This piece investigates the connection between Romanian people and the country's leading power institutions. The COVID pandemic shed light on many insecurities for countries around the world. Therefore, the scandals in the public medical system of Romania re-opened a chapter of our history: Colectiv. Listen for an insightful, critical, and personal look at how power overcomes responsibility.

Colectiv (An Investigative Podcast by Andreea Coscai)

“Who Holds up Half the Sky” is an investigative podcast discussing the possibilities of advancing feminist activism in China under censorship and lack of free speech. Influential activist figures appear in China’s history from the Qing dynasty to the Maoist era with its famous quote: “Women Hold up Half the Sky”. But Chinese women have undergone much pressure from foot binding and arranged marriages to unequal pay and domestic violence. Over the years, I have dived deeper into issues of multiculturalism, social activism, and gender identities. This work defines my curiosity which stems from a continuous movement through distinct cultural spaces, which started in China.

You can read more about the podcast, and the research for it, as well as listen to the full interviews and the full-length podcast here: http://andreeacoscai.com/2020/09/09/sound-projects/

Cover art by Meaghan Paine
Mixing by Jullian Androkae

Who Holds Up Half The Sky - Podcast on Chinese Feminism

Savaş has two lines of inquiry. In the first line, she examines refugee belonging and deservingness from the perspectives of both the receiving society and the displaced persons. Her research identifies how demographic (i.e., age, gender, ability, race, religion, marital status), symbolic (e.g., attitudes, stereotypes), and institutional (e.g., welfare institutions, humanitarian aid structures) factors foster vulnerability and resilience among refugees as they build new selves, identities and communities after displacement. In her second line of research, she studies how people express and interpret political opinions and ideals through activism, advocacy, and voting. With the aim of contributing to a better understanding of the relationship between multi-layered citizenship and belonging, she adopts a social justice lens, utilizes feminist theories and methods, sociocultural and developmental frameworks, a range of epistemologies from postpositivist to interpretivist, and brings macro, meso and micro levels of analyses together. She taught in the Departments of Psychology and Women’s Studies at the University of Michigan; and mentored students from various disciplinary backgrounds. Savas joined the Bennington faculty in Fall 2020.

“Who Holds up Half the Sky” is an investigative podcast discussing the possibilities of advancing feminist activism in China under censorship and lack of free speech. Influential activist figures appear in China’s history from the Qing dynasty to the Maoist era with its famous quote: “Women Hold up Half the Sky”. But Chinese women have undergone much pressure from foot binding and arranged marriages to unequal pay and domestic violence. Over the years, I have dived deeper into issues of multiculturalism, social activism, and gender identities. This work defines my curiosity which stems from a continuous movement through distinct cultural spaces, which started in China.

You can read more about the podcast, and the research for it, as well as listen to the full interviews and the full-length podcast here: andreeacoscai.com/2020/09/09/sound-projects/

Cover art by Meaghan Paine
Mixing by Jullian Androkae

"There isn't one feminsm. There are feminisms." (Özge Savaş - Full Interview)

Ann E. Feldman, Ph.D. has produced a variety of nationally and internationally syndicated television and radio programs, public events, and musical CDs.  Dr. Feldman is the Founder and Artistic Director of artistic circles, a nonprofit organization begun in 1989, which creates collaborative media projects to promote social change.  During her career, she has received numerous awards including the Professional Achievement Citation from The University of Chicago Alumni Association (2000) and the Studs  Terkel Humanities Award from the Illinois Humanities Council.  She has won the Gracie Allen Award from the Foundation for American Women in Radio and Television (2000) and a "Special Jury Award" from the Seventh International Radio Shanghai Music Festival (1999), and the “YWomen” Award from the YWCA. 

“Who Holds up Half the Sky” is an investigative podcast discussing the possibilities of advancing feminist activism in China under censorship and lack of free speech. Influential activist figures appear in China’s history from the Qing dynasty to the Maoist era with its famous quote: “Women Hold up Half the Sky”. But Chinese women have undergone much pressure from foot binding and arranged marriages to unequal pay and domestic violence. Over the years, I have dived deeper into issues of multiculturalism, social activism, and gender identities. This work defines my curiosity which stems from a continuous movement through distinct cultural spaces, which started in China.

You can read more about the podcast, and the research for it, as well as listen to the full interviews and the full-length podcast here: andreeacoscai.com/2020/09/09/sound-projects/

Cover art by Meaghan Paine
Mixing by Jullian Androkae

"Chinese women are unbreakable spirits" (Ann Feldman - Full Interview)

Wang Zheng is associate professor of History and Women's and Gender Studies and associate scientist of the Institute for Research on Women and Gender. A long-term academic activist promoting gender studies in China, she is the director of the UM-China Gender Studies Project, and founder and co-director of the UM-Fudan Joint Institute for Gender Studies at Fudan University, Shanghai. Her English publications concern changing gender discourses and relations in China's socioeconomic, political and cultural transformations of the past century, and feminism in China, both in terms of its historical development and its contemporary activism in the context of globalization. She is the author of Women in the Chinese Enlightenment: Oral and Textual Histories (UC Press, 1999). 

“Who Holds up Half the Sky” is an investigative podcast discussing the possibilities of advancing feminist activism in China under censorship and lack of free speech. Influential activist figures appear in China’s history from the Qing dynasty to the Maoist era with its famous quote: “Women Hold up Half the Sky”. But Chinese women have undergone much pressure from foot binding and arranged marriages to unequal pay and domestic violence. Over the years, I have dived deeper into issues of multiculturalism, social activism, and gender identities. This work defines my curiosity which stems from a continuous movement through distinct cultural spaces, which started in China.

You can read more about the podcast, and the research for it, as well as listen to the full interviews and the full-length podcast here: andreeacoscai.com/2020/09/09/sound-projects/

Cover art by Meaghan Paine
Mixing by Jullian Androkae

"Real feminists are critical of the dominant discourse" (Wang Zheng -  Full Interview Part 2)

"My mother was illiterate with her feet bound" (Wang Zheng -  Full Interview Part 1)

Lisa Li is a writer and content creator from China, currently residing in NYC. She has a following of over 150,000 on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lisatalk_.

“Who Holds up Half the Sky” is an investigative podcast discussing the possibilities of advancing feminist activism in China under censorship and lack of free speech. Influential activist figures appear in China’s history from the Qing dynasty to the Maoist era with its famous quote: “Women Hold up Half the Sky”. But Chinese women have undergone much pressure from foot binding and arranged marriages to unequal pay and domestic violence. Over the years, I have dived deeper into issues of multiculturalism, social activism, and gender identities. This work defines my curiosity which stems from a continuous movement through distinct cultural spaces, which started in China.

You can read more about the podcast, and the research for it, as well as listen to the full interviews and the full-length podcast here: andreeacoscai.com/2020/09/09/sound-projects/

Cover art by Meaghan Paine
Mixing by Jullian Androkae

"It comes down to the issue of intersectionality" (Lisa Li -  Full Interview)

Xiao, Smile (any/all pronouns), based in Suzhou, China, is currently studying literature and visual arts at Bennington College. Smile's understanding of love is what led her to create art; her work offers a narrative and photographic exploration of love through observations of human interactions, emotions, and social events.

The exhibition referenced in the interview can be found here: https://xiao-smile.squarespace.com/recent-thoughts.

“Who Holds up Half the Sky” is an investigative podcast discussing the possibilities of advancing feminist activism in China under censorship and lack of free speech. Influential activist figures appear in China’s history from the Qing dynasty to the Maoist era with its famous quote: “Women Hold up Half the Sky”. But Chinese women have undergone much pressure from foot binding and arranged marriages to unequal pay and domestic violence. Over the years, I have dived deeper into issues of multiculturalism, social activism, and gender identities. This work defines my curiosity which stems from a continuous movement through distinct cultural spaces, which started in China.

You can read more about the podcast, and the research for it, as well as listen to the full interviews and the full-length podcast here: andreeacoscai.com/2020/09/09/sound-projects/

Cover art by Meaghan Paine
Mixing by Jullian Androkae

"I think beyond borders" (Xiao Ma - Full Interview)

A short experimental piece about what living with Misophonia is like. Not enough research was made for this piece, as it was made for a course in the duration of a week. In case it misrepresents misophonia in any way I deeply apologize and kindly ask you to reach out if you wish and let me know how I could modify the experience and make it more accurate.
"Misophonia is a disorder in which certain sounds trigger emotional or physiological responses that some might perceive as unreasonable given the circumstance. Those who have misophonia might describe it as when a sound “drives you crazy.” Their reactions can range from anger and annoyance to panic and the need to flee."

Is This Misophonia

This experimental audio piece is a journey into my experience of the past month living with the "new normal" of the pandemic as part of the Romanian diaspora. It portrays the lethargy of repetition, the lack of clarity of these times, as well as the joy of reconnecting with family. The sounds used are recordings of phone conversations with my family and the ever-present white noise of my current living space. Produced Spring 2020.

Lethargic Joy (Short Experimental Audio Piece by Andreea Coscai)

Webinar-ul “Oportunități în Voluntariat” vine în sprijinul celor ce doresc să facă lumea un loc mai bun prin forțele proprii. Printre invitați se află Darius Filip și Minodora Popan, responsabili de patforma OportiniTool, prima platformă dedicată oportunităților de voluntariat din România, menită să aducă mai aproape oameni dornici să dea o mână de ajutor și cauze demne de ajutorul lor. Webinar-ul, unul din seria Her Webinars organizate de comunitatea Her Time Romania, se axează pe sfaturi pentru cei ce vor să contribuie la dezvoltarea societății prin fapte bune.

Webinar Her Time x Opportunitool - "Oportunitati in Voluntariat"

5+ years of experience in media, particularly in portraying multicultural and gender issues in video work and podcasts. Proficient in ProTools, Descript, and AirTable. 

My last podcast, "Who Holds Up Half the Sky", is an investigative podcast discussing the possibilities of advancing feminist activism in China under censorship and lack of free speech. https://rss.com/podcasts/whoholdsuphalfthesky/ 

In 2020 I founded “Her Time Romania", the first NGO supporting young women towards leadership through networking in Romania. We have organically built an online following of over 15,000 members and organized networking events with over 1.5k participants. As the president and founder, I have managed +100 volunteers.

More on Her Time Romania here: https://hertimeromania.com/

Andreea Coscai

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