Hello and welcome back to the Forrin podcast extra! This week, we’ve interviewed a good colleague of mine, Nerrma Dedic Palomino Aedo. It’s a fascinating interview about how she travelled to Denmark in the early 90s at just 8 years old and how she became the woman she is today. I feel her story is fascinating, relevant and important. Not only in terms of integration, but also her strength, mindset and outlook are all in many ways inspirational regardless of cultural and notional background. 

When we do these interviews we’re at the mercy of the location that we find ourselves in, and that can affect the audio quality. We have, as always, done our utmost to give you the best sound quality possible. 

So I urge you to sit back, grab a coffee, and have a listen. 

Produced and edited by Mike Bowden.

Music by Mike Bowden.

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Forrin turns 10! In this episode, Mike and Pat reply to emails on anarchism, passports, Marine le Pen (again) and the new French immigration laws before chatting about the subject of work in Denmark and France. They touch on unionism, work contracts and working culture, before turning to their favourite topic (education) and the state of play regarding the university and college systems in their respective adopted countries.

Also, a couple of FYIs. Firstly, this is the first episode to be filmed. Mike worked on the edit all weekend, so be sure to check it out on YouTube. Also, Mike interviewed a Bosnian colleague at work last week, so the second episode of Forrin Extra will be published next Monday, February 12. Don’t miss it!

References from this episode:

• France brings in stricter French language requirements for foreigners (thelocal.fr)
• "What Is an Apparatus?" and Other Essays (Meridian: Crossing Aesthetics)
• Ni Dieu, ni Maître (Nouvelle éd. en 1 vol.) (Poches essais): Anthologie de l'anarchisme
• The Philosophy Of Social Ecology: Essays on Dialectical Naturalism

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In the 9th Episode of Forrin, Pat and Mike talk about the French and Danish naturalization process and discuss why Pat wants to attain French nationality and thereby a French passport, and Mike’s reasons for not wanting to under the current regulations. 

In the process, they briefly touch upon their old friend Marine LePen, the encroachment of the far right in Germany, the concept of anarchism and the repercussions of Brexit. It’s a wild ride. 

Enjoy. 😊

This episode is edited by Patrick Garratt. 

Music by Mike Bowden

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Welcome to the very first Forrin Podcast Extra! In this extra episode Mike interviews Stacy, his English colleague. They chat about all manner of immigration and integration related subjects like the fact that Stacy rather enjoys getting up on a Sunday, walking through town (Odense), and just talking to Danish people! Stacy talks about his background, what brought him to Denmark, the fact that he was inadvertently responsible for the death of Queen Elizabeth and much more!

Episode produced and edited by Mike Bowden

Music by Mike Bowden

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Stop everything! The Danish Queen Margrethe has abdicated! Shock waves, panic, cats and dogs living together etc. Will Denmark ever be the same again? Pat and Mike discuss Michael Billig's concept of Banal Nationalism and delve into the very concept of royalty. Do we need it? Just how intrinsic are they in terms of defining nationality? Or does the monarchy just reinforce the notion of social hierarchy and therefore hinder social mobility? These questions are discussed at length in this the 8th episode of The Forrin Podcast.

Link to Michael Billig interview: https://www.socialsciencespace.com/2016/09/michael-billig-on-the-royal-family-and-nationalism/

Episode edited by Pat Garratt.

Music by Mike Bowden

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It’s the Forrin Podcast Christmas special! Pat and Mike talk about, yes, you guessed it, Christmas! Christmas in Denmark, Christmas in France and Christmas when they were kids. They simply can’t get enough of it.

Merry Christmas from all of us here, at The Forrin Podcast!

This episode was edited by Mike Bowden. Music composed by Mike Bowden.

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This week, Pat and Mike talk about that in Denmark, over 80% of non-Western immigrants feel that they have experienced racism. The story comes from a survey done by The Danish Institute of Human Rights. The link can be found below. 

The pair then go on to discuss studying while being a foreigner, and Pat talks about that the majority of his studies are in French, and how that automatically makes him better than me. 

Please don’t hesitate to contact the team on @forrinpodcast or simply mail us the old-school way on [email protected]

This episode is edited by Pat Garratt. The music is by Mike Bowden. 

Link: Fire ud af fem ikkevestlige indvandrere og efterkommere siger, de oplever racisme - https://tinyurl.com/5xc8ya9n 

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In this episode Pat and Mike talk about two of the biggest current stories related to foreignness in the world: the left-right polarisation of the Israel-Gaza conflict - exemplified by the march against antisemitism in France in November, which attracted over 180,000 protestors including far-right politician Marine Le Pen - and the return of David Cameron to champion Britain's efforts to send certain asylum seekers to Rwanda. Cameron, as you will hear, is Mike's favourite person in all existence.

Many thanks for listening and we'll see you again in a couple of weeks!

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Welcome to the fourth episode of the Forrin Podcast. In this episode Pat and Mike talk about their experiences in the Danish and French education systems. They each give their accounts of their initial impressions of taking an education both at secondary school and university. Also, they touch on what it was like to be a foreign student at their respective institutions and how their grammatical shortcomings were brought to the fore. 

However, as this is such a huge topic that also inevitably draws comparison with further education opportunities in England, the two agree that this topic will be continued in future episodes.

Also discussed is Denmark’s new “Koran Law”, which branches into Denmark’s digression from a Competition State, to a protectionist state. 

Many thanks for listening and see you in two weeks!

News story: https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/seneste/regeringen-aendrer-i-forslaget-til-en-koranlov?fbclid=IwAR1EVFcWvVcoRCSYWPFLB1_NLiDFtoxyNPL4efCLO6x3A2p_jRx5FFmV5PM

Mixed and edited by Pat Garratt.

Music: Mike Bowden

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Welcome to the third episode of the Forrin Podcast. Mike and Pat continue to talk about language for non-native speakers in this recording, this time with a focus on how it’s viewed when foreigners make grammatical errors in the language of their adoptive country. They drift onto the social status of being foreigners in social circles, and how they enjoy being different from others despite the irritation of being corrected.

The question surfaces: are you defined by the nation in which you were born?

Also discussed in the newsworthyness of a Ukrainien association giving free French lessons to immigrants in Le Mans. Finally, PAT IS VEGAN.

Many thanks for listening and see you in two weeks!

News story: https://actu.fr/pays-de-la-loire/le-mans_72181/le-mans-cette-association-accompagne-les-ukrainiens-dans-lapprentissage-du-francais_60183249.html

Mixed and edited by Mike Bowden.

Music: Mike Bowden

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.