Shows
Sanctuary: On the Border Between Church and StateEp. 7 Part II: The Future of Sanctuary?What does the future hold for sanctuary in this country? With a renewed anti-immigrant movement taking center stage in American politics, can sanctuary activists articulate a different vision for the country, one that demands that people of all faith and political persuasions ‘welcome the stranger’? In this episode, Barba and González investigate how and why sanctuary remains one of the most important ideas in American politics. They explore recent conservative efforts to destabilize sanctuary cities and congregations, as well as the latest applications of the term by both progressive and reactionary parties. Finally, they discuss what the future of sa...2024-11-0437 min
Sanctuary: On the Border Between Church and StateEp. 7 Part I: The Future of Sanctuary?What does the future hold for sanctuary in this country? With a renewed anti-immigrant movement taking center stage in American politics, can sanctuary activists articulate a different vision for the country, one that demands that people of all faith and political persuasions ‘welcome the stranger’? In this episode, Barba and González investigate how and why sanctuary remains one of the most important ideas in American politics. They explore recent conservative efforts to destabilize sanctuary cities and congregations, as well as the latest applications of the term by both progressive and reactionary parties. Finally, they discuss what the future of sa...2024-11-0442 min
Sanctuary: On the Border Between Church and StateEp. 6 Part II: Sanctuary in the Pews and in the Streets“Build the wall! Build the wall!” How about building sanctuaries instead? The 2016 election of Donald Trump shook the nation. But in the days following his unprecedented victory, sanctuary organizers got to work, not waiting until Trump stepped foot in the White House to develop the networks necessary to protect immigrant communities. In this episode, Barba and González track the immigration politics that played a central role in Trump’s 2016 campaign, and examine how faith organizations and houses of worship revamped the nascent New Sanctuary Movement to meet the historical moment. Churches and synagogues, however, weren’t the only locations...2024-10-3141 min
Sanctuary: On the Border Between Church and StateEp. 6 Part I: Sanctuary in the Pews and in the Streets“Build the wall! Build the wall!” How about building sanctuaries instead? The 2016 election of Donald Trump shook the nation. But in the days following his unprecedented victory, sanctuary organizers got to work, not waiting until Trump stepped foot in the White House to develop the networks necessary to protect immigrant communities. In this episode, Barba and González track the immigration politics that played a central role in Trump’s 2016 campaign, and examine how faith organizations and houses of worship revamped the nascent New Sanctuary Movement to meet the historical moment. Churches and synagogues, however, weren’t the only locations...2024-10-3135 min
Sanctuary: On the Border Between Church and StateEp. 5 Part II: The New Sanctuary MovementAn immigrant…or a terrorist? In a post September 11th world, undocumented residents in the United States faced the specter of deportation after being labeled a threat to national security. With anti-immigrant sentiment rising and legislation threatening to criminalize immigrants pending at the national and state level, faith activists again turned to sanctuary practices in the summer of 2006 to protect immigrants, migrants, and refugees. In this episode, Barba and González explore the development of the New Sanctuary Movement, a renewed effort to infuse the biblical injunction to welcome the stranger into the nation’s immigration politics. They chart how s...2024-10-2439 min
Sanctuary: On the Border Between Church and StateEp. 5 Part I: An Immigrant or a Terrorist?An immigrant…or a terrorist? In a post September 11th world, undocumented residents in the United States faced the specter of deportation after being labeled a threat to national security. With anti-immigrant sentiment rising and legislation threatening to criminalize immigrants pending at the national and state level, faith activists again turned to sanctuary practices in the summer of 2006 to protect immigrants, migrants, and refugees. In this episode, Barba and González explore the development of the New Sanctuary Movement, a renewed effort to infuse the biblical injunction to welcome the stranger into the nation’s immigration politics. They chart how s...2024-10-2434 min
Sanctuary: On the Border Between Church and StateEpisode 4: Spies in the PewsSpies in the pews? Criminal informants at Bible study? By the mid 1980s, sanctuary organizers were in the federal government’s crosshairs. The movement was growing, and its publicity-friendly protests were embarrassing the Reagan administration as it ramped up its military intervention in Central America. Facing pressure from a coalition of religious and political critics of the movement, the Department of Justice moved forward with a plan to covertly infiltrate sanctuary churches and put the squeeze on sanctuary’s most important organizers. In this episode, Barba and González examine the joint INS-FBI operation to infiltrate and dismantle the movem...2024-10-171h 01
Sanctuary: On the Border Between Church and StateEpisode 3: Sanctuary Goes MainstreamSanctuary-mania? Perhaps that’s a stretch, but by the mid-1980s, thousands of Americans had pledged their support for a faith-based movement to offer safe harbor to Central American asylum seekers, even if it meant they might have to go to jail. In episode three, Barba and González delve into the dramatically rapid growth of the sanctuary movement as it matured into a transnational phenomenon. They focus on two major geographic hubs that moved sanctuary beyond the borderlands, the San Francisco Bay Area and Chicago. Houses of worship joined the movement at a blistering pace, thanks in large par...2024-10-1055 min
Sanctuary: On the Border Between Church and StateEpisode 2: Gunfire, Death Squads, and the Origins of SanctuaryThe memories of gunfire and death squads were never far from their minds. The unforgiving desert heat, however, was their primary concern. Who could Central American asylum seekers turn to when they arrived at the US-Mexico border, seeking refuge but finding none from the American government? In episode 2, Barba and González uncover the roots of the 1980s Movement. They begin with the pre-history of the Sanctuary Movement in Tucson, examining how legal aid workers and religious organizations responded to a rise of Latin American migrants who hailed from countries beyond Mexico arriving at the border. These migrants faced a...2024-10-0354 min
Sanctuary: On the Border Between Church and StateEpisode 1: Sanctuary in AmericaWhat if we told you that one of the biggest movements to protect migrants in the history of the United States was led by people of faith? What if there was a movement that has been cultivated within religious spaces, dedicated to a radical hospitality - to live out the Gospel by welcoming the stranger? In this first episode, Dr. Lloyd Barba and Dr. Sergio M. González, historians of Latino migration and religion, introduce this movement - one in which churches and synagogues transformed the way Americans understand the relationship between faith and politics. They explain ho...2024-09-2645 min
Sanctuary: On the Border Between Church and StateTrailerComing late September 2024!2024-09-0602 min
Miss InformationEpisode 7: Misinformation is a Side HustleMisinformation has real world consequences. We saw that on January 6, 2021. But what if I told you that there is a whole industry of laborers paid to create misinformation as a side hustle. What if I told you that misinformation is created halfway across the world in order to get people to take one side or another in a celebrity trial or to stop the certification of an election. For more information about research-based media by Axis Mundi Media visit: www.axismundi.usFor more information about public scholarship by the...2024-07-051h 00
Miss InformationEpisode 6: Green Urbanism is From the DevilIs the government trying to trap you in your apartment? Are efforts to reduce traffic in highly congested cities like Toronto and London really a plan to control your entire life? 15 minute cities sound convenient, but why do some people think they are a trap? 15 minute cities have been described online as the new climate lockdown, and protests against traffic calming measures have grown. Reactionary groups have taken up a seemingly benign urban planning initiative and claim it is an infringement of civil liberties. Des Fitzgerald from University College, Cork talks about green urbanism an...2024-06-2844 min
Miss InformationEpisode 5: Fighting the Great ResetIt’s Angels vs. Demons. Light vs. Dark, The New World Order vs. Real Patriots. The ancient gdds have returned to take over the globe. Who will stop them? Spiritual warfare is common in evangelical circles. But how does belief in a cosmic battle lead to conspiracy theories on earth? Why do some in evangelical circles - and beyond - believe that there is a global conspiracy involving ancient gods, transnational banks, big government, and the Illuminati? In this installment, we unpack how cross-faith coalitions can be formed through the flexible symbol of a spi...2024-06-2159 min
Miss InformationEpisode 4: Yoga And the Wellness to Conspirituality PipelineWhat can’t yoga cure? Low back pain? Check. Hip soreness? Check. IBS? No problem. Infertility? Probably. In this episode, we focus on wellness through one of its most well-known practices: yoga. Philip Deslippe from UCSB and journalist Stacie Stukin, a former Yoga Journal editor, talk about the expansive health claims surrounding yoga. We learn how yoga emerged as an industry, the strategies of yoga influencers, and how they use social media. The big question this week is why conspiracy theories are rife in the yoga world. We analyze the idea of a ‘wellness to co...2024-06-1454 min
Miss InformationEpisode 3: Wearable Wellness, Biohacking, and the Quest for ImmortalityWellness is a $4.2 trillion industry, but what even is wellness? And can living well enable us - or at least a few billionaires - to live forever? In this episode, we investigate the information and misinformation surrounding wearable, biohacking, and consciousness hacking. The episode focuses in detail on Silicon Valley tech magnate Bryan Johnson, who is using these phenomena in order to reverse his aging and crack the immortality code. By honing in on Johnson, we open a window into the slippery and subjective nature of wellness claims, and how they often become misinformation. We talk about the neoliberal...2024-06-0757 min
Miss InformationEpisode 2: The Religious Roots of Vaccine DenialWhy did around 25% of Americans refuse to take the covid-19 vaccine? The pandemic raised the issue of vaccination to a new height in public awareness. In this episode, we look at the religious roots of vaccine resistance in the US with Kira Ganga Kieffer from Boston University. Beginning with the documentary Died, Suddenly, we learn about claims that vaccines are a cover for elites trying to depopulate the Earth. We talk about the social media campaign around the documentary, in which sudden deaths are linked to vaccines, including some famous examples. Tiffany Dover, a nurse who was among the...2024-05-3150 min
Straight White American JesusMiss Information Episode 1 - Holiday Special EpisodeOn this Memorial Day, we are proud to introduce the newest limited series from the Institute for Religion, Media, and Civic Engagement and Axis Mundi Media. Miss Information is a podcast about how conspiracies and misinformation infiltrate wellness communities and religious spaces. Subscribe here: https://redcircle.com/shows/21b4b512-ceef-4289-b9fc-76f302f5bd22/episodes/3532f1b2-5f15-4302-82f6-8a281d676871Misinformation is big news, but what does it mean and why does it matter? If misinformation is simply incorrect information, can it be solved simply by telling people...2024-05-271h 01Premium Ad-Free: Straight White American JesusMiss Information Episode 1 - Holiday Special EpisodeOn this Memorial Day, we are proud to introduce the newest limited series from the Institute for Religion, Media, and Civic Engagement and Axis Mundi Media. Miss Information is a podcast about how conspiracies and misinformation infiltrate wellness communities and religious spaces. Subscribe here: https://redcircle.com/shows/21b4b512-ceef-4289-b9fc-76f302f5bd22/episodes/3532f1b2-5f15-4302-82f6-8a281d676871Misinformation is big news, but what does it mean and why does it matter? If misinformation is simply incorrect information, can it be solved simply by telling people...2024-05-271h 01
Miss InformationEpisode 1: What is Misinformation?Misinformation is big news, but what does it mean and why does it matter? If misinformation is simply incorrect information, can it be solved simply by telling people the right answer? In this episode, we learn how misinformation can prevent people from voting if they think they aren’t eligible or can’t vote by mail; how misinformation can convince people to take certain drugs to cure a disease even if it’s not proven to be safe; and the ways misinformation can draw people into conspiracies like QAnon. But it’s not as simple as dispelling all misin...2024-05-2459 min