The AKC podcast features lectures from the Associateship of King's College (AKC), the original award of King's College London, dating back to 1829. These lectures enrich the academic curriculum at King's and are delivered from the perspective of the individual academic, not representing an official position of the college.
Episodes
S15 E04: The Trouble with Medicine: Medical Distrust in 1970s Britain
Dr Caitjan Gainty examines medical distrust, information and misinformation in 1970s Britain
S15 E03: Rebuilding the House: Democracy, Disinformation, and the Politics of Trust in Post-Populist Europe
Professor Adam Fagan asks whether liberal democracy in Europe is far less broken than the headlines suggest.
S15 E02: The Value of Mistrust: Findings From Research With Survivors of Abuse
Professor Linda Woodhead shares new research on cases of religious abuse and trust
S15 E01: When Virtue Turns into Vice: The Problem of Loyalty
Professor Mona Siddiqui and Dr Nathanael Vette discuss loyalty
S14 E09: London's Future in a Changing Europe
Anand Menon discusses the legacy of the Brexit vote and the UK's political future
S14 E08: South London as a Centre of Medical Innovation
Simon Howell discusses South London's history and legacy as a centre of medical advancement
S14 E07: The London Problem
Dr Jack Brown discusses national and international perspectives on London
S14 E06: Fashion in London
Agnes Rocamora examines London fashion past and present
S14 E05: Shakespeare’s London
Lucy Munro discusses London's role in the works of Shakespeare
S14 E04: Jellied Eels, Curry and Congee: East End Dinners and Multicultural Drift
Alex Rhys-Taylor discusses the food history - and present - of London's East End
S14 E03: London’s Housing Futures: Gentrification, Race and the Death of the Council Estate
Phil Hubbard discusses London's housing crisis
S14 E02: Windrush and the Black Cultural Archives
Dr Ayshah Johnston introduces the Black Cultural Archives, its history, and its relationship with Windrush
S14 E01: A London Microcosm? Spitalfields, from Huguenots to Hipsters
Daniel Nilsson-DeHanas makes a welcome return to the AKC to introduce the London Unfolding series and speak about the cultural history of Spitalfields
S13 E09: Re-thinking the Purpose of Thinking
King-Ho Leung asks: why do we think?
S13 E08: Re-thinking Mind and Body
Dr Karen O'Brien-Kop discusses the mind/body relationship from an ontological perspective
S13 E07: Re-thinking our smartphone usage
Professor Ben Carter and Dr Nicola Kalk outline the latest research on smartphone usage and mental health
S13 E06: Re-thinking Brain Development
Dr Stacey Bedwell discusses the 5 stages of neurological development
S13 E05: Re-thinking Human Learning in the Age of AI
Martin Compton discusses AI in the context of higher education
S13 E04: Rethinking Gut and Brain Health
Professor Tim Spector discusses how diet and the gut microbiome affect our health
S13 E02: Re-thinking our ocean origins
Rachel Mills discusses our ocean origins and historic and current practices in oceanography
S13 E01: Why re-think thinking?
Edward David, Director of the AKC, introduces this semester's lecture series 'Re-thinking thinking'
S12 E09: Grammars of Animacy: Geographies of Care
S12 E09: Grammars of Animacy: Geographies of Care by AKC @ King's College London
S12 E08: Love, Relationship and Existential Culture
S12 E08: Love, Relationship and Existential Culture by AKC @ King's College London
S03 E07: Against 'Mental Health'
Professor Nikolas Rose presents a case against 'mental health' and medicalisation
S12 E07: Last Love: Lessons from Care at the End of Life
S12 E07: Last Love: Lessons from Care at the End of Life by AKC @ King's College London
S12 E06: Who Controls the Narrative of Lived Experience in High Control Communities?
S12 E06: Who Controls the Narrative of Lived Experience in High Control Communities? by AKC @ King's College London
S12 E05: Impossible Subjects? Autistic People’s Belonging in Religious Groups
Dr Krysia Waldock explores neurodiversity in religious contexts
S12 E04: On Love, Non-attachment and Liberation
Guilaine Kinouani, Founder of Race Reflections & Author, Scholar and Activist, reflects on non-attachment with reference to Freud, bell hooks, and her own lived experience
S12 E03: Vulnerability and Control: Smartphones and Queer Men's Cultures of Intimacy
Dr Jamie Hakim discusses the role of smartphones in queer men's relationships
S12 E02: Cunning Encounters: Love as Bravery and Defiance
Dr Selma Dabbagh explores Arab women's poetry
S12 E01: On Marriage: A Conversation
Stephen Frosh hosts a conversation on marriage and philosophy with Devorah Baum and Clare Carlisle
S11 E09: Wounds Inside: The Anticipated Mental Health Consequences of the Genocide in Gaza
Prof Hanna Kienzler shares research on mental health and conflict
S11 E01: When Calm is Violence: Media and Power in Israel-Palestine
Amjad Iraqi, from Al-Shabaka & +972 Magazine, discusses the events of October 7th 2023 from a journalistic perspective.
All AKC lectures are delivered from the perspective of the academic delivering them and do not represent an official position of King’s College London. These lectures often explore contentious subjects and viewpoints and we welcome constructive debate at these events.
S11 E04: Is Gandhi Pacifist? Violence and Ethics in Anticolonial Thought
Dr Moiz Tundawala explores Gandhi's approach to non-violence
All AKC lectures are delivered from the perspective of the academic delivering them and do not represent an official position of King’s College London.
S11 E07: Art for Peace and Justice
Professor Rachel Kerr discusses art's role in peacemaking, reconciliation and justice
All AKC lectures are delivered from the perspective of the academic delivering them and do not represent an official position of King’s College London.
S11 E03: The Greater War Is Against Your Ego: A Sufi View on Inner Struggle
Dr Kazuyo Murata discusses the human struggle with the ego from a Sufist perspective
All AKC lectures are delivered from the perspective of the academic delivering them and do not represent an official position of King’s College London.
S11 E06: The Right to Peace
Dr Maria Varaki discusses the United Nations declaration of human rights
All AKC lectures are delivered from the perspective of the academic delivering them and do not represent an official position of King’s College London.
S11 E05: What Is ‘Holy’ in This War? Religions and Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
Professor Marat Shterin discusses religion and politics in the Ukraine conflict
All AKC lectures are delivered from the perspective of the academic delivering them and do not represent an official position of King’s College London.
S10 E09: Narrative Imagination and Moral Perfection in Indian Buddhism
Professor Naomi Appleton discusses Buddhist philosophy through story telling
S10 S08: Self and World in Early Indian Philosophy
Dr Shalini Sinha explores concepts of the self, reality and consciousness in early Indian thought
E10 E07: Tolerance: South Asian Islamic Conceptions
Professor Humeira Iqtidar discusses South Asian Islamic Thought on tolerance, liberalism and diversity
S10 E06: Annam Brahma: Hindu Theology of Eating
Professor Diwakar Acharya examines Hindu approaches to diet, food and theology
S10 E05: Isolated or Co-responsible? Perfected Souls in Jainism
Dr Marie-Helene Gorisse, University of Birmingham discusses Jain philosophy and metaphysics
S10 E04: Between Past and Future: Muslim Political Philosophy in Colonial India
Dr Taushif Kara explores Muslim philosophy in colonial India through poetry, literature and art
S10 E03: Hindu Worldviews: Theories of Self, Ritual and Reality
Dr Jessica Frazier discusses the concept of Self in ancient Hindu philosophy and yogic texts
S10 E02: The Self-Other Dialectic in the Religious Poetry of Rabindranath Tagore
Dr Ankur Barua discusses the poetry and theology of Rabindranath Tagore
S10 E01: The Gendered Self in a Masculinist World: the Mahābhārata
Professor Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad, University of Lancaster
S09 E09: Universities in Our Contemporary Society
Professor Shitij Kapur considers the role of the university in facilitating free speech and fostering respect in contemporary society
S09 E08: Are We Too Easily Offended Nowadays?
Professor Linda Woodhead discusses generational differences in dealing with offence and emotion
S09 E07: Too Important to Be Offended—the Doctor Has to Ask
Dr Shunagyu LI discusses offence and the medical profession
S09 E06: Visualising Africa: The Offence of Misrepresentation
Dr Edward Ademolu discusses the misrepresentation of Africa in charity campaign images
S09 E05: A Blonde Enters a Lecture Hall…and Offers a Feminist Examination of Sexist Humour
Dr Nicole Graham examines sexist humour
S09 E04: Free Speech Against a Faith—When the Faith is Not Ours
Professor Satvinder Juss discusses freedom of speech and religion. Content warning: this lecture contains references to material which some listeners may find offensive.
S09 E03: The State of Free Speech in UK Universities: What Students and the Public Think
Professor Bobby Duffy returns to the AKC to discuss his research into the state of free speech in UK universities
S09 E02: Free Speech and the University
Professor Arif Ahmed discusses the role of free speech in Higher Education
S09 E01: Free Speech and Offence: Can We Draw a Line?
Professor David Ruebain examines freedom of speech from a legal perspective
S08 E09: Witnessing Catastrophe: Theology and Climate Change
Tim Middleton discusses the role of theology and religion in response to climate change and collective trauma
S08 E08: Is climate change a security threat?
Robert Falkner considers climate change from an International Relations perspective
S08 E07: Minimal ethics for a planetary crisis
Dr Joanna Zylinska takes a deep dive into the philosophy of climate change
S08 S06: Climate Change: What can we do?
A panel discussion concerning climate change and our response to it, with a keynote address from Sarah Lunnon (Extinction Rebellion, Just Stop Oil), convened by AKC Director Professor Clare Carlisle
S08 E03: Public Education in an Era of Planetary Emergency
Ben Rawlence, founder of Black Mountains College, discusses the role of education in preparing us to live in a new era of planetary emergency and climate crisis
S08 E05: Art and Activism
Margaret Heffernan considers the role of activism in the arts
S08 E04: Palaeolithic Climate Change: What can we learn from our ancient ancestors?
Hilary Davies talks about sites of historic interest in the Dordogne valley and beyond, and asks what lessons we can learn from palaeolithic societies
S08 S02: Climate Change: Finding the Right Story
Professor Mike Hulme discusses a variety of narratives concerning climate change
S08 E01: Taking the Planet into Uncharted Territory
Dame Professor Julia Slingo discusses the impact of humanity on planet earth
S07 E09: St Francis at the Engine Room
Julie Gittoes, Andrew Kwapong and Graeme Mortimer Evelyn discuss Graeme's work at St Francis at the Engine Room
S07 E08: St Paul's Cathedral: art old and new
Paula Gooder examines the memorials and artwork in St Paul's Cathedral in the light of the contested history debate
S07 E07: Devotion, Doubt and the 'Down-and-Out': Jean Cocteau's Murals
Caroline Levitt discusses the murals of Jean Cocteau in the Église Notre Dame de France, Leicester Place
S07 E06: Crossing Borders: Art and Religion at the National Gallery
Ayla Lepine discusses her work at the National Gallery intersecting art and religion
S07 E05: Westminster Abbey: Art and Memory
Jamie Hawkey discusses the art of Westminster Abbey and its role in the curation of national memory
S07 E04: Paying to enter our Father's house: the cost of living our metaphors
Neil MacGregor discusses the ethics of places of worship charging for entry
S07 E03: Call to Holy Ground: Connecting People and Place
Laura Moffatt from Art & Christianity describes her partnership with the artists Fourthland and faith communities in Epping Forest and Walthamstow
S07 E02: Diasporic Longings: Exploring Migration and Entanglement Through Architecture
Dr Shahed Salem shares some of his work on mosque design in the UK and discusses how migration and architecture relate to each other
S07 E01: How Art and the Sacred Interact in Contemporary London: A Live(ly) Conversation
Professor Ben Quash introduces this semester's lecture series by examining sacred spaces in London, and the interplay between art, commerce and sacred space in the capital.
S06 E09: Free speech in the secular university
Dr Ruth Sheldon
S06 E08: The Dance of Radical and Moderate Religion
Professor Linda Woodhead discusses what makes religion go radical
S06 E07: Religion and the Black Radical Tradition
Dr William Ackah discusses the history of the black radical tradition
S06 E06: The Recruitment and Roles of Women and Children in the Islamic State Group
Dr Gina Vale discusses the roles of women and children within the Islamic State group
S06 E04: Gender and Fundamentalism
Dr Sukhwant Dhaliwal discusses the intersection between gender, fundamentalism and human rights
S06 E03: Choosing to follow radical religions
Professor Eileen Barker discusses radical religions and cults
