In this episode, we are in company with Hans Lucht to talk about ethnographic poetry. Hans is a senior researcher, and the head of migration research at the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) in Copenhagen. He has worked with migration for 20 years, with a special focus on undocumented labour-related migration from West Africa to Europe. He has conducted long-term fieldwork in Ghana, Niger, Libya, Italy, and Greece, and his prize-winning monograph ‘Darkness before Daybreak’ chronicles the lives of a group of migrants who travels from Ghana to Italy in search of work.

Apart from his numerous academic contributions of articles and policy reports, Lucht is a writer, and poet, I should say. He has published two novels titled Onko-Mus and Lysene på den anden side and two collections of poems, all in his mother-tongue Danish. The first poetry collection, called Feltarbejde (Fieldwork) from 2022 is a poetic reflection on both the experiences of his interlocutors and the experience as a fieldworker. The second, Vores liv ryster (Our lives are shaking), came out in 2024 and consists of what Hans has called documentary poems. This means that all text of the poems is direct quotes from conversations and interviews with his interlocutors that Hans has then curated by following a few self-imposed dogmas.

In the podcast, Hans will read out loud five poems from this collection, all titled with a name of the one speaking and where the conversation took place. In between the readings, we ask Hans about what impressions inspired the poems, the dynamic of working between anthropology and art, and how each domain can inform and expand the insights of the other. We discuss the concept of ‘existential reciprocity’ in relation to his work, and how doing fieldwork engenders impressions and transformations that exceed academic analysis and extend into the lives of both interlocutors and fieldworkers. 

The episode is part of Regnfang’s series of co-publications of the Anthropology on Air podcast. A podcast created and published in collaboration with the Department of Social Anthropology at the University of Bergen. The podcast was recorded in February 2025, when Hans visited Bergen to give a presentation at the Bergen Social Anthropology Seminars (BSAS) series.

Resources:

-       Hans Lucht’s academic profile

-       Feltarbejde (2022)

-       Vores liv ryster (2024)

I denne podcast kan du møde forfatter, Iselin C. Hermann. Iselin debuterede som forfatter i 1998 med brevromanen Prioritaire og har siden udgivet en lang række romaner, senest kunstneromanen Berninis Øje om den italienske billedhugger Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Derudover har hun skrevet flere børnebøger, blandt andet Den nye konge af Sydspanien – og hele kabalen, der for nylig udkom på forlaget Jensen & Dalgaard, samt forgængeren Kongen af Sydspanien – og hele balladen, der netop er genudgivet på samme forlag. Før og sideløbende med sit forfattervirke har Iselin også arbejdet som redaktør på Brøndums forlag, hvor hun sammen med Hans Jørgen Brøndum har stået bag en lang række fantastiske udgivelser—blandt andet flere udgivelser med digteren og vennen, Henrik Nordbrandt, hvis poesi hun har speciale i fra sine studier i litteraturvidenskab.

Det er dog hverken Iselins egen forfattervirksomhed eller arbejde som redaktør, der er fokus i denne udsendelse. Derimod læser Iselin højt af en ganske bestemt tekst, nemlig sit erindringsessay Manden med sin egen tidsregning, der handler om mennesket og kunstneren, Viktor IV. Vi vil egentlig ikke sige så meget om teksten på forhånd, for den skal bare nydes som den er. Derimod vil vi gerne slå fast, at vi er utrolig stolte af at kunne bringe denne højtlæsning, eftersom teksten aldrig har været bragt før, hverken på skrift eller lyd. Denne udsendelse udgør altså en premiere.

Vi håber du vil nyde Iselins fantastiske essay og forsvinde ind i Viktor IV’s forunderlige verden, fyldt med livspoesi, spontanitet og oprigtig kærlighed til eksistensens mange finurlige sider.

Hvis du har interesse for Viktor IV’s arbejde, kan du besøge Bulgar Time på: https://www.bulgartime.com/. De sælger nogle af Viktor IV’s fantastiske værker heriblandt hans ure.

God fornøjelse.

I denne episode (andet afsnit i vores serie om norsk folkemusik) taler vi med Anne Svånaug Blengsdalen. Anne Svånaug Blengsdalen er folkemusiker, folkedanser, samt professor emeritus i musikformidling og musikhistorie. Anne har medvirket på en række albums og udgivet 2 i eget navn, samt skrevet vidt og bredt om den norske folkemusik.

Vi taler med Anne om læremester/elev forholdet og dets betydning for folkemusikkens ånd, om loyalitet overfor tradition, om folkemusikkens historie fra 1500tallet og frem, samt om forbindelsen mellem folkemusik og forlkedans.

God fornøjelse!

I denne episode (forste afsnit i vores serie om norsk folkemusik) taler vi med Anders Roine. Anders Erik Roine er folkemusiker og komponist, og spiller mundharpe, langeleik, hardingfele, seljefloyte, lur, mandolin, banjo og gitar. Anders har lavet musik i mange forskellige konstellationer, blandt andet med Sudan Dudan, Reolo samt Roine/Warg. Han har en PhD grad i kulturstudier, fra universitetet i serost Norge som handler om rytmikstrukturer i norsk folkemusik.

Vi taler med Anders om hans vej ind i den norske folkemusik, om udviklingen i norsk folkemusik igennem ärhundrederne og genren store fornyelse igennem de sidste 20 ar. Anders fortæller om den spojse forbindelse mellem norsk folkemusik og musik fra Vestafrika, om polyrytmik, om variation og repetition, samt om tranceinducerende elementer i folkemusikken.

God fornojelse!

In this episode we talk with Fatemeh Ekhtesari and Mehdi Mousavi about poetry as a practise in Iran. We talk about poetry’s strong roots in Iranian culture, and how it’s being used today as a weapon in the fight against the Iranian regime. We talk about censorship in Iran and the poetic movement post-modern Ghazal. We discuss how the regime exercise systematic violence, torture and discrimination against its population, and the ways in which Fatemeh Ekhtesari and Mehdi Mousavi have used their poetry as a political tool in mobilising change. 

Fatemeh Ekhtesari is a poet, editor, Human rights activist and midwife from Iran. She has published four collections of poetry, two collections of short stories, and two collections of prose. Her poetry is translated into English, German, Norwegian, Swedish and Spanish. 

Mehdi Mousavi is a poet, editor, Human rights activist  and pharmacist from Iran. He has published fourteen collections of poetry, two novels and a book on literature theory. As a teacher Mousavi has led underground poetry schools in hiding from Iranian authorities for many years. 

In 2015 Ekhtesari and Mousavi fled Iran together. Ekhtesari had been convicted eleven and a half years in prison and ninety-nine whiplashes, Mousavi nine years in prison and ninety-nine lashes. Both sentences were on the grounds of their poetic activism. They came to Limmehammer in 2017 through Icorn as writes in exile. 

This episode of the podcast was recorded in February 2024, at an event in Gamle Munch in Oslo in front of an audience. The event was supported by Frittord. 

I hope you enjoy the conversation. 

I denne udsendelse taler vi (igen) med den norske poet Stein Versto. Stein Versto debuterede i 1990 med novellesamlingen Ho blei borte i trappene, som han fik Tarjei Vesaas' debutantpris for. Siden har han udgivet flere digtsamlinger og romaner. Med udgangspunkt i Steins sidste digtsamling, Så nær kan du sjå meg, taler vi om forholdet mellem poesi og musik, poesi og tro, samt poesi og magi. Udover at være poet er Stein musiker og velbevandret i den kristne visdomstradition, og har derfor unikke perspektiver på de mystiske, sanselige og bevidsthedsudvidende potentialer poesien tilbyder os.

Udsendelsen blev optaget under litteraturfestivalen Bøker i Bø foran et veloplagt publikum. Denne podcast begynder ved at Stein Versto læser højt af sin poesi, derefter går udsendelsen over til selve interviewet og afsluttes med mere digtoplæsning. Det var utroligt meningsfuldt  for mig at interviewe Stein Versto, og jeg håber at I vil finde inspiration i hans univers.

God fornøjelse

In this episode, you will meet Alvaro de Ferranti. Alvaro is founder and leader of the Tabula Rasa Retreat, a therapeutic treatment center operating in Portugal, that uses the plant medicine ibogaine as part of wholistic treatments for addiction, mental health issues, and spiritual enhancement. Alvaro has been working therapeutically with iboga and ibogaine since 2016, and at Tabula Rasa he has received and treated more than 300 people. The broad application of this plant medicine is reflected in the stories of these people, who have come to Tabula Rasa to manage issues as varied as opioid-addiction, stimulant-addiction, PTSD, behavioral addiction, depression, eating disorder, anxiety, and spiritual disconnection.  

Ibogaine is one of the main alkaloids in the tabernanthe iboga plant, that grows in and around the rainforest of Gabon. The plant and its alkaloid are currently receiving increased attention among researchers and therapists, mainly because of its presuming potential to treat substance dependence. However, significant risks are also associated with iboga and ibogaine, and work is still needed to assess the efficacy and safety profile of this plant medicine.

In the podcast, Alvaro and I touch briefly on the fascinating journey of the iboga plant from its roots in Gabon where it has been and is still used for healing and initiation as part of the spiritual tradition called Bwiti, and into its use in addiction treatment and therapies at both official centers and at underground facilities all around the world. We then turn to the topic of how iboga can heal various issues and help people “dissolve to resolve”. Alvaro describes the treatment protocol and the crucial safety measures taken at Tabula Rasa. We talk about the significance of trust, respect, and intentionality when working with iboga, the importance of having a social support structure before and after treatment, and some common psychological, physical, and emotional effects of a flood dose of ibogaine among their clients. Finally, we discuss the challenges and potentials around implementing ibogaine in more traditional psychiatry.

The podcast is recorded at Tabula Rasa’s serene farm in Portugal, where I had the pleasure to spend some months during my doctoral research in order to follow, take part in, and learn from their work.

We hope you enjoy the conversation!

Links:

Tabula Rasa Retreat

Tanya Luhrmann is Albert Ray Lang Professor of Anthropology at Stanford University, with a courtesy appointment in Psychology, and she is an elected member of the American Philosophical Society. Her work focuses on the edge of experience: on voices, visions, the world of the supernatural and the world of psychosis. She has conducted ethnographic work among groups such as evangelic Christians, American Santerians, Zoroastrians in India, magicians in England, and people hearing voices across cultural contexts. Apart from being the author of lots of academic articles and opinion pieces in the New York Times, her award-winning books include ‘Persuasions of the Witch’s Craft’, ‘Of Two Minds’, ‘When God talks Back’, and ‘How God Becomes Real’.

In this podcast we talk with Tanya about how people make God and Spirits real through various forms of practice and ideas. Tanya shares stories of world- and self-transformation from her fieldwork among magicians in England and evangelic Christians in the United States and unfolds some of the factors influencing such changes. We talk about the world-building effects of prayer, and how faith changes the person of faith. Finally, Tanya describes how cultural theories of mind also have an impact on the manifestation of anomalous, sensory experiences across contexts.

The episode is part of Regnfang’s series of co-publications of the Anthropology on Air podcast. A podcast created and published in collaboration with the Department of Social Anthropology at the University of Bergen. The podcast was recorded in early December 2023, when Tanya was in Bergen to be a panellist of the annual Holberg Debate.

Resources:

Academic Profile: https://anthropology.stanford.edu/people/tanya-marie-luhrmann

Personal website: https://www.tanyaluhrmann.com

-       When God talks Back: Understanding the American Evangelical Relationship with God (2012)

-       Of Two Minds: An anthropologist looks at American Psychiatry (2001)

-       Persuasions of the Witch’s Craft: Ritual Magic in Contemporary England (1989)

-       How God Becomes Real: Kindling the Presence of Invisible Others (2020)

-       Special issue: ‘Mind and Spirit: a Comparative Theory’ (2020)

-       Article mentioned: ‘Sensing the presence of gods and spirits across cultures and faiths’ (2021)

Host and production: Sidsel Marie

Music: Victor Lange

In this episode, you will meet professor at the University of Oxford, Harvey Whitehouse. Harvey is the director of the Centre for the Study of Social Cohesion, he is Statutory Chair of Social Anthropology at the University of Oxford, and a Professorial Fellow of Magdalen College. Harvey has worked extensively with rituals since his first long-term fieldwork in Papua New Guinea in 1980s. His list of publications includes myriads of interdisciplinary contributions, articles, and edited volumes apart from books, with the most recent being ‘The Ritual Animal’ (from 2021).

Currently, Harvey is testing and developing his theory of modes of religiosity which proposes that the frequency, transmission form and emotionality of rituals influences the scale and structure of social organisation. In recent years, his research has expanded beyond religion to examine all kinds of ritual behaviour globally and their role in binding groups together whether being in the context of football, war, or ex-convicts. Apart from that, Harvey has been occupied with questions on the evolution of social complexity, something which is also explored in his forthcoming book ‘Inheritance: the evolutionary origins of the modern world’ that will be published in June 2024. 

In this podcast, we talk with Harvey about what characterises rituals, what kinds of social effects they can produce, and how they have developed throughout history and influenced social organisation. Harvey explains the modes of religiosity theory and we discuss how it can be usefully applied in relation to conflict and contexts as diverse as football fandom, violent extremism, and the environmental crisis. Finally, Harvey shares his vision of an anthropology that reaches beyond interpretive exclusivism and disciplinary silos when trying to understand cultural and social systems.

The episode is part of Regnfang’s series of co-publications of the Anthropology on Air podcast. A podcast created and published in collaboration with the Department of Social Anthropology at the University of Bergen. The podcast was recorded in November 2023, when Harvey visited Bergen to give the yearly Barth Memorial Lecture.

Resources:

Academic profile: https://www.anthro.ox.ac.uk/people/professor-harvey-whitehouse

Personal website: https://www.harveywhitehouse.com

Paper mentioned: Rethinking ritual: how rituals made our world and how they could save it (2023)

Books mentioned: The Ritual Animal (2021), ‘Inheritance: the evolutionary origins of the modern world (forthcoming)

In this episode you will meet Jennifer Hays, who is professor in social anthropology at the University of Tromsø (UiT) – the Arctic University of Norway. Jennifer has been working with hunter-gatherer San Populations in southern Africa for 25 years, as a researcher, and as a consultant for governmental bodies and local and international NGOs. She is, among other things, a founding member of the Hunter Gatherer Education Research and Advocacy Group (HG-Edu), a board member of the Kalahari Peoples’ Fund. She also works as a consultant for UN bodies on global human rights issues. A primary focus of her work has been on issues relating to education, language, and indigenous rights, including the impact of formal education on San lifeways and on their own efforts to attain educational self-determination.

In the podcast, Jennifer gives us insights into what characterises the ways of life of the approximately 10 million people worldwide who live in contemporary hunter-gatherer communities. Focusing on the Ju/’hoansi in the Nyae Nyae conservancy in Namibia, where Jennifer has conducted decades of extensive fieldwork, we discuss some of the challenges that this community face, especially in terms of education and knowledge transmission.

Finally, Jennifer offers some reflections on the complex topic of how we can uphold the rights to self-determination of indigenous peoples, and some of the pitfalls that we must take caution to avoid.

The episode is part of Regnfang’s series of co-publications of the Anthropology on Air podcast. A podcast created and published in collaboration with the Department of Social Anthropology at the University of Bergen. The podcast was recorded in early November 2023 when Jennifer was in Bergen to give a lecture at the Bergen Anthropology Department Seminars.

Resources:

-       Read more about Jennifer’s work and find her publications here

Host and production: Sidsel Marie

Music: Victor Lange