Last Cafe
Interview
Mental Health and Social Narratives, by Rosa Montero
What is madness and what is sanity? There has been growing concern about the general public's mental health over the last decades, and it has come to the forefront as a matter of social urgency, especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Words like 'anxiety', 'depression' or 'hyperactivity' have found their way into common parlance. In this Social Observatory Café, writer Rosa Montero reflects on the socio-economic roots of numerous psychological disorders and encourages us to think about the collective narratives that we use to explain away our discomforts.
Previous Cafes
Interview
Fear and Society, by Bernat Castany
Fear is one of the basic emotions that are essential for our survival. It has also always acted as one of the most effective mechanisms for controlling individuals and societies. In this Observatory Café, Bernat Castany Prado, a professor at the University of Barcelona who researches this complex human emotion, discusses how fear operates in our lives and how—through joy and action at the individual and social level—we can put up barriers to fence off its emergence.
Interview
Care, by Carmen Sarabia
In this interview, we discussed society and care with Carmen Sarabia, a nurse and lecturer at the University of Cantabria. What does care mean? Who provides the care? Who should and must provide care? What role do individuals play compared to society? Will robots be caring for us in the near future? From the enlightened perspective of a healthcare professional, we shed some light on matters that affect us as a society right now and in the future.
Interview
Young people and political participation, by Pol Villaverde
In this Observatory Café, we speak to social entrepreneur Pol Villaverde, who tells us all about young people and their involvement in political life. We also reflect on democracy in the digital age and how the world is shifting around lost privilege. Why do young people need to get involved in politics? How can they do it? Who wins when citizens shut themselves off in echo chambers? Villaverde's fresh and honest opinion guides us through this debate.
Podcast
Human rights: a challenge in a multipolar world?
What are the causes of the loss of stability in the international order? In an interconnected world where countries often only look out for their own interests, how can we reach agreements that address global problems, such as energy crises or the ecological transition? Only available in Spanish.
Podcast
What does it mean to grow old?
In recent years, the word ageing has changed its meaning. Whereas previously getting older was synonymous with shutting oneself away at home, taking care of one's grandchildren and becoming a passive element of society, over the years getting older has lost many of its negative connotations and has become synonymous with activity: social, cultural and also family activity. Only available in Spanish.
Podcast
Educational inequality: where do the gaps begin?
School has been, on paper, a space for promoting equality and opportunities, but how do social factors influence the generation of inequalities from childhood? Where do the inequalities and gaps begin that, over the years, will determine our lives? Only available in Spanish.
Podcast
Does poverty have a woman's face?
Twenty-five percent of people with the lowest incomes in Spain are women. They have part-time contracts, which means that they have to look for a second job or that they have to try to survive on salaries clearly lower than those of men. Given data like this, can it be said that gender determines the level of wealth? Does being a woman carry a greater risk of living in a precarious situation? Only available in Spanish.
Podcast
Cities, countryside and territory: how do we join the pieces?
Does the habitat of the humans of the future necessarily involve cities? Is the depopulation of rural areas harming the climate and, therefore, the next generations? We live in a world in which, for the time being, cities continue to be the pole of attraction for the population. A pole of attraction that ends up turning the countryside into a terrain destined only for the extraction of resources to ensure the life and well-being of the people who live in the cities. Is there another way to fit these pieces together? Only available in Spanish.
Podcast
Culture is happiness. Why?
A concert, a book presentation, and an exhibition are all cultural events that give us satisfaction and that, in general, contribute to our well-being and happiness. What provokes these emotions in us? Is culture a balm that helps us digest daily routines? Only available in Spanish.