Where to begin

Three ways into the show, depending on who you are.

The Cultural Context of Knowledge is a single-narrator essay series — closer to an audiobook than a serial podcast. Episodes stand on their own, which means there is no “start at the beginning.” Choose the path below that matches what brought you here.

If you're new to the show

Begin with the one episode that frames everything.

Start with the central question of Season 2, then meet the foundational arc that makes the rest of the show legible.

Browse all episodes

01
S2 · E1 · 8 min
Knowledge, Power, and the U.S. Demographic Pivot
The opening of Season 2 — the central question of the show, asked plainly.
02
S1 · E3 · 7 min
The Foundation — Whose Knowledge Counts? Culture, Power, and Learning
Season 1's foundational episode — culture, power, and the myth of neutral curriculum.
03
S2 · E4 · 11 min
Who Gets to Teach It? Representation and the Long Shadow of Brown v. Board
A self-contained essay on Brown v. Board's other half — the displacement of Black educators.

If you teach

Five episodes you could use in class this semester.

Each is short enough to assign as listening, paired with a written companion and a reading list. Cite them with the episode page.

See the Curriculum hub

01
S1 · E4 · 11 min
From a Cultural Context: Rethinking STEM
Names the cultural design of STEM classrooms — useful in any methods course.
02
S1 · E6 · 9 min
Memorization vs. Learning: How to Make Studying Actually Stick (Learner Edition, S1 E6)
Productive struggle and Bloom's taxonomy as a diagnostic tool — pairs with study-skills units.
03
S2 · E7 · 18 min
AI as the New Gatekeeper: Whose Knowledge the Model Was Built to See
On confabulation as patterned harm — for any course wrestling with AI in the classroom.
04
S2 · E6 · 15 min
The Hidden Curriculum: When Researchers Chose the Word Violence
Adultification, developmental harm, and the unwritten rules — for teacher prep and early-childhood programs.
05
S2 · E3 · 13 min
Why Some Knowledge Is Marginalized: The Evolution of Ethnic Studies
The history and method of ethnic studies — for curriculum and social-foundations seminars.

If you research

Episodes with the densest references.

Start with the methodological core, then move outward. Each episode below carries a full reading list in its companion essay.

Browse by topic

01
S2 · E2 · 13 min
From Knowledge to Legitimacy: How Institutions Decide What Counts
Foucault, Kuhn, Merton, Bourdieu — the conceptual scaffolding of the season.
02
S2 · E6 · 15 min
The Hidden Curriculum: When Researchers Chose the Word Violence
Anyon, Apple, Delpit, Ighodaro & Wiggan — the citation backbone for curriculum-violence scholarship.
03
S2 · E7 · 18 min
AI as the New Gatekeeper: Whose Knowledge the Model Was Built to See
Ladson-Billings, Gay, Paris, and the CARE Principles — for working at the intersection of AI and culturally responsive practice.
04
S2 · E5 · 10 min
The Backlash: Why Newly Legitimate Knowledge Gets Targeted
The historical and empirical case for the dismissal-absorption-restriction cycle.

Stay close to the show

New episodes monthly. Show notes, references, and the next question — to your inbox.

Send a note & get added to the list

Beyond the podcast

Work with Dr. Easton-Brooks.

Keynote speaking, institutional advising, and equity-in-education consulting — for schools, districts, universities, and philanthropic partners.

Speaking & presentations Contact Dr. Easton-Brooks