What makes a good political humour scandal? Why does what we find funny change over time? And what is the state of jokes today?

In the final episode of In a Nutshell’s first season, we take a look at jokes, politics, and how the combination of both can (and has) lead to historic scandals. With the help of assistant professor and comedy critic Ivo Nieuwenhuis, we detangle modern humour – and look for an answer to the question of what the jokes that make the headlines (and that make us laugh) say about us.

Ivo Nieuwenhuis is a researcher of Dutch literature with a strong interest in political humour scandals. Next to his work at the Faculty of Arts, Ivo also works as a comedy critic for the Dutch newspaper Trouw.

Would you like to learn more about humour and the scandals that come with it? Then follow Ivo’s tips and have a look at his book, Het was maar een grapje: Nederland in tien humorschandalen (in Dutch), this video clip about why humour is not as innocent as one might think (in Dutch), and this podcast, where Ivo talks more in-depth about his research (in English).

Edit: Jara Majerus

Cover: Antonia Leise

What is the history of Dutch slavery? Where can we see the impacts of Dutch slavery today? And how can a day like Ketikoti lead to a more inclusive society?

In the nineteenth episode of In a Nutshell, we delve into past realities and present traces of Dutch slavery. Together with this week’s guest, Coen van Galen, we will remember the histories of enslaved people, reflect on how the Dutch are dealing with their historic role in slavery today, and find traces of slavery on the train tracks between Arnhem and Nijmegen.

Coen van Galen is an associate professor at the Department of History, Art History and Classics. Furthermore, Coen is the program manager of the Historical Data Base of Suriname and the Caribbean and played a crucial role in publishing the slave registers of Suriname and Curaçao.

Do you want to know more about the history of Dutch slavery? Follow Coen’s tip and read “We Slaves Of Suriname” by Anton de Kom.

Edit: Jara Majerus Cover: Antonia Leise

How can a website collect your password – even before you hit the sign-up button? Does a VPN help against being tracked online? And why is tracking users actually such an issue?

In the eighteenth episode of In a Nutshell, we will take a deep dive into cyber security – and all the things that make the internet a not-so-safe space when it comes to data protection. Together with this week’s guest, Güneş Acar, we will figure out how users can attempt to stay safe when it comes to their data online, and why this can be so difficult.

Güneş Acar is an assistant professor for Digital Security at the Faculty of Science and is associated with the iHub (Interdisciplinary Hub for Digitization and Society) at Radboud University. He researches security and privacy threats from, amongst other things, websites and mobile apps, and is a specialist on online tracking.

Would you like to learn more about how to stay safe online? Then follow Güneş’ recommendations and have a look at the YouTube video on how dark patterns trick you online, the investigative report Twelve Million Phones, One Data Set, Zero Privacy by the New York Times, or a Wired article on Gunes’ own research how websites collect your information before you have even signed up to them.

Edit: Jara Majerus

Cover: Antonia Leise