Episode 1 – Idioms of Normality hosted by Dr Paul H. Mason

In the first episode, Paul speaks with Professor Anina Rich, a cognitive scientist at Macquarie University. We speak about synaesthesia, a condition where the senses become mixed in diverse combinations. For example, individuals might experience colour percepts in response to numbers, letters or words, or perhaps feel shapes in response to smells or tastes. A benign condition, synaesthesia is a fascinating case example to problematise and rethink what is normal.

Dr Paul Mason is an Australian anthropologist who works on human and planetary health. In this space, we share the conversations Paul has about normality with people from all walks of life from Australia and around the world.

What is normal? How does normality impact our lives? What would the world look like if we took seriously the idea that normality is not real? Accompany Paul on his exploratory tour to better understand the way in which people think about normality and the way it shapes our lives and impacts upon the planet.