In the first episode of 2026, we welcome Urvashi Butalia, a feminist writer, historian, and Mercator Fellow at the RTG 'Ambivalent Enmity' to discuss the oral history of the Partition of India in 1947 and its violent impact on women's lives. During her conversation with Dr Fabian Baumann, she delves into the genesis and key findings of her seminal work, The Other Side of Silence: Voices from the Partition of India (1998). Starting from her own family history, Butalia uncovered memories of sexual violence, abduction, and expulsion that had been suppressed by societal stigma and nationalist narratives in both India and Pakistan. How did violence erupt between Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus in Punjab? And why did women come to symbolise national purity, making them targets of sexual violence at the hands of male nationalists? Did familial ties survive the separation of states? Listen in!

In this episode, Professor Paul Hanebrink of Rutgers University unpacks the history of the Judeo-Bolshevik myth and its echoes in today's political discourse. In conversation with our very own Dr Fabian Baumann, he traces the myth's "fungal" proliferation across interwar Europe, sheds light on its evolving uses and invocations, and examines its Cold War legacy. What constitutes this 'racial theory of communism'? And why did the myth of Judeo-Bolshevism stimulate the imaginations of Central and Western Europeans so powerfully? Do we still see traces of it in contemporary politics? Tune in to find out!

In our latest episode, Dr. Sara Castro, instructor at the US National Space Security Institute, discloses the inner workings of US military intelligence. In her wide-ranging conversation with Dr. Barend Noordam, she discusses its emergence as a distinct field, her own career path from academia to intelligence and back, as well as her recent book "Mission to Mao: US Intelligence and the Chinese Communists in World War II" (Georgetown University Press, 2024). What are points of tension between the state and intelligence agencies? Did prolonged contact with Chinese communists test the loyalty of US intelligence officers? And how can historical knowledge be useful for spies in space? Listen in!

In our latest episode, Sou-Jie van Brunnersum, journalist and Mercator Fellow at the RTG 'Ambivalent Enmity', reports on her fieldwork and research in indigenous communities in Okinawa and Greenland. Though geographically far apart, both islands find themselves in zones of geopolitical friction. In her conversation with Dr Barend Noordam, Sou-Jie van Brunnersum discusses the militarisation of the Asia-Pacific region and the Arctic, and sheds light on the perspectives of local communities regarding the presence of the US military. What concerns do indigenous communities voice amid the intensified militarisation of their home regions? Do Greenlanders and Okinawans feel more or less safe in the presence of US soldiers? What ambivalences arise in daily interactions between locals and foreign troops? Tune in for answers!

In our fifth episode Dr. Fabian Baumann, postdoctoral research associate at the RTG Ambivalent Enmity, shares insights from his book “Dynasty Divided: A Family History of Russian and Ukrainian Nationalism” (Cornell, 2023), in which he analyses the motives behind national identity formation within a family that included both Ukrainian and Russian nationalists. In his conversation with Prof. Tanja Penter, he traces the ambivalences and paradoxa of Russian-Ukrainian relations from the Tsarist Empire to the present day. What role does language play in the formation of a national consciousness? How did Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine affect notions of national belonging? How can the Russian state simultaneously deny the existence of a distinct Ukrainian nation and ferociously fight it? Listen in for more!

In this episode, Dr. Ana Yara Postigo Fuentes offers an insight into the EU-funded research project ARENAS (Analysis of and Responses to Extremist Narratives), which brings together scholars from various disciplines and civil society institutions. The project involves a cooperative examination of the ideological core, modes of dissemination and the impact on public discourse of extremist narratives. Answering the questions of Ambivalent Enmities doctoral candidate Laura Gärtner, Dr. Postigo Fuentes gives insight into the challenges and benefits of large interdisciplinary research projects. How can you reach an agreement on definitions? What are characteristics of extremist narratives? And how can we measure their impact? Listen in for more!

While enmity in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is all too familiar, attitudes towards Israel in the Arab world are more ambivalent than daily media coverage would suggest. In this episode, Prof. Johannes Becke interviews Tom Würdemann and Hussein Aboubakr Mansour about their work on Arab thought and politics. What perspectives on Jews and Zionism have Arab intellectuals developed over time? Is Arab anti-Judaism rooted in Islam? Can there be hope for a solution to the conflict? Listen in!

In this episode, Dr. Lola Guyot shares her research findings on the Sri Lankan civil war and the particularities of enemisation in a diasporic context. What sparked the conflict between the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan government? How did the Tamil diaspora engage in the conflict? How can scholars undertake critical research in an antagonistic context? Tune in for answers.