Best Feminist Analysis Podcasts (2024)

1
Tabitha Stanmore, "Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic" (Bloombury, 2024) 33:13

7m ago33:13

33:13

Imagine: it's the year 1600 and you've lost your precious silver spoons, or maybe they've been stolen. Perhaps your child has a fever. Or you're facing a trial. Maybe you're looking for love or escaping a husband. What do you do? In medieval and early modern Europe, your first port of call might have been cunning folk: practitioners of “service mag…

1
Edition 99: Patriarchal Patriotism with Liz Miller, Thistle & Sekhmet SheOwl 58:49

2h ago58:49

58:49

Happy Independence Day! First up, hear Thistle greet the listener introducing the topic of "patriarchal patriotism" with Liz Miller and Sekhmet SheOwl.After the greeting, hear WLRN's World News segment delivered by Mary O'Neill before enjoying American artist Whitney Houston's rendition of the patriotic song "America the Beautiful".Next, stay tuned…

1
Aaron Sherraden, "Śambūka's Death Toll: A History of Motives and Motifs in an Evolving Rāmāyaṇa Narrative" (Anthem Press, 2023) 35:03

27m ago35:03

35:03

According to Vālmīki's Sanskrit Rāmāyaṇa (early centuries CE), Śambūka was practicing severe acts of austerity to enter heaven. In engaging in these acts as a Śūdra, Śambūka was in violation of class- and caste-based societal norms prescribed exclusively by the ruling and religious elite. Rāma, the hero of the Rāmāyaṇa epic, is dispatched to kill Ś…

1
Beautiful Dead Women: “The Fall of the House of Usher”, Part 1 56:15

4d ago56:15

56:15

Send me a text message! When you think horror, you think of Edgar Allan Poe. His stories go hard on the eerie atmosphere, intricate plots, and unhinged characters. But it’s important to note that most of those characters are men. And among Poe’s female characters, two recurring traits stand out prominently: they’re usually beautiful, and they’re us…

1
“Malleus Maleficarum”: Incels and Modern Witch Hunts 26:58

11d ago26:58

26:58

Send me a text message! The dark history of witch hunts has some unsettling parallels with modern misogynistic violence. Tonight’s episode continues our discussion on Heinrich Kramer’s witch-hunting manual, the “Malleus Maleficarum”, with a critical look at its legacy, especially as it relates to incel culture and the manosphere. We’ll examine the …

1
Malleus Maleficarum: Hammer of Witches 29:39

18d ago29:39

29:39

Send me a text message! Tonight we’re burning books! Well. Just one book. And it started it. We’re opening the pages of the “Malleus Maleficarum”, or Hammer of Witches, a 15th-century treatise on identifying, trying, and punishing witches. We get into the origins of the book and its misogynistic zealot of an author, Heinrich Kramer. I’m not saying …

1
Monster Girls of Video Games 31:40

29d ago31:40

31:40

Send me a text message! Last week on Paranormal Pajama Party, we met the monster girls of Greek mythology. This week, in part two of our monster girls series, we’re considering the representation of monstrous women in horror video games. Monster girls are female-coded creatures that blend human and monstrous elements, often portrayed as both alluri…

1
Edition 98: Women's Music & Community in the woods of Michigan with Jenna, Donna, & Toni 1:08:04

28d ago1:08:04

1:08:04

This Summer of 2024, put on your rain gear and come to Michigan for the Rise Festival on the Land and WPI. More info and how to get tickets here: https://wwtlc.org/summer/. All the women gathering on the Land is sure to make the Sun shine, sisters! With guitars and grace, the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival lived and thrived on what is now known as…

1
Monster Girls of Greek Mythology 28:36

1M ago28:36

28:36

Send me a text message! This week on “Paranormal Pajama Party”, we’re kicking off a two-part series on the fascinating and often unsettling “monster girl” trope. These characters are more than just staples of horror media and anime; they are complex symbols that reveal deep-seated societal fears and fantasies about women. Monster girls have long em…

1
Thersa Matsuura, "The Book of Japanese Folklore: An Encyclopedia of the Spirits, Monsters, and Yokai of Japanese Myth" (Adams Media, 2024) 30:36

1M ago30:36

30:36

Discover everything you’ve ever wondered about the legendary spirits, creatures, and figures of Japanese folklore including how they have found their way into every corner of our pop culture from the creator of the podcast Uncanny Japan. Welcome to The Book of Japanese Folklore: An Encyclopedia of the Spirits, Monsters, and Yokai of Japanese Myth (…

1
Sohini Pillai, "Krishna's Mahabharatas: Devotional Retellings of an Epic Narrative" (Oxford UP, 2024) 43:19

1M ago43:19

43:19

Between 800 and 1700 CE, a plethora of Mahabharatas were created in Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Konkani, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Tamil, Telugu, and several other regional South Asian languages. Sohini Pillai's Krishna's Mahabharatas: Devotional Retellings of an Epic Narrative (Oxford UP, 2024) is a comprehensive study of premode…

1
The Ciguapa: Danger in the Dominican Republic 28:08

1M ago28:08

28:08

Send me a text message! Tonight’s special guest is the ciguapa, a legendary creature from Dominican Republic folklore. At first glance, the ciguapa may seem like just another fantastical being, with her backward-facing feet, golden or blue skin, and mesmerising black eyes. But a closer examination reveals layers of meaning deeply intertwined with t…

1
The Island of the Dolls: Mexico City's Haunted Hoard 23:12

2M ago23:12

23:12

Send me a text message! Get ready to uncover the chilling mysteries surrounding the infamous Island of the Dolls. In this episode, we delve into the eerie tale of Don Julián Santana Barrera and his encounter with the spirit of a drowned young girl in the canals of Mexico City’s Xochimilco district. But why are dolls so inherently creepy? It's more …

1
Sarah Whitehead: The Bank Nun 29:22

2M ago29:22

29:22

Send me a text message! Welcome back to Season 2 of “Paranormal Pajama Party”! I hope you’re as excited to dive back into these stories as I am. Set against the backdrop of Regency-era England (think “Bridgerton” and Jane Austen), this episode unravels the tragic story of Sarah Whitehead, a woman consumed by grief and desperation after the executio…

1
Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun – Paranormal Pajama Party Returns for Season Two! 1:43

2M ago1:43

1:43

Send me a text message! Paranormal Pajama Party Season 2 trailer Hey, boo. (Get it? Because ghosts?) It's me, Steph, and I'm delighted to announce that Paranormal Pajama Party is back for a second season, launching next week! Pull on your favourite pyjamas, grab a midnight snack or a warm drink, and join me for another round of spine-tingling stori…

1
Edition 97: An Analysis of Taylor Swift with Lierre Keith & Sheila Jeffreys 2:53:44

2M ago2:53:44

2:53:44

First up, hear the We the Women promo WLRN created for that gathering happening in the Pacific Northwest this summer. More info at https://www.wethewomen.world/.After the promo, we begin the show with a special 8th anniversary greeting from Thistle. Then, it is on to the world news with Mary O'Neill before we dive into our discussion of the Taylor …

1
Cathy Yue Wang, "Snake Sisters and Ghost Daughters: Feminist Adaptations of Traditional Tales in Chinese Fantasy" (Wayne State UP, 2023) 36:07

3M ago36:07

36:07

Contemporary Chinese film and literature often draw on time-honored fantastical texts and tales which were founded in the milieu of patriarchy, parental authority, heteronormativity, nationalism, and anthropocentrism. Cathy Yue Wang's Snake Sisters and Ghost Daughters: Feminist Adaptations of Traditional Tales in Chinese Fantasy (Wayne State Univer…

1
The Tower of London, Part 2: The Ghost of Anne Boleyn 28:14

3M ago28:14

28:14

Send me a text message! The Tower of London, Part 2: Ghost of Anne Boleyn | 13 Welcome back, as we continue our ghost tour of the Tower of London, focusing on the notorious female phantoms and femme fatales who have left an indelible mark on its history. In our previous episode, we met the Countess of Salisbury Margaret Pole, Lady Arbella Stuart, a…

1
The Tower of London, Part 1: The Countess of Salisbury, Lady Arbella Stuart, and Lady Jane Grey 34:27

3M ago34:27

34:27

Send me a text message! Tonight, we’re throwing our pajama party in the iconic Tower of London, a historic fortress that has long captured the public imagination. Renowned for its rich and often dark history, the Tower of London symbolises power, intrigue, and mystery. It’s also supposed to be one of the most haunted sites in the world – and its mo…

1
Edition 96: Earth Day 2024 with Sekhmet, Emily, Jocelyn, aurora, and Thistle 53:30

3M ago53:30

53:30

First up, hear Thistle greet the listener before Mary ONeill delivers WLRN's World News segment for April 4th, 2024. With Earth Day 2024 approaching, we wanted to express ourselves as individuals in our collective to help weather the storms of climate change on the horizon together. The situation is so dire, that our reflections and feelings about …

1
Beatrice Cenci: Innocent Murderess 24:40

3M ago24:40

24:40

Send me a text message! Beatrice Cenci | 11 The life of Beatrice Cenci, born into the noble Cenci family in 1577, is a tragic tale of abuse, desperation, and defiance. Subjected to unspeakable violence and cruelty at the hands of her father, Count Francesco Cenci, Beatrice orchestrated his murder alongside her family as a means of escape. Their plo…

1
The taboos of female friendships: a feminist analysis | Les tabous des amitiés entre filles: une analyse féministe pt2 2:02:38

3M ago2:02:38

2:02:38

Here is the second part on the taboos of female friendship episode where the hosts will now explore the uncomfortable sentiments that sometimes manifest themselves in female friendship...envy, competition, projection....why do we feel this way toward the friends that we love? And why do we struggle to address this? Also....why is the relationship t…

1
"Coraline", Part 2: Scary Gender Expressions and Scarier Mothers 22:14

4M ago22:14

22:14

Send me a text message! “Coraline” (Part 2) | 10 Welcome back to part two of our discussion on the children's horror movie "Coraline". Tonight, we’re drawing on the works of Judith Butler, Barbara Creed, and Sigmund Freud to explore its themes of gender, power, and the uncanny. In this episode, we’ll talk about how the introduction of a male charac…

1
Shakuntala Gawde, "Narrative Analysis of Bhagavata Purana: Selected Episodes from the Tenth Skandha" (Dev Publishers, 2023) 32:58

4M ago32:58

32:58

Shakuntala Gawde's book Narrative Analysis of Bhagavata Purana: Selected Episodes from the Tenth Skandha (Dev Publishers, 2023) presents an analytical study of selected narratives of the tenth skandha of the Bhāgavata Purāṇa with the framework of Narratology. It checks the possibilities of interpretation of some popular narratives from Kṛṣṇa saga. …

1
"Coraline", Part 1: The Uncanny and the Monstrous-Feminine 41:10

4M ago41:10

41:10

Send me a text message! Tonight on the podcast, we’re unravelling the chilling tale of Coraline Jones and her mother. No, not her mother. Her Other Mother. The one with the button eyes. Coraline – both the children’s movie and the novella – is the story of a girl battling for independence and identity. This battle is symbolic, sure, but it’s also l…

1
John O’Connor, "The Secret History of Bigfoot: Field Notes on a North American Monster" (Sourcebooks, 2024) 52:28

4M ago52:28

52:28

Bigfoot is an instantly recognizable figure. Through the decades, this elusive primate has been featured in movies and books, on coffee mugs, beer koozies, car polish, and CBD oil. Which begs the question: what is it about Bigfoot that's caught hold of our imaginations? Journalist and self-diagnosed skeptic John O'Connor is fascinated by Sasquatch.…

1
The taboos of female friendships: a feminist analysis | Les tabous des amitiés entre filles: une analyse féministe 1:36:35

4M ago1:36:35

1:36:35

Who has never heard the phrase “being friends with women is too difficult”? Female friendships never had the best reputation. It seems like they’ve never been a collective agreement (even amongst women) on whether we find female friendships amazing or terrible. In this episode our hosts acknowledge that both statements about female friendships can …

1
Felines, Females, and Fear: Witches and Their Familiars 33:41

4M ago33:41

33:41

Send me a text message! Felines, Females, and Fear | 8 The relationship between women, cats, and darkness is as ancient as human civilisation itself – and that’s not just the toxoplasmosis parasites in my brain talking. Tonight, we’re diving deep into the connections between cats, women, and evil… or at least, male fear. The episode begins with a w…

1
Edition 95: The Future of Fertility with Silvia Guerini 48:08

4M ago48:08

48:08

Welcome to our 95th podcast in a monthly series that began back in May of 2016! We are happy to present the work of Silvia Guerini this month as captured by WLRN member aurora linnea. Ms. Guerini released a book called From the 'Neutral' Body to the Post-Human Cyborg published by Spinifex Press in October. First up, hear aurora greet the listener a…

1
The Pontianak: The Malay Peninsula's Fiercest Ghost 23:31

4M ago23:31

23:31

Send me a text message! The Pontianak | 7 The Pontianak is the Malay Peninsula’s fiercest – and most fearsome – phantom. She’s a vampire ghost known for her terrifying appearance and insatiable hunger for revenge. This powerful entity represents a fascinating tension between traditional mystical beliefs, contemporary Islamic culture, and Western sc…

1
The Headless Mule: Brazil's Cautionary Tale 26:33

4M ago26:33

26:33

Send me a text message! 26.2.24 Paranormal Pajama Party The Headless Mule | 6 Tonight’s episode tells the story of Brazil’s headless mule, or mula sem cabeça, Argentina’s almamula, and their older sister, the muladona of Catalan mythology. Hold on – we’re in for a wild ride with this one. Imagine being cursed for eternity because you dared to defy …

1
Imani D. Owens, "Turn the World Upside Down: Empire and Unruly Forms of Black Folk Culture in the U.S. and Caribbean" (Columbia UP, 2023) 1:05:20

4M ago1:05:20

1:05:20

In the first half of the twentieth century, Black hemispheric culture grappled with the legacies of colonialism, U.S. empire, and Jim Crow. As writers and performers sought to convey the terror and the beauty of Black life under oppressive conditions, they increasingly turned to the labor, movement, speech, sound, and ritual of everyday “folk.” Man…

1
“The Boarded Window”: 'The Oregon Trail' Lied to Us 32:47

5M ago32:47

32:47

Send me a text message! 19.2.24 Paranormal Pajama Party “The Boarded Window” | 5 ⚠️ This episode contains spoilers ahead for “The Boarded Window”, which I read at the beginning. You can read it here (for free!) first if you’d prefer. ⚠️ In Ambrose Bierce’s popular short story, “The Boarded Window”, the mysterious former pioneer Murlock lives out hi…

1
Sweet Dreams: The Night Hag, the Mare, and the Succubus 31:35

5M ago31:35

31:35

Send me a text message! 12.2.24 Paranormal Pajama Party The Night Hag, the Mare, and the Succubus | 4 Chances are good, I'm sorry to say, you've already had a run-in with the old hag, also known as the Night Hag. She's haunted the dreams of many across cultures for thousands of years. She's strongly connected to the mare, a spirit known for riding …

1
Bloody Mary: A Slumber Party Classic 19:54

5M ago19:54

19:54

Send me a text message! 5.2.24 Paranormal Pajama Party Bloody Mary | 3 If you've been a preteen at a slumber party, chances are you've heard the chilling tale of Bloody Mary. Today, we'll dissect the origins of Bloody Mary and the various interpretations surrounding her name. Bloody Mary, the spectral figure said to appear in mirrors when her name …

1
Edition 94: Lesbian Love & Relationships with Leaf & Firewalker 1:07:59

5M ago1:07:59

1:07:59

This month of February we explore the world of lesbian love and relationships with Leaf & Firewalker, a lesbian couple who have been together for 39 years and are thriving.First up in the podcast, hear Emily Faye greet the listener before Thistle delivers the WLRN World News segment that includes stories about the World Health Organization's "Trans…

1
The Rusalka: No Mere Mermaid 23:39

5M ago23:39

23:39

Send me a text message! 29.1.24 Paranormal Pajama Party The Rusalka | 2 Get ready for a spooky episode as Steph delves into the Slavic legend of the rusalka. Although often associated with water, these spirits are far from the mermaids we might imagine. Instead, they're more like zombies... permanently trapped in puberty. It doesn't sound fun. At t…

1
Suzanne Oakdale, "Amazonian Cosmopolitans: Navigating a Shamanic Cosmos, Shifting Indigenous Policies, and Other Modern Projects" (U Nebraska Press, 2022) 54:22

5M ago54:22

54:22

In Amazonian Cosmopolitans: Navigating a Shamanic Cosmos, Shifting Indigenous Policies, and Other Modern Projects (U Nebraska Press, 2022), Suzanne Oakdale focuses on the autobiographical accounts of two Brazilian Indigenous leaders, Prepori and Sabino, Kawaiwete men whose lives spanned the twentieth century, when Amazonia increasingly became the c…

1
The Vanishing Hitchhiker: Sibyls, the Oracle of Delphi and an Urban Legend 20:30

6M ago20:30

20:30

Send me a text message! 22.1.24 The Vanishing Hitchhiker | 1 Welcome to the Paranormal Pajama Party! I'm so glad you could join. Get cozy, because we’re kicking off our first-ever party with a campfire standard — the vanishing hitchhiker. In this classic urban legend, a male driver picks up a seemingly innocent passenger, but the journey upends lif…

1
Joseph C. Russo, "Hard Luck and Heavy Rain: The Ecology of Stories in Southeast Texas" (Duke UP, 2022) 34:14

6M ago34:14

34:14

In Hard Luck and Heavy Rain: The Ecology of Stories in Southeast Texas (Duke UP, 2022) (Duke UP, 2023), Joseph C. Russo takes readers into the everyday lives of the rural residents of Southeast Texas. He encounters the region as a kind of world enveloped in on itself, existing under a pall of poverty, illness, and oil refinery smoke. His informants…

1
Jakob Norberg, "The Brothers Grimm and the Making of German Nationalism" (Cambridge UP, 2022) 1:00:25

6M ago1:00:25

1:00:25

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm are probably history’s most famous folklorists. Their collection of folk tales – the Children’s and Household Tales – is one of the world’s most translated literary works. Living in a time of upheaval and war, the Grimm brothers were also passionate German nationalists. They insisted that Germans must reject alien regimes an…

1
You're invited to a Paranormal Pajama Party! 3:12

6M ago3:12

3:12

Send me a text message! From women in white to witches, have you ever noticed how often the horrors in our favourite scary stories tend to look a lot like, uh… ladies? Paranormal Pajama Party is a podcast that brings you classic ghost stories and legends featuring female phantoms and femme fatales. Join me, Steph, a horror fan and feminist, as we d…

1
Edition 93: 2023 in Review with Liz Miller, Thistle, Emily Faye & Sekhmet SheOwl 1:04:42

6M ago1:04:42

1:04:42

Happy New Year to all of our listeners and supporters! Thanks for tuning in to our 93rd edition podcast!First up, hear a rendition of Auld Lang Syne by Celtic Woman before WLRN's aurora linnea greets the listener and then delivers WLRN's World News segment. Next, hear Terra Lightfoot with her song No Hurry before listening to Liz Miller, Thistle, a…

1
William G. Pooley, "Body and Tradition in 19th-Century France: Félix Arnaudin and the Moorlands of Gascony, 1870-1914" (Oxford UP, 2019) 58:24

6M ago58:24

58:24

The moorlands of Gascony are often considered one of the most dramatic examples of top-down rural modernization in nineteenth-century Europe. From an area of open moors, they were transformed in one generation into the largest man-made forest in Europe. Body and Tradition in Nineteenth-Century France: Félix Arnaudin and the Moorlands of Gascony, 18…

1
Matthieu Felt, "Meanings of Antiquity: Myth Interpretation in Premodern Japan" (Harvard UP, 2023) 44:24

6M ago44:24

44:24

Meanings of Antiquity: Myth Interpretation in Premodern Japan (Harvard UP, 2023) is the first dedicated study of how the oldest Japanese myths, recorded in the eighth-century texts Kojiki and Nihon shoki, changed in meaning and significance between 800 and 1800 CE. Generations of Japanese scholars and students have turned to these two texts and the…

1
Edition 92: Women in the Cross Hairs - Palestine & Israel with Cindy Sheehan 1:09:09

7M ago1:09:09

1:09:09

First up, hear WLRN's greeting with member Mary O'Neill who later on in the show, delivers her commentary on the situation women are facing in the regions known as Israel and Palestine.This month, one of our newest members, Kathleen Miles, wrote and delivered WLRN's World News segment. Hear stories from around the world before listening to the song…

1
Greg Bailey, "The Brahmavaivarta Purana (Ganesa Khanda): Ancient Indian Tradition and Mythology" (Motilal Banarsidass, 2022) 33:56

8M ago33:56

33:56

Greg Bailey discusses his new translation of the Gaṇeśa Khaṇḍa of the Brahmavaivarta Purāṇa, one of the few texts dedicated solely to the popular elephant-headed Indian god Gaṇeśa. About the book: The first two khaas of the Brahmavaivarta Puraa (BvP) deal with Brahma and Prakti respectively. Both introducing the theology that enables Ka to be treat…

1
Genocide in Palestine: the war on misinformation 1:39:32

8M ago1:39:32

1:39:32

In this episode we’re tackling the genocide happening right now in Palestine. Since October 7th, the day of the Hamas “terrorist attack” on Israel, western media has been trying to push a specific narrative about what’s happening in Gaza, by repeating to the Grand Public that Israel has the right to defend itself under international law. But what d…

1
Edition 91: Body Image & Feminism 1:07:25

8M ago1:07:25

1:07:25

This November 2023 Edition of the WLRN podcast explores the concept of body image and how it's exploited by patriarchy. Mary O'Neill delivers the world news, updating us on women's situation regarding the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, among other stories. Emily treats us to a conversation she had with Zinetta, a radfem sister from the PNW, on how t…

1
Stuart McHardy, "The Nine Maidens: Priestesses of the Ancient World" (Luath Press, 2023) 38:03

9M ago38:03

38:03

When King Arthur was conveyed to Avalon they were there. When Odin summoned warriors to Valhalla they were there. When Apollo was worshipped on Greek mountains they were there. When Brendan came to the Island of Women they were there. They are the Nine Maidens – from the mothers of the Norse God Heimdall, Morgan and her sisters on Avalon, to the ni…

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