CHASIcast 15: Dr. Amber Gazso on addiction and aid

A photo of Dr. Amber Gazso speaking into a microphone. Text reads "CHASIcast #15 - Addiction and Aid - Dr. Amber Gazso."

The CHASIcast tackles the complexities of addiction and aid in this episode. Join host Dr. Martha Dow and her guest Dr. Amber Gazso, Professor of Sociology at UFV’s School of Culture, Media, and Society, as they discuss the challenge of balancing government assistance with substance use, and how lessons learned in research from Ontario could … Read more

CHASIcast 14: CHASI Does Victoria

Photo of a group of CHASI research and assistants sitting around a table with microphones. Text reads: CHASIcast #14: CHASI Does Victoria.

The CHASIcast takes a walk on the wild side! Join producer Emma Hones (substitute hosting for Dr. Martha Dow) and four of her esteemed colleagues and friends from CHASI’s Research and Knowledge Mobilization teams as they discuss the fun – and serious – sides of our recent trip to Victoria. The CHASIcast is available to … Read more

CHASIcast 13: Dr. Iris Lesser on post-partum bodies and activity

Photo of Dr. Iris Lesser sitting at a podcasting microphone, holding up a poster recruiting participants to one of her studies. A quote overlaying the bottom of the image reads: “Not only are you trying to figure out how to raise a child, but there’s also this societal expectation that you figure it out, and you turn back into who you were.”

This episode, the CHASIcast examines the post-partum complications they don’t talk about. Join host Dr. Martha Dow, along with Dr. Iris Lesser, associate professor at UFV’s School of Kinesiology (and CHASI faculty associate), as they examine how pregnancy and physical activity interact, in a world that’s all about body image. The CHASIcast is available to … Read more

CHASIcast 12: Chelsea Klassen on the academic folklore of Taylor Swift

Photo showing Chelsea Klassen and Dr. Martha Dow speaking into microphones. A quote attributed to Chelsea reads: “Looking at celebrity and controversy, how do we conceptualise the controversy that happened with the VMAs? How do we understand heroes and villains in popular culture? How do we talk about race?” End of quote. Beneath, Chelsea’s titles are listed as “Lead Researcher, Community Health and Social Innovation Hub” and “Sessional Instructor, School of Social Justice and Global Stewardship.”

The new year brings something sweeter than fiction, as the CHASIcast examines the surprisingly academic folklore hidden behind a pop culture juggernaut. Join host Dr. Martha Dow and CHASI’s lead researcher Chelsea Klassen as they tackle the sociological and psychological facets of Taylor Swift’s work, and how her fearless advocacy and engaging relationship with her … Read more

CHASIcast: Dr. Linda Pardy on the non-linear path of careers

The newest episode of the CHASIcast tackles the challenges students and graduates face in turning their hard-earned credentials into a meaningful career in a brave new post-pandemic world. Join host Dr. Martha Dow, along with Dr. Linda Pardy, Associate Dean of Students at UFV’s College of Arts and part of CHASI’s new research cluster, CALL, … Read more

CHASIcast: Fatema D. Ahmadi on women’s rights in Afghanistan

Photo of a laptop Fatema D. Ahmadi on a Zoom video call, taken from over the shoulder of Chelsea Klassen, who is looking at the laptop. A quote reads: "“You cannot just come and cut us and say, ‘okay, these people — with their idea of human rights, with the idea of democracy — we cut them, now there is nothing, so they are removed, so we can just do whatever we want’ ... We have a root there. We have strong roots that just start flourishing one day. And these are the everyday efforts of different people, different groups. I think it’s watering those roots ‘til just one day they come up and they show resistance.” — Fatema D. Ahmadi, Fellow and Adjunct Professor at American University, School of Public Affairs"

As part of CHASI’s ongoing series on the current realities of life in Afghanistan under Taliban rule, we are honoured to welcome Fatema D. Ahmadi to the CHASIcast. Ahmadi is a Fellow and Adjunct Professor at American University, School of Public Affairs in Washington, DC, and is dedicated to advocating for human rights, particularly women’s … Read more

CHASIcast: Getting deep on gender identity with Stacy

A pull quote. A faded image in the background shows four adults and a child walking together, away from the camera. The quote reads: "Believe people with who they say they are, and it doesn’t have to be a problem. And it inherently isn’t. The only reason it becomes a problem is if we make it a problem. And [remember] that people know themselves better than we ever really will." The quote is attributed to Stacy, Registered Social Worker.

What does support and care look like for gender diverse people today? On the latest episode of the CHASIcast, we spoke to Stacy (he/him), a registered social worker (MSW) and UFV Alumni (BSW – 2015) who has spent much of his social work career working within healthcare, along with offering private pay counselling. For almost … Read more

CHASIcast: CHASI RAs on the destruction of flags and the meaning of Pride

Four women sit in the CIVL Radio studio with headhphones on and microphones in front of them. A quote from Miranda Erickson reads: “Looking back at all of the incidences where people have stepped on or spit on, or broken, or thrown out the flags... it’s upsetting because they were just existing and it feels very symbolic of the community as a whole. Like we’re not asking for allyship, we’re not asking for money, we’re not asking for resources. We’re just existing. And just the fact that we’re existing is enough to incite hatred and aggressive ... they feel threatened by it because apparently just existing is not enough. They need to not see us. They need us to not be here.”

On this special Pride episode of the CHASIcast, we welcome four of the amazing students who work at CHASI: Lynsie Beaulieu, Ekat Marenkov, and Miranda Erickson, all research assistants, and Frankie Fowle, a graphic design intern. After several months seeing targeted hate first hand with the repeated vandalism and theft of CHASI’s Pride flags display … Read more

CHASIcast: Dr. Shelley Liebembuk — confronting hate through art

Dr. Shelley Liebembuk sits in the CIVL Radio studio with a microphone in front of her. Behind her, a window looks out at the UFV Abbotsford Student Union Building Atrium. A quote from Dr. Liebembuk reads: “My hope is that when you sit with someone — literally, physically, have to sit with somebody else and someone else’s ideas for a while, in a space that asks you to listen — I think that can be really transformative. And I think part of that is the wonder and the courage of an audience member to arrive, and the courage of a performer to be vulnerable, to tell the story, to use their body as a conduit for that conversation.”

Dr. Shelley Liebembuk, a UFV Assistant Professor of Theatre, dives into her upcoming project on the latest CHASIcast. Premiering Thursday, March 23, The Laramie Project is constructed from the transcripts of over 200 interviews, conducted in the aftermath of the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard, a young gay man, in Laramie, Wyoming, in 1998. Dr. … Read more

CHASIcast: Dr. Sarah Beaulieu part 2 — making research meaningful

Dr. Sarah Beaulieu sits in the CIVL Radio studio with a microphone in front of her. Behind her, a window looks out at the UFV Abbotsford Student Union Building Atrium, with flags visible hanging from the ceiling above. A quote from Dr. Beaulieu reads: “For me it's really important that we are upholding and raising these oral traditions and these stories. It's important that the protocols, these traditions, are upheld, and are held equally to the science — the science that we're using behind GPR.”

We’re honoured to welcome Dr. Sarah Beaulieu back to the CHASIcast! As a conflict anthropologist, UFV professor, and CHASI faculty associate, Dr. Beaulieu’s work spans from the classroom to archaeological sites, with a focus on former internment camps and working with First Nations groups. In this episode, Dr. Beaulieu explains her work with ground-penetrating radar … Read more