Pass the Microphone!
Pass the Microphone!
Academic voices meet lived experiences in a podcast about migration research
PODCAST
When Borders & Belonging host Maggie Perzyna pitched the idea of a podcast on migration, she didn鈥檛 expect the idea to take off. But three seasons, thirty episodes, and two Signal Awards later, the podcast has taken root.
鈥淢y sister introduced me to podcasts as I was switching careers and hungry to consume everything I could about migration research. I found lots of amazing podcasts but when it came to the topic of migration, I didn鈥檛 find much out there that was made in a journalistic style that was easy to absorb. Luckily, I worked with a team that was open to trying something new.鈥�
The Borders & Belonging podcast was created with a clear mission: to make migration research more accessible and relatable. While academic studies provide invaluable insights, their technical language and in-depth analyses can often be daunting for non-specialist audiences. Borders & Belonging bridges that gap, juxtaposing innovative academic research from some of the top migration scholars in the world with stories that bring the realities of migration to life. Maggie says it was important that each episode should begin with a story told by someone with personal, on-the-ground-experience of the topic being explored.
The power of storytelling
At the heart of Borders & Belonging is the belief that storytelling is one of the most powerful tools for education and engagement. There鈥檚 debate in academia about letting emotions cloud objective research. But there鈥檚 a science behind the power of storytelling. Through a process called 鈥榥eural coupling鈥�, when the brain sees or hears a story, its neurons fire in the same patterns as the speaker鈥檚 brain. When those stories engage emotion, they create empathy, which has actually been shown to change behaviour. When people can relate on a personal level, there is a greater chance that they will remember the information that they are consuming.
Making research accessible
Take, for example, a recent episode featuring 91福利 Professor and Canada Research Chair in Privacy Preserving Digital Technologies, Anatoliy Gruzd, who leads work on social media narratives on immigration in Canada for Bridging Divides. Anatoliy and Stockholm University Media and Communications Professor Mattias Ekman discuss the impact of social media disinformation on migration policy. The episode opens with Katie Paul, Director of the Tech Transparency Project, an information and research hub that explores the influence of the major technology platforms on politics, policy, and daily life. As Katie explains, sometimes it takes a personal experience to make you think critically about the world.
鈥淚 actually wanted to be an archeologist. My last semester of grad school was the Arab Spring, and when I had been going on digs and I saw the trafficking of antiquities from so many of these countries that I wanted to work in was really exploding, and in my effort to research that area, I stumbled across these massive black markets for conflict antiquities from countries like Syria, Libya, Iraq on Facebook, and when I say massive, I'm talking some of these Facebook groups that are called, 'Antiquities for sale', in Arabic, have 500,000 members or more, trading everything from statues from Palmyra to coffins from Egypt.鈥�
This unexpected discovery led Katie to a career in tech. Now she works every day to educate the public about the power that massive companies like Meta have to support bad actors and spread misinformation. The academic discussion that follows, broadens the conversation and frames Katie鈥檚 work and observations in context of the latest research, explaining how everyday interactions with social media end up influencing government policy.
Bridging academia and civil society
While the podcast aims to make research more accessible to the general public, it鈥檚 also a way for researchers to provide a platform to share the important work their partners are doing. According to Bridging Divides researcher Richa Shivakoti, whose work on the drivers of migration was featured in a recent episode, podcasting is a helpful tool for knowledge transfer.
鈥淚n research, we talk a lot about the importance of partnerships and in working with both academic and non-academic partners to inform our research. But often our academic publications are not able to do justice in highlighting the amazing work done by our partners working on the ground with migrants. That is where alternate knowledge dissemination methods such as blogs and podcasts are vital in integrating both aspects and communicating them to a broader audience.鈥�
Maggie says there鈥檚 nothing more rewarding than getting an email from a professor excited that the podcast has sparked a lively classroom discussion.
鈥淚t always puts a smile on my face when I get an email from a professor saying that an episode has really struck a chord and opened the door for conversation."
"A lot of the research process happens behind the scenes," she says, "so it鈥檚 exciting when the podcast can make that process more transparent and showcase the important connections between academics and partners on the ground.鈥�
Looking ahead
As Season 4 of Borders & Belonging goes into production, the team is trying something new. They鈥檙e turning to you, the listeners, for inspiration. The upcoming season will be entirely based on listener suggestions. Whether it鈥檚 the impact of policy changes, personal migration journeys, or overlooked issues in global mobility, the aim is to highlight the topics people working on these issues truly care about. Story ideas for future episodes can be submitted via email or via a submission form on the podcast website.
Given the way that migration is often scapegoated by politicians and news media, the need for informed, research-based conversations has never been greater. By making research accessible, relatable, and engaging, Borders & Belonging is helping to foster a more informed and empathetic dialogue on migration in classrooms and beyond 鈥� one story at a time.
In this issue of Bridges:
From Idea to Impact: Partnering Beyond the Metropolis
Partnership and Innovation in Canada鈥檚 Most Diverse City
Shaping the Future of Migration Research in Quebec
Rooted in Research, Growing Through Community
Bridging Cultures Through the Arts
Plus: Spring 2025 Allies in Action