Beyond the Studio
Siva, Emily and Will keep a busy academic schedule.
At D in D, our hosts have day jobs. And as for this gig, they do it for free. Here’s some news on their accomplishments beyond the show this past season.
Siva Vaidhyanathan accepts a Distinguished Scholar Award.
UVA Office of Engagement
Siva Vaidhyanathan recently received a Distinguished Scholar Award from the University of Virginia’s Office of Engagement. The prize honors UVa faculty who volunteer time in the university community over and above their teaching and research.
Siva has also continued writing for mass media, with recent op-eds in The Nation and The New Republic.
In one piece, Siva takes issue with Elon Musk’s control over X, formerly known as Twitter, and the billionaire’s adverse effects on that platform and the online world in general. In Ukraine, Siva writes, Musk’s satellite internet project Starlink has proved important but still lacks accountability.
In a second essay, Siva considers the career of late television producer Norman Lear and its profound influence on American politics. Lear, who died Dec. 5 at the age of 101, created groundbreaking shows like All in the Family, Maude and The Jeffersons, asking Americans to discuss (as Siva said recently on the show) “just about anything,” from racism to abortion and drug use. The piece notes Lear’s unwavering commitment to diversity and to promoting women to more prominent roles in the entertainment industry.
Emily Burrill speaks with our guests at a live taping of D in D in Charlottesville, Va., on Oct. 21.
Ariana Arenson / Democracy in Danger
This fall, co-host Emily Burrill helped launch a seminar series called African Formations of Democracy, at our parent organization, UVa’s Karsh Institute. The series includes speaking events and discussions about governance on the African continent in the past and present.
Emily is also co-editing a book series with her colleague Jacqueline Arthur-Montagne, a UVa classics scholar. The series, Democratic Ideals in Global Perspective, gets underway in 2024. This coming semester, Emily will co-teach a new class with historian Amir Syed called “Sovereignty, Law, and Knowledge in African History.” Lately she’s been reading Roxane Gay’s Opinions, Kelly and Zach Weinersmith’s A City on Mars and Mariana Candido’s Wealth, Land, and Property in Angola. We’re happy to announce that she will stay on with Democracy in Danger as a frequent contributing host.
The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Vietnam.
Will Hitchcock / Democracy in Danger
While Emily was sitting in for Will Hitchcock, Will was serving as a fellow at Oxford University’s Rothermere American Institute and working on the forthcoming book A Shadow over the World: FDR, the Fascist Threat, and America’s Road to World War II.
In November, Will led a Cavalier Travels program to Vietnam. While there, he lectured on French and American militarism and on the memory of the Vietnam War in the United States. In early December, he participated in the annual symposium of the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. Will will be back behind the mic for Season Eight in early 2024.
