“Inclusivity isn’t charity—it’s intelligence"

For our season 6 finale, TRIP passes over the mic to returning guest Nikki Yeboah, Assistant Professor at the University of Washington. She’s joined by her colleague, Dr. Jasmine Mahmoud, Assistant Professor of Theatre history and Performance Studies at the University of Washington, whose work explores the intersection of theater, culture, and social justice.

Together, Nikki and Jasmine unpack performance ethnography—a research approach that merges observation with embodied experience—and how it can deepen inclusivity in both academia and applied research.

This episode examines positionality, the ethics of “who we are” in relation to our subjects, and how performance itself can enrich the context of research.

Tune in to hear actionable insights for conducting more inclusive, embodied, and ethical research, including:

• How embodiment reveals what words can’t—using performance to uncover deeper human truths.
• Why inclusive research requires examining the structures and histories that keep some voices out of the conversation.
• How positionality check exercises and embodied empathy (like “walking in your interviewee’s shoes”) foster more meaningful connections.
• What researchers can learn from artists about process, iteration, and the physical presence we bring into the interview space.

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Dr. Jasmine Mahmoud is the Donald E. Petersen Endowed and Assistant Professor of Theatre History and Performance Studies at the University of Washington, with affiliations in Art History and Comparative History of Ideas. An arts journalist and scholar, she writes about minoritized artists often excluded from official archives, with over 50 publications in venues such as Modern Drama, TDR, ArtForum, and Hyperallergic.

Her research and teaching explore contemporary performance and art through the lenses of race, feminist and queer of color critique, and public policy. She leads UW’s Minoritarian Performance Research Cluster and received the university’s 2025 Distinguished Teaching Award.

Her upcoming book, Avant-Garde Geographies, examines how experimental art practices intersect with race and urban transformation in U.S. cities. A committed arts advocate, she founded the Seattle Arts Voter Guide and serves as a Washington State Arts Commissioner. In 2024, she received the Mellon Emerging Faculty Leaders Award.

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TRIP is a self-funded podcast exploring representation and inclusion in the insights industry, hosted by Kristin Spraggins and Katrina Noelle, and produced in partnership with ⁠Hasty Storytelling⁠.

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