TROUBLEMAKERS16 Apr 2025

Ep27: Use your radical fringe to shift the Overton window with Julia and Stella

It takes more than organising to shift a society's sense of what's possible.

In this episode, we travel to Moldova to explore how feminist and LGBTQ+ activists are reimagining the boundaries of public discourse and reshaping the culture of protest in a quiet, conservative society. Our guests, Julia and Stella, are part of a growing movement challenging apathy, tradition, and fear with bold, consistent action.

We unpack the concept of the Overton Window—the idea that public acceptance of ideas can shift depending on how they're framed and who dares to speak them first. Iulia and Steliana share what it's like to organize in a country where dissent is often seen as shameful and where radical ideas can be misread or feared before they are understood.

The Overton Window is a concept that can help us understand how the radical fringes of society pull what's palatable for the majority of society toward them.

This episode is a candid and moving conversation about courage, culture, and the slow, persistent work of shifting what's possible.

Anyone can use this podcast for free, with attribution to Troublemakers (the podcast). It is held under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License and can be used for radio or any other media. Our podcast is inspired by the Beautiful Trouble toolbox.

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Use your radical fringe to shift the Overton window

Femicide in Moldova

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