Diasporastan

A pod space for discussions on the South Asian diaspora, both as topic and lens through which to view our world. Hosted & Produced by Maryyum Mehmood and Aditya Desai.

HIGH THEORY PODCAST - Diaspora (crossover) 06/07/2021

HIGH THEORY PODCAST - Diaspora (crossover) We were thrilled to be guests on the amazing High Theory podcast! Host Saronik Basu interviewed us about -- what else -- the word "Diaspora" and how we approach it. /episode/index/show/diasporastan/id/19379246

Islamonomics w/ Akhtar Mohammed 04/19/2021

Islamonomics w/ Akhtar Mohammed Akhtar Mohammed joins us to talk about his Fijian background, the history of the South Asian labor trade, Islamic finance ethics, and how that all led to his new book, Islamonomics. /episode/index/show/diasporastan/id/18766412

Queerness and Mental Health during Ramadan w/ Maz Halima 04/12/2021

Queerness and Mental Health during Ramadan w/ Maz Halima As Ramadan 2021 begins, writer Maz Halima joins us to discuss how to create conversations around celebrating and observing the holiday when our identities, lifestyles, or health concerns pose challenges and set us on the fringes of what is "traditional". /episode/index/show/diasporastan/id/18685124

Duma Says w/ Nathi Ngubane 04/05/2021

Duma Says w/ Nathi Ngubane Our guest is Nathi Ngubane, South African writer & illustrator of the children's book series DUMA SAYS, which teaches kids about how to cope with and protect themselves in the COVID-19 pandemic. /episode/index/show/diasporastan/id/18601442

Ambedkarite Futurists w/ Sharmin Hossain 03/29/2021

Ambedkarite Futurists w/ Sharmin Hossain Sharmin Hossain, Political Director of Equality Labs, joins us to talk about uprooting and resisting casteism, religious intolerance, gender-based violence, and other oppressions through organizing, digital security, and (possibly), K-Pop stans. /episode/index/show/diasporastan/id/18408125

BAME Experiences Under COVID w/ Halima Begum 03/22/2021

BAME Experiences Under COVID w/ Halima Begum Halima Begum, Chief Executive of the Runnymede Trust, joins us to mark one-year of the pandemic quarantine in the UK and how it has affected the BAME population in distinct, particular ways. /episode/index/show/diasporastan/id/18407963

Muslim Women In These Times w/ Wardah Abbas 03/08/2021

Muslim Women In These Times w/ Wardah Abbas Wardah Abbas, co-founder and editor of The Muslim Women Times zooms in from Nigeria to talk about her media project and why it is important for modern Muslimahs to take control of their narratives, both past and present. /episode/index/show/diasporastan/id/18222143

Political Panditry w/ Shivam Bhatt 03/01/2021

Political Panditry w/ Shivam Bhatt Shivam Bhatt joins us to talk about challenging Hindu fundamentalism and adapting his religious faith, values, and traditions towards contemporary social justice issues. /episode/index/show/diasporastan/id/18123164

This Zameen Is Your Zameen w/ Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, Dharna Noor 02/22/2021

This Zameen Is Your Zameen w/ Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, Dharna Noor We examine the Punjab Farmer's Protest with a duo of interviews. /episode/index/show/diasporastan/id/18032024

Decolonization Is Not Just A Metaphor w/ Manu Chander 02/15/2021

Decolonization Is Not Just A Metaphor w/ Manu Chander Manu Chander, Professor of English at Rutgers University-Newark and author of Brown Romantics: Poetry and Nationalism in the Nineteenth Century, joins us to talk about Brownness and its expressions through political & poetic forms. /episode/index/show/diasporastan/id/17942891

Khidr Collective w/ Warda Khokhar 02/08/2021

Khidr Collective w/ Warda Khokhar We're back for Season 2! Kicking off with Warda Khokhar, nonfiction editor of the Khidr Collective Zine, a print and digital publication aimed at voicing the needs of young British Muslims. Their latest, Issue 4 "Water," is coming soon. /episode/index/show/diasporastan/id/17855435

Diasporastan Christmas Special! 12/23/2020

Diasporastan Christmas Special! We recorded a fun chat about Christmas memories with two beloved guests: returning by popular demand, Maryyum's brother Ahmed, and first-timer & Aditya's BFF (one of), Sumil Desai (no relation). /episode/index/show/diasporastan/id/17303996

SAALT Tacts w/ Lakshmi Sridaran 12/14/2020

SAALT Tacts w/ Lakshmi Sridaran Lakshmi Sridaran, Executive Director of South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT), joins us to talk about her career, SAALT's work, as well as the broader outlook for South Asian American political identity and engagement. /episode/index/show/diasporastan/id/17179358

Making Film Your Home w/ Rishi Gandhi 12/07/2020

Making Film Your Home w/ Rishi Gandhi Filmmaker Rishi Gandhi tells us about his journey to becoming editor, cinematographer, producer, and director of his many projects that use genre, theme, and style to tell stories of nostalgia, loss, and the finding one's self on the big screen. /episode/index/show/diasporastan/id/17094230

Wonk Credibility w/ Bilal Baloch 11/30/2020

Wonk Credibility w/ Bilal Baloch Co-Founder and COO of Global Wonks Bilal Baloch joins us to talk about his career in academia, global policy, and changing the conversation around how field experts apply their knowledge and trade to today's important global conversations. /episode/index/show/diasporastan/id/16994987

You Can Write It, Saadia! w/ Saadia Faruqi 11/23/2020

You Can Write It, Saadia! w/ Saadia Faruqi Pakistani American author Saadia Faruqi joins us to talk about her career, writing for young brown and Muslim girls, representation in literature, the Yasmin series, and her new book, A Thousand Questions! /episode/index/show/diasporastan/id/16921454

Just a Placeholder 11/16/2020

Just a Placeholder Maryyum and Aditya unpack the results of the US elections and respond to listener's thoughts! Maryyum then tells us about what community faith based leadership can look like going forward with an exciting new Master's program. /episode/index/show/diasporastan/id/16828289

Anthropolo-ji w/ Anar Parikh 11/02/2020

Anthropolo-ji w/ Anar Parikh Anthropologist, writer, and podcaster Anar Parikh joins us to talk about political community-making among South Asian Americans. Topics include voting, fascism, the 2020 election, and her Whatsapp Warrior dad. /episode/index/show/diasporastan/id/16650566

Subcontinental Horror w/ Ahmed Mehmood 10/26/2020

Subcontinental Horror w/ Ahmed Mehmood Doctor, music producer, and film lover Ahmed Mehmood joins us for a special Halloween episode to talk about horror and thrillers from the subcontinent! /episode/index/show/diasporastan/id/16543994

It's All Halal w/ Owais Siddiqui 10/19/2020

It's All Halal w/ Owais Siddiqui New York based Pakistani home cook extraordinaire Owais Siddiqui (aka of the viral doodh-patti-ice-cream-paratha-cone) joins us to talk about everyone's favorite subject - food! We discuss the trends, adaptations, politics, and influences of khana & pakana. /episode/index/show/diasporastan/id/16452788

Speculative Fiction and its Dissent w/ Nur Nasreen Ibrahim 10/13/2020

Speculative Fiction and its Dissent w/ Nur Nasreen Ibrahim Journalist and fiction writer Nur Nasreen Ibrahim joins us to talk about dissent in Pakistan, the motorway incident, the Salam Awards, sci-fi lit, borders, and all manner of reality that feels unreal. /episode/index/show/diasporastan/id/16383215

South Asianisms w/ Jenny Bhatt 10/08/2020

South Asianisms w/ Jenny Bhatt Jenny Bhatt joins us to talk about the uses of the term South Asian, Desi, hyphenates (or not), and all of the variations therein. /episode/index/show/diasporastan/id/16317881

Colour Me Adjunct w/ Dr Fauzia Ahmad 10/01/2020

Colour Me Adjunct w/ Dr Fauzia Ahmad We talk to Dr. Fauzia Ahmad of Goldsmith's University of London, about sustaining a career as a South Asian Muslim in precarious faculty positions through personal upheavals, department politics, and most recently, a redundancy that was rescinded after advocacy from colleagues and unions. /episode/index/show/diasporastan/id/16226261

No Country for Churails 09/21/2020

No Country for Churails Maryyum tells Aditya about the Pakistani web series Churails, and they discuss the limits and possibilities of "representation" in television and film. /episode/index/show/diasporastan/id/16073417

Oh, Kamala Chithi! 09/14/2020

Oh, Kamala Chithi! We discuss Kamala Harris' nomination for VPOTUS, UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, and what it means to have South Asians in the corridors of power. /episode/index/show/diasporastan/id/15896285

Oh, Kamala Chithi! (teaser) 09/11/2020

Oh, Kamala Chithi! (teaser) A sneak peak at our episode recorded the week of Kamala Harris' nomination as the Democratic candidate for Vice President, talking about tokenism in politics. /episode/index/show/diasporastan/id/15976349

What is "Our" Nation? 09/07/2020

What is "Our" Nation? Welcome to Diasporastan! On the week of both Pakistan and India's Independence days, discuss our diaspora stories, and our relationships to these countries and our new ones, and attempt to figure out what the show is and could be. /episode/index/show/diasporastan/id/15895994

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