"It is difficult to overcome the rigid division of knowledge"

2025/03/07 Galarraga Aiestaran, Ana - Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Elkarrizketak
• Giza zientziak
• Fisika

Jon Urlanda Urbieta is used to working in the shadows, but his essay on music festivals, for which he was awarded the Euskadi Prize last year, has given him a lot of visibility. It is not, however, the only prize he has won, since before that, in 2021, he was awarded a special mention in the CAF-Elhuyar Awards for his podcast Think, not believe in scientific dissemination. These two awards make it clear that science and literature work both ways.

In fact, he recalls that, even in the choice of studies, due to the separation of sciences and letters, he had serious doubts about where to go. “When it came to choosing a career, I remember that the night before I still had the choice of physics, sociology, audiovisual communication and economics,” confesses Urzelai, who continues to remember: “I think it’s pretty common: I got good grades, so I’ve always been guided by science. However, even when I chose high school, I was pretty clear that I was a literary person. But since I wasn’t sure what to do, I played from the sciences, and it’s true that I liked the subject of physics. I am still a professor of physics and chemistry, and I still like it and I find it interesting.”

He says he especially likes the opportunity that physics gives to understand how things are. But he is said to have always had a greater predilection for sociology, so he decided to study sociology at the UNED. Before that, he tells of his last year in physics in Mexico City, which he believes left his mark: "During my time there I was surrounded by quite a few sociologists, and I always had in mind sociology, an experience that confirmed my intention to study sociology."

He admits that this was the first time he had learned anything with pleasure and genuine interest. He completed his degree in eight years, working in the middle, and is very satisfied: "In the end, sociology is like a box of rubbish to understand society: it gives you a foundation of history, the perspectives of some thinkers... It gives you the opportunity to position yourself in what is happening and to understand it better."

The impulse to do

Not only has it been understood, but it has also shown, in some way, its intention to influence. For example, in the midst of the pandemic, he created a podcast, Think, Don’t Believe, because he saw that an anti-evidence stance was spreading around him. "I really had no intention of doing something like that. I had quite abandoned science at the time, but it was a reaction to the emerging environment. I felt the need to put a stop to some of the speeches and at the same time I wanted to offer handles to those around me," he explains.

By then, he had been making music reviews for a long time. He has always been very passionate about music, and music has always been a way for him to do other things. For example, he has been writing music on fanzines or blogs since he was very young. According to him, it was an impulse: "I felt the need to make known to others that musical group that impressed me so much and that's why I did it."

"The tendency to connect music and society also comes to me from a young age, that is why I have said music as a way to other things: to make plans, to meet people, and also to analyze social tendencies," he said in a sequel. It is precisely by clinging to the latter that His feast has created the essay. In addition to that, he was also motivated by some kind of responsibility. As with the podcast on the eco-social crisis that is taking place now, Kairos: "That's also why I made that other podcast during the pandemic. I thought I had to do it myself, otherwise it seemed like no one would. And that way of thinking leads me to do things. It is probably a lesson learned from your youth: you can do it and no one will come to do it for you, so do it yourself."

In her teaching role, she also mentions that she tries to give students a more complete perspective, in addition to the contents of the curriculum. "But it's hard to overcome the rigid division of knowledge," he admits. In any case, he is aware that he likes the work and thus confirms: “It satisfies me.” Looking ahead, he doesn’t know if he’s going to do more podcasts, write another book, or what he’s going to do, but he knows that if that inner impulse isn’t exhausted, he’s going to keep doing things.