The Cambridge Student Podcasts

On today’s episode, Asha Metcalfe and Rosie Hillary speak to Sveto Muhammad Ishoq, a women’s rights advocate, TEDx Speaker, and social enterprise founder who works to empower Afghan women economically and amplify their voices on the global stage. We discuss how media representations of Afghan women distort the reality of their experience, and unpack the importance of Sveto’s own project Chadari, which aims to reframe the hijab narrative. Sveto emphasises the importance of speaking and listening to Afghan women to reframe biased narratives. We explore the connection between peace and education, and discuss the importance of Afghan women-led peacekeeping from the diaspora. We consider the strength and agency of Afghan women both in Afghanistan, and among the diaspora despite Taliban rule. We conclude by discussing recommendations for the international community to ensure support for women’s rights in Afghanistan is led by grassroots organisations and centres Afghan women themselves.Find Sveto’s work listed below:Chadari Project https://www.instagram.com/chadariproject/?hl=en Building Peace from Afar: Women-Led Peacekeeping from the Diaspora:https://digital.sandiego.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1116&context=ipj-research Sveto’s TEDxLSE Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/sveto_muhammad_ishoq_the_untold_truth_about_afghan_womenOrganisations mentioned in the episode:Aseel app: https://aseelapp.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoph9RqPXg8NyjUTJUVAP_DbH4qvl9L8-vdjvHvroPTXx9W8cdWiLearn afghanistan: https://learnafghan.org/Muska app: https://www.muska-app.com/ 

In this episode of The Feminist Files, Helena sits down with Dr Maria-Andriani Kostopoulou, President of GREVIO: the Council of Europe’s independent monitoring body for the Istanbul Convention. As the leading mechanism ensuring that states uphold their commitments to combat violence against women and domestic violence, GREVIO occupies a crucial role. President Kostopoulou give her insights on how GREVIO evaluates states, issues recommendations, and navigates political resistance. The conversation explores the deeper philosophical and political stakes of justice. Drawing on her powerful insight that “justice can become blind to truth when it does not consider emotions,” Dr Kostopoulou explains why listening to victims, beyond case files and formal procedures, is essential to achieving real accountability.Helena and Dr Kostopoulou also unpack some of the most pressing challenges facing gender equality today:The backlash against the Istanbul Convention, including controversies such as Latvia’s attempted withdrawalThe rise of reactionary and anti-gender ideologies across EuropeThe growing threat of cyberviolence and online misogynyPersistent barriers to justice, from underfunded systems to widespread impunityFor any comments or suggestions, please get in touch via thefeministfiles2025@gmail.com or on Instagram : @the_feminist_files_ CreditsHosted by Helena KondakJoined by Maria-Andriani Kostopoulou,Edited by Rowan BerkleyCover design by Madeleine BaberMusic by Jacob Carey

In this episode, Rosie Hillary and Sophie Biancelli are joined by Rida Fatima, an intersectional feminist writer currently working at the Asian University for Women. Together, they discuss both the Rohingya crisis and Taliban rule in Afghanistan from an intersectional feminist perspective, questioning Western assumptions about what it means to be a refugee and a woman in the Global South. They focus on the opportunities which education can offer the women who are most affected by these these crises, particularly those living in refugee camps today.To read more of Rida's work, follow the links below!https://dirtychai.substack.com/https://www.instagram.com/ridax16/https://clandestinemagazine.com/the-rohingya-crisis-from-my-bedroom/Follow The Feminist Files on instagram:https://www.instagram.com/the_feminist_files_/ Follow The Feminist Files Substack:https://substack.com/@thefeministfiles

In this episode, Isobelle Oppon is joined by Dr Elly Hanson, a clinical psychologist and research lead at Fully Human whose work and research focuses on reducing abuse, trauma and sexual exploitation. The Feminist Files also welcomes back Ella Perkin and Sam McQuaker from the Cambridge society, Coalition Against Sexual Exploitation (CASE). We discuss the problematic rhetorics of sex positivity that obscure coercion, and the psychological effects of sexual exploitation, in particular the notion of shame. We also talk about the upcoming CASE conference which will be held on the 7th of April and Ella and Sam’s motivations and goals related to the event. Cambridge Women’s Aid: 01223 361214 or via email at outreach@cambridgewa.org.uk Cambridge Rape Crisis Centre: 01223 245 888 or via support@cambridgerapecrisis.co.uk Rape Crisis England and Wales, Rape and Sexual Abuse 24/7 support line: 0808 500 2222Elly Hanson’s work and the three essays she mentions:https://fullyhuman.org.ukThe upcoming (free) CASE conference:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/case-conference-breaking-the-silence-tickets-1981565733451?aff=oddtdtcreatorScrub the Stigma:https://www.scrubthestigma.comNaked Truth Project:https://nakedtruthproject.com/get-educated/Episode edited by Rowan Berkley

In this episode, “Iran : Roots of Resistance”, Asha Metcalfe and Astrid Healy Carrasco are joined by Iranian activist Zolal Habibi to discuss the current state of Iranian resistance politics and its generational heritage.Given current military and political developments, the episode starts with much-needed context from Zolal, but also with insights into the current Iranian resistance movement. She details exactly how it differs from previous waves of opposition. She develops her insights on the Iranian culture of resistance, with particular attention given to the women that give life to popular opposition. Looking to the future, Zolal argues against Western interventionism, including in potential support for a return to monarchy. Instead, she highlights the resistance’s 10 point roadmap for a democratic Iran. The Iranian revolution must be fashioned by and for Iranians and their freedom. For any comments or suggestions, please get in touch via thefeministfiles2025@gmail.com or on Instagram : @the_feminist_files_ CreditsHosted by Asha Metcalfe and Astrid Healy CarrascoJoined by Zolal HabibiEdited by Rowan BerkleyCover design by Madeleine BaberMusic by Jacob Carey

In this episode, we discuss the socialist origins of International Women’s Day, how it has developed over time, and how it has been co-opted for corporate gain today. Exploring examples of pink washing and virtue signalling, we interrogate what ‘International Women’s Day’ really means for us today. Acknowledging the ongoing institutional inequality experienced by women, we reflect upon how we can feel hope for the future in our own lives. We explore how feminist inspiration is found through art, friendships and everyday conversations. https://substack.com/home/post/p-189983269 “Why IWD needs a complete rethink”https://shapetalent.com/glass-ceilings-and-sticky-floors-why-women-are-overworked-and-undervalued/ “Glass ceilings and sticky floors - why women are overworked and undervalued”https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/08/womens-protest-sparked-russian-revolution-international-womens-day Socialist History of IWD

In this episode, Asha Metcalfe and Rosie Hillary are joined by Eilis Boden and Jess Martins to discuss what it is like to be a woman in the creative industries. We investigate stereotypes imposed upon women, such as ‘women aren’t funny’ and ‘women can’t take a joke’, and unpack the harm caused when those generalisations are internalised. By looking at the comedy scene in and beyond Cambridge, we explore the way in which the male experience being regarded as universal impacts how and when women are ‘allowed’ to be funny. We also turn to the music industry, thinking about how songwriting can act as a form of emotional processing, and discuss why female ‘pop icons’ often face stigma for displaying vulnerability. Interrogating the concept of the ‘internalised male gaze’, we ask how societal perception shapes the way these women view their work and their place in the creative industries?Go watch Eilis in her upcoming shows!11th-13th March - Four Sketches and a Funeral https://www.adctheatre.com/whats-on/comedy/four-sketches-and-a-funeral/ 19th-21st March - Rushed Hour https://www.adctheatre.com/whats-on/comedy/rushed-hour/ Listen to Jess Martins on Spotify here… https://open.spotify.com/artist/4AqSqzn0lwECIcgbXSKyyJ … and keep up with her new releases on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/jesssmartinsss Follow the Feminist Files on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_feminist_files_ Follow the Feminist Files on Substack: https://substack.com/@thefeministfiles Episode edited by Rowan Berkley

Faith Cunningham speaks with Kwaku Adomako about heteronationalism, colonialism and Ghana's 2021 "Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill." They discuss how anti-LGBTQ+ legislation reshapes Ghanaian cultural identity and the role of political actors in framing sexual and gender diversity as a national threat. NOTE: The NDC should be referred to as the National Democratic Congress. Read Kwaku's work:Adomako, K. (2022). An Overwhelming Consensus? How Moral Panics About Sexual and Gender Diversity Help Reshape Local Traditions in Ghana. Politique africaine, 168(4), 75-94. https://doi.org/10.3917/polaf.168.0075