{"podcast":{"title":"New Books in Geography","slug":"new-books-in-geography-1058637","podcast_index_feed_id":1058637,"rss_url":"https://feeds.simplecast.com/ohF7dUq3","website_url":"https://newbooksnetwork.com/category/politics-society/geography/","image_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/04d31562-8508-4b88-ae38-4f4ca8fa3a91/3728a966-daf7-46ee-9655-7a98eaba676d/3000x3000/3d5e577cea5bac9130b94a4d9ab3323a.png?aid=rss_feed","author":"New Books Network","episode_count":600,"summary":"This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network. The New Books Network is an academic audio library dedicated to public education. In each episode you will hear scholars discuss their recently published research with another expert in their field. Discover our 150+ channels and browse our 28,000+ episodes on our website: ⁠newbooksnetwork.com⁠ Subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter to get informative, engaging content straight to your inbox: ⁠https://newbooksnetwork.substack.com/⁠ Follow us on Instagram and Bluesky to learn about more our latest interviews: @newbooksnetwork Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/geography","last_synced_at":"2026-09-19T12:22:21.420261+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-geography-1058637"},"episode":{"title":"Kanchana N. Ruwanpura and Wilfried Swenden eds., \"Protecting Workers? Crisis, COVID-19 and South Asia\" (Helsinki UP, 2026)","slug":"kanchana-n-ruwanpura-and-wilfried-swenden-eds-protecting-workers-crisis-covid-19-and-south-asia-helsinki-up-2026","published_at":"2026-08-27T08:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-geography-1058637/kanchana-n-ruwanpura-and-wilfried-swenden-eds-protecting-workers-crisis-covid-19-and-south-asia-helsinki-up-2026","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-geography-1058637","url":"https://newbooksnetwork.com/category/politics-society/geography/","audio_url":"https://injector.simplecastaudio.com/04d31562-8508-4b88-ae38-4f4ca8fa3a91/episodes/a437cc1a-00c4-4d14-93ef-f08b28d79e12/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=04d31562-8508-4b88-ae38-4f4ca8fa3a91&awEpisodeId=a437cc1a-00c4-4d14-93ef-f08b28d79e12&feed=ohF7dUq3","summary":"In our recent conversation about Protecting Workers? Crisis, COVID-19 and South Asia, the editors Kanchana N. Ruwanpura and Wilfried Swenden reflect on the need to move beyond treating the pandemic as a singular, isolated shock. Our discussion reflected on the deeper mechanics of knowledge production, how we reflect on crisis beyond its immediate occurrence, how we conceptualize South Asia today, and the process of bringing such a dynamic volume together. A central theme was the necessity of examining crisis as a revealing, prolonged condition rather than a temporary disruption. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed pre-existing structural vulnerabilities across Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Theorizing through this moment meant examining how state strategies and worker realities collided when formal safety nets faltered, forcing us to rethink South Asia not merely as a fixed geographic region, but as a shared space of cascading socio-economic pressures and labor struggles. While this volume traces state policy and institutional shifts, the core strength of the volume lies in highlighting the resourcefulness and claim-making capacities of workers fighting for justice. Assembling these regional perspectives provides a critical blueprint for rethinking state-society relations, labor rights, and collective action in post-pandemic South Asia. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/geography","meta_description":"In our recent conversation about Protecting Workers? Crisis, COVID-19 and South Asia, the editors Kanchana N. Ruwanpura and Wilfried Swenden reflect on th…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3214,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/new-books-in-geography-1058637/episodes/kanchana-n-ruwanpura-and-wilfried-swenden-eds-protecting-workers-crisis-covid-19-and-south-asia-helsinki-up-2026/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-geography-1058637/kanchana-n-ruwanpura-and-wilfried-swenden-eds-protecting-workers-crisis-covid-19-and-south-asia-helsinki-up-2026.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}