This Is Hell!

Hamid Dabashi returns to This Is Hell! to discuss his new book from Haymarket Books, "After Savagery: Gaza, Genocide, and the Illusion of Western Civilization." Jeff Dorchen edifies us with a new "Moment of Truth" after the interview. Check out Hamid's book here: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/2607-after-savagery Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell Please rate and review This Is Hell! wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps the show ascend the algorithm to reach new listeners.

How Capitalism Breeds Vector-Borne Disease / Brent Z. Kaup & Kelly F. Austin Brent Z. Kaup and Kelly F. Austin join This Is Hell! to talk about their new book "The Pathogens of Finance: How Capitalism Breeds Vector-Borne Disease" published by University of California Press. The Pathogens of Finance explores how the power and profits of Wall Street underpin the contemporary increases in and inadequate responses to vector-borne disease Brent Z. Kaup studies how the transformation of nature affects social inequalities and societal well-being. In addition, he seeks to understand how the materiality of nature shapes markets, policies, and social movements. Through his research, he has examined an array of topics including genetically modified crops in the Midwest, extractive industries in Bolivia, and the bugs in his own backyard. His areas of specialization include Environment, Energy, Political Economy, Socioeconomic Change and Development, and Globalization. Brent Z. Kaup is Professor of Sociology at William & Mary and author of Market Justice: Political Economic Struggle in Bolivia Kelly F. Austin grew up outside of Santa Cruz, California. She attended college at Oregon State University, and went to earn her PhD in Sociology at North Carolina State University. Kelly arrived at Lehigh University in 2012, and in addition to being a member of the Sociology and Anthropology department, has also served as Director of the Health, Medicine and Society program, Director of the Global Studies Program, and is currently Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs for the College of Arts and Sciences. Kelly lives in Fountain Hill and spends summers in Bududa, Uganda working with Lehigh undergraduates and local community groups. Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: www.patreon.com/thisishell

Brent Z. Kaup and Kelly F. Austin join This Is Hell! to talk about their new book "The Pathogens of Finance: How Capitalism Breeds Vector-Borne Disease" published by University of California Press. The Pathogens of Finance explores how the power and profits of Wall Street underpin the contemporary increases in and inadequate responses to vector-borne disease Brent Z. Kaup studies how the transformation of nature affects social inequalities and societal well-being. In addition, he seeks to understand how the materiality of nature shapes markets, policies, and social movements. Through his research, he has examined an array of topics including genetically modified crops in the Midwest, extractive industries in Bolivia, and the bugs in his own backyard. His areas of specialization include Environment, Energy, Political Economy, Socioeconomic Change and Development, and Globalization. Brent Z. Kaup is Professor of Sociology at William & Mary and author of Market Justice: Political Economic Struggle in Bolivia Kelly F. Austin grew up outside of Santa Cruz, California. She attended college at Oregon State University, and went to earn her PhD in Sociology at North Carolina State University. Kelly arrived at Lehigh University in 2012, and in addition to being a member of the Sociology and Anthropology department, has also served as Director of the Health, Medicine and Society program, Director of the Global Studies Program, and is currently Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs for the College of Arts and Sciences. Kelly lives in Fountain Hill and spends summers in Bududa, Uganda working with Lehigh undergraduates and local community groups. We will have new installments of Rotten History and Hangover Cure. We will also be sharing your answers to this week's Question from Hell! from Patreon. Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: www.patreon.com/thisishell

Philip Kadish joins us to discuss his new book, "The Great White Hoax: Two Centuries of Selling Racism in America" from The New Press. "The Moment of Truth" with Jeff Dorchen follows the interview. Check out Philips book here: https://thenewpress.org/books/the-great-white-hoax/?v=eb65bcceaa5f Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell Please rate and review This Is Hell! wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps the show ascend the algorithm to reach new listeners.

Stewart Home speaks to This Is Hell! about his new book "Fascist Yoga: Grifters, Occultists, White Supremacists, and the New Order In Wellness”, published by Pluto Press. Stewart Home is an artist, filmmaker, pamphleteer, art historian and activist, and the author of countless pulp fictions, including most recently Art School Orgy and She’s My Witch. He regularly performs to audiences across the world and recently started making headstand paintings with the canvas placed above him and brushes held in his toes. He was born and lives in London. We will have new installments of Rotten History and Hangover Cure. We will also be sharing your answers to this week's Question from Hell! from Patreon. Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: www.patreon.com/thisishell

Cory Doctorow returns to This Is Hell! to discuss his new book from Verso, "Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What To Do About It." "Rotten History" from Renaldo Migaldi and "The Moment of Truth" with Jeff Dorchen follow the interview. Check out Cory's book here: https://www.versobooks.com/products/3341-enshittification Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell Please rate and review This Is Hell! wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps the show ascend the algorithm to reach new listeners.

Ashley Dawson returns to discuss his new piece at the New York Review of Books, "The Costs of the Cloud: How much power does AI consume?" "The Moment of Truth" with Jeff Dorchen follows the interview. Check out Ashley's article here: https://www.nybooks.com/online/2025/09/27/the-costs-of-the-cloud/ Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell Please rate and review This Is Hell! wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps the show ascend the algorithm to reach new listeners.

Bronwen Everill joins This Is Hell! to talk about her new book "Africonomics: A History of Western Ignorance”, published by The New Press. https://thenewpress.org/authors/bronwen-everill/?v=eb65bcceaa5f We will have new installments of Rotten History and Hangover Cure. We will also be sharing your answers to this week's Question from Hell! from Patreon. Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: www.patreon.com/thisishell

Political Scientist Laleh Khalili joins us to discuss her new book, "Extractive Capitalism: How Commodities and Cronyism Drive the Global Economy" out now from Profile Books. "The Moment of Truth" with Jeff Dorchen follows the interview. Check out Laleh's book here: https://profilebooks.com/work/extractive-capitalism/ Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell Please rate and review This Is Hell! wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps the show ascend the algorithm to reach new listeners.

Matthew Boedy, author of “Speaking of Evil”, comes to This Is Hell!! to talk about his new book "The Seven Mountains Mandate: Exposing the Dangerous Plan to Christianize America and Destroy Democracy" published by Westminster John Knox Press. Matthew was targeted by Turning Point USA in 2016 and listed on its “professor watchlist” after speaking up against allowing concealed guns on college campuses. As one of the foremost experts on Turning Point USA and its founder and CEO Charlie Kirk, Boedy exposes their role in perpetuating Christian nationalism in the United States and the threat to democracy they pose. He currently teaches rhetoric and composition courses at the University of North Georgia. A new installment of “This Week In Rotten History” from Renaldo Migaldi follows the interview. Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: www.patreon.com/thisishell

Omar Zahzah joins us to discuss his new book, "Terms of Servitude: Zionism, Silicon Valley, and Digital/Settler-Colonialism in the Palestinian Liberation Struggle" (Seven Stories Press). "This Day in Rotten History" from Renaldo Migaldi follows the interview. Check out Omar's book here: https://www.sevenstories.com/books/4729-terms-of-servitude Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell Please rate and review This Is Hell! wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps the show ascend the algorithm to reach new listeners.

Nancy Hiemstra and Deirdre Conlon join us to discuss their new book, "Immigration Detention, Inc.: The Big Business of Locking up Migrants" from Pluto Press. "The Moment of Truth" with Jeff Dorchen follows the interview. Check out Nancy and Deirdre's book here: https://www.plutobooks.com/product/immigration-detention-inc/ Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell Please rate and review This Is Hell! wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps the show ascend the algorithm to reach new listeners.

Susan Greenhalgh joins us to discuss her new book, "Soda Science: Making the World Safe for Coca Cola" (University of Chicago Press). "This Day in Rotten History" from Renaldo Migaldi follows the interview. Check out Susan's book here: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/S/bo221451790.html Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell Please rate and review This Is Hell! wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps the show ascend the algorithm to reach new listeners.

Due to an unexpected rescheduling of a guest, we present a rare mailbag episode that delves into our esteemed listeners' questions and insights. "The Moment of Truth" with Jeff Dorchen follows the interview. No producers were harmed in the making of this episode. Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell Please rate and review This Is Hell! wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps the show ascend the algorithm to reach new listeners.

Jennifer C. Pan joins This Is Hell! to talk about her new book “Selling Social Justice: Why The Rich Love Antiracism” published by Verso Books. (https://www.versobooks.com/products/2919-selling-social-justice) Jennifer C. Pan is a writer in Los Angeles whose work has appeared in the Nation, the Atlantic, Dissent, Damage, and elsewhere. She was formerly a host of the Jacobin Show and a staff writer at the New Republic. A new installment of “This Week In Rotten History” from Renaldo Migaldi follows the interview. Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: www.patreon.com/thisishell Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon.

Alana Lentin joins us to discuss her new book from Pluto Press, The New Racial Regime: Recalibrations of White Supremacy. "The Moment of Truth" with Jeff Dorchen follows the interview. Check out Alana's book here: https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745347967/the-new-racial-regime/ Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell Please rate and review This Is Hell! wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps the show ascend the algorithm to reach new listeners.

Journalist Megan Greenwell joins This Is Hell! to about her new book "Bad Company: Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream" published by Harper Collins. (https://www.megangreenwell.com/book) Megan Greenwell is a writer, editor, and newsroom leader. Megan worked as the editor of Wired.com and, for four months, the interim editor-in-chief of WIRED, overseeing the publication’s transition to a global newsroom. Megan has written or edited for publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, New York Magazine, WIRED, and ESPN. She is also the deputy director of the Princeton Summer Journalism Program, a workshop and college access initiative for students from low-income backgrounds. A new installment of “This Week In Rotten History” from Renaldo Migaldi follows the interview. Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: www.patreon.com/thisishell Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon.

Gilbert Achcar joins us to discuss his recent book, "Gaza Catastrophe: The Genocide in World-Historical Perspective" (University of California Press). "This Day in Rotten History" from Renaldo Migaldi follows the interview. Check out Gilbert's book here: https://www.ucpress.edu/books/the-gaza-catastrophe/paper Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell Please rate and review This Is Hell! wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps the show ascend the algorithm to reach new listeners.

Mark Weisbrot and Francisco Rodríguez join us to discuss their Lancet article, co-authored with Silvio Rendón, "Effects of international sanctions on age-specific mortality: a cross-national panel data analysis," and their articles based on that research, "Sanctions can kill as many people as wars" (Financial Times), and "Rethink sanctions. They’re killing as many people as war does" (LA Times). "The Moment of Truth" with Jeff Dorchen follows the interview. Check out Mark and Francisco's study, co-authored with Silvio Rendón: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(25)00189-5/fulltext Check out Mark's article in the LA Times: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2025-07-24/united-states-sanctions-deaths Check out Francisco's article at Financial Times: https://www.ft.com/content/99206b73-92c4-41f1-9677-d4a1e6fc78b1?accessToken=zwAGO8yGY2UgkdOZIGtzksRB8dOWd9Sh5vx4sQ.MEQCIFP6yeUhZIJ4mPS1-GjgdlEcQAaHOOh8YjxiUWaqlMAJAiB5JbhVt6_de4NuKcvk8TCwva2ZtyzJMBscOiQnyHKTiA&sharetype=gift&token=4d21afe8-c829-4682-8cd0-4ea688ff1ca7 (sorry about the long url) Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell Please rate and review This Is Hell! wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps the show ascend the algorithm to reach new listeners.

Rob Wallace and Rita Valenti join us to discuss their recent articles at Truthout that cover the Trump administration's dismantling of public health in the United States. These include "Trump Is Trying to Dismantle Public Health — and Replace It With a Police State," "'Make America Healthy Again' Aims to Make Public Health Your Responsibility," and "Labor Was Crucial in Building Public Health Institutions Trump Wants to Destroy." "This Day in Rotten History" from Renaldo Migaldi follows the interview. Check out Rob and Rita's writing here: https://truthout.org/articles/trump-is-trying-to-dismantle-public-health-and-replace-it-with-a-police-state/ here: https://truthout.org/articles/make-america-healthy-again-aims-to-make-public-health-your-responsibility/ and here: https://truthout.org/articles/labor-was-crucial-in-building-public-health-institutions-trump-wants-to-destroy/ Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell Please rate and review This Is Hell! wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps the show ascend the algorithm to reach new listeners.