36:48

2M ago36:48

36:48

In this engaging conversation, Dr. Miriam "Mimi" Knoll shares her journey into medicine, influenced by her family's legacy of healthcare professionals. She discusses her path to radiation oncology, emphasizing the importance of passion and commitment in pursuing a medical career. The conversation highlights the role of JOWMA in empowering women in …

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Miriam Haughton, "The Theatre of Louise Lowe" (Cambridge UP, 2025) 58:46

2M ago58:46

58:46

Louise Lowe is a theatre and performance director, writer, choreographer, dramaturge, and, more recently, a television director and short film writer/director, working in Ireland and internationally. She is the Co-Artistic Director of ANU Productions, established with Owen Boss in Dublin in 2009. Lowe is known for facilitating and creating moments …

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Colonial Origins of Democracy and Dictatorship: A Discussion with Alexander Lee and Jack Paine 34:42

2M ago34:42

34:42

The debate about the impact of colonialism on the prospects for democracy and development continues to rage. Was the legacy of colonialism equally destructive everywhere? Or were some forms of colonial rule more likely to give rise to stable and effective democracies? Join Nic Cheeseman as he talks to Alexander Lee and Jack Paine about their import…

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Tana Li, "A Maritime Vietnam: From Earliest Times to the Nineteenth Century" (Cambridge UP, 2024) 46:23

2M ago46:23

46:23

When we think of Vietnamese history, we tend to think of plucky peasant guerillas fighting for their independence against French colonial rule or American imperialism - or even mighty China. In her new book, A Maritime Vietnam: From the Earliest Times to the Nineteenth Century (Cambridge UP, 2024), Li Tana challenges this powerful stereotype by rec…

1
Philip Harling, "Managing Mobility: The British Imperial State and Global Migration, 1840-1860" (Cambridge UP, 2024) 1:11:10

2M ago1:11:10

1:11:10

Between 1840 and 1860 the British Empire expanded rapidly in scale, with rampant annexation of territory and ruthless suppression of rebellion. These decades also witnessed an unprecedented movement of people across the Empire and around the world, with over 2.6 million emigrants leaving Britain in the 1850s alone. Managing Mobility: The British Im…

1
Sarah Bassett, "Style and Meaning in Late Antique Art" (Cambridge UP, 2025) 1:20:15

2M ago1:20:15

1:20:15

How do we best see and understand the art of late antiquity? One of the perceived challenges of so doing is that this is a period whose visual production has been defined as stylistically abstract and emotionally spiritual, and therefore elusive. But this is a perception which – in her path-breaking new book – Sarah Bassett boldly challenges, offer…

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Julia Jarcho, "Throw Yourself Away: Writing and Masochism" (Cambridge UP, 2024) 54:09

2M ago54:09

54:09

In Throw Yourself Away: Writing and Masochism (Cambridge University Press, 2024), Julia Jarcho proposes that the desire to write is inextricably bound up with masochistic desires. In a series of readings that engage American and European works of fiction, drama, and theory from the late nineteenth through the early twenty-first centuries, Jarcho te…

1
Azmeary Ferdoush, "Sovereign Atonement: Citizenship, Territory, and the State at the Bangladesh-India Border" (Cambridge UP, 2024) 1:22:44

2M ago1:22:44

1:22:44

The former border enclaves of Bangladesh and India existed as extra-territorial spaces since 1947. They were finally exchanged and merged as host state territories in 2015. Sovereign Atonement: Citizenship, Territory, and the State at the Bangladesh-India Border (Cambridge UP, 2024) focuses on the protracted territorial exchange and experiences of …

1
From Symptoms to Solutions: The Latest on Long COVID in Kids with Melissa Stockwell, MD, MPH 33:45

2M ago33:45

33:45

What happens when COVID-19 symptoms linger long after the initial infection—especially in children? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Melissa Stockwell, a leading expert in pediatric infectious diseases, to explore the reality of long COVID in kids. We discuss how long COVID is defined, its most common symptoms, and how it differs from what we …

1
Vaccines Under Fire: Myths, Science, and MMR with Paul Offit, MD 37:57

2M ago37:57

37:57

Measles is surging again, despite being declared eliminated in the U.S. decades ago. Why is this happening? In this episode, host Dr. Jennie Berkovich sits down with world-renowned vaccine expert Dr. Paul Offit to dissect the factors driving the resurgence. They explore the history of vaccine hesitancy, the role of misinformation, and what can be d…

1
Paul R. Laird and Elizabeth A. Wells, "The Cambridge Companion to West Side Story" (Cambridge UP, 2024) 1:04:50

2M ago1:04:50

1:04:50

Over sixty years after its opening night, West Side Story is perhaps the most famous and beloved of twentieth-century musicals and stands as a colossus of musical and dramatic achievement. It not only helped define a generation of musical theatre lovers but is among the handful of shows that have contributed to our understanding of American musical…

1
Joshua Ehrlich, "The East India Company and the Politics of Knowledge" (Cambridge UP, 2023) 51:23

2M ago51:23

51:23

Welcome to the Global Corporations Special Series on the Law Channel on the New Books Network. This Special Series is dedicated to interviews with scholars about recent books engaging with different aspects of global corporations – with a focus on the role of law and legal forms. Our guest today is Dr. Joshua Ehrlich, Associate Professor in the Dep…

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Miriam And Alan Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen