We are pleased to welcome longtime friend of the show Scribe Wolf, aka A. H. Ra. In this discussion we focus on the book Noise: The Political Economy of Music by theorist Jacques Attali, a highly influential work that crosses disciplinary borde

Gaza Now: A Palestinian Perspective (feat. Mohammed Sulaiman)

12 days ago 2h

We welcome Dr. Mohammed Sulaiman for a follow-up interview on the situation in Gaza where as of the time of recording (March 13, 2024) Israel has killed over 30,000 Palestinians. Building off our first discussion, this interview explores a numb

Politically Red: What Does it Mean to Read as a Marxist? (feat. Sara Nadal-Melsió & Eduardo Cadava)

27 days ago 1h 35m

We welcome Marxist scholars Sara Nadal-Melsió & Eduardo Cadava for a discussion on their new book "Politically Red". If as Brecht said "reading is class struggle" what does that mean for us as Marxists? How are we to orient ourselves in reading

Marxism and the Absence of Socialism in America: A Conversation with Carlos Garrido

27 days ago 1h 48m

We welcome philosopher Carlos Garrido for a conversation on the theoretical and practical challenges facing the left in America. Garrido is the author of The Purity Fetish and the Crisis of Western Marxism and he specializes in Marxist theory,

The Vicissitudes of Identity Politics On the Left (feat. Sudip Bhattacharya)

27 days ago 1h 28m

I'm joined by Sudip Bhattacharya for a discussion on how to navigate debates on identity politics and class on the left. What are the best ways for socialists to engage in these debates without risking they end up in unproductive division and h

Drugs in America: From Prohibition to the 21st Century Binge feat. Ben Fong

Feb 12th, 2024 1h 26m

We are joined by scholar Benjamin Fong to discuss his excellent new book Quick Fixes: Drugs in America from Prohibition to the 21st Century Binge. We discuss the history of drug policy, the role of the state in enforcing and distributing drugs,

Lacan on Religion and Theology feat. Mark Gerard Murphy

Jan 29th, 2024 1h 19m

Jacques Lacan frequently discusses religious themes in his work, from rethinking the concept of belief, to the meaning of the return to religion in modern life. In this episode, we are joined by scholar Mark Gerard Murphy to discuss his work on

Is Liberal Socialism a Contradiction? (feat. Matt McManus)

Jan 27th, 2024 1h 36m

Is liberal socialism a contradiction in terms? An oxymoron? Or are liberalism and socialism necessary for the realization of the political objectives that each share and profess? We are joined by Matt McManus, author of the forthcoming book, Th

Marxism and the Radical Enlightenment: A Debate feat. Max Tomba and Landon Frim

Dec 29th, 2023 2h 4m

What is the legacy of the Enlightenment in political struggles today and how are socialists and Marxists to relate to the Enlightenment? Must we rely on first principles and an a priori theory of knowledge in our understanding of capitalism and

Sartre’s Marxist Turn? A Discussion on the Critique of Dialectical Reason feat. Terry Pinkard

Dec 15th, 2023 1h 28m

We are joined by philosopher Terry Pinkard to discuss Sartre's Critique of Dialectical Reason, his second major philosophical work next to Being and Nothingness. Dr. Pinkard is one of the foremost Hegel scholars in the world and he has recently

Palestine and the Actuality of Struggle: A Forum with BICAR

Dec 2nd, 2023 1h 54m

Palestine and the Actuality of Struggle: A Forum with the Beirut Institute for Critical Analysis & Research (BICAR) Featuring presentations from Nadia Bou Ali, Ray Brassier, Sami Khatib and Maya Andrea Gonzalez. Panel moderated by Daniel Tutt R

The War On Gaza, Hamas and Political Islam feat. Mohammed Sulaiman

Nov 7th, 2023 2h 8m

Our guest Mohammed Sulaiman was raised in the Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza strip. He has survived multiple Israeli bombings of Gaza over the last two decades, including a 2013 shelling of his home while he was conducting an interview with

Marx and Critical Social Ontology: Learning from the Later Lukács feat. Michael J. Thompson

Oct 31st, 2023 1h 30m

The purpose of Marxist theory is not only to diagnose the negative forces and effects of capitalist society; emphasis must also be placed on the need for social transformation that would enhance human progress at the social and individual level

Palestine: Understanding the War on Gaza feat. Anita Zsurzsán and Jamil Khader

Oct 23rd, 2023 1h 44m

We are joined by philosopher Anita Zsurzsán and Jamil Khader, the Dean of Research at Bethlehem University in Palestine for a roundtable on the war on Gaza, otherwise known as the "2023 Hamas-Israel war". We discuss the politics of the current

What is the Warm-Stream of Marxism? feat. Tijana Okić

Sep 29th, 2023 1h 34m

We welcome Tijana Okić back to the show for a discussion on the Marxist philosopher Ernst Bloch's idea of the warm and cold stream in Marxism. How are we to understand this distinction and which Marxist thinkers fit into these two streams? Can

Understanding Class Politics: Bourdieu with Marx feat. Lisa Mckenzie

Sep 23rd, 2023 1h 24m

What are the best theoretical frameworks for understanding class politics? Marx offers an understanding of class as tied to relations of productive labor and property ownership in capitalist society. The French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu offer

Daniel Bensaïd and the Renewal of Marxism feat. Darren Roso

Sep 7th, 2023 2h 9m

We are joined by socialist author Darren Roso to discuss his forthcoming book Daniel Bensaid: From the Actuality of Revolution to the Melancholic Wager which is the first major study of Bensaïd's thought. Daniel Bensaïd completed his Ph.D. on L

In Defense of Žižek? A Discussion with Matthew Flisfeder

Aug 25th, 2023 1h 23m

Slavoj Žižek is a provocative intellectual, constantly taking positions on social and political issues that upset convention and lead him to face derision from both the right and the left. Given the often erratic stances that he takes, from his

On the Meaning of Revolution feat. C. Derick Varn (Part II)

Jul 10th, 2023 2h 36m

We continue our conversation on the meaning of revolution with C. Derick Varn, by turning to the theoretical basis of "post" Marxist thinkers from the Althusserian school, Laclau and Mouffe, Hardt and Negri and Alain Badiou. We discuss some of

On the Meaning of Revolution feat. C. Derick Varn (Part I)

Jun 15th, 2023 2h 23m

Is revolution dead? The left is divided over how to make revolution, and many Marxist and post-Marxist theorists have developed radically new conceptions of revolution that are often highly divergent from how Marx, Engels and Second Internation

The Story of Agnes Smedley: From Peasant to Socialist Heroine feat. Stephen MacKinnon

Jun 8th, 2023 1h 29m

Agnes Smedley is an American writer and socialist heroine born in 1892 in Missouri. Her family relocated all across the American west including near the Ludlow Massacre of coal mining workers. Smedley managed to escape the conditions of poverty

Tragedy, Parody and Psycho-Power feat. Ali Benziane

Jun 1st, 2023 1h 24m

We welcome the brilliant poet and thinker Ali Benziane. Dr. Benziane is an autodidactic philosopher currently working closely with friend of the show, the famous French actor and philosopher Mehdi Belhaj Kacem. We discuss some philosophical and

New Currents in Marxism: From Degrowth Communism to Neo-Kautskyism feat. Richard Seymour

May 24th, 2023 1h 29m

We welcome writer and Marxist thinker Richard Seymour back onto the show for a spirited discussion on new currents in Marxist thinking. In this wide-ranging conversation, we discuss the contradictions and tensions between the concept of "degrow

Sartre's Existential Psychoanalysis feat. Mary L. Edwards

May 3rd, 2023 1h 44m

We are joined by Mary L. Edwards to discuss her new book Sartre's Existential Psychoanalysis: Knowing Others. We discuss Sartre's concept of bad faith, the in-itself and the for-itself and the challenge that his philosophy poses to psychoanalys

Lukács, Irrationalism and Marxist Reason

Apr 26th, 2023 50m 41s

In this episode, I expound on Lukács's later work and the meaning of irrationalism. I analyze Marxist reason in contradistinction to neo-Kantian thought and touch on what is most distinctive about philosophy for Marx and Engels and how Marx bre