In today’s episode, we talk about how the study of communication can help us understand and resist social inequity. My guest is Prof. Mohan Dutta, Dean's Chair Professor of Communication at Massey University. He is the Director of the Center for the Culture-Centered Approach to Research and Evaluation (CARE). Prof. Dutta is the winner of the 2016 International Communication Association (ICA) Applied/Public Policy Communication Research Award, and the 2018 Outstanding Health...

On this episode of Unsettling Extremism, we talk about the concept of conspiracy theories. People talk about conspiracy theories all the time, but have you ever slowed down to think about what conspiracy theories are? Are all conspiracy theories built equal? Is a belief in conspiracy theories inherently bad? I spoke with New Zealand-based philosopher, Dr M R Dentith, Associate Professor of philosophy at Beijing Normal University at Zuhai. M is a philosopher specialising in understanding the k...

This episode of Unsettling Extremism is a little bit different than what you're used to today, rather than talking to a scholar about their research we are taking on a particular topic, great replacement conspiracy theory. As the research center charged with countering and preventing violent extremism, I wanted to take a closer look at how this conspiracy theory relates specifically to an Aotearoa context to do this. I had conversations with some of Aotearoa, leading experts on the topi...

On this episode of Unsettling Extremism, we explore how literature can inform our understanding of white supremacy and extremism. I spoke with Dr. Tina Makereti, an award-winning writer who teaches creative writing at Victoria University of Wellington, Te Herenga Waka at the International Insitute of Modern Letters. Learn more about Tina's book The Mires, here. https://ultimopress.com.au/products/the-mires References: Clark, B. (2023). Fear: The must-read gripping new book about New Zeala...

Today our guest Byron Clark, an independent researcher and author on New Zealand’s far-right extremist movements. His book, Fear, helps us shows some of the ideological underpinnings of influencers and groups in the lead-up to the Occupation of Parliament in 2022. Byron uses his insight as a Pakeha man, the target demographic of these far-right groups, to help us, understand, untangle, and confront the ideologies and theories that support these movements. I have a lot of respect fo Byron, not...

In this episode our guest is Distinguished Professor Paul Spoonley. He is a highly regarded sociologist with expertise in the areas of demography, immigration, diversity, and political and ideological extremism. You might already know Paul because he is regularly asked to comment on social issues in the media. In our interview, we discussed the evolution of the radical right in New Zealand, the rise of populism and his ideas on how we can improve social cohesion. Here are some resourc...

In this episode I spoke with Joanna Kidman, Professor of Māori Education at Victoria University of Wellington and Director of He Whenua Taurikura. She has a long and esteemed career as a sociologist researching the impact of the impact of institutional and systemic racism on Māori communities, including her Marsden-funded project looking at the impact of the New Zealand Wars on Māori communities and our society as a whole. Joanna was recently selected as a Fellow of the Royal Society for dist...

In this episode of Unsettling Extremism I spoke with Dr. Mahdis Azarmandi, Senior Lecturer the School of Educational studies and Leadership at the University of Canterbury. Beyond her work in education, she also has expertise in Political science and Peace and Conflict Studies. We talked about the construction of the concept of peace, different forms of violence, and how terms like terrorism and extremism can be problematic. If you would like to read some of Mahdis's work, some s...

In this episode I spoke with Dr. Sara Salman, Senior Lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington in Criminology and Scholar in Residence at He Whenua Taurikura. We talked about how social neglect and injustice can negatively affect our social relationships, responses different groups of people had to New Zealand's Covid-19 policies, and how Māori led responses to disaster show us an alternative way help those in need. If you are interested in learning more about what Sara discussed in this ...

In this episode, we spoke with Associate Professor Wil Hoverd, Director of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at Massey University about his research and most recent book, State of Threat. We covered topics including ideas about what National Security means, sexism in the security sector, and the Wellington Occupation. If you would like to learn more about Wil’s research see the links below. https://www.masseypress.ac.nz/books/state-of-threat https://www.youtube.com/wa...

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Mona Krewel about her research looking into misinformation and disinformation shared by political parties in New Zealand's 2020 and 2023 elections, the meaning of mis and disinformation in her research, and how we are all responsible for slowing its spread. If after listening to Mona you are interested in learning more, here is some of her research: Five weeks, 4,000 Facebook posts: Social Media Campaigning in the 2023 election. https://www.wgtn.ac.nz...

Unsettling Extremism is a podcast by He Whenua Taurikura, Aotearoa's Independent Centre of Research Excellence for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism. In this podcast we will be having critical conversations with experts who look at extremism, hate, mis and disinformation, conspiracy theories as well as our social connectedness all through a uniquely Aotearoa lens. Each episode I'll interview a different expert who will discuss their research contextualise the present moment ex...