Research Rabbit Holes

Feel like going down a new rabbit hole you've probably never thought about before? Then listen to Research Rabbit Holes - an interview podcast in which we go down a different rabbit hole each episode. Literature, politics, history - it's a new guest and a new topic every time.

Research Rabbit Holes is a science podcast hosted by Laura Herges, with 8 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Laura Herges hosts Research Rabbit Holes, a science show with 8 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #8

  Native American Boarding Schools and Their Marching Bands (Interview with Vincent Veerbeek (University of Helsinki))

  Aug 3, 20261h 23mS1

  Did you know that thousands of Native American kids went to boarding schools that were designed to assimilate them into Anglo-American culture? My guest today is Vincent Veerbeek (University of Helsinki), who is writing his dissertation about the role of marching bands in these schools. Which role did music play in the U.S. government’s assimilation effort? What was life like for the kids at the boarding schools? And were there ways to protect one’s native identity? Tune in if you want to learn more about a piece of U.S. history that’s been neglected for a long time. 00:00 – 09:54 Introduction 09:55 – 27:37 Boarding schools to “restructure indigenous minds” 27:38 – 31:29 The situation today 31:30 – 47:46 What was life at these boarding schools like? 47:47 – 51:50 How did marching bands become so popular in the United States? 51:51 – 1:03:20 Marching bands in Native American boarding schools 1:03:21 – 1:05:37 The role of other extracurricular activities 1:05:38 – 1:11:48 Stereotypes and PR 1:11:49 – 1:13:22 How good was the music, actually? 1:13:23 – 1:16:53 How long did the boarding schools exist? 1:16:54 – 1:20:00 This or that? 1:20:01 – 1:23:02 Vincent’s future projects You can follow Vincent’s projects here: · https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/people/people-finder/vincent-veerbeek-9448669 · https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincent-veerbeek/?locale=en If you want to learn more about the topic: · https://boardingschoolhealing.org/ (The official website for NABS, the Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition. They are the main advocacy organization doing work related to boarding school history on a national level in the US. Their website is an important resource that includesmaps, background information, etc. as well as a database with digitized primary sources.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OtfBPE4u1U (A PBS documentary that gives an overview of boarding school history and adds some visuals to the story.)

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  Episode #7

  How Volcano Tourism Helped Colonize Hawaii (Interview with Henri Keskinen (University of Turku))

  Jun 25, 20261h 7mS1

  Colonialism through tourism? In this episode, we talk about the kingdom of Hawaii, and how it was slowly turned into the 50th American state. My guest is Henri Keskinen (University of Turku), who writes his dissertation about the evolution of colonialism through American interest groups in Hawaii. Tune in if you want to learn more about volcanoes, political coups and weird gift shops. 00:00 - 03:54: Introduction 03:55 - 12:09: Cultural appropriation and the tourism industry 12:10 - 18:59: The colonization of Hawaii and the role of missionary work 19:00 - 32:32: Exhibitions, Othering & resistance 32:33 - 37:26: The California-Hawaii relationship 37:27 - 46:27: How Hawaii lost its sovereignty 46:26 - 59:17: The situation today: tourism, diglossia & the sovereignty movement 59:18 - 01:03:52: This or that? 01:03:53 - 01:07:02: Henri’s future projects You can follow Henri’s research here: https://www.utu.fi/en/people/henri-keskinen

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  Episode #6

  Black Male Vulnerability in Fiction Written by African American Women

  Jun 13, 20261h 18mS1

  Toni Morrison and Alice Walker are just two of many famous African American authors whose novels focus mostly on the experiences of black women. But how do they actually depict black men? My guest today is Dr. Tuula Kolehmainen (University of Turku), whose research explores how these writers depict the vulnerability of their male characters, as a way to resist common stereotypes, such as the macho or the violent man. We also talk about Tuula's next project, which focuses on stand-up comedy. Tune in for an episode about contemporary literature, gender and the American comedy scene. 00:00-07:01 Introduction 07:02-19:23 Common stereotypes and black male vulnerability 19:24-33:01 What is intersectionality and how does it affect black men? 33:02-41:32 Stereotypes in other media 41:33-55:20 Can we always have empathy with fictional characters? 55:21-01:13:17 Stand-up comedy, gender and controversial jokes 01:13:18-01:14:32 This or That 01:14:33-01:18:25 Conclusion & Tuula's future projects You can follow Tuula's projects here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tuula-kolehmainen-b5848a55/https://www.instagram.com/teekolehmainenofficial/ And here's a snippet of her doing stand-up comedy 😊: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tubx7v_WxEM

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  Episode #5

  U.S. Prisons and the Loss of Institutional Trust

  May 11, 202650 minS1

  <p>Today's episode is about crime and punishment: Why are 20% of all prisoners incarcerated in the United States, if only 5% of the world's population live there? Henry E. James (University College London) is writing his PhD thesis about the loss of institutional trust in America. In this episode, we talk about how people lost their belief in the government's ability to do the right things, about mass incarceration and the "broken windows" theory.</p><p><br></p><p>00:00 - 08:16 Introduction: The loss of institutional trust in the last few decades</p><p>08:17 - 19:22 The punitive turn & why so many people...

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  Episode #5

  U.S. Prisons and the Loss of Institutional Trust

  May 11, 202650 minS1

  Today's episode is about crime and punishment: Why are 20% of all prisoners incarcerated in the United States, if only 5% of the world's population live there? Henry E. James (University College London) is writing his PhD thesis about the loss of institutional trust in America. In this episode, we talk about how people lost their belief in the government's ability to do the right things, about mass incarceration and the "broken windows" theory. 00:00 - 08:16 Introduction: The loss of institutional trust in the last few decades 08:17 - 19:22 The punitive turn & why so many people are incarcerated in the U.S. 19:23 - 34:28 "Broken windows": Does a stronger police presence help reduce crime? 34:29 - 37:30 American prisons vs European prisons 37:31 - 48:46 College programs as a way of reintegrating prisoners 48:47 - 50:17 Henry's future projects Follow Henry's projects here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/social-historical-sciences/americas/research/research-students/henry-e-james

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