Episode notes
In this episode of Entitled, we examine how caste discrimination doesn’t end at the borders of India. As Dalit workers migrate to the US in search of better wages, many encounter familiar patterns of exclusion and abuse right here in the United States. We speak with Qayam Masumi and Roja Singh, members of the Dalit Solidarity Forum, an advocacy organization dedicated to raising awareness about caste discrimination. They are advocating on behalf of Dalit workers who they say were trafficked from India to come to New Jersey to build a new temple connected to BAPS, a major Hindu religious…
Podcast
Entitled
University of Chicago Podcast Network · News · English
Rights matter, but conversations about rights can be polarizing, confusing and frustrating. Lawyers and law professors Claudia Flores and Tom Ginsburg have traveled the world getting into the weeds of global human rights debates. On Entitled, they use that expertise to explore the stories and thorny
More from Entitled All episodes →
-
E51 · 8 Oct 2026 · 33 min
Sanctioned: Cuba Under the US Embargo with Raúl Rodríguez Rodríguez
For over six decades, the U.S. embargo on Cuba has stood as one of the longest and most comprehensive sanction regimes in modern history. But what are the real-world human, economic, and geopolitical costs of economic coercion? In this episode of Entitled, we sit down with Dr. Raúl Rodríguez Rodríguez, Director of the Center for Hemisphere and United States Studies at the University of Havana. We explore how decades of policy designed to pressure a government shape the everyday lives of citizens—from fuel restrictions, to inflated costs of basic goods, power blackouts, and lack of clean…
-
E50 · 2 Sep 2026 · 32 min
Electing the Bench: Mexico’s Judicial Overhaul and the Rule of Law with Julio Ríos-Figueroa
Mexico is navigating one of the most sweeping judicial transformations in modern constitutional history—a controversial reform replacing thousands of career federal and state judges with bench positions decided by direct popular vote. But what does this mean for the rule of law, institutional independence, and the future of checks and balances in Latin America's second-largest economy? In this episode, we sit down with Julio Ríos-Figueroa, Associate Professor of Law at ITAM and one of the region's leading experts on comparative judicial politics and empirical legal studies. Together, we…
-
E49 · 16 Jul 2026 · 44 min
Who's Entitled to Passport Privilege with Dimitry Kochenov
While citizenship is often celebrated as a cornerstone of democracy and equality, constitutional scholar Dimitry Kochenov argues it functions as something far more troubling: a global caste system. In this episode, we speak with Kochenov, who is also a professor of legal studies at the Central European University, about how citizenship acts as a tool of exclusion—a "passport apartheid" assigned almost entirely by the luck of where or to whom you were born. We explore the deep tension between human rights and nationality, examining how the abstract machinery of passports erases individual…
-
E48 · 10 Jun 2026 · 37 min
The Crisis of Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan with Rina Amiri
When the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021, they didn't just alter the country's political landscape—they systematically dismantled the legal and social reality for all women and girls. Through a continuous rollout of oppressive edicts, women and girls have been banned from universities, barred from working for NGOs, and forbidden from even speaking aloud in public spaces. International legal experts and activists are increasingly calling this reality gender apartheid. In this episode, we sit down with Rina Amiri, top diplomat and former U.S. Special Envoy for Afghan Women,…
-
E47 · 29 May 2026 · 38 min
Are All Afghanistan's Women Potential Refugees? (Re-release)
The collapse of the Afghan government has raised grave concerns for the future of the country, particularly for women. Exit is not a generally available option, but should it be? This week, we wanted to re-release our conversation about the rights of women in Afghanistan as we prepare to release a special conversation with Rina Amiri who was the US Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights.
-
E45 · 10 Apr 2026 · 40 min
Inside The Fight for Freedom with Myanmar's UN Ambassador
In this episode of Entitled, we sit down with Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, who has served as the Representative of Myanmar to the United Nations since October 2020. Despite the February 2021 military coup, he remains in his position, representing the interests of the democratic government and opposing the military junta at the UN. He has survived threats and has been challenged by the junta, but the UN has continued to recognize him as the representative. As Myanmar continues to face political upheaval and widespread displacement following the coup, Ambassador Tun offers a firsthand perspective…
-
E44 · 13 Mar 2026 · 41 min
Human Rights Under Pressure: A Conversation with Kenneth Roth
On this episode of Entitled, we sit down with Kenneth Roth, the longtime former executive director of Human Rights Watch and one of the world’s most prominent advocates for international human rights. Over nearly three decades leading Human Rights Watch, Roth helped shape the global human rights movement, documenting abuses, pressuring governments, and elevating the role of international law in holding leaders accountable. In this conversation, he reflects on how the human rights landscape has evolved—from the optimism of the post–Cold War era to today’s more complex environment marked by…
-
E43 · 17 Feb 2026 · 42 min
The Student Movement that Pushed for Change in Bangladesh
On this episode of Entitled, Tom and Claudia talk with human rights advocate Rafia Khondoker about the state of women’s rights and democratic freedoms in Bangladesh. Last week, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party secured a landslide victory in the first national election since the 2024 uprising, approving a referendum on major constitutional reforms—the "July Charter"—seeking to strengthen judiciary independence, safeguard democracy and increase women's participation in politics. Drawing on her legal training and on-the-ground experience, Khondoker unpacks the gap between constitutional…
-
E42 · 8 Jan 2026 · 52 min
From Prison to Exile: Leopoldo López and the Fight for Venezuela
In this episode of Entitled, we speak with Leopoldo López about authoritarianism, resistance, and the future of Venezuela. Recorded before the U.S. intervention, the conversation centers on López’s long opposition to the Maduro regime—through political organizing, imprisonment, exile, and international advocacy. Following the interview, Tom and Claudia reflect on developments since the conversation was recorded, turning to the U.S. intervention and its implications for sovereignty, legitimacy, and democratic change in Venezuela.
-
E40 · 29 Dec 2025 · 47 min
Pakistan’s Supreme Court Under Strain: A Judge Resigns Amid Constitutional Attacks and Rising Authoritarianism
We speak to Mansoor Ali Shah, who served as the Senior Puisne Judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan until just last month. Shah is one of two judges who resigned after parliament passed a constitutional amendment that curbed its remit and will no longer allow the Supreme Court to hear constitutional cases. The judges say the reform “stands as a grave assault on the constitution”.
Take it with you
The Melo app keeps playing with the screen off, works in the car and on your watch, wakes you to your station, and browses the whole catalogue offline. Free, no ads, no account.
