What does "exotic" mean to you?

We often come across this word used on different contexts dessert menus, spices, or even to describe people. While we may joke about it, we are intentional about respecting the diverse interpretations of the word. So, we begin to unpack who gets to call something exotic in our first of "Read the Room."

Join us in this episode as we explore the various interpretations.

You've got a work permit in Iceland. Jackpot. Now what? In this episode, we invite our first ever surprise guest to share her experiences of navigating bureaucracy, professionalism, and support in Icelandic workplaces. She says, “We often talk about Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, and often the work stops at Diversity.” As companies aim to grow and internationalize, we discuss the importance of creating an authentic sense of community in the workplace. Let us know your thoughts!

Swimming pools are at the core of everyday life in Iceland: every neighbourhood, small and big towns all have their own local pools that are the equivalent of cafes or bars elsewhere. Small talk is A-OK and everyone mingles as they let the day's tensions melt away. Our brown-black bodies however are both invisible and hypervisible depending on the context - nowhere is this more pronounced than at the local pools. Put on a kettle and settle in as we swap stories of our pool experiences in Reykjavik and around the country.

The West and The Rest

Welcome to another episode of Beyond Melanin, where we discuss the world's global structure and the power of narratives during a crisis. In this episode, we emphasize the importance of empirical evidence and being intentional about how we participate, whether online or offline. Although we do not delve deep into the topic of Palestine and Israel, we believe it is essential to understand the role of stories in shaping our perception of the world. Join us as we share our thoughts on this critical topic.

Further reading:

Within a ‘white’ affective space: racialization in Iceland and development discourses: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13504630.2015.1004996

To support folks of Palestine:

Charity dinner in support for the people of Palestine, dine in or take out (Event is on the 26th and orders are due 24th): https://fb.me/e/1ihuLVWXm

A cookbook to connect with and fall in love with Palestine - Zaitoun: Recipes from the Palestinian Kitchen by Yasmin Khan : https://a.co/d/iiAtq0r

We mentioned this has been an ongoing conflict:

Here is an article with some empirical timeline 

https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2023/10/9/whats-the-israel-palestine-conflict-about-a-simple-guide

Book recommendations:

The Hundred Years' War in Palestine-  https://a.co/d/hW4jrFI

What happens when Beyond Melanin attends a talk about Whiteness? It wasn’t what we expected. The inspiration for this episode came from a lecture we attended about Whiteness in the arts. Afterwards, we asked our followers to share their perspectives on what Whiteness represents to them. We received a variety of thought provoking responses, which you will hear about in this conversation. Additionally, we reflect on how Whiteness intersects with our daily lives and experiences, including growing up in Kenya, India, and the US, as well as our current home in Iceland.

With this episode, we turn the lens to a popular bar in picturesque Hveragerði that was the spark that ignited our conversation about colonial views that persist and thrive in Iceland. What is colonisation and how do we respond to its persistence in our society? We also chat about Harry and Meghan as global trending topics in the media, giving us a chance to have a long needed discussion about issues linked to colonialism.