Bungacast

On energy, the material basis for all our politics? Helen Thompson, podcaster and professor of political economy at Cambridge and author of Disorder: Hard Times in the 21st Century, joins us to talk about the geopolitics of oil, stretching from the 1956 Suez Crisis to the Fracking Revolution of today. How does US energy independence help explain shifting politics in Europe and the Middle East? Plus, did the End of History stay afloat on a sea of cheap oil? Part 2 of the interview, plus our...

On the Freedom Convoy, the indigenous question, and 'anti-socialist socialism'(?) Sociologist and commentator Ashley Frawley is back on the pod to talk about the situation in Canada. With family members involved in the protests, we asked her what she made of the truckers and the way demands were framed as 'anti-socialist'. We move on to debate how to understand popular resistance to 'social engineering' today, as well as the uses of 'emotionalism' to undermine political agency. Readings &...

In which we respond to listener questions & criticisms. A bumper episode, featuring plenty on Canadian truckers, Swedish populists, ideas of justice, hyperpolitics and much more. The full episode is for subscribers only. Sign up at patreon.com/bungacast

On class & material self-interest. We talk to Vivek Chibber about his new book, The Class Matrix: Social Theory After the Cultural Turn, which seeks to answer why capitalism has proven remarkably stable. Vivek explains why classical Marxism does not need 'ideological supplements' to explain why there hasn't been revolution; instead, structural class theory already provides the answers. We go back to basics, looking at the role of interests, debate what the real role of ideology is (not...

On Giorgio Agamben's State of Exception (2005). How did a darling of the left during the War on Terror become a resource for the right during Covid? Is Agamben right to blur the boundary between fascism and liberal democracy? And if we are in a 'permanent state of exception', what is the right response? And we discuss your questions. The full episode is for $10+ subscribers. Sign up at patreon.com/bungacast Other links: The Crisis of the Crisis: Is Covid politics the real emergency?

On The End of the End of History On 22 February 2022, at The People's Forum in Manhattan, Alex Hochuli and Adam Tooze were in conversation on the themes of the Bunga book and what comes next. The event was moderated by Christie Offenbacher (Damage Magazine). Buy the book: linktr.ee/bungacast

On the German Greens' shady history. Journalist Lily Lynch, editor of Balkanist, joins us to talk about her recent investigations into the Green Party, who are now back in power in Germany. The 68ers attempted to combat authoritarianism and Nazi legacies through sexual liberation, building on the work of Wilhelm Reich. How did this lead some small groups associated with the Greens to advocate paedophilia – and even to accept former Nazis into their ranks? Later the Greens would fully embrace...

On class wars, new and old. Michael Lind, Professor of Practice at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, joins us to talk about what it might take to restore working class power in Western states. He explains some of the arguments in his book The New Class War (2020) in greater depth, as well as discussing his intellectual debt to the ex-Trotskyist theorist turned Cold War conservative, James Burnham. Plus, Michael talks about how his Texan background and upbringing shaped his...

On dovish conservatives, Trumpist coup-mongers and Canadian truckers. - - - Live debate/book launch in NYC, Feb 22nd: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/live-debate-book-launch-the-end-of-the-end-of-history-tickets-261000468427 - - - We examine what arguments 'pro-worker conservatives' are making in an aim to rid the GOP of warmongers and what this says about their vision of politics. In that light we also look at the Trumpist wing and ask what they might have in common, if anything, with the...

The first in an occasional series on new initiatives. We speak to Malcolm Kyeyune of Sweden's Örebro Party about its origins, analysis and goals. Is a new working class politics to be found in direct opposition to the PMC or the 'transferiat'? How does this local party intend to scale up? What sort of issues are on its agenda? And how does it aim to go beyond the impasses of other populist initiatives?

On the critique of egalitarian ideology. We talk to writer Ross Wolfe about his essay "Marxism Contra Justice". Given that struggles for justice have been central to all sorts of radical movements, why is it important to cleave Marxist politics away from this notion? How are contemporary notions of 'social justice' already degraded versions of earlier egalitarian ideology on the left? Is it possible to conceive of any popular working-class movement that doesn’t begin with people’s sense of...

On Carl Schmitt's Political Theology (1922). We ask why people are scared of sovereignty – as opposed to state power per se, and analyse what is significant about the way in which Schmitt defines sovereignty. And what is the meaning of 'political theology'? And we discuss your questions. This is an extended excerpt of the first 30 mins of the episode. For the full thing, go to patreon.com/bungacast Other links: The shibboleth of sovereigntyThe Fed policy error that should worry...

We take on Italy's election of a new president and what that tells us about permanent crisis, the EU and the curtailing of democracy; we ask how serious the risk of war in Ukraine actually is; and review a film we haven't seen. The full episode is for subscribers only. Sign up at patreon.com/bungacast 3 Articles: As war looms larger, what are Russia’s military options in Ukraine?How the EU destroyed Italian democracyBoringly postmodern and an ideological fantasy Others: Chartbook #70 Draghi...

On the German Greens' shady history. Journalist Lily Lynch, editor of Balkanist, joins us to talk about her recent investigations into the Green Party, who are now back in power in Germany. The 68ers attempted to combat authoritarianism and Nazi legacies through sexual liberation, building on the work of Wilhelm Reich. How did this lead some small groups associated with the Greens to advocate paedophilia – and even to accept former Nazis into their ranks? Later the Greens would fully embrace...

On our current attention-deficit and hyperpolitical disorder. In our book, The End of the End of History, we discuss the move from post-politics to anti-politics; from consensus to rejection; from apathy to anger. In a new article, Anton Jäger argues we've now moved into a hyperpolitical age. Is everything being politicised...except the really important stuff? We discuss some examples of hyperpolitics in Europe and North America and ask if what's going on is just a hot culture war, or...

Bungacast is back for 2022, refreshed and reloaded. We've got a completely revamped Reading Club, arranged along three themes: Emergency Politics & Control; Cynical Ideology; and Techno-Feudalism. And there will be plenty of deep dives on national politics around the globe and discussions of big ideas with top guests. The End of the End of HistoryPatreonFacebookTwitterInstagram

On Millennial homeowners, the USA falling apart, and restoration in the UK. As better-off 30-somethings start to get on the property ladder, does this put paid to 'Generation Left'? Will American decline be accompanied by a second civil war - as China serenely watches on? And does Britain represent a return to the 'End of History'? Is everything becoming boring again? This is an excerpt. For the full episode, subscribe at patreon.com/bungacast Articles: Millennials Are Supercharging the...

For the last time in 2021, we take your questions, comments and criticisms. As always, lots of debate about Covid - and we start by remarking upon a possible u-turn on the issue on the British left. Answer the Bungacast Listeners' Survey: surveymonkey.com/r/NN6SPD9 Buy the Bunga book: linktr.ee/bungacast This is a sample. For the full episode, subscribe at patreon.com/bungacast

On Eva Illouz's Cold Intimacies: The Making of Emotional Capitalism How has the cold and hard world of bureaucratic, instrumental rationalism penetrated the intimate sphere of love and relationships? And how has open communication and emotional understanding been used to advance economic interests? –– We want to hear what you're thinking: fill out our Bunga Listeners' Survey! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NN6SPD9 –– This is a free sample. For the full episode, sign up at...

On Thursday 9 November, George Hoare and Alex Hochuli took part in a conversation with Catherine Liu about their recent books – The End of the End of History and Virtue Hoarders, respectively. The focus was on the social and political role of the Professional-Managerial Class in historical context. The webinar was hosted and presented by the UCI Humanities Center, as part of their Ideas with Impact series and we're reposting the conversation as a podcast here.