In this episode, I’ll be sharing my experience of moving to the UK, living in London, and navigating loneliness and feeling lost. I’ll also be chatting about my plan moving forward.

CONTENT WARNING: Discussion/mention of mental health issues; including anxiety, depression, and eating disorders.

LINKS/RESOURCES

This episode contains mentions of disordered eating, anxiety and depression. If you or a loved one are struggling with your mental health, reach out to:

AUS: Beyond Blue or Butterfly Foundation

UK: Samaritans or Mind

CHAPTERS/TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Intro

(05:10) Perth to London: A long time coming

(18:44) Starting out strong

(33:10) Living the London life

(51:56) The novelty wears off

(01:02:10) From halls to Hackney

(01:20:07) Feeling lost

(01:30:13) The plan moving forward & closing thoughts

You can keep up with the podcast via my Instagram @msmayabassicurtis⁠ https://www.instagram.com/msmayabassicurtis/⁠

CREDITS

This podcast is written, hosted, edited and produced by Maya Bassi Curtis.

This is Part 2 of a 2-part episode.

In this second part, I’ll explore some basic cultural studies theory around race, ethnicity, nation, nationality, and hybridity. I will also be discussing the work of Jassa Ahluwalia who recently published “Both Not Half: A Radical New Approach to Mixed Heritage Identity”. I’ll then be looking at how to move forward in a world that is increasingly more diverse, and in need of ways to express that.

LINKS/RESOURCES

• Cultural Studies: Theory and Practise by Chris Barker & Emma A. Jane https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/cultural-studies/book245321
• ‘To Build an Equitable Economy, We Must Understand Capitalism’s Racist Heritage’ by Elizabeth Kennedy https://www.promarket.org/2023/02/01/to-build-an-equitable-economy-we-must-understand-capitalisms-racist-heritage/
• ‘We Should Abandon “Race” as a Biological Category in Biomedical Research’ by Wolfgang Umek and Barbara https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7682789/
• Both Not Half By Jassa Ahluwalia

• Amazon UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/identity-fluency-sincerity-SANGHERA-HARLEQUIN/dp/1788708318
• Audible https://www.audible.com.au/pd/Both-Not-Half-Audiobook/B0CPYWS965?qid=1733212585&sr=1-1&ref_pageloadid=not_applicable&pf_rd_p=771c6463-05d7-4981-9b47-920dc34a70f1&pf_rd_r=RRPQKXF2XWE5HBYK1YAY&plink=EevkW1dYzE50sIxl&pageLoadId=PqNy8dMhYvI7bSs3&creativeId=adcc4fec-4d90-49d1-997e-8be21d68ce7f&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1

• empathogen by WILLOW https://open.spotify.com/album/5jsfwcWxZIPtF5aaWx0mlL?si=GSx30lJXSk607p8H8wq81w

CHAPTERS/TIMESTAMPS

(00:00) Intro

(01:18) Applying a lens: Cultural Studies

(08:02) Race debunked

(15:54) Ethnicity as a solution

(21:57) Nation and nationality are new ideas?

(27:11) Hybridity is everywhere

(33:15) Jassa Ahluwalia and “Both Not Half”

(38:24) How we can move forward:

(41:14) Recommendation and Outro

You can keep up with the podcast via my Instagram @msmayabassicurtis⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/msmayabassicurtis/⁠

CREDITS

This podcast is written, hosted, edited, and produced by Maya Bassi Curtis.

This is Part 1 of a 2-part episode.

In this episode, I’ll cover some basic knowledge about the postcolonial and decolonial movements, and share my own experience of having mixed heritage and holding multiple identities.

LINKS/RESOURCES

• ‘Postcolonial and decolonial dialogues’ Gurminder K Bhambra https://doi.org/10.1080/13688790.2014.966414

CHAPTERS/TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Intro

(01:24) Check-in & context

(07:18) Back to basics: Postcolonialism and Decolonialism

(13:06) My early experience and upbringing

(31:07) Growing up and challenges with identity

(37:09) Identity in the acting industry

(44:39) Racial Imposter Syndrome?!

(48:52) Outro

You can keep up with the podcast via my Instagram @msmayabassicurtis https://www.instagram.com/msmayabassicurtis/

CREDITS

This podcast is written, hosted, edited, and produced by Maya Bassi Curtis.