Episodes
| Series | Title | First Broadcast | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Diversity | 20170726 | Aditya Chakrabortty investigates five words that made the modern world.
These are the strange, sometimes amusing but true tales by which the reigning ideas of our time came to be the words you hear on the Today programme, on other news programmes and late-night current affairs discussions. What do words like 'narrative' and 'transparency', bandied around by politicians and experts, actually mean?
In this series, find out where these terms came from, how have they changed and how are they shaping our world in this unexpected journey from a simple word to an expose of modern life.
Today - when and why did 'diversity' become predominant, and what story does this word tell about us? On hand to chart its rise and what the consequences have been are Heidi Mirza, Professor of Race, Faith and Culture at Goldsmith's College, University of London; Avtah Brah, Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Birkbeck University; Trevor Phillips, former chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission; and Clifford Soffield from the Oxford English Dictionary.
Produced by Eve Streeter
Aditya Chakrabortty investigates the origins and impact of the word diversity. Aditya Chakrabortty investigates words that made the modern world. |
| 01 | Narrative | 20170724 | Aditya Chakrabortty investigates five words that made the modern world.
These are the strange, sometimes amusing but true tales by which the reigning ideas of our time came to be the words you hear on the Today programme, on other news programmes and late-night current affairs discussions. What do words like 'narrative' and 'transparency', bandied around by politicians and experts, actually mean?
In this series, find out where these terms came from, how have they changed and how are they shaping our world in this unexpected journey from a simple word to an expose of modern life.
Today - when and why did 'narrative' become so important? On hand to find out how telling stories beyond the world of fiction became so important are former New Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell, story guru Robert McKee, cognitive linguist George Lakoff, Professor of Accounting and Political Economy at Manchester Business School Karel Williams, and Clifford Soffield from the Oxford English Dictionary.
Produced by Eve Streeter
Aditya Chakrabortty investigates the origins and impact of the word 'narrative'. Aditya Chakrabortty investigates words that made the modern world. |
| 01 | Populism | 20170727 | Aditya Chakrabortty investigates five words that made the modern world.
These are the strange, sometimes amusing but true tales by which the reigning ideas of our time came to be the words you hear on the Today programme, on other news programmes and late-night current affairs discussions. What do words like 'narrative' and 'transparency', bandied around by politicians and experts, actually mean?
In this series, find out where these terms came from, how have they changed and how are they shaping our world in this unexpected journey from a simple word to an expose of modern life.
Today, Aditya considers the origins and impact of 'populism'. On hand to unravel the history and consequences of a word that is arguably defining our times are the so-called Godfather of Populism, former US presidential candidate Pat Buchanan; Jan-Werner Müller, a political theorist based at Princeton University and author of What is Populism?; Karel Williams, Professor of Accounting and Political Economy at Manchester Business School; and Clifford Soffield from the Oxford English Dictionary.
Produced by Eve Streeter
Aditya Chakrabortty investigates the origins and impact of the word 'populism'. Aditya Chakrabortty investigates words that made the modern world. |
| 01 | Shareholder Value | 20170725 | Aditya Chakrabortty investigates five words that made the modern world.
These are the strange, sometimes amusing but true tales by which the reigning ideas of our time came to be the words you hear on the Today programme, on other news programmes and late-night current affairs discussions. What do words like 'narrative' and 'transparency', bandied around by politicians and experts, actually mean?
In this series, find out where these terms came from, how have they changed and how are they shaping our world in this unexpected journey from a simple word to an expose of modern life.
Today, Aditya looks at 'shareholder value', a term which is both cause and alibi for so much of how our businesses behave. Contributors include Wall Street ethnographer Karen Ho, chief executive in company turnarounds Steve Francis, Professor of Accounting at Queen Mary University London Sukhdev Johal, and Clifford Soffield from the Oxford English Dictionary.
Produced by Eve Streeter
Aditya Chakrabortty investigates the origins and impact of the term 'shareholder value'. Aditya Chakrabortty investigates words that made the modern world. |
| 01 | Transparency | 20170728 | Aditya Chakrabortty investigates five words that made the modern world.
These are the strange, sometimes amusing but true tales by which the reigning ideas of our time came to be the words you hear on the Today programme, on other news programmes and late-night current affairs discussions. What do words like 'narrative' and 'transparency', bandied around by politicians and experts, actually mean?
In this series, find out where these terms came from, how have they changed and how are they shaping our world in this unexpected journey from a simple word to an expose of modern life.
Today - how did 'transparency' become part of our everyday language, and whatever happened to Bagehot's dictum not to let daylight in on magic? On hand with the history and analysis are Christopher Hood, Visiting Professor at the Blavatnik School of Government; Paul Hilder, co-founder of openDemocracy and Crowdpac; sociologist Dr Leopold Ringel from the University of Bielefeld; and Clifford Soffield from the Oxford English Dictionary.
Produced by Eve Streeter
Aditya Chakrabortty investigates the origins and impact of the word 'transparency'. Aditya Chakrabortty investigates words that made the modern world. |