Nikolai Siimes - How do microbes view the world?

This week we had the pleasure to be joined by Nikolai Siimes, who is a more than human geographer at Waipapa Taumata Rau/The University of Auckland. In addition to his academic research, he has worked for almost a decade in the wine sector in different capacities. He describes his PhD as an ethnography of wine, which uses wine as a case to follow microbes and human–microbe relations in agriculture. He uses “sensory and embodied ethnographic methods to examine microbial agency, agricultural governance, and the sensory-material politics of food and drink.” Nikolai starts our conversation by reminding us that microbes are everywhere and make up everything. Nikolai brings us to the microbial level and helps us think through their worlds and worldings and how our actions affect the microbial realm, for example with the use of pesticides in vineyards. This work takes microbes seriously as cultural agents within the world, rejecting simple accounts of microbes as inert and mechanistic. If you want to learn more about Nikolai’s work, check out the links below:University Profile https://profiles.auckland.ac.nz/nikolai-siimes If you want to read some of Nikolai’s publications:Having a drink with awkward Brett: Brettanomyces, taste(s) and wine/markets - An article on Awkward Brettanomyces https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nzg.12368Making Time with Microbes - A recent book chapter discussing microbial temporalities and sensory ways of relating to wine microbes http://doi.org/10.4324/9781032632995-11

We are delighted to welcome Alexander Dunlap back to the EXALT podcast for a conversation about his latest work. Xander has been looking at rare earth element mining, lithium mining, and solar panel lifecycles in the United States. Right now, he is writing up the research on the disposal and decommissioning of solar panels, which is where our conversation kicks off. Xander found that even in highly regulated states it is more economically efficient to just landfill them rather than recycle them (even if they would be technically recyclable). Low carbon technologies are being used in a lot of insidious ways in industrial and capitalist societies. We need to really reflect on what renewability really means and we need to think hard as researchers before we blindly engage with public relations words (i.e. sustainability, renewability). Check out the Justice in Renewable Energy Supply Chains projects investigating the life cycle of solar panels on the ground, where you can find more information, articles and policy briefs:https://www.bu.edu/igs/research/projects/justice-in-renewable-energy-supply-chains/ If you would like to check out Xander’s other episodes, here are the direct links:How is this system killing us and what can we do? https://podcasts.apple.com/fi/podcast/xander-dunlap-how-is-this-system-killing-us-and-what-can-we-do/id1499621252?i=1000650809357 Until You Become Ungovernable, Why Would Anyone Listen to You? https://podcasts.apple.com/fi/podcast/alexander-dunlap-until-you-become-ungovernable-why/id1499621252?i=1000587449856 Is "green energy" really that green (and is it better called "fossil fuel plus")? https://podcasts.apple.com/fi/podcast/alexander-dunlap-is-green-energy-really-that-green/id1499621252?i=1000506999251  Check out Xander’s upcoming talk (26 Aug. 2025, 14:00-16:00) at University of Copenhagen https://cape.ku.dk/eng/calendar/2025/exploring-the-life-of-solar-panels/  Want to learn more about Xander’s work? Check out his research profiles here: https://www.bu.edu/igs/profile/alexander-dunlap/https://researchportal.helsinki.fi/en/persons/alexander-dunlaphttps://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alexander-Dunlap?ev=hdr_xprf  

This month we are joined by Taru Salmenkari who does research on Chinese NGOs. Taru has a long career studying China, NGOs, and the role of civil society. We are super lucky to catch Taru right as her new book comes out, Global Ideas, Local Adaptations: Chinese Activism and the Will to Make Civil Society. By “exploring the boundaries, fringes, and inner workings of civil society” this book “investigates local forms of political agency in China in light of the globalization of political values, practices, and institutions.” We talked about the book and focused on how the introduction of NGO society to new places requires glocalization to make NGOs locally relevant. Taru highlighted how locals use NGOs for their own aims and in their own ways, which often diverges from the wishes of civil society promoters. Taru explained how civil society promotion uses theoretically and methodologically problematic forms of information extraction about NGOs. Join us for this wide ranging and interesting conversation!Want to check out some of Taru’s work?Profile at University of Helsinki https://researchportal.helsinki.fi/en/persons/taru-salmenkari/publications/Global Ideas, Local Adaptations: Chinese Activism and the Will to Make Civil Society https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/global-ideas-local-adaptations-9781035316670.html Civil Society in China and Taiwan: Agency, Class and Boundaries https://www.routledge.com/Civil-Society-in-China-and-Taiwan-Agency-Class-and-Boundaries/Salmenkari/p/book/9780367209193 

This month we are very excited to be trying out a different format as we are joined by two former guests, Manuela Picq and Markus Kröger. Manuela and Markus both have work related to resistance efforts and we thought that their respective work would come together into a quite interesting discussion. First each gives insight into their respective experiences and then we talk collectively about their experiences. Manuela gives us a peek into her work as a water defender in Ecuador, while Markus shares his experiences working with resistance movements in India and Brazil. They bring together the lessons and strategies for resistance groups they have written about and discussed on the podcast previously, looking at synergies and overlaps that individuals and groups can bring into their work to increase the likelihood of their resistance succeeding. Even though they come from quite different contexts, there are many points of overlap and fertile ground for a robust discussion. Manuela’s first episode https://podcasts.apple.com/fi/podcast/manuela-picq-what-lessons-can-activists-resistance/id1499621252?i=1000704855663 Want to learn more about Manuela’s work? https://www.manuelapicq.com/ Markus’ first episode https://podcasts.apple.com/fi/podcast/markus-kr%C3%B6ger-what-is-the-best-way-to-push-for-change/id1499621252?i=1000496576381 Want to learn more about Markus’ work? https://researchportal.helsinki.fi/en/persons/markus-kr%C3%B6ger 

This month we had a compelling conversation with Manuela Picq, who is a Senior Lecturer in the Departments of Political Science and Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies at Amherst College (USA). However, this academic work is just part of Manuela’s life as she lives between Massachusetts and Ecuador where she is an activist defending the water and Indigenous livelihoods. Manuela blends academics, activism, legal action, and land defense. Manuela gives us insight into what it means to be a water defender and what the struggle means over time and the duration of a life. She highlights the importance of building a community and complimenting each other within the wider fabric of a resistance effort. We are reminded that nothing can be defended that is bigger than ourselves on our own. Manuela gives us insight into her experiences and the things that have happened to her within working against extractivist forces. Interested to learn more about Manuela’s work? https://www.amherst.edu/people/facstaff/mpicq You can watch her keynote talk from the Development Days 2025 conference on the Finnish Society for Development Research’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRuAL7qgxxw&list=PLbjidPMU6Z_Hhtlq1H1sWY-LiK7TPn2rK&index=3 

This month we are honoured to be joined by one of our colleagues from Global Development Studies at the University of Helsinki. Tiina Seppälä came to Global Development Studies by way of International Relations. Her work has looked at global inequalities, poverty, war, and social justice issues among many others. Activism is also an area of interest and Tiina has worked with peace activists in the UK, slum and women’s rights activists in South Asia, as well as asylum seekers in the Finnish context. Tiina gives us insight into her trajectory and how she naturally progressed from one project to another and how funding has had an impact on the directions of her career. During her fieldwork she had some interesting encounters with the dark side of development, or what could be called maldevelopment. Tiina speaks openly and honestly about her own positionality within research and some of the mismatches between the theoretical and the real. The role of unlearning can sometimes be just as important as the role of learning. Tiina gives us insight into the ways in which artistic methods have played a role in how she approaches her research. Our conversation is wide ranging and quite compelling!Want to learn more about Tiina’s work? https://researchportal.helsinki.fi/en/persons/tiina-sisko-sepp%C3%A4l%C3%A4 Want to learn more about The Finnish Society for Development Research (FSDR)? https://www.kehitystutkimus.fi/?page_id=326 

In this bonus episode of the TreesForDev podcast we are delighted to be joined by Project PI, Maria Ehrnström-Fuentes and Maria Holmberg who works for FIDA in Tanzania. Maria H. moved to Tanzania with her parents when she was 1 year old, grew up there, and has been working with different development projects in Tanzania since 1984. Currently, Maria H. is working with tree planting and environmental education. Maria H. tells us about some of the positive impacts of tree planting in this context because the planted trees grow faster than the natural forests, which means they can then be cut down and used so the natural forests are allowed to continue to grow. The population in Tanzania has grown quite quickly over the last 70 years, from approximately 12 million to over 60 million. This has naturally increased demand for food and cooking fuel, which has led to the decimation of natural forests, which in turn threw the ecology out of whack. However, if the stumps are left to sprout and the trees are allowed to come back, then the ecology slowly comes back into balance. Maria H. particularly focuses on the impacts to the role of water in the ecosystem balance. Join us for this extensive and intensive conversation!Want to learn more about Maria H.’s work? https://www.fspm.fi/maria-holmberg-tanzania/ (in Swedish) Want to learn more about the Trees For Development Project? www.treesfordev.fi

We are delighted to present a really interesting conversation on a yet unexplored facet of extractivism. This month we talked with Saana Hokkanen who is a doctoral researcher in Global Development Studies at University of Helsinki. Saana’s main interest is in the concept of soil extractivism, which is “is a form of capital accumulation based on systemic erasure of soils multispecies life.” Saana gives us insight into how soil is more than “just dirt” and the ways in which modern, industrial agriculture have negatively impacted the array of beings that make up soil. Saana gives us a lot of food for thought in relation to how our modern food system is composed and the multiple levels on which the extractive logics play out.Want to learn more about Saana’s work? https://researchportal.helsinki.fi/en/persons/saana-maarit-hokkanenWant to read Saana’s article on soil extractivism? https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103298

This month we are honored to be joined by Evan Sullivan who is an assistant professor at SUNY Adirondack in Upstate New York. Evan is a historian whose research interests examine the intersections of disability, war and gender in the modern era, especially in the World War One era. Evan’s interest in this era stems from his master’s studies and from some of the archival collections that he found researching his master’s thesis. Evan gives us insight into his research trajectory, including how he started investigating disability history. We discussed how perceptions of disability are formed and whose stories are being told. Historically, there have been many cases where disability has been used to tell a story that does not match with the lived experience of the disabled people themselves. In many cases these stories were used more to satisfy the emotional/inspiration needs of the reader rather than tell the story and/or serve the needs of the disabled veterans.  Would you like to check out Evan’s new book? Constructing Disability after the Great War: Blind Veterans in the Progressive Era: https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p088247  If you would like to check out more of Evan’s work, please visit his University profile: https://www.sunyacc.edu/staff-faculty/evan-sullivan or personal website: https://evanpsullivan.wordpress.com/  You can also find Evan on various social media platforms: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561801370318  Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/evanpsullivan.bsky.social  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.evanpsullivan_historian 

In this brief update, Sophia shares warm season's greetings and outlines what the audience has to look forward to coming up in 2025! Want to learn more about the TreesForDev project? www.treesfordev.fi