/442/ The Unique French Capacity for Disappointment ft. Nathan Sperber (sample)
Audio is streamed directly from the publisher (mcdn.podbean.com) as published in their RSS feed. Play Podcasts does not host this file. Rights-holders can request removal through the copyright & takedown page.
Show Notes
On France's permacrisis.
[Patreon Exclusive]
French sociologist Nathan Sperber talks to George and Alex about his new essay in the New Left Review, "The French Crisis: Organic or Conjunctural". We catch up with what has happened in France since Macron gambled and called impromptu elections in the summer. We discuss:
-
Why does France always seem to be more in crisis than its neighbours?
-
How has France ended up with hollow "leaderist" parties?
-
Is Macron a true neoliberal or a reactive emergency politician?
-
Did the left-wing France Insoumise miss its shot?
-
How inevitable is a Le Pen government, and will it be co-opted by the French bureaucracy?
-
What's the difference between an organic and a conjunctural crisis – and which one is France in?
Readings:
- The French Crisis: Organic or Conjunctural?, Nathan Sperber, New Left Review (pdf attached)
- An Introduction to Antonio Gramsci: His Life, Thought and Legacy, George Hoare & Nathan Sperber, Bloomsbury (Feb 2025)