Learning & Labor
Niko Johnson-Fuller hosts Learning & Labor, a podcast that digs into the complex and often surprising stories behind a single, influential institution: the University of Illinois. This isn't a series of dry lectures or promotional campus tours. Instead, each episode uses the university as a living case study, peeling back layers of history, policy, and power to reveal the tensions between idealism and reality. You'll hear about the people, decisions, and events that have shaped the institution, examining how its educational mission intersects with-and sometimes clashes against-economic forces, political agendas, and social movements. The conversations in this podcast move from archival discoveries to contemporary debates, connecting the university's past to pressing questions about the future of public education, labor, and community. It’s for anyone curious about how the places meant for learning are also deeply embedded in the machinery of society. By focusing on one campus, Learning & Labor manages to tell a much broader story about the American experience, making the historical personal and the political immediate. Tune in for thoughtful, nuanced explorations that challenge simple narratives.
