Gmu Cultural Studies Colloquium

In the third episode of the "Climate, Capitalism, and Culture" podcast series from GMU Cultural Studies, Tauheeda Yasin talks with Merlin Chowkwanyun, the Donald H. Gemeson Assistant Professor of Sociomedical Sciences at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health about his work creating the archive "Toxic Docs." "Toxic Docs" makes documents provided during the discovery process in environmental lawsuits concerning pollution searchable. As it turns out, many of the same techniques used to generate doubt about climate change were previously used by companies seeking to hide the harms of lead, asbestos, and the manufacture of PVC. They also talk about Dr. Chowkwanyun's upcoming book, which uses cases studies to explore the on-the-ground histories of public health and pollution in Los Angeles, Cleveland, Central Appalachia, and New York.This podcast series is associated with George Mason University Cultural Studies' Colloquium Series. This year's series is called "Climate and Capitalism." The industr