A podcast about the feminist discourses in academic theory and popular culture. Hosted by Talia Bhatt, author of 'Trans/Rad/Fem', and Emma Zakharuk, blogger behind 'Dolphin Diaries.'
Cis Woman Explains "Whipping Girl" to Julia Serano. Serano's "Whipping Girl"
Julia Serano's Whipping Girl is a landmark transfeminist text, credited with popularising the term "transmisogyny" and putting forth the bold thesis that trans women experience misogyny. Over the years the book has taken on a life of its own, its contents hotly debated by everyone from trans-exclusionists to trans people themselves. Talia and Emma are joined by Serano to discuss her magnum opus' reputation, relevance and enduring legacy. Sources: Julia Serano, Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Wom...
29 Sept 2026
The Eternal Backlash. Susan Faludi's "Backlash"
Talia and Emma discuss Susan Faludi's Backlash, a book on epistemic vandalism that catalogs how conservative and anti-feminist agendas are favored in media and culture. Finally, a good text that analyses societal misogyny and doesn't try to center men in feminism! ...Right? Sources: Susan Faludi, Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women, 1991 bell hooks, The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love, 2004 Susan Faludi, Stiffed: The Betrayal of the American Man, 1999 Naomi W...
31 Aug 2026
The Will to Cope. bell hooks' "The Will to Change"
The Will to Change is often recommended as a text that addresses men's concerns in feminist movements and elucidates how men benefit from participation in feminism. At least, that's the popular conception of the work. Emma and Talia discuss whether that's actually the case, whether anyone reads or at least comprehends the books they recommend, and the continued efforts of post-second wave feminists to deprioritize women's liberation in women's movements. Sources: bell hooks, The Will to...
22 Jul 2026
The Wrong Naomi. Naomi Wolf's "The Beauty Myth"
Naomi Wolf's public descent into conspiracy theorist and statistically-impaired provocateur set off many discussions on the widespread distrust of experts and the importance of science communication. Even so, we were urged not to downplay the importance of her book The Beauty Myth and its relevance to modern feminism. So Talia and Emma will be doing just that. What does the book that bolstered Wolf's reputation as a feminist pioneer have to say? Let's have a look. Sources: Naomi Wolf, The Bea...
25 Jun 2026
The Butler Did it? Butler's "Gender Trouble"
Talia and Emma discuss one of the worst-written books they've had to cover: Judith Butler's Gender Trouble. It is considered a landmark text of the so-called third wave of feminism, but is it all it's cracked up to be? Given that it kicked off queer theory, it certainly got a few things wrong. Join us as Talia walks Emma through the good, the bad, and the paradigm-shifting aspects of Judith Butler's seminal work. Sources: Judith Butler, Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity,...
2 Jun 2026
The Anti-Trans Tipping Point
Emma and Talia are once more joined by Isaac (he/they/ze) to ask a straightforward and simple question: what went wrong after the Trans Tipping Point? How did we go from an optimistic, promising future of shifting cultural tides and legal victories to the embittered, vicious, and cruel reactionary backlash to trans existence? To find the answer, they must look as far as three decades back, trying to grapple with years upon years of anemic advocacy, liberal apathy, and epistemic neglect. Crack...
30 Apr 2026
Season One Wrap Up
Talia and Emma make a podcast about their podcast. They discuss the trials and triumphs of season one, talk about the planning and production process, answer listener questions, and go over future plans for season two. Contact us Support the show Find more of Talia at taliabhatt.com Find more of Emma at dolphindiaires.carrd.co
26 Mar 2026
Are Transsexuals Bourgeois? Serena Nanda's "Neither Man Nor Woman"
For the season one finale, Talia and Emma are joined by a very special guest: Julia Serano, transfeminist and author of Whipping Girl! They discuss the pervasive problem of orientalism and transmisogyny in academic disciplines, the history of discomfort with trans healthcare being laundered through pseudointellectual rationalisation, and the recurrent discourses that have tried to pit conformist "transsexuals" against radical "transgenders". Sources: Serena Nanda, Neither Man Nor Woman,...
26 Feb 2026
Mitchell's Festivities. The Contentious History of Michfest and Camp Trans
Talia locks Emma and Beth (she/her) into a call so she can ramble at them about lesbian feminism and feminist history for hours (again). She goes over the history of Michfest, the sin for which all lesbians must now answer, whether or not we attended the bloody thing or were even in the US while it was happening. In discussing the transfem-exclusionary policy of only admitting "womyn born womyn", the three of them reckon with the politics of separatism, class, race, and why it's important to ...
22 Jan 2026
Spotlight: Interview with Maria Ying, Author of "The Hades Calculus"
Emma and Talia bring you an interview with the one-third of the bestselling author of The Hades Calculus Maria Ying, about lesbian futurism, not-so-feminist Greek myth retellings, and how the past is a foreign country (so you can be orientalist about it)! They are joined by Callisto Khan (she/her, @callistokhan.bsky.social) to discuss the Gunmetal Olympus series and the upcoming The Persephone Effect, out this January! Pre-order the sequel to The Hades Calculus, The Persephone Effect here or ...
31 Dec 2025
The Cult That Changed Tumblr. Robinson's "Detransition: Beyond Before and After"
Max Robinson's book, "Detransition: Beyond Before and After," sparks discussion about its problematic nostalgia and misguided attempts to escape patriarchy, as discussed by Emma, Talia, and Lucy in this interview episode.
17 Dec 2025
The Parent Trap. Shrier's 'Irreversible Damage'
Lucy Kartikasari discusses Abigail Shrier's book *Irreversible Damage* and its impact on trans children with hosts Emma and Talia in this interview.
22 Oct 2025
Spotlight: Interview with Jude Doyle, Author of "Did I Leave Feminism?"
Author Jude Doyle discusses the manufactured antagonism between feminism and queerness with hosts Talia and Emma on Western trans theory in this interview episode.
10 Oct 2025
Sister Raymond's Transmisogyny Bible. Raymond's 'The Transsexual Empire'
Talia and Emma analyze Janice Raymond's 'The Transsexual Empire,' exploring its role in shaping gender-critical ideology and the historical context of trans-exclusionary radical feminism.
5 Sept 2025
Please Just Take Testosterone. Halberstam's 'Female Masculinity'
Host Emma and Host Talia interview Isaac (The Trans Dandy) about Jack Halberstam's "Female Masculinity" and its complex relationship with transmasculine identity.
9 Jul 2025
Arson, Murder, Fandom. Aburime's 'Transphobia, homonationalism, and anti-Asian prejudice in anti-BL attitudes'
May Peterson examines the complex intersections of identity politics, transfeminine erasure, and anti-intellectualism within M/M romance fandom in a discussion with Talia and Emma in this interview.
12 May 2025
Whose Intersectionality Is It Anyway? Crenshaw's Theory of Intersectionality
For the first episode of Cracked Ivory, Talia and Emma are joined by legal historian and queer feminist of color Kay (who can be found at dihya-bint-neyth.bsky.social on Bluesky) to discuss Kimberlé Crenshaw’s oft-cited yet sparsely-read theory of intersectionality, along with its implications for masculinity studies, critics of feminism, and Ben Shapiro’s fear of bottoming. Sources: Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?arti...
15 Apr 2025
Trailer - Cracked Ivory
Talia Bhatt and Emma Zakharuk unveil their evil lesbian radical transfeminist agenda: to end both Manhood and Discourse with a single podcast. 'Cracked Ivory' is an examination of popular feminist discourses and the scholarship (both good and very, very bad) that spawned them! Coming soon to wherever you get your podcasts. Support us at patreon.com/CrackedIvoryPod
Who has been a guest on Cracked Ivory
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Lucy Kartikasari
Jude Doyle
Isaac (The Trans Dandy)
May Peterson
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.5 / 5
6 ratings
Spotify
4.6 / 5
19 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 19 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
26
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
32
Contact Cracked Ivory
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
