28 Intersectional Feminist Podcasts to Decolonize Your Mind
I’m crazy about podcasts.
I have them all queued up and it makes me look forward to washing the dishes and folding the laundry just so I can plug into my favorite shows.
Over the years, I have listened to numerous podcasts that either center intersectional feminist activism or apply an intersectional feminist lens to their discussion of the world. In this curated list below, I’ve assembled my favorite podcasts about intersectional feminism that I think you’d love too.
The first and largest category is about general current affairs and culture and this list includes podcasts that discuss a wide range of topics such as popular culture, politics, television and film, sports, work, and news through anti-racist, decolonial, feminist, socialist, queer, and disability perspectives.
I’ll then share intersectional feminist podcasts in three categories of activist practice, health and care, and comedy.
At the end of this post, you’ll find a category for podcasts from other niches like yoga, witchcraft, and writing that unexpectedly tackle discussions about intersecting oppressions.
Current Affairs & Culture
Intersectionality Matters!
At the top of the list has to be Kimberlé Crenshaw’s own podcast. This is a considered and polished examination of intersectionality in politics and culture in the United States.
No matter what, do not miss episode #5 Stonewall 50: Whose Movement Is It Anyway? Where Crenshaw interviews Barbara Smith, one of the founders of the Combahee River Collective, and they talk about the legacy of Black feminism and queer activism.
In case you haven’t seen it, I’ve written a detailed explainer about intersectional feminism that talks about how Kimberlé Crenshaw’s theorizing relates to the rich history of Black feminist thought and activism, including the extraordinary pathbreaking struggle of the Combahee River Collective.
About Race
Writer Reni Eddo-Lodge, author of Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race, recorded a single season of this podcast in 2018. It extends from the ideas of her provocative book and hosts anti-racist activists to talk about race and racism in the United Kingdom.
Episode #7 on White Women Crying is Racist! is a standout critique of white feminism and an overview of intersectional feminism.
AfroQueer
A thoughtful and well-researched podcast that tells the stories of Queer Africans. Start with Season One, which was produced while traveling around South Africa.
I’d also like to give a special shout-out to the bonus episode on Criminalization and Colonization (2019, May 22) that looks at the ways homophobia was introduced through European colonization.
Code Switch
Journalists Shereen Marisol Meraji and Gene Demby take deep dives into race issues across a broad spectrum of U.S. culture. This is one of the smartest podcasts you can listen to.
Check out Anger: The Black Woman’s ‘Superpower’ (2019, May 15), Dora’s Lasting Magic (2019, August 14), and Why Is It So Hard To Talk About Israel? (2019, April 5).
Disability Visibility
This is the podcast of Alice Wong, who is a disability activist and editor of the collected volume by the same name. The podcast covers a wide range of issues across disability politics, culture, and art, along with incisive analyses of law.
Some of my favorite episodes include #63 Climate Change, #52 Podcasting, and #34 Intersectionality.
The Guilty Feminist
Comedian Deborah Frances-White speaks with diverse women about women’s issues in everyday life, particularly around being ‘bad’ (i.e., guilty) feminists. I’ve listened to almost every episode of this long-running podcast and love the way it tackles serious issues in accessible and humorous ways.
Some guests from time to time assert an essentialist view of gender as innate, biological difference and promote more liberal feminist ideologies, but the host makes an effort to hear and learn from intersectional feminist voices.
Listen to #211 Black Women and Girls Matter, #190 Belonging, and #144 International Migrants Day.
Hey Aunty!
Hey Aunty! is an Australian production all about having chilled, fireside chats with “black women, fems and non-binary siblings who’ve been there”. You feel like you’re having tea with your favorite aunty.
The first episode, Should I Still Be Code Switching? gives the perfect preview of what this podcast is all about.
Intersectional Feminism—Desi Style!
Hosts Nishtha and Pragya discuss intersectional feminism in an Indian context. It feels like hanging out with your two smartest best friends who offer critical perspectives from the Global South.
Episode #2, When Will India Wake Up to the Reality of Caste Based Gender Violence? Ft. Suman Saurav (2020, October 15) is a must-listen.
It’s Not a Race
Australian journalist Beverley Wong talks about race, racism, identity, culture, and difference from an Asian Australian perspective. Sadly ran for just two seasons back in 2017.
Listen to The Diversity Panel to End All Diversity Panels, A Live Finale for Season Two (2017, December 20).
Nice White Parents
This short five-episode podcast series was so gripping that I binged it in one single sitting. Journalist Chana Joffe-Walt follows a public middle school in Brooklyn to understand how white parents have shaped the school for half a century. Class and race come together in this incisive piece of analysis.
I suggest starting it early in the day so it doesn’t keep you up at night!
Backtalk & Popaganda
I’ve put these two podcasts together as they both used to be Popaganda before Backtalk branched off. Popaganda houses the full archive of the podcast and then focused on audio essays about feminism in pop culture. Backtalk adopts a different format where two hosts would chat about current affairs and entertainment news from a critical feminist angle.
Backtalk was my all-time favorite feminist podcast and I was devastated when Backtalk ended in 2020.
My favorite episodes of Popaganda include Speaking to Specters (2018, September 6), Food Writing (2017, August 17), and A Guide to Trump Resistance (2016, November 25).
My favorite episodes of Backtalk include Meh of Thrones (2019, May 16), That’s Not Consent. That’s Capitalism (2019, April 18), and Haute Couture Blackface (2019, February 21).
I’ve listened to every episode of this podcast and I don’t think there has been a single one that didn’t delight and provoke. I really can’t recommend this podcast more.
Seeing White
Documentary-maker John Biewen hosts this 14-part Peabody-nominated podcast, which explores what it means to be white in the United States.
Tiddas 4 Tiddas
Meaning sisters for sisters, this is an incredible Indigenous Australian podcast created and hosted by Marlee Silva. My favorite episode so far is Leah Purcell Faced Racism From Both Sides (2019, July 13) and Kirli Saunders On The Power Of Stories (2020, February 22).
Unladylike
I’ve been a long-time fan of co-host Cristen Conger since she hosted Stuff Mom Never Told You on YouTube and happily followed her and Caroline Ervin to their own venture, Unladylike. Although they both identify as white, they’ve never shied away from tackling issues around race, sexuality, disability, and class. Highlights include #80 How to Work the Gig Economy, #83 How to Nail Manicures, and #87 How to Not Be a Karen.
Activism
Bitter Brown Femmes
Two friends, Cassandra Alicia and Rubén Angel, talk about current affairs in the United States and their impact on marginalized communities from a queer, Latinx/Chicanx perspective. This one could also
Good Ancestors
Layla F. Saad, author of Me and White Supremacy, speaks with anti-racist educators and activists. Check out the first episode with Rachel Cargle and #12 No White Saviors on Saying ‘No’ to White Saviorism.
Irresistible (formerly Healing Justice)
A beautifully powerful and soothing podcast about and from the frontlines of the struggle for social justice. Check out Organizing in a Pandemic: Disability Justice Wisdom (2020, April 14), Access is Love with Alice Wong (2019, September 26), and Liberating Our Voices with Bea Anderson (2019, September 10).
Health and Care
Finding Our Way
Hosted by therapist Prentis Hemphill, this podcast explores the intersection between healing and social justice.
I Weigh with Jameela Jamil
Actor and activist Jameela Jamil speaks to various guests including Roxane Gay (#6), Billy Porter (#7), and Phoebe Robinson (#19) about body image, health, and self-worth.
Imani State of Mind
Psychiatrist Dr. Imani Walker discusses mental illness and mental health through pop culture and news. Highlights for me include Protect Black Women And Girls (2020, July 15) and You’re Not Extra, You’re Depressed (2020, July 8).
Therapy for Black Girls
Created by psychologist, Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, Therapy for Black Girls is a supportive and informal podcast that explores the unique stressors on Black women and girls. My favorite episode is #21 How Racism Impacts our Mental Health.
Related: How To Take A Self-Care Day
Comedy
2 Dope Queens
Phoebe Robinson and Jessica Williams are legendary actors and comedians. This is a funny and loveable podcast and it’s also well worth watching the two-season HBO special.
My favorite stand-up set was by Solomon Georgio in Season 2 who gives a stirring monologue about women of color that you have to find the full episode for as it’s been cut from the YouTube feature.
The politics are more liberal than radical, but you’d watch this mostly just to have a good time. On that note, please enjoy this interview and performance by Lizzo below.
Sooo Many White Guys
Phoebe Robinson, one Dope Queen, created another podcast after 2 Dope Queens where she shoots the breeze with celebrities about their work and life.
Check out Phoebe and Margaret Cho Hope They Die Alone (2017, February 8), Phoebe and Gloria Steinem: The Buddy Movie Edition (2018, March 7), and Phoebe and Michelle Buteau Get Cozy (2019, May 22).
Unexpected Intersectionality
Yoga is Dead
Indian American yoga instructors, Tejal Patel and Jesal Parikh, critically examine “the dirty underbelly” of the Western yoga industry.
My favorite episodes are #1 White Women Killed Yoga, #2 Karma Capitalism Killed Yoga, and #5 Vegans Killed Yoga.
Witch, Please
Marcelle and Hannah are two Canadian academics who examine Harry Potter through an intersectional lens. The podcast has been around since 2015 but from September 2020, the hosts have rebooted their show with new analyses that contextualize the contemporary climate and the author’s TERF ideology.
My favorite episodes so far include Book 1, #2 Orientalism (2020, September 15) and Book 1, #4 Class (2020, October 13), but you can bet I’ll be listening to every episode through to Book 7.
The Witch Wave
Host Pam Grossman, author of Waking the Witch, interviews practitioners of witchcraft across many walks of life, though with an especially healthy representation of people in the art and entertainment industries. Her guests are diverse and they don’t shy away from critical discussions of BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ issues in witchcraft and spirituality.
Favorite episodes include #1 Bri Luna of The Hoodwitch, #6 Tamara Santibañez, Tattoo Conjurer, #12 Rachel True of True Heart Tarot and “The Craft”, and #14 Louisianna Purchase, Drag Witch.
Whiting Wongs
Writers Dan Harmon and Jessica Gao discuss writing for television (namely Rick and Morty) and race. Listen to this if you don’t mind a podcast that is abrasive and impolite. The first episode, Default People, explores Jessica Gao’s work on the award-winning episode Rick and Morty, ‘Pickle Rick’.
Which of these intersectional feminist podcasts do you already listen to and love?
Which don’t you love?
Did you discover anything new?
If you think there are other intersectional feminist podcasts I should be listening to, please let me know and I’d love to check them out and add them to this list.
From time to time, I’ll also share new podcast discoveries via my newsletter, so please make sure you’re subscribed below.
Featured image by Mohammad Metri
