AKC Podcast

S13 E08: Re-thinking Mind and Body

08 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Karen O'Brien-Kop discusses the mind/body relationship from an ontological perspective

S13 E07: Re-thinking our smartphone usage

30 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Ben Carter and Dr Nicola Kalk outline the latest research on smartphone usage and mental health

S13 E06: Re-thinking Brain Development

24 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Stacey Bedwell discusses the 5 stages of neurological development

S13 E05: Re-thinking Human Learning in the Age of AI

17 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Martin Compton discusses AI in the context of higher education

S13 E04: Rethinking Gut and Brain Health

03 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Tim Spector discusses how diet and the gut microbiome affect our health

S13 E02: Re-thinking our ocean origins

20 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Rachel Mills discusses our ocean origins and historic and current practices in oceanography

S13 E01: Why re-think thinking?

13 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Edward David, Director of the AKC, introduces this semester's lecture series 'Re-thinking thinking'

S12 E09: Grammars of Animacy: Geographies of Care

25 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

S12 E09: Grammars of Animacy: Geographies of Care by AKC @ King's College London

S12 E08: Love, Relationship and Existential Culture

17 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

S12 E08: Love, Relationship and Existential Culture by AKC @ King's College London

S03 E07: Against 'Mental Health'

17 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Nikolas Rose presents a case against 'mental health' and medicalisation

S12 E07: Last Love: Lessons from Care at the End of Life

10 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

S12 E07: Last Love: Lessons from Care at the End of Life by AKC @ King's College London

S12 E06: Who Controls the Narrative of Lived Experience in High Control Communities?

28 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

S12 E06: Who Controls the Narrative of Lived Experience in High Control Communities? by AKC @ King's College London

S12 E05: Impossible Subjects? Autistic People’s Belonging in Religious Groups

10 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Krysia Waldock explores neurodiversity in religious contexts

S12 E04: On Love, Non-attachment and Liberation

03 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Guilaine Kinouani, Founder of Race Reflections & Author, Scholar and Activist, reflects on non-attachment with reference to Freud, bell hooks, and her...

S12 E03: Vulnerability and Control: Smartphones and Queer Men's Cultures of Intimacy

27 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Jamie Hakim discusses the role of smartphones in queer men's relationships

S12 E02: Cunning Encounters: Love as Bravery and Defiance

21 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Selma Dabbagh explores Arab women's poetry

S12 E01: On Marriage: A Conversation

14 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Stephen Frosh hosts a conversation on marriage and philosophy with Devorah Baum and Clare Carlisle

S11 E09: Wounds Inside: The Anticipated Mental Health Consequences of the Genocide in Gaza

02 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Prof Hanna Kienzler shares research on mental health and conflict

S11 E07: Art for Peace and Justice

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Rachel Kerr discusses art's role in peacemaking, reconciliation and justice All AKC lectures are delivered from the perspective of the acad...

S11 E06: The Right to Peace

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Maria Varaki discusses the United Nations declaration of human rights All AKC lectures are delivered from the perspective of the academic deliveri...

S11 E05: What Is ‘Holy’ in This War? Religions and Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Marat Shterin discusses religion and politics in the Ukraine conflict All AKC lectures are delivered from the perspective of the academic d...

S11 E04: Is Gandhi Pacifist? Violence and Ethics in Anticolonial Thought

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Moiz Tundawala explores Gandhi's approach to non-violence All AKC lectures are delivered from the perspective of the academic delivering them and ...

S11 E03: The Greater War Is Against Your Ego: A Sufi View on Inner Struggle

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Kazuyo Murata discusses the human struggle with the ego from a Sufist perspective All AKC lectures are delivered from the perspective of the acade...

S11 E01: When Calm is Violence: Media and Power in Israel-Palestine

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Amjad Iraqi, from Al-Shabaka & +972 Magazine, discusses the events of October 7th 2023 from a journalistic perspective. All AKC lectures are deliver...

S10 E09: Narrative Imagination and Moral Perfection in Indian Buddhism

25 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Naomi Appleton discusses Buddhist philosophy through story telling

S10 S08: Self and World in Early Indian Philosophy

18 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Shalini Sinha explores concepts of the self, reality and consciousness in early Indian thought

E10 E07: Tolerance: South Asian Islamic Conceptions

11 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Humeira Iqtidar discusses South Asian Islamic Thought on tolerance, liberalism and diversity

S10 E06: Annam Brahma: Hindu Theology of Eating

04 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Diwakar Acharya examines Hindu approaches to diet, food and theology

S10 E05: Isolated or Co-responsible? Perfected Souls in Jainism

19 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Marie-Helene Gorisse, University of Birmingham discusses Jain philosophy and metaphysics

S10 E04: Between Past and Future: Muslim Political Philosophy in Colonial India

12 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Taushif Kara explores Muslim philosophy in colonial India through poetry, literature and art

S10 E03: Hindu Worldviews: Theories of Self, Ritual and Reality

05 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Jessica Frazier discusses the concept of Self in ancient Hindu philosophy and yogic texts

S10 E02: The Self-Other Dialectic in the Religious Poetry of Rabindranath Tagore

29 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Ankur Barua discusses the poetry and theology of Rabindranath Tagore

S10 E01: The Gendered Self in a Masculinist World: the Mahābhārata

22 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad, University of Lancaster

S09 E09: Universities in Our Contemporary Society

11 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Shitij Kapur considers the role of the university in facilitating free speech and fostering respect in contemporary society

S09 E08: Are We Too Easily Offended Nowadays?

04 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Linda Woodhead discusses generational differences in dealing with offence and emotion

S09 E07: Too Important to Be Offended—the Doctor Has to Ask

27 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Shunagyu LI discusses offence and the medical profession

S09 E06: Visualising Africa: The Offence of Misrepresentation

20 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Edward Ademolu discusses the misrepresentation of Africa in charity campaign images

S09 E05: A Blonde Enters a Lecture Hall…and Offers a Feminist Examination of Sexist Humour

13 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Nicole Graham examines sexist humour

S09 E04: Free Speech Against a Faith—When the Faith is Not Ours

30 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Satvinder Juss discusses freedom of speech and religion. Content warning: this lecture contains references to material which some listeners ...

S09 E03: The State of Free Speech in UK Universities: What Students and the Public Think

23 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Bobby Duffy returns to the AKC to discuss his research into the state of free speech in UK universities

S09 E02: Free Speech and the University

16 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Arif Ahmed discusses the role of free speech in Higher Education

S09 E01: Free Speech and Offence: Can We Draw a Line?

09 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Professor David Ruebain examines freedom of speech from a legal perspective

S08 E09: Witnessing Catastrophe: Theology and Climate Change

27 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tim Middleton discusses the role of theology and religion in response to climate change and collective trauma

S08 E08: Is climate change a security threat?

20 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Robert Falkner considers climate change from an International Relations perspective

S08 E07: Minimal ethics for a planetary crisis

13 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Joanna Zylinska takes a deep dive into the philosophy of climate change

S08 S06: Climate Change: What can we do?

06 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A panel discussion concerning climate change and our response to it, with a keynote address from Sarah Lunnon (Extinction Rebellion, Just Stop Oil), c...

S08 E03: Public Education in an Era of Planetary Emergency

06 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ben Rawlence, founder of Black Mountains College, discusses the role of education in preparing us to live in a new era of planetary emergency and clim...

S08 E05: Art and Activism

20 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Margaret Heffernan considers the role of activism in the arts

S08 E04: Palaeolithic Climate Change: What can we learn from our ancient ancestors?

13 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hilary Davies talks about sites of historic interest in the Dordogne valley and beyond, and asks what lessons we can learn from palaeolithic societies

S08 S02: Climate Change: Finding the Right Story

30 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Mike Hulme discusses a variety of narratives concerning climate change

S08 E01: Taking the Planet into Uncharted Territory

23 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dame Professor Julia Slingo discusses the impact of humanity on planet earth

S07 E09: St Francis at the Engine Room

12 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Julie Gittoes, Andrew Kwapong and Graeme Mortimer Evelyn discuss Graeme's work at St Francis at the Engine Room

S07 E08: St Paul's Cathedral: art old and new

05 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Paula Gooder examines the memorials and artwork in St Paul's Cathedral in the light of the contested history debate

S07 E07: Devotion, Doubt and the 'Down-and-Out': Jean Cocteau's Murals

28 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Caroline Levitt discusses the murals of Jean Cocteau in the Église Notre Dame de France, Leicester Place

S07 E06: Crossing Borders: Art and Religion at the National Gallery

21 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ayla Lepine discusses her work at the National Gallery intersecting art and religion

S07 E05: Westminster Abbey: Art and Memory

14 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jamie Hawkey discusses the art of Westminster Abbey and its role in the curation of national memory

S07 E04: Paying to enter our Father's house: the cost of living our metaphors

31 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Neil MacGregor discusses the ethics of places of worship charging for entry

S07 E03: Call to Holy Ground: Connecting People and Place

24 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Laura Moffatt from Art & Christianity describes her partnership with the artists Fourthland and faith communities in Epping Forest and Walthamstow

S07 E02: Diasporic Longings: Exploring Migration and Entanglement Through Architecture

17 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Shahed Salem shares some of his work on mosque design in the UK and discusses how migration and architecture relate to each other

S07 E01: How Art and the Sacred Interact in Contemporary London: A Live(ly) Conversation

10 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Ben Quash introduces this semester's lecture series by examining sacred spaces in London, and the interplay between art, commerce and sacred...

S06 E09: Free speech in the secular university

28 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Ruth Sheldon

S06 E08: The Dance of Radical and Moderate Religion

21 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Linda Woodhead discusses what makes religion go radical

S06 E07: Religion and the Black Radical Tradition

14 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dr William Ackah discusses the history of the black radical tradition

S06 E06: The Recruitment and Roles of Women and Children in the Islamic State Group

28 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Gina Vale discusses the roles of women and children within the Islamic State group

S06 E04: Gender and Fundamentalism

14 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Sukhwant Dhaliwal discusses the intersection between gender, fundamentalism and human rights

S06 E03: Choosing to follow radical religions

07 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Eileen Barker discusses radical religions and cults

S06 E02: Culture Wars in the UK

31 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Bobby Duffy discusses research from the KCL Policy Institute on Culture Wars in the UK

S06 E01: Radical Religion: Re-thinking ‘Radicalisation’

18 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Daniel DeHanas introduces this semester's lecture series and discusses theories of radicalisation and 'radical religion'

S05 E09: Resurrection Hope: A Future Where Black Lives Matter

06 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Very Revd Dr Kelly Brown Douglas, Dean of Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary shares a lecture based on her 2021 book, 'Resurr...

S05 E08: The making of gay Muslim bodies

29 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Shanon Shah discusses Islamic law and sexuality

S05 E07: Buddhism and the case of the disappearing body

22 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Kate Crosby discusses the role of the body in Buddhism

S05 E06: The Resurrection Body

15 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel Hayter discusses differing views on the resurrection of the body within Jewish and early Christian thought

S05 E05: Maori Tatou: A conversation

08 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Maori tattoo artist Moko Smith, in conversation with Prof Joan Taylor, discusses the history and practice of Maori tatou (moko), its history and signi...

S05 E03: Jewish touch

18 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Ruth Sheldon explores issues of Jewishness, embodiment, integration and otherness

S05 E02: Muslim Women’s Bodies: Self and Spirituality on Instagram

11 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Renasha Khan discusses the role and impact of social media on the construction of muslim female identity

S05 E01: What did Jesus look like?

04 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Joan Taylor discusses past and present concepts of Jesus of Nazareth's physical appearance and asks: what did the real body of Christ look l...

S04 E08: Political Leadership

15 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Vernon Bogdanor discusses political leadership in the 20th century

S04 E06: Protesting Putin

01 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Sam Greene discusses Putin's hold on power in contemporary Russia

S04 E04: Women in Political Leadership

08 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Rosie Campbell

S04 E05: The Complex Contexts of Epidemic Responses

03 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Hayley MacGregor discusses the role of context in governmental responses to epidemics past and present

S04 E02: Religious Leadership: Learning from the Desert Elders

02 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Revd Dr Ellen Clark-King, Dean of King's College London, talks about what good spiritual leadership looks like, drawing on wisdom from early Christian...

S04 E03: The Civic University

01 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Baroness Deborah Bull, Vice President & Vice-Principal (London) at King's College London, discusses the civic university

S04 E01: Leadership in Troubled Times

18 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Daniel DeHanas introduces this semester's lecture series and discusses some different lenses through which we can view leaders past and present

S03 E09: Saying More Than We Have To Say: Poetry and the Procreative Mind

07 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Reverend Canon Mark Oakley from the University of Cambridge discusses the power of poetry

S03 E08: Mindfulness Meditation: Secular Therapy or Religious Movement?

30 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Matthew Drage from the Warburg Institute discusses the emergence and development of the contemporary mindfulness movement.

S03 E06: Plato’s Tyrant: the Unhealthy Soul and Interpersonal Relationships

16 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Margaret Hampson from Trinity College Dublin discusses Plato's Tyrant

S03 E05: Mental Health Within Holistic Medicine: A History of Alternatives

09 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Ayesha Nathoo explores the history of alternative approaches to mental health within the 20th century anglo-American context.

S03 E04: Addiction: Thoughts, Emotions and Behaviours

26 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Professor John Marsden discusses mental and emotional triggers relating to cocaine addiction

S03 E03: “Inner Lives” – Learning from Literature about Mental Health

19 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Neil Vickers discusses the emerging concept of selfhood and understandings of mental health in the nineteenth century

S03 E02: How is Mental Health Understood in Different Countries and Cultures?

12 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Autumn 2020 Lecture Series: The Life of the Mind: What is Mental Health? Professor Sir Graham Thornicroft discusses the differing global approaches t...

S03 E01: The Life of the Mind: A Philosophical Perspective

05 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Autumn 2020 Lecture Series: The Life of the Mind: What is Mental Health? Dr Clare Carlisle discusses the concept of mental health in relation to the ...

S02 E07: Westminster Abbey: Worship, Memory, Identity

17 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Spring 2020 Lecture Series: Inside London: The Life-Story of a City in Nine Buildings. The Revd Dr Jamie Hawkey, Canon Theologian at Westminster Abbe...

S02 E06: Warburg’s Library: Ark, Observatory, Laboratory

27 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Spring 2020 Lecture Series: Inside London: The Life-Story of a City in Nine Buildings. Professor John Tresch introduces the Warburg Institute, a uniq...

S02 E05: The Barbican: Architecture and Community

13 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Spring 2020 Lecture Series: Inside London: The Life-Story of a City in Nine Buildings. Dr Vittorio Montemaggi & Dr Michelle Fletcher examine the arch...

S03 E04: South Quay Plaza: Gentrification, Terrorism and London’s Multiculture

04 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Spring 2020 Lecture Series: Inside London: The Life-Story of a City in Nine Buildings. Dr George Legg discusses the Docklands development, terrorism ...

S02 E03: A Gift to the Nation: a Home for the National Gallery

28 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Spring 2020 Lecture Series: Inside London: The Life-Story of a City in Nine Buildings. Professor Ben Quash & Dr Jennifer Sliwka delve into the histor...

S02 E02: The East London Mosque: Building an Islamic Whitechapel

21 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Spring 2020 Lecture Series: Inside London: The Life-Story of a City in Nine Buildings. Dr Daniel DeHanas returns to the AKC to guide us through the h...

S02 E01: Inside London: The Life-story of a City in Nine Buildings

16 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Spring 2020 Lecture Series: Inside London: The Life-Story of a City in Nine Buildings. AKC Programme Director Dr Clare Carlisle introduces this sprin...

S01 E08: Identity and Justice Seeking: The Experiences of Gay Muslims

26 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Autumn Lecture Series: Power to the People? Identity, Difference and Inequality. Dr Shannon Shah shares his research on the experiences of gay muslim...

S01 E07: Thinking Differently: Diversity and Innovation

19 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Autumn Lecture Series: Power to the People? Identity, Difference and Inequality. Sarah Guerra, Director of Diversity and Inclusion at King's College ...