Glocal Voices Podcast
Every semester, ICFRC brings expert speakers worldwide to Iowa City to discuss the most critical issues affecting our global community. From individuals with lived experience to thought leaders from the top of their field, the diversity of voices and depth of content covers a lot of ground and invites listeners to consider and explore their place in the world and what they can do to make a difference. The GLOCAL VOICES podcast (global and local) provides commentary and analysis about what these topics mean from the student perspective and how to make an impact their daily lives.
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Located in the growing community of Iowa City, ICFRC has brought together individuals and ideas from around the globe since 1983. We are committed to living out our longstanding values of respect for, curiosity about, and open-mindedness to discussion of—even debate over—internationally-focused topics. Yet, in an ever-changing and increasingly complex world, we recognize we must re-center our organization around the social justice imperatives of the twenty-first century’s third decade.
Most importantly, we acknowledge we need to be a place where more people feel comfortable being safe learning from and engaging with others across all lines of difference. In this more inclusive space, we will be intentional in our selection of more diverse speakers, topics, and formats as well as board members, staff, interns, and funders; we will challenge ourselves and our community to seek out new perspectives and understandings of the complex international issues which bring us together; and we will champion the democratization of knowledge and the free and open discussion of the problems and possibilities of our times.
Yet, in an ever-changing and increasingly complex world, we recognize we must re-center our organization around the social justice imperatives of the twenty-first century’s third decade. Most importantly, we acknowledge we need to be a place where more people feel comfortable being safe learning from and engaging with others across all lines of difference.
Episodes
Tuesday Nov 26, 2024
Tuesday Nov 26, 2024
Since 2010, Viktor Orban has consolidated power as prime minister of Hungary, a central European country whose democratic institutions he has weakened primarily through a form of governance he terms "illiberal democracy" as well as through the nationwide advancement of Christian nationalism. Dr. Ben Novak will discuss the intersections of modern Hungarian politics and religion, how the people there are impacted by Orban's autocratic policies, and why some here view Orban's leadership and the national and cultural values he has engendered as a model for the United States in 2025 and beyond.
Thank you to Iowa City City Channel 4 for the recording and to the Iowa City Public Library for hosting this event.
Tuesday Nov 26, 2024
Tuesday Nov 26, 2024
Expectations for democracy in South Africa have been shaped by a longer history of citizenship linked to white supremacy. Moreover, the concept of relational citizenship, a concept explored in this talk, is an important way of thinking about political belonging. The national context of South Africa, then, requires reflection on the different kind of political imagination people in places like South Africa have who have experienced sustained oppression and how we might learn from it in the US.
Thank you to Iowa City City Channel 4 for the recording and to the Iowa City Public Library for hosting this event.
Tuesday Nov 26, 2024
Tuesday Nov 26, 2024
Europe still lacks a "European" public sphere and a media system that serves it. As was the case during the 2019 EU parliamentary election, the 2024 contest exhibited regional differences in the themes covered by national media and their emphasis on European-wide issues. Most voters' choices of representative MPEs reflected national politics and perceived interests, and relatedly, the ideological divides that positively or negatively assessed European-wide problems, e.g., climate change, ongoing wars, EU expansion, etc.
The dominant reliance on social media for news, in informal ways significantly augmenting the traditional media's "journalism of perspective," contributed both to reinforcing and enhancing the existing political and ideological polarization in most EU member nations. As such, unevenly across the continent, they also further splintered the national public spheres, diminishing the prospects of "manufacturing of consent" on several issues important to the European Union.
Thank you to Iowa City City Channel 4 for the recording and to the Iowa City Public Library for hosting this event.
Tuesday Nov 26, 2024
Tuesday Nov 26, 2024
Join us for a compelling discussion featuring the 2024 WPI international journalists as they share their experiences covering elections in various political environments. The panel will explore the critical role of the media during tense electoral periods. The conversation will explore how they navigate political pressures and the ethical challenges they encounter while reporting on elections worldwide.
Thank you to Iowa City City Channel 4 for the recording and to the Iowa City Public Library for hosting this event.
Tuesday Nov 26, 2024
Tuesday Nov 26, 2024
Join International Writing Program (IWP) director Christopher Merrill and 2024 Fall Residents Lyuba Yakimchuk (Ukraine) and Tabish Khair (India/Denmark), three writers with unique voices and experiences, offering fresh insights into how democracy shapes and is shaped by culture, identity, and the written word.
In this engaging conversation, the panel will discuss how poets, playwrights, screenwriters, performance artists, academics, and others view democracy, as well as how they persist during the most difficult of times. The trio will share why creative expression is vital for democracy in their home countries as well as the risks to artists’ lives and the societies in which they live when authoritarian leaders seek to limit democratic freedoms. Yakimchuk and Khair will read from their original work.
Thank you to Iowa City City Channel 4 for the recording and to the Iowa City Public Library for hosting this event.
Monday May 06, 2024
Monday May 06, 2024
With the rising toll of casualties and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, it can become difficult to see the people behind the numbers. Come listen to a panel of Palestinian-American and Jewish-American speakers from different walks of life talk about their experiences inside and outside Palestine. Ask your questions and learn about actions you can take to advocate for human rights in this crisis.
Thank you to Iowa City City Channel 4 for the recording and to the Iowa City Public Library for hosting this event.
Friday Apr 19, 2024
Friday Apr 19, 2024
Experienced Doctors Without Borders surgeon Dr. Michael Mooney talks about surgical missions: Who goes? What happens on a mission? Where are the missions? Why are they needed?
Michael J Mooney is a physician in the General Surgery Department at Kaiser Permanente in the Portland, Southwest Washington area. Prior to serving 13 years with Kaiser Permanente in Atlanta, he did his five-year surgical residency in Tacoma, Washington at Fort Lewis. Having grown up as an "army brat" and then subsequently receiving medical and surgical training in the U.S. Army, Dr. Mooney had the opportunity to live all over the world. Today, he is a strong advocate for and regular volunteer with Doctors Without Borders, greatly enjoying seven two-month surgical missions over 12 years providing direct trauma care in Haiti, Sudan, Sri Lanka, and Nigeria.
Friday Apr 19, 2024
Friday Apr 19, 2024
National Public Radio's (NPR) Frank Langfitt has reported from more than 50 countries and territories since the late 1990s. In a video and audio presentation, Frank recounts the history he’s witnessed through the people he’s met and how that history has shaped today’s challenging geopolitical landscape. Frank explains what he learned driving a free taxi in Shanghai and tracking elephants in South Sudan. He also discusses reporting in Ukraine during Russia’s 2022 invasion and covering the Israel/Gaza war.
Thank you to Iowa City City Channel 4 for the recording and to our supporters for making ICFRC possible for over 40 years!
Tuesday Apr 09, 2024
Tuesday Apr 09, 2024
Aferdita Krasniqi, a widely recognized expert in international education, shares her extensive 24 years of experience fostering academic and cultural relations between the tiny nation of Kosovo and the influential United States. Her pivotal role in establishing Kosovo's institutions post-1999 war while working at the U.S. Embassy in Kosovo showcases her commitment to education in the region.
Thank you to Iowa City City Channel 4 for the recording and to the Iowa City Public Library for hosting this event.
Tuesday Mar 26, 2024
Tuesday Mar 26, 2024
On International Women’s Day, expert speaker Dr. Kathleen Kuehnast, Director of Women, Peace and Security at the U.S. Institute of Peace, provided an overview of gender-inclusive peacebuilding, as well as the work of the 2023 Women Building Peace Award Finalists, and their initiatives in the DRC, Syria, Kenya, and Haiti.
Thank you to Iowa City City Channel 4 for the recording and to the Iowa City Public Library for hosting this event.