Epicenter

One room. One locked-down camera. One roll of film. A group of famous directors from the 1960s took the challenge: they would make a short film with these parameters plus one more—their dialogue must include the sentence “I Miss Sonia Henie.” The result was a bawdy, ludicrous compilation that became an international classic. It’s featured in a new film retrospective called The Yugoslav Junction: Internationalism in the SFRY: 1958–1988. The Weatherhead Center is cosponsoring this program of short and long films from socialist Yugoslavia, which takes place at the Harvard Film Archive beginning November 9. Today we’re talking to the curator of the series along with two Weatherhead fellows from Bosnia and Herzegovina who will set up the political and cultural background for these rare films, and they’ll discuss three of them— one each from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.The curator of the series Nace Zavrl shares his inspiration for putting together the fifty-film retrospective. In fact, one of the original founders of the Harvard Film Archive was Yugoslavian, and Zavrl suspected there might be a treasure trove of socialist-era films in the catalog. He was right.Damir Kapidžić, political scientist at the University of Sarajevo, notes that an explosion of filmmaking occurred after Stalin and Tito split in their ideologies, and Yugoslavia needed to present itself as a third kind of system, neither socialist nor Western.Denisa Sarajlic, former Deputy Minister of Civil Affairs in Bosnia and Herzegovina, has studied the power of narratives from the socialist period to the present. She tackles the plots of the movies under discussion and describes the portrayal of women and the social tensions related to Western influences, among other fascinating insights.Guests:Damir Kapidžić, 2023–2024 Fulbright Visiting Scholar, Weatherhead Scholars Program. Associate Professor of Comparative Politics, University of Sarajevo.Denisa Sarajlic, Fellow, Weatherhead Scholars Program (spring 2025). Director, SKRIPTA. Nace Zavrl, PhD Candidate, Department of Art, Film, and Visual Studies, Harvard University. Host:Jessica Barnard, Program Manager for the Weatherhead Research Clusters on Migration and on Global HistoryRelated LinksThe Yugoslav Junction: Film and Internationalism in the SFRY, 1957–1988Harvard Film ArchiveNace Zavrl’s personal websiteDamir Kapidžić’s personal websiteIlliberal Politics in Southeast Europe: How Ruling Elites Undermine Democracy, edited by Damir Kapidžić, Věra Stojarová (Routledge, 2022)“Inclusive topic selection: reflections on Mostar’s first citizens’ assembly” by Damir Kapidžić and Yves Dejaeghere (Deliberative Democracy Digest, February 15, 2024)“After Yugoslavia” by Nace Zavrl (Senses of Cinema, October 2022)“The patchwork method: on David Redmon and Ashley Sabin” by Nace Zavrl (Visual Studies, Volume 39, May 2024)“Megaphone, Molotov, Moviola: 1968 and Global Cinema / Celluloid Revolt” by Nace Zavrl (NECSUS, June 14, 2020)“High art cinema: The artist’s feature film” by Nace Zavrl (Moving Image Review & Art Journal, Volume 7, Issue 1, Apr 2018)“Counter-operation: Harun Farocki Against the Network” by Nace Zavrl (Afterimage, Volume 45, Issue 1, July/August 2017)Music:“Balkan Qoulou” by Watcha Clan. Source: Free Music Archive (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US)  This episode was produced, edited, and mixed by Michelle Nicholasen, Editor and Content Producer at the Weatherhead Center.Follow the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs:Weatherhead Center WebsiteEpicenter WebsiteTwitterFacebookLinkedInInstagramBlueskySimplecastYouTube

Massachusetts has long been a welcoming state to immigrants and migrant families. In the summer of 2023, its one-of-a-kind “right to shelter” law was put to the test when emergency shelters reached capacity. It was called a humanitarian crisis, and images of families sleeping on the floor of Logan Airport flooded the media. Although it is most noticed on a local level, migration is an ongoing global process that requires a structural response at all levels. In this episode, we speak to a lawyer/scholar, a nurse practitioner, and a city government official deeply involved with immigrant services and policies to better understand the scope of migration, the needs of newly arrived families, and also the varied responses of host communities.Monique Nguyen directs the Boston mayor’s office for immigrant advancement and explains why the word “crisis” mischaracterizes the realities of global migration. Massachusetts has made a moral and ethical commitment to helping people in need, and her office works to give migrants a pathway to stability and a foothold in their communities. Nurse practitioner and fellow with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Maggie Sullivan delivers primary care to families in shelters. She offers a vivid picture of a migrant family’s experience in temporary shelters, and also describes the fortitude and skills individuals bring to Boston.Attorney and human rights scholar Jackie Bhabha directs the Weatherhead Center’s Research Cluster on Migration, where Sullivan is an affiliate. Bhabha eloquently describes both the theory and practice of helping migrants and immigrants within the framework of human rights. She also provides insights on other countries’ experiences hosting influxes of migrants and the need for preparation and coordination involving the highest levels of government.Guests:Jacqueline Bhabha, Faculty Associate; Chair, Weatherhead Research Cluster on Migration. Professor of the Practice of Health and Human Rights, Department of Global Health and Population; Director of Research, François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Jeremiah Smith Jr. Lecturer on Law, Harvard Law School.Monique Tú Nguyen, Executive Director, Mayor's Office for Immigrant Advancement, City of Boston. Margaret (Maggie) Sullivan, Instructor and Health and Human Rights Fellow, FXB Center for Health and Human Rights, Harvard University; Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner, Boston Health Care for the Homeless. Host:Jessica Barnard, Program Manager for the Weatherhead Research Clusters on Migration and Global History.Related Links:Weatherhead Research Cluster on Migration, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard UniversityMayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement, City of BostonFrançois-Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) Center for Health and Human Rights, Harvard University“Reproductive healthcare in immigration detention: The imperative of informed consent” by Margaret Sullivan, Jacqueline Bhabha, et al. (The Lancet Regional Health—Americas, Volume 10, 100211, June 2022)“Health Rights for All: The Imperative of Including All Migrants” by Jacqueline Bhabha (Health and Human Rights Journal, Vol 25/1, 2023, pp. 223-226, March 30, 2023)“The imperative of sustaining (rather than destroying) frontline empathic solidarity for distress migrants” by Jacqueline Bhabha (Boston University International Law Journal, Volume 40:49, August 2022)“A Bridge Towards Tomorrow: Sampan speaks with Monique Tú Nguyen – Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement” by Christopher John Stevens (Sampan, Volume 53, Issue 9, May 10, 2024)Music Credits:“Goldfinch: Flight to the North” by Axletree. Source: Free Music Archive (CC BY 4.0 DEED)“Dorian” by Xylo-Ziko. Source: Free Music Archive (CC BY 4.0 DEED) This episode was produced, edited, and mixed by Michelle Nicholasen, Editor and Content Producer at the Weatherhead Center.Follow the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs:Weatherhead Center WebsiteEpicenter WebsiteTwitterFacebookLinkedInInstagramBlueskySimplecastYouTube

People aged sixty-five and older make up the fastest growing population around the world, posing unique challenges to societies. A Harvard initiative called Social Technology for Global Aging Research is founded on the belief that there’s a great potential for technologies and interventions to benefit the elderly, but only if they are developed with a deep understanding of day-to-day life. In the scope of this collaboration, technology for the elderly covers a wide range of needs—from engineering hardware for mobility to designing living environments and even tackling the logistics of meeting friends for tea. It’s an expansive collaboration between Harvard scholars and their Chinese counterparts. We speak with four collaborators who share fascinating examples of their work.The founder of the initiative, Arthur Kleinman, believes that aging societies represent an unprecedented transformation of the global population that introduces a range of challenges. He emphasizes the need to bring together various disciplines—such as medical practitioners, engineers, and anthropologists, to name a few—to collaboratively solve problems the elderly face in their day to day lives. Much of the team’s research is conducted on the ground in China, where about 30 percent of the population of China will be sixty-five or older by 2050.Fawwaz Habbal points out the particular challenges of engineering products and services for this constituency, but also highlights the great insights that emerge from using a multidisciplinary approach. Ann Forsyth discusses the desire of the elderly to “age in place,” and what that means from an urban planning and housing perspective. The locations that may be desirable at one stage in life often change in older age. In China, for example, many older people have moved from the rural areas to the cities, and culturally it’s frowned upon to relocate parents to assisted living facilities.Designing social interventions can be just as powerful as designing an effective piece of hardware. Drawing on his vast experience with older patients and elder resources, Hong-Tu Chen describes a simple method for fostering connections between children and their elderly parents. All four scholars share fascinating stories about unintended consequences of new technologies, and surprisingly simple interventions that can have a powerful impact on quality of life.Guests:Arthur Kleinman, Faculty Associate. Esther and Sidney Rabb Professor, Department of Anthropology, Harvard University; Professor of Medical Anthropology in Global Health and Social Medicine; Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School.Hong-Tu Chen, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School.Ann Forsyth, Faculty Associate. Ruth and Frank Stanton Professor of Urban Planning; Interim Chair, Department of Urban Planning and Design, Harvard Graduate School of Design.Fawwaz Habbal, senior lecturer in applied physics, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Related Links:Social Technology for Global Aging Research Initiative at Harvard University“Social Technology: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Improving Care for Older Adults”By Arthur Kleinman, Hong-Tu Chen, Fawwaz Habbal, et al. (Frontiers in Public Health, December 9, 2021) “Making Communities Age-Friendly: Lessons From Implemented Programs” by Ann Forsyth et al. (Journal of Planning Literature, 2023)“Climate Change, Aging, and Well-being: How Residential Setting Matters” by Ann Forsyth et al. (Housing Policy Debate, Volume 33, 2023)“Technological Devices To Help Older People beyond the Home: An Inventory and Assessment Focusing on the Neighborhood and City Scales” by Ann Forsyth et al. (Cities & Health, 2022)Reshaping Engineering Education: Addressing Complex Human Challenges by Fawwaz Habbal et al. (forthcoming, Springer, January 2024)The Soul of Care: The Moral Education of a Husband and a Doctor by Arthur Kleinman (Penguin Random House, 2019)“How Are China and Its Middle Class Handling Aging and Mental Health?” by Arthur Kleinman in The China Questions: Critical Insights into a Rising Power edited by Jennifer Rudolph and Michael Szonyi (Harvard University Press, 2018)Music credit: Cinematic Documentary by Aleksey Chistilin, Pixabay This episode was produced, edited, and mixed by Michelle Nicholasen, Editor and Content Producer at the Weatherhead Center.Follow the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs:Weatherhead Center WebsiteEpicenter WebsiteTwitterFacebookLinkedInInstagramBlueskySimplecastYouTube

When the Wagner mercenary group staged a near coup in Moscow in June, it was seen as the greatest challenge to Vladimir Putin’s regime in decades. Though it didn’t come to fruition, it nevertheless exposed some of the fissures in Putin’s ironclad control over the military and the course of the war on Ukraine. Could it be a harbinger of future revolts? How do Russian citizens feel about the continuation of the war? We speak with three scholars of history and political science to find out what this event might mean for Russia’s war machine and for Ukraine’s counteroffensive.The Wagner rebellion may open the possibility of future revolts, but only if Ukraine’s counteroffensive makes more progress, says Serhii Plokhy. He reminds us of Russia’s past defeats and its pattern of regime change linked to failures on the battlefield.In spite of its grave losses, Ukrainian morale remains high, says Alexadra Vacroux. But the war is forcing the population to undergo a major demographic shift, which will have a profound impact on the country’s recovery.  Sasha de Vogel gives insight into public opinion in Russia, the consequences for speaking out against the war, and why there is so little civil resistance. She dispels Western myths about the suppression and repression of Russian citizens and believes Putin will keep fighting this war until death.Finally, the scholars share their opinions on what is needed to end this devastating war. This episode was produced in collaboration with the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies and the Ukrainian Research Institute, both at Harvard University.Host:Erin Goodman, Executive Director of the Weatherhead CenterGuests:Sasha de Vogel, Postdoctoral Researcher, Authoritarian Politics Lab, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Former Raphael Morrison Dorman Memorial Postdoctoral Fellow, Weatherhead Scholars Program.Serhii Plokhy, Faculty Associate. Mykhailo S. Hrushevs'kyi Professor of Ukrainian History, Department of History; Director, Ukrainian Research Institute, Harvard University.Alexandra Vacroux, Executive Director, Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University. Producer/Director:Michelle Nicholasen, Editor and Content Producer, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs.Related Links:“A War With No End in Sight” by Sasha de Vogel (Dissent Magazine, April 2023)“Anti-opposition crackdowns and protest: the case of Belarus, 2000–2019” by Sasha de Vogel (Post-Soviet Affairs, Volume 38, 2022)“Feminized forced migration: Ukrainian war refugees” by Alexandra Vacroux et al. (Women's Studies International Forum [Women and the 2022 War in Ukraine]:1-10 2023)“How to Help Ukraine Stand Its Ground” by Alexandra Vacroux (Boston Globe, February 23, 2023)“Are the West’s Sanctions on Russia Working?” by Alexandra Vacroux et al. (Just Money, October 31, 2022)“Insight on Syria: What Are Putin's Motives?” by Alexandra Vacroux et al. (Epicenter, April 3, 2018)The Russo-Ukrainian War: The Return of History by Serhii Plokhy (W. W. Norton, May 2023)The Frontline: Essays on Ukraine’s Past and Present by Serhii Plokhy (Harvard University Press, November 2021)“Through the Ashes of the Minsk Agreements” by Lidia Powirska (Epicenter, May 18, 2022)Follow the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs:Weatherhead Center WebsiteEpicenter WebsiteTwitterFacebookSimplecastYouTubeVimeo This episode was produced, edited, and mixed by Michelle Nicholasen, Editor and Content Producer at the Weatherhead Center.Follow the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs:Weatherhead Center WebsiteEpicenter WebsiteTwitterFacebookLinkedInInstagramBlueskySimplecastYouTube