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About This Podcast
This is Instant Coffee, your quick fix of everything Middle East. This podcast, brought to you by the LSE Middle East Centre, features conversations with activists, artists, journalists and more from the region.
Listen to our latest season on what it takes to effect meaningful change. Out now.
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Recent Episodes
S4E5 4.5 Urban Exclusion in the City
In the final episode of this season, Ahmad Abu Hussien, an urban sociologist from Jordan, brings together academics and practitioners to explore theories of urban planning and design through case…
S4E4 4.4 Creating Real Economic Empowerment for Women in MENA
In this penultimate episode, Yara Shawky Shahin has a frank discussion with her colleague Yasmine D’Alessandro about how to create programmes of real economic empowerment for women in the Middle East…
S4E3 4.3 Gendering the Archive: A Catalyst for Change in Women's Rights in Egypt
In this episode, Diana Magdy, a gender equality specialist, feminist researcher and oral historian has a conversation with Professor Hoda Elsadda unpacking the politics of archiving, revealing…
S4E2 4.2 Keeping Education Going in Gaza
Manar Alzraiy, a Palestinian education professional dedicated to resilience and equity in crisis-affected schools, brings together her colleagues from Gaza to talk about education since October 7…
S4E1 4.1 Building Transnational Solidarity Networks of Resistance
In this first episode of season 4, Hamidreza Vasheghanifarahani speaks with Azadeh Sobout and Rindala about how transnational solidarity networks can strengthen efforts towards social change. While…
S3E10 3.10 The Power of Radio
How did the radio, a major technological development in the history of sound and music, change the social, cultural and political landscape of the region?In this last episode of the season, we speak…
S3E9 3.9 War Tech and Nationalism in Turkey and Israel
This episode explores the link between technology, warfare and nationalism. Turkey and Israel are two countries in the region who have developed their technological capabilities for both domestic and…
S3E8 3.8 Data for Development with Nagla Rizk
What does the era of ‘big data’ mean for development technologies in MENA? How can data be used for good, to ensure projects working with vulnerable communities such as informal workers and women are…
S3E7 3.7 Living in the Future with Rahel Aima
Writer and art critic, Rahel Aima, who grew up and currently lives in Dubai, talks to us about living in the Gulf, a region rapidly developing itself as the place to be for smart cities and high-tech…
S3E6 3.6 Art Meaning and Art Making with Nadim Choufi
How can art complicate claims of progress, innovation and the use of rapidly developing emerging technologies in MENA? In this episode, Cima Chehab speaks to visual artist Nadim Choufi about how he…
S3E5 3.5 Archiving and Mapping Technologies in Palestine and Syria
Majd Al-Shihabi of 'Palestine Open Maps' and Sana Yazigi of the 'Creative Memory of the Syrian Revolution' talk to us about how they have centered their archiving processes around maps, and what…
S3E4 3.4 Fintech, Crypto and Sanctions in Iraq and Iran
Iraq’s engagement with fintech is new but rapidly developing, amidst a contemporary economic history that has struggled with foreign intervention and internal corruption, while Iranians have been…
S3E3 3.3 Re-Appropriating Technologies with and for Refugees and Migrants
Smartphones, food-only debit cards, biometric data checks at border crossings, these are some of the ways refugees and migrants interact with technology in their daily lives both in the region and…
S3E2 3.2 Knowledge Production Across Empires
The Abbasid and British Empires are the nexus through which our two guests, Dr Ahmed Ragab and Dr Katayoun Shafiee explore technology, knowledge production and power. This episode charts medieval…
S3E1 3.1 Digital Rights and Big Tech in MENA
What kinds of obstacles are people in MENA facing with regards to access to technological opportunity and concerns around digital rights abuses? How are they tied to global challenges? Dr Nakeema…
S2E10 2.10 A Brief History of Wine with Farrah Berrou
From Tlmecen through to Bethlehem and the Bekaa Valley, we chart the history of wine production in the Middle East and North Africa. Farrah Berrou talks us through her journey of wine writing for a…
S2E9 2.9 An A-Z of food names with Salma Serry
Have you ever thought about the names behind the dishes you’re eating? Salma Serry, an Egyptian born filmmaker and interdisciplinary foodways researcher, gave us the lowdown on how many of the foods…
CALLOUT: We want your stories of food names
No new episode this week, but we're working on something that requires your help. Do you know any interesting facts, stories or folk tales about the names of dishes from the region? If so we want to…
S2E8 2.8 The Sudanese Kitchen(s) with Omer Eltigani
Camel milk, mushrooms, ta’miyah, agashe, aseeda, tarkeen, these are just some of the foods and dishes that make up Sudan’s intricate network of cuisines. We spoke with Omer Eltigani, cook, archivist…
S2E7 2.7 Migrant Cuisine in the Expat City with Vidya Balachander
Is there such a thing as a Dubai cuisine? What role do the migrants and expats of the Emirate play in curating this food culture? On episode 7 we see if Vidya Balachander can help us find some…
Frequently Asked Questions
Instant Coffee has published 38 episodes since July 2020, covering topics in Arts, Food.
Instant Coffee is currently declining with new episodes every 2 weeks. Average episode length is 25m.
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