Public Intellectual

What does it mean to be a global citizen? What does it mean to be a global citizen as a Westerner, when so much of the world has been molded to work for you, not with you? Writer and professor Bruce Robbins joins Jessa to answer some of these questions. Together, they discuss the ethics of cosmopolitanism, American cosmopolitanism from the viewpoint of violence and inequality, consumerism, and the disappearing role of religion in creating practical cosmopolitanism and an ethical framework.

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It’s the 500 year anniversary of the Reformation, so Jessa invites Adrian Shirk onto the show to talk about religion and her new book, And Your Daughters Shall Prophesy. They discuss how her book restores women, mystery, and beauty to the story of American religion, complicates the simplistic ideas we have about belief, and helps other seekers like her find a place within faith.

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South Side bureau reporter for WBEZ Chicago, Natalie Y. Moore, joins Jessa for a candid conversation about Gentrification vs. Development and the specific situation in Chicago. What is the current state of things? And more broadly, how should one participate in a community and neighborhood? How do we move around the world with intention and with an ethical framework?

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There's nothing like reading a hateful book review. And though it is certainly pleasurable to read (and write), the bad book review serves an important purpose. Jessa invites book critic B.D. McClay onto the show to discuss the books they hate and the good that this hate does for the book world.

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It’s Part Two of “What The Christ Is Wrong With Straight White Men?” For the second installment of this series, Jessa invites writer John Biguenet onto the show to discuss the straight white male writer. What are his obligations during these strange times? And why has American literature become a literature of victimhood?

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Jessa invites writer Indiana Seresin back onto the show as the first repeat guest to discuss the TV adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel, “The Handmaid’s Tale,” hyperbole in Trump’s America, and why this particular story is having such an effect on our culture.

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Jessa invites writer Leah Finnegan onto the show to discuss the “shitty media men” list, the power imbalances in medi, and the current structures that protect sexual predators. Together, they talk about the shitty individuals who are doing the damage, but most importantly, the environment that is helping foster this culture of abuse and award bullying behavior.

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The second part in a series about the films of David Fischer and Paul Verhoeven. Jessa invites author/cartoonist David Rees onto the show to discuss David Fincher’s Zodiac and the portrayal of serial killers in movies & tv.

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This week, Jessa invites Ciara Cremin, author of Man-Made Woman: The Dialectics of Cross-Dressing, onto the show for a conversation about consumerism, how traditional masculinity props up capitalism, and the disdain the contemporary man has for femininity.

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The third part in a series about the films of Paul Verhoeven and David Fincher. Jessa invites writer, translator, and producer of erotic gay manga, Anne Ishii, onto the show to discuss Verhoeven's 1995 film Showgirls, its reception, and legacy.

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