Sustainability Matters

On this episode of Sustainability Matters, we ask: How is digital technology transforming religious belief and practice today? How does digital culture reshape religious authority, education, and governance? And how do emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence complicate questions of belief, legitimacy, and responsibility within religious communities?

All this and more with Dr. Thomas Schlag and Katharina Yadav, editors of Religious Communication, Interaction and Transformation in a Culture of Digitality, published by De Gruyter Brill. 

Host: Ramzi Nasir

Guests: Dr. Thomas Schlag and Katharina Yadav

What are the limits of the utilitarian approach to studying the environment? How do we go beyond Western philosophies in our thinking around the environment? Can Western and Non-Western approaches work together? And why is it imperative that we expand our political imagination? 

In this episode of Sustainability Matters, Dr. Aleksandra Ross and Dr. Krzysztof Skonieczny talk about the importance of looking at ecological challenges from pluralistic, culturally diverse perspectives and discuss ways in which non-Western styles of thought help us not only understand the problem better, but also find solutions. This episode is based on their book Non-Western Approaches in Environmental Humanities, published by De Gruyter Brill, of which they’re co-editors alongside Dr. Gabriela Jarzębowska. 

Host: Ramzi Nasir

Guests: Dr. Aleksandra Ross and Dr. Krzysztof Skonieczny 

On this episode of Sustainability Matters, we ask: What does it mean to narrate the heritage of psychiatry? Why is the history of mental health research so relevant today? How can we celebrate diverse experiences of "madness" without romanticising potentially harmful behaviours? And what role do contemporary systems play in the future of mental health heritage?

All this and more with Dr. Christoph Singer, co-editor of Narrating the Heritage of Psychiatry, which is Volume 1 in the series “Narratives and Mental Health”, published by De Gruyter Brill.

Host: Ramzi Nasir

Guest: Dr. Christoph Singer 

This month on Sustainability Matters, we discuss whether external research promotion has any tangible effects. Can external media attention translate into academic citations? Does choosing the “right” journal matter? And do we risk perverse outcomes from over-incentivising citations?  

All this and more with Dr. Steffen Lemke and Dr. Isabella Peters, authors of “Path model of the interplay between the promotion and the received attention of research articles” along with Dr. Athanasios Mazarakis. This is a chapter in the book The Science-Media Interface, published by De Gruyter Brill.

Guests: Dr. Steffen Lemke and Dr. Isabella Peters

Host: Ramzi Nasir

On this episode of Sustainability Matters, we celebrate the progress of Open Access in expanding the reach of research, while also asking how it can become more inclusive. From evolving publishing models and transformative agreements to bridging Global North–South inequities, we look at how publishers and researchers can work toward a more equitable and sustainable system of knowledge sharing.

All this and more with Stephanie Veldman, Director of Open Research at De Gruyter Brill, and Dr. Soumitra Datta, research-active clinician and consultant psychiatrist at the Tata Medical Centre, India. 

Host: Ramzi Nasir

Guests: Stephanie Veldman and Dr. Soumitra Datta

In this second half of our special double episode of Sustainability Matters, we take a look at the impact of generative AI on academic culture. Should AI tools be used for peer review, grant writing, performance assessments, and the like? What makes “imperfect” human writing still worth defending? And finally, what happens to the value of voluntary reading in a world saturated with autogenerated content?

All this and more with Dr. Naomi S. Baron, author of the chapter, “AI and Human Writing: Collaboration or Appropriation?” which is part of The De Gruyter Handbook of Robots in Society and Culture, published by De Gruyter Brill.

Guest: Dr. Naomi S. Baron 

Host: Ramzi Nasir

This month on Sustainability Matters, we discuss the persistent underrepresentation of Global South scholars in leading English-language journals. From editorial appointments to peer review practices, structural biases continue to shape who gets published—and whose knowledge is valued. While efforts are being made to address these imbalances, the question remains: what more can be done?

All this and more with Dr. Eve Ng and Dr. Melissa A. Click, authors of the article “Democratizing publishing in communication/media studies: a case study of Communication, Culture & Critique”. The article is published in a special issue of the De Gruyter Brill journal Online Media and Global Communication.

Guests: Dr. Eve Ng and Dr. Melissa Click

Host: Ramzi Nasir

In honour of Pride Month, on this episode of Sustainability Matters, we explore the politics, practice, and perceptions of gender-fair language. Is it the same as gender-neutral language, or something more expansive? How do linguistic reforms for inclusivity play out across the evolution of a language? And what motivates scholars to adopt—or reject—more inclusive forms of writing?

All this and more with Dr. Christine Ivanov and Dr. Maria B. Lange, authors of the chapter “Motivations for the Use of Gender-Fair Language in Research Literature in German Academia” from the book Public Attitudes Towards Gender-Inclusive Language, published by De Gruyter Brill.

Host: Ramzi Nasir

Guests: 

Dr. Christine Ivanov (Ln: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-ivanov-77518a2b2/)

Dr. Maria B. Lange (Ln: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-maria-b-lange-b2b35b2b1/)

If you’re interested in delving further into gender-inclusive language in academia, here’s a reading list curated by the guests:

1. https://doi.org/10.1080/0163853X.2023.2199531.

2. https://doi.org/10.32872/spb.13719

3. https://doi.org/10.1080/01690960701702035

4. https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13428-013-0409-z 

5. http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01437

6. https://doi.org/10.3758/BRM.40.1.206

7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00369

8. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2015.1067611

9. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0261927X01020004004

10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-023-01411-8

In this first half of a special double episode on Sustainability Matters, we unpack how generative AI is challenging traditional ideas of writing, learning, and originality. Are large language models truly that revolutionary, or just glorified predictive text tools? How are universities responding to this shift? And—perhaps most importantly—where does morality come into the equation?

All this and more with Dr. Naomi S. Baron, author of the chapter, "AI and Human Writing: Collaboration or Appropriation?" which is part of The De Gruyter Handbook of Robots in Society and Culture published by De Gruyter Brill.

Host: Ramzi Nasir

Guest: Dr. Naomi S. Baron

In this episode of Sustainability Matters, we get into the numbers behind scholarly publishing. We unpack why publishing consumption patterns vary so widely across countries, how data can inform efforts around diversity, equity, and inclusion, and how it supports progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Finally, we explore the evolving role of artificial intelligence in shaping the future of data and sustainability in publishing.

All this and more with Dr. Michiel Kolman and Rachel Martin, authors of the article “What Can Data Tell Us about Publishing? How data can potentially drive progress in sustainability” published in the Brill journal Logos.

Host: Ramzi Nasir

Guests: Dr. Michiel Kolman and Rachel Martin