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Whether or not you pay attention to pop culture, it would be hard to miss the frenzy caused by the drop of Beyoncé’s new album, Cowboy Carter.
At first, the news that caught fire was Beyoncé’s pre-album release of two songs, both joyful romps into the country music genre. Listeners should not have been entirely surprised by her country leanings — Beyoncé was born and brought up in Texas. But for some, watching a Black singer at the top of the R&B (rhythm and blues) genre climb the country music charts, traditionally dominated by white musicians, was disconcerting. The country music scene has a long history of racial segregation that has erased its Black roots and gatekept it from Black artists, even though the Black historical roots of country music are well documented.
But then, when the album dropped, it was about so much more than country music. It honours other Black musical legends — and challenges the segregation we still see and hear in the music industry today.
I get into it all on our latest podcast episode of Don’t Call Me Resilient.
Joining me are two fascinating and animated experts whose work is complex and rich, yet accessible. Alexis McGee is an Assistant Professor of Writing Studies at the University of British Columbia and author of From Blues to Beyoncé: A Century of Black Women’s Generational Sonic Rhetorics, and Jada Watson, Assistant Professor of Digital Humanities at the School of Information Studies at the University of Ottawa, shares some of the knowledge she gained doing her current research project called SongData, in which she uses data like song charts and radio plays to examine representation in the country music industry.
Whether you’re a fan of Beyoncé or not, trust me: you’re not going to want to miss this conversation.
Also today:
All the best.
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Vinita Srivastava
Host + Producer, Don't Call Me Resilient
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Will Beyoncé’s new album help to break down racial barriers in the country music industry? Here she performs during the ‘On The Run’ tour on July 18, 2014 in Houston, Texas.
(Photo by Aaron M. Sprecher/Invision for Parkwood Entertainment/AP Images)
Vinita Srivastava, The Conversation; Ateqah Khaki, The Conversation
Beyoncé’s country-inspired album has caused a stir because the country music scene has a history of racial segregation that has erased its Black roots and gatekept it from Black artists.
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A composite photograph of the solar eclipse on Dec. 26, 2019 in Liwa, United Arab Emirates.
(Abed Ismail/Unsplash)
Robert Knobel, Queen's University, Ontario; Kristine Spekkens, Queen's University, Ontario
Eclipses have long fascinated and intrigued people, and anticipation of the total solar eclipse on April 8 is no exception. The beauty, history, mythology and science of eclipses justify the hype.
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Witnessing an eclipse requires taking safety precautions.
(Shutterstock)
Robert Knobel, Queen's University, Ontario
A total solar eclipse is a beautiful phenomenon worth seeing, but worth seeing safely.
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An artist’s rendition of the eclipse over a city.
(Shutterstock)
Samantha Lawler, University of Regina; Aaron Boley, University of British Columbia; Hanno Rein, University of Toronto
The sky is becoming more cluttered with satellites and space junk. This is affecting astronomical study, but will only have a minor effect — if any — on the viewing of the solar eclipse.
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By linking local food supply to foods prepared and served at schools, we unlock other potential connections. Fishing boats in St. John’s, NL, in April 2021.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sarah Smellie
Emily Doyle, Memorial University of Newfoundland
School food can connect people powerfully to their local lands, resources and economies, and be a tool towards reconciliation with Indigenous communities.
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Students’ confidence that they have effective academic skills is no small part of their decision to stay at and finish university.
(Shutterstock)
Deena Kara Shaffer, Toronto Metropolitan University
Teaching students strategies for learning embedded in all courses should be an important part of all conversations about student retention.
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La Conversation Canada
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Une importante inondation printanière a forcé la fermeture de plusieurs routes dont la principale de la région de Charlevoix, la 138, qu'on voit ici coupée en deux, le 2 mai 2023, à Baie Saint-Paul.
La Presse canadienne/Jacques Boissinot
Bernard Deschamps, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM); Michel Leclerc, Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS)
Québec se prépare à publier une nouvelle cartographie des zones inondables. Ses conséquences seront majeures pour les résidents et les municipalités visés. Des solutions permettraient de les atténuer.
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Podcasts
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Gemma Ware, The Conversation
Scientists Jan Zalasiewica and Erle Ellis on the recent decision to reject a proposal for a new geological epoch, the Anthropocene. Listen to The Conversation Weekly podcast.
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Health
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John Frederick Wilson, York St John University
A bereavement counsellor explains how to cope with the loss of a parent.
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Politics
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Sarah Schiffling, Hanken School of Economics; Foteini Stavropoulou, Liverpool John Moores University
Humanitarian workers are protected by international law, but the number of aid agency workers being killed around the world is growing.
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Science + Tech
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Giles Gasper, Durham University; Brian Tanner, Durham University
Medieval scholars connected celestial events to changes that happened on the ground, such as the overthrow of the king.
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