This week, we are happy to introduce to you Thin End of the Wedge, the podcast whose aim is to “explore life in the ancient Middle East … in language we can all understand”. Thin End of the Edge is a one-man operation, and Mar Shiprim is very grateful to Jon Taylor, who conceived and implemented this unique podcast and who has kindly agreed to present it to our readers (you may contact him at the e-mail address wedgepod@gmail.com). Enjoy!
The Thin End of the Wedge
Thin End of the Wedge is a podcast where experts from around the world share new and interesting stories about life in the ancient Middle East. Each episode I talk to friends and colleagues, and get them to explain their work in a way we can all understand. We talk about everything from excavation, museums, research, conservation, education, and heritage management. We look at how we know things, why what we know is always changing, and why it’s important today. We’ve covered everything from colatoria to Cosmoloid H80, and from Hannah Arendt to Lin-Manuel Miranda. TEW has already made the news.
Fig. 1: The Thin End of the Wedge cover art, by Ahmed Amin
Origins
Thin End of the Wedge was born in September 2020, in the period between the UK’s first and second Covid-pandemic lockdowns. I was on extended furlough (compulsory leave) from my job. My children were about to return to school, leaving me with an opportunity to spend a significant amount time on something other than my job or my family.
I had been idly thinking about ways to share Assyriology in an accessible form. I enjoy listening to podcasts, and thought that the format could be effective for what I wanted to do. “One day, when I’m not so busy, I really ought to try that”. The stimulus to make TEW came thanks to Jaafar Jotheri, who was organising a series of online talks. Zoom lectures have quickly become commonplace. But in spring/summer 2020, the world was very different. Workshops, conferences, and talks were all being cancelled. Suddenly, connections vanished, and many of us were restricted to our houses. The first to adapt were our colleagues in the Middle East. Suddenly I could hear a lot of research by Iraqi colleagues. And I was struck by the fact that they made so many events available to both local and foreign audiences, offering English translations.
At the same time, the Black Lives Matter movement was gripping our attention. We were shaken out of our routines and complacency, encouraged to reflect more on how things are, and inspired to think how we could help make the world better. There are many challenges facing Assyriology. I don’t pretend that TEW will fix any of our problems, but I think it is a contribution to a better future. “The thin end of the wedge” is an idiomatic expression for something that seems small and unimportant, but will become something much bigger and more consequential. When the pandemic is finally over, going back to how things were would be a sign of failure. I’m not suggesting that we abandon everything, but I do think we need to make the new normal a better place than what we had become accustomed to. Change must come.
Making TEW
Fig. 2: Editing an episode in Audacity software
I had no idea how to make a podcast. So I googled it. It turned out that I lacked not only the equipment, but also the skills and experience in most of the necessary components. So I googled them. While others were learning how to make sourdough bread, I learnt how to use new software. I still don’t really know what I’m doing, but I can muddle through. TEW is edited and produced by me, in my back room, in my spare time, and run on a shoestring budget. It’s me, as an individual, talking to other individuals about their work.
Inclusion matters
TEW is founded on the belief that we need to get better at communicating, both with each other and beyond the field. We also need to work harder to make sure that our “we” is more inclusive. We should make it easier to hear from colleagues who work at institutions that are less internationally recognised, early career scholars, or those who have experience and expertise, but don’t have full-time academic jobs. Most of all, we need to listen more to Middle Eastern scholars. It’s not enough just to nod and agree that, yes, participation is difficult for some people; and someone, somewhere, ought to do something about that.
On TEW, everyone shares the same platform. Some people just get more help reaching that platform. It’s not a podcast dedicated to early career scholars or to Middle Eastern scholars, for example. There is plenty of merit in both models, but I’m not well placed to host them. If you want to make podcasts like that, and you think there’s something I might be able to help you with, let me know.
Last, but not least, we need to make knowledge generated about the ancient Middle East more easily accessible in the modern Middle East. This means translations into Arabic and other Middle Eastern languages. The first Arabic translations of TEW episodes can be found here: http://www.wedgepod.org/translations/
Turkish translations of episodes will be coming soon.
Fig. 3: the first translations available at the TEW website
This is the hardest part of TEW. I need your help. It takes money that I simply don’t have. If you like TEW, please support our work. You can support us on Patreon for the price of a cup of coffee every month. Every penny given through Patreon—and more besides—has gone towards the translations. I would like to thank everyone who has already joined the TEW Patron family. Your support is much appreciated.
How it works
The idea behind TEW is simple:
- It’s a platform for individuals to explain their work in plain language. Listeners don’t need to be experts in the subject to learn from and enjoy what the guests have to say.
- Episodes are typically about 30 minutes long. This is long enough to hear something interesting, without it being too intimidating.
- The host asks a series of questions that are designed to bring out the main points of the guest’s work, while addressing the kinds of questions that non-experts might ask.
- It’s not a course, but a series of independent, individual perspectives. You can listen to whatever episodes you like, in whatever order you like.
TEW is designed to be as easy as possible to participate in. Guests don’t need to prepare a presentation or write a lecture. They speak about something they know very well, in simple language, as though talking to a new neighbour.
TEW is recorded and edited. Guests approve the draft before it’s published. I edit out as many hesitations as possible, as well as long pauses and mistakes. I want guests to be happy with what they’ve said. It also makes it a better experience for the listeners.
TEW comes with transcripts for every episode. Guests and listeners come from around the world. Many will not have English as their first language. Transcripts help make everything easier to understand. It also makes episodes accessible to those with hearing difficulties.
As a podcast, TEW lets you listen to episodes whenever and wherever you want. You don’t need to be connected to the wifi, which is notoriously unreliable at the moment. It also means you don’t have to be available at a particular time in order to hear a talk.
Diversity is strength
TEW started with me alone, as a way to get it moving. But I have always seen myself as a facilitator. I do what’s necessary for the listeners to be able to hear what the guests want to say. In the process, TEW has benefited from the time, skills, and effort of many others. In choosing the guests and providing the introductions, I inevitably guide the podcast in one direction. Other perspectives would be beneficial. If you would like to be part of TEW, please contact me. I’d particularly like to hear from someone with expertise in a specialism other than cuneiform.
Thanks
Finally, I’d like to give a big thank you to everyone who has helped me start this podcast. For all the helpful advice, for allowing me to use the lovely things you created, for all the support and kind words. It really meant a lot. Thanks to all my guests, who are the stars of the podcast. And thanks in particular to my first guests, who took a chance on TEW, and patiently helped me take my first steps. I had a lot of fun talking to you all. And finally, thank you for listening. I hope you enjoy it.