Meridian – Der Wissenschaftspodcast des Berlin Center for Global Engagement cover art

Meridian – Der Wissenschaftspodcast des Berlin Center for Global Engagement

Meridian – Der Wissenschaftspodcast des Berlin Center for Global Engagement

By: Berlin University Alliance
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 Ist Wissenschaft wirklich global? Reduzieren wir sie nicht zu oft auf einzelne Standorte wie Harvard und Cambridge? In diesem Podcast erzählenForscherinnen und Forscher von ihrer Arbeit zwischen verschiedenen Welten, von Berlin bis Dakar, von Rio de Janeiro bis Manila. WelchePerspektiven eröffnen Grenzüberschreitungen? Welche Herausforderungen bringen sie mit sich? Meridian – Der Wissenschaftspodcast des Berlin Center for Global Engagement (BCGE) gibt Einblicke in spannende Biografien zwischen verschiedenen Breitengraden. Das BCGE ist ein Zentrum der Berlin University Alliance und wird im Rahmen der Exzellenzstrategie von Bund und Ländern gefördert. Weitere Infos unter www.berlin-university-alliance.de.Berlin University Alliance Science Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Meridian - #20 - "The Invisible Work of Women: Gender, Labor and Sustainability in Ghana and Worldwide" – with Prof. Angela Dziedzom Akorsu

    Meridian - #20 - "The Invisible Work of Women: Gender, Labor and Sustainability in Ghana and Worldwide" – with Prof. Angela Dziedzom Akorsu
    Nov 17 2025
    Around the world, women perform the essential labor that sustains societies — yet this work is too often undervalued or made invisible. From unpaid care work to precarious jobs in the informal economy and emerging roles shaped by digital platforms, women’s experiences are frequently marginalized, even in systems that rely on their contributions. In Ghana and across Africa, these dynamics are deeply rooted in colonial histories and shaped by global capitalism. While the Sustainable Development Goals claim to advance gender equality, they often overlook the structural power imbalances that uphold gendered divisions of labor.

    In this episode, journalist Kevin Caners speaks with Professor Angela Dziedzom Akorsu, an associate professor of labor and gender studies at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana, and 2025 DiGENet Audre Lorde Visiting Professor at the Berlin University Alliance.Together, they explore urgent questions: How does the global division of labor shape gendered work structures in Ghana? What parallels or contrasts emerge when compared to Europe — and what might Berlin learn from them? How can African feminist perspectives challenge and reshape global debates on development, sustainability, and knowledge production? What does fair and equitable research collaboration between Africa and Europe truly require?

    Professor Akorsu’s career spans international academic work and interdisciplinary inquiry. She earned her BA in Education from the University of Cape Coast (1998), a Master’s in Development Studies from the Institute of Social Studies in the Netherlands (2001), and a PhD from the University of Manchester, UK (2010). Since 2022, she has served as Dean of the School for Development Studies at the University of Cape Coast. Her DiGENet Audre Lorde Visiting Professorship at the Berlin University Alliance, hosted by Freie Universität Berlin, is grounded in a commitment to amplifying the perspectives of those often excluded from mainstream development narratives. The Audre Lorde Visiting Professorship was established by the Diversity and Gender Equality Network (DiGENet) of the Berlin University Alliance. If you would like to learn more about the Africa Charter, listen to Meridian Episode 17: The Africa Charta: A roadmap for universities towards equitable research partnerships – with Isabella Aboderin.

    Angela Dziedzom Akorsu is an associate professor of labor and gender studies at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. She is the DiGENet Audre Lorde visiting professor 2025 at the Berlin University Alliance, hosted by Freie Universität Berlin.
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    34 mins
  • Meridian - #19 - „The Democratization of Knowledge. Open Science from Latin America to the World“ - with Prof. Fernanda Beigel

    Meridian - #19 - „The Democratization of Knowledge. Open Science from Latin America to the World“ - with Prof. Fernanda Beigel
    Jun 18 2025
    Open Science is a movement focused on how knowledge is produced and shared, aiming to dismantle the long-standing barriers that have kept academic research behind paywalls and limited to institutional elites. It calls for greater transparency, inclusivity, and accessibility in order to diversify global knowledge systems. Few countries have embraced Open Science as strongly as Latin America. What is the current state of the Open Science movement in this region and what risks of Open Science can be observed? How can Open Science contribute to adressing global challenges? And why is it essential to diversify how knowledge is created and shared?

    In this episode, journalist Kevin Caners explores these questions and more with Professor Fernanda Beigel. Fernanda Beigel is a Principal Researcher at Argentina’s National Council of Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET), a Head Professor at the National University of Cuyo (UNCuyo), and the Director of the Research Center on the Circulation of Knowledge (CECIC). She chaired Argentina’s National Committee for Open Science from 2020 to 2023 and led UNESCO’s Advisory Committee for Open Science from 2020 to 2021. She is Principal Investigator of the project Open Science in the Social Sciences and Humanities in Argentina and Germany: Opportunities, Challenges, and Contestations, in collaboration with the Ibero-Amerikanisches Institut and the Berlin University Alliance. Currently, she is a Fellow for Open Science at the Berlin University Alliance, in the Einstein Center for Digital Future.

    “Projects that are funded publicly should be open to future generations or other people not to collect the same thing. The circulation of knowledge is going to be reduced and concentrated and more asymmetrical, more unequal,” states Fernanda Beigel.

    Professor Fernanda Beigel is a sociologist based at CONICET and the National University of Cuyo, in Mendoza-Argentina and former chair of the UNESCO Advisory Committee for Open Science.
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    39 mins
  • Meridian - #18 - Giving Birth in Brazil: Gender and Politics in Global Health - with Prof. Simone Diniz

    Meridian - #18 - Giving Birth in Brazil: Gender and Politics in Global Health - with Prof. Simone Diniz
    Apr 2 2025
    Across the world, health care systems are shaped by inequalities—both in access and in how gender, race, and social class influence medical treatment. Nowhere is this more evident than in maternal health care. From childcare practices to reproductive rights, women's experiences in health care are determined by structures, policies, and interests that often fail to prioritize their needs. “Medicine often starts out from the incorrection of the female body and the belief that women bodies are inferior to technology”, states Simon Diniz. What determines the structures of health care systems? How have gender, race, and class shaped their development? What changes are necessary to better address the needs of women and societies? And what is the role of scientists in this context? Brazil provides a particularly compelling case to explore these questions, as its history of health care system development—situated at the intersection of activism, research, and politics—is well-documented.

    Professor Simone Diniz is a distinguished public health expert and advocate for women's health, gender equality, and social justice. A medical doctor by training and a full professor at the University of São Paulo (Brazil), she specializes in preventive medicine, maternal health, sexual and reproductive rights, data science, and equity in healthcare systems. Her extensive work bridges academia, policy-making and activism, including two decades with the São Paulo Feminist Collective on Health and Sexuality. „Evidence is not enough to change reality,“ states Simone Diniz.

    Professor Simone Diniz is a medical doctor and professor at the University of São Paulo, Brazil. She is Audre Lorde visiting professor 2024/25 at the Berlin University Alliance.
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    52 mins
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