Bungacast

On Taiwan, semiconductors, and war. [Full episode for subscribers only] James Lin, Assistant Professor of International Studies at the University of Washington at Seattle, talks to Phil about Taiwanese politics and the country's place in the world, in terms of the global economy and Sino-American geopolitical rivalry. We talk about Taiwanese history and politics, from Japanese occupation and colonisation across the Cold War, to the present day, including: Taiwanese politics in the shadow of the geopolitical crisis The paradox of political divergence and economic convergence between China and Taiwan since the 1980s How did Taiwan corner the market for manufacturing computer chips? How successful is the ongoing US reshoring of chip production? Will there be a Marco Rubio/Elon Musk divide on China in the Trump White House? How might a war over Taiwan play out? Links: In the Global Vanguard: Agrarian Development and the Making of Modern Taiwan, James Lin, UC Press What Works in Taiwan Doesn’t Always in Arizona, a Chipmaking Giant Learns, John Liu, NY Times Will Trump take the Musk path or the Rubio path on Taiwan?, Lev Nachman, Nikkei Asia

On Mothers and the institution of the family. We're happy to bring you the recording of the launch event for the third issue of Damage magazine, with whom we're partnered. George and Alex were present for the event as part of a sequence of recordings on the future of place that will be released as a docu-series in the New Year. For now, here is regular contributor Catherine Liu and friend of the pod Dustin Guastella debating the family to a packed-out bookstore at Moma's PS1 in Queens, NY.

On the End of History and Europe. [For full episode, subscribe at patreon.com/bungacast] LSE professor Mike Wilkinson talks to Phil and Alex about how the history of European integration fits with constitutional theories and ideas of sovereignty. We discuss: In what way are the conspiracy theories about the EU true? What are the origins of European integration in the inter-war crisis? How did European integration tie into the history of ideas and development of 20th century legal history? How far does European integration overlap with counter-revolutionary theories and ideas? And who is the Last European? Links: Authoritarian Liberalism and the Transformation of Modern Europe, Michael Wilkinson Political Constitutionalism in Europe Revisited, Michael Wilkinson, Journal of Law and Society The Rise and Fall of World Constitutionalism, Michael Wilkinson, Verfassungsblog

On the maelstrom of the metropolis. [Full episode only available to subscribers. Join at patreon.com/bungacast] We kick of the 2024/25 syllabus with the first theme, The Future of Place, asking, is politics possible without a sense of place. We discuss Georg Simmel's short essay "Metropolis and Mental Life" and Marshall Berman's All That Is Solid Melts into Air (chapter 5, on New York). How does Simmel relate the metropolitan condition to a historical passage from the 18th century to the 19th? Is city life intellectual and blasé, versus small town emotionality? Is narcissism built into modernity? Is there an aristocratic individualist revolt in evidence today? Do we need places to hang out in before we can do political organising? Are we nostalgic for top-down modernisation? Readings: "Metropolis and Mental Life" All That Is Solid Melts into Air (chapter 5, on New York)

On the military decline of the American empire. [Patreon Exclusive] The Swedish writer Malcom Kyeyune talks to Phil about what happens to the evil empire when the stormtroopers can’t shoot straight and the empire isn’t producing enough star destroyers. They discuss: What happens to international politics in a world of new geopolitical rivalries? How does American industrial decline affect US military capacity and strength? Why is America unable to produce enough ships? Why is the US unable to do conscription anymore? Who would win in a showdown between China and America? Links: America will have to dodge the draft, Malcom Kyeyune, UnHerd The Houthis now rule the Red Sea, Malcom Kyeyune, UnHerd The West can no longer make war, Malcom Kyeyune, New Statesman The American Empire’s Burning Peripheries, Malcom Kyeyune, Compact /240/ Populist Interventions: Örebro Party ft. Malcolm Kyeyune | Bungacast Facing war in the Middle East and Ukraine, the US looks feeble. But is it just an act?, Adam Tooze, The Guardian

On pro-family politics, and the US election and labour. [Patreon Exclusive - in association with Damage magazine] Dustin Guastella talks to Phil and Alex about what the election of Trump will mean for US labour organisations. We then move on to Dustin's proposal for progressive pro-family policies. What actually is "the family" today? Social democrats are proud of policies but wary of encouraging family growth. Why? What would pro-family policies look like, what would they do, and what might their negative effects be? Is the family not a pillar for the reproduction of authoritarian norms? How do we explain the fertility crisis in global terms? How do we confront the growing marketisation of everything? Links: Damage issue #3 - MOTHERS - Bungacast subscribers get free access NY live event: issue launch - Family Trouble

On Trump's return and the end of the End of History (still!) Historian and Jacobin contributing editor Matt Karp joins us to extract the true meaning of the US election. We discuss: How Trump's victory explodes so many Democrat assumptions about demography and identity How this election re-writes the past ten years' history Whether Trump still retains an anti-political or anti-establishment charge If the Democrats are preponderant in leading sectors of the knowledge economy, is this a political rejection of its assumptions? How to place this election in the sweep of the global anti-incumbency wave What the relationship is between inflation, labour and legitimacy Links: Power Lines, Matt Karp, Harper's It’s Happening Again, Matt Karp, Jacobin Democrats join 2024’s graveyard of incumbents, John Burn-Murdoch, FT /262/ The Useless Past ft. Matt Karp /447/ Brunch Back Better ft. Ryan Zickgraf & Amber A'Lee Frost /445/ How I Hacked the US Election ft. Alex Gourevitch

On your questions, comments, criticisms. [Patreon Exclusive] It's our letter to the episode show where we have a chance to answer you, the listener. We discuss: Has Bungacast gone eco-austerian? Are Marx and Freud in conflict? Is abortion about healthcare or about freedom? Why has the left abandoned liberty? Did we underestimate Israel’s existential fears? And what’s so “complex” about the Arab-Israeli conflict anyway? Links: 2024/25 Reading Club on Place, Nation, Class Direct link to the syllabus PDF Our substack newsletter

On Georgia's pivotal elections and its post-Soviet history. [Full episode only for patrons] Hans Gutbrod, who has been working in the Caucasus region since 1999 and now teaches at Ilia State University in Tblisi, talks to Alex about Georgia's choice between the EU and Russia. We discuss: Who is Bidzina Ivanishvili, whose wealth is equal to 1/4 of GDP? What is the ruling Georgian Dream's pitch to voters, and how has it turned 'rightward'? Did Georgia witness the end of history, or merely the de-development of the post-Soviet years? How has civil society become dominated by NGOs, and is this a problem? Can Georgia flourish in a multipolar world, acting as an entrepôt between East and West? Links: In Georgia, a National Election Is a Geopolitical Struggle, Bryan Gigantino, Jacobin Telling Time the New Way: 17 Years of Reform, Hans Gutbrod, Civil Georgia Macbeth in the Caucasus: Omnipotence and Loneliness - Bidzina Ivanishvili’s Georgian Dream, Hans Gutbrod (PDF)

On the US election, messaging and learning stupid lessons. [Full episode only at Patreon] We welcome Amber A'Lee Frost (California via Indiana and New York) and Ryan Zickgraf (Pennsylvania via Illinois and Georgia) to preview the US election. We discuss: Why the campaigns have been so focused on micro-targeting demographics Whether Russians or Brits are illegitimately swinging the election How the Democrats have gone back to being smug Why it feels like Pennsylvania is the only state voting (and not even there!) Whether the US is going back to a pre-2016 period How each side will react if they lose Damage Magazine will hold a launch of its third print issue, "Mothers," in NYC on 23 November at 4-6pm at MoMA’s PS 1, 22-25 Jackson Avenue, Queens 11101. Catherine Liu will be in conversation with Dustin Guastella on the question of the family. Links: The Battleground State that Isn't, Ryan Zickgraf, Compact The Gospel According to Elon Musk, Ryan Zickgraf, Compact To win, Harris should talk more about working-class needs and less about Trump, Dustin Guastella, The Guardian Obviousness, Scorn, and Losing Ground, Benjamin Fife, Damage

On egg-freezing, 'having it all', and neoliberal liberty. [Patreon Exclusive] We welcome Damage editor and practicing psychologist Amber Trotter on to talk about "Frozen Freedom", Amber's piece on artificial reproductive technology and different kinds of freedom. Alex and George ask her about: How empowering is female emancipation from biological limitations and compulsions? Can women now "have it all"? Do men feel the contradictions of this type of freedom too? Is a proliferation of individual choice making us all neurotic? The childhood fantasy of adulthood is of omnipotence – where did it come from? What is the relationship between commitment, responsibility, collectivity, the individual, and freedom? Links: "Frozen Freedom", Amber Trotter – Damage issue #3 /440/ Dear Tradmother, Why Are You Sad? ft. Amber A'Lee Frost /210/ Reading Club: Psychoanalysis & Spirit of Capitalism /235/ Reading Club: Freedom – on mortality & freedom Anti-Social Socialism Club, Dustin Guastella, Damage Damage issue #3 launch event in NYC: Saturday 23 November, MoMA PS 1 Bookstore

On the left-wing case for freedom. Regular contributor Alex Gourevitch is back on to talk about how the Democrats are approaching the US presidential election. Alex talks us through an influential and widely-read article that he wrote in 2020 with Corey Robin on how the left needed to reclaim freedom as its own. We discuss: Why is the left suddenly talking about freedom? When did it abandon freedom in favour of human rights, welfare, or identity? What are the consequences of leaving "freedom" to the libertarians and oligarchs? How would one critique what the Democrats are doing today from this perspective? Plus: we hear about Alex’s debate with Tyler Cowen on whether capitalism is defensible. Links: Gaining freedom by escaping the unfreedom of the workplace - PNHP Freedom Now, Alex Gourevitch & Corey Robin, Polity: Vol 52, No 3 The US presidential race will be fought over competing definitions of ‘freedom’, Eric Foner, The Guardian The Story of American Freedom, Eric Foner /298/ Working For Freedom ft. Alex Gourevitch

On Israel's invasion of Lebanon and beyond. Karl Sharro (Lebanese-Iraqi architect and satirist @KarlreMarks) and Iranian writer and historian Arash Azizi join us to discuss war in the Middle East. We ask: Is Israel finally waging the great war that will rid it of all enemies? Does Israel have any real plan? What motivates its actions in Gaza and Lebanon? What is the impact on Hezbollah of losing its leadership layers? How will Iran respond and what is the balance between moderates and hardliners there? If Hezbollah is severely weakened, what happens to the Lebanese state? What should we make of the global culture war around Israel, Palestine and the rest Links Lebanon in the heart of the storm, Akram Belkaïd, Monde Diplo Israel is not ‘saving western civilisation’. Nor is Hamas leading ‘the resistance’, Kenan Malik, The Guardian Iran Is Not Ready for War With Israel, Arash Azizi, The Atlantic /225/ Wokeistan & Lebanonworld ft. Karl Sharro /141/ Oh Lebanon, What Now? ft. Rima Majed

On Nations & Nationalism since 1870. [Patreon Exclusive] We start by dealing with your questions regarding last month's RC, on Stalin, Zhukhov and WWII. Then we read and discuss Eric Hobsbawm's classic work in which he emphasises that nations are exclusively modern constructions. We discuss: How succulent Hobsbawm's account is Whether he was wrong about globalisation eclipsing nationalism – and why he argued this Whether the revolutionary-democratic aspects of nationalism can be rescued from its later ethnic-particularist elements What the relationship is between citizenship, patriotism and nationalism How nationalism intersected with revolution - and fascism And whether the nation is any more solid an exit from our political vacuum than whatever other postmodern BS Links: Nations and Nationalism since 1780: Programme, Myth, Reality, Eric Hobsbawm Film: Eric Hobsbawm: The Consolations of History, LRB Some reflections on 'The Break-up of Britain', Eric Hobsbawm, New Left Review (pdf) /421/ Who Are the Wrong Ukrainians? ft. Volodymyr Ishchenko

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)

On liberal takes on the end of the End of History. [Patreon Exclusive] We start by discussing Yasha Mounk's dismissal of an end to the End of History. Does he underestimate liberal democracy's inability to legitimise itself anymore? Is the talk of populism a way of deflecting from liberalism's undoing? We then deal with your comments and questions [for patrons only, subscribe at patreon.com/bungacast]

On tradwives, influencers, and boys. [Patreon Exclusive] Amber is back on the pod, talking to Alex and George about her forthcoming piece on neo-traditionalism and women, in Damage issue 3, which will be on Mothers. We discuss: What are the models of 'tradwives' out there? If homemakers make homes, do tradwives make content? Does the tradwife phenomenon speak to sense of exhaustion with being a neoliberal girlboss? When does internet crap start being real? Do influencers actually influence? What is the political upshot of all this?

On "eco-modernism". Ted Nordhaus, co-founder and executive director of the Breakthrough Institute, talks to Leigh and Alex the 20th anniversary of "The Death of Environmentalism" and the 10th anniversary of "The Ecomodernist Manifesto". We discuss: The fundamental philosophical differences between "building-out" and "restraint". Whether industrial policy like the Inflation Reduction Act is in line with the ecomodern approach Why environmentalism differs in the US versus Western Europe Why modernisation gets lost in discussions on the environment What techno-optimism and what techno-fixes are What the Abundance Agenda is Links: The Death of Environmentalism, Breakthrough Institute An ECOMODERNIST MANIFESTO

On the US culture wars, then and now. Historian Andrew Hartman, author of A War for the Soul of America, talks to Alex about how US Americans have been sorted into cultural camps over the past fifty years. We discuss: Who started it? And who perpetuates it? What is the "culture" in the culture war? And is it a war, or a series of skirmishes? Is there something particularly American about culture wars? The culture wars have followed the breakup of liberalism – so, what comes next? Do culture wars necessarily presuppose identity politics? Links: A War for the Soul of America: A History of the Culture Wars, Andrew Hartman, UC Press The Culture Wars are Dead, Andrew Hartman, The Baffler

On disinformation, misinformation and the popular will. Holly Jean Buck, Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, joins us to talk about her recent pieces arguing that the climate movement's focus on disinformation is misguided. We discuss: What is disinformation and misinformation in the climate context? Are there parallels to be drawn with anti-disinfo campaigns on vaccines during the pandemic? How is the deterioration in trust in elites and scientific institutions to be responded to? What do Holly's focus groups tell her about popular views on climate politics? Does the return to industrial policy mean we should focus on "people who know how to make and run stuff"? And what is solar radiation management, carbon capture and storage, carbon dioxide removal, and related technologies? Links: Obsessing Over Climate Disinformation Is a Wrong Turn, Holly Jean Buck, Jacobin A Climate Disinformation Focus Takes Us the Wrong Way, Holly Jean Buck, Jacobin Of Course "Misinformation" Isn’t the Cause of Climate Change, Alex Tremblath, Breakthrough Institute Books: After Geoengineering: Climate Tragedy, Repair, and Restoration, Holly Jean Buck, Verso Ending Fossil Fuels: Why Net Zero is Not Enough, Holly Jean Buck, Verso

On corruption, charisma, populism & assassination in Slovakia. Slovak sociologist Dominik Zelinksy joins us to discuss Slovakia's positioning between East and West. We discuss: Why was Prime Minister Robert Fico a target of an assassination attempt? Whether Fico – not a zany outsider but a competent insider – is a "populist" Why Slovaks are not so anti-Russian, and why they are sceptical of NATO How has anti-corruption politics played a role What is "charismatic mimicry" and why have Western leaders aped Ukraine's Zelenskyy? Links: Slovakia's election: "more than a fight between democracy and autocracy", Dominik Zelinsky, LeftEast Assassination Attempt Prompts Soul-Searching in Slovakia, Jakub Bokes, Jacobin Slovakia’s Election Result Is About Declining Living Standards, Not Just Ukraine, Jakub Bokes, Jacobin Charismatic Mimicry: Innovation and Imitation in the Case of Volodymyr Zelensky, Paul Joosse & Dominik Zelinsky, Sociological Theory. Thread on Twitter/X about the article

On the electricity grid and the institutions involved. [Episode originally released only to subscribers on 20 June 2024. Join us at patreon.com/bungacast] Fred Stafford, a STEM professional, a writer on energy and power, and an editor at Damage, talks to Alex and regular contributor Leigh Phillips about the utility of utilities and his recent essay in the second print issue of Damage, "Deinstitutionalized"./ What actually is a utility: is it a question of ownership, structure, purpose..? How did the 70s energy crisis, neoliberal economics, and environmentalism create a perfect storm that broke up regulated utilities? How does the regulatory regime on energy in the US actually work? Why have environmentalists been so keen to line up with neoliberal deregulation and to attack utilities – in Europe as well as the US? Why should the left think about a restoration of the investor-owned utility model, and not just jump straight to public ownership? Links: The Utility of Utilities, Fred Stafford & Matt Huber, Damage Big Public Power from the Atom, Matt Huber & Fred Stafford, Damage Power Loss: The Origins of Deregulation and Restructuring in the American Electric Utility System, Richard F Hirsch

On Geoffrey Roberts’ 2013 biography of Field Marshal Zhukov. [Patreon Exclusive] Who was the Soviet general and architect of Soviet victory on the Eastern Front during the Second World War? We discuss: What does Zhukov’s life tell us about modern warfare? What can we learn about the life and fate of the Soviet regime? How should we view the Ukraine war and renewed geopolitical rivalry between the West and Russia today? What are the popular perceptions and folk memories of world war? Links: Stalin's General: The Life of Georgy Zhukov, Geoffrey Roberts Saving Private Ivan, Mike Davis, The Guardian Negotiate Now, or Capitulate Later: Ten Incentives for Ukraine to Make Peace with Russia, Geoffrey Roberts, Brave New Europe Putin’s Trump Card: Ukrainian Membership of NATO, Geoffrey Roberts, Brave New Europe ‘Now or Never’: The Immediate Origins of Putin’s Preventative War on Ukraine, Geoffrey Roberts, Journal of Military and Strategic Studies

On the NGO-isation of the state. [Patreon Exclusive] Researchers and writers Matthew Thompson and Jonny Gordon-Farleigh join us to discuss their recent Damage article with George Hoare. Civil society was once occupied by popular forces that could function as a bulwark against both capitalist marketization and state authoritarianism. Today, it has been colonized by the NGO, which, in turn, colonizes our hollowed-out politics. We ask: What are 'private NGOs', and what are quangos? How has 'projectification' taken over? What does the NGOisation of society mean? How does this kill public accountability? What are concrete examples of this process? What comes next? Any possibility for resurrecting things like Working Men’s Clubs? Links: Bodiless Bodies: The Rise of Para-Institutions, George, Matt & Jonny, Damage Reconstructing Public Housing: Liverpool’s hidden history of collective alternatives, Matthew Thompson The NGOization of the West, George Hoare, Café american

On your questions & criticisms. [Patreon Exclusive] We respond with comments on episodes 420 to 432 and various other points you wanted to us to discuss. In this episode: Does our politics lack self-critique? When did the breakdown of the UK's political system begin? How hegemonic is "settler" discourse? Will there be a coup in France? Do we need more analysis of the PMC? How did victimhood become a means for the expression of political demands? Links: The Making of a New Political Subject, George Hoare, Café americain Vulnerability as Ideology, Peter Ramsay, The Northern Star

On Naomi Klein & Naomi Wolf and "political diagonalism" Episode in association with Damage magazine. Patreon Exclusive. Ben Burgis talks to Alex and George about his review in Damage of Naomi Klein's Doppelgangers. We discuss: Whether Naomi Klein is representative of the average left-wing position this century What Klein's trajectory and that of Naomi Wolf tell us about contemporary politics What is "pipiking" – Philip Roth's term for making everything a farce? What role do conspiracy theories play for the Right today? For the Left? What's wrong with the idea of "settlers" and "indigenous", and how does it play out with regard to Jews and to Native Americans? Are we right to hold up “proper left” and “proper right” as ideals to which the ideological confusion of our times should return? Links: Left Identitarianism Is Also A Mirror World, Ben Burgis, Damage Ben Burgis' columns at Jacobin What comes after wokeness?, Alex Hochuli, Substack The Making of a New Political Subject, George Hoare, Café american

On the structure of the Chinese state and its external relations. [Patreon Exclusive: for the full episode, go to patreon.com/bungacast] We welcome back Lee Jones and Shahar Hameiri to reflect on the outcome of the recent plenum of the Chinese Communist Party and to ask who, if anyone beyond Xi Jinping, is calling the shots. How will the CCP respond to the US election? Why is China not a monolithic, integrated state in the way some think? How important is the the Sino-Russian alliance? Does it matter more to Russia or to China? What happened to "wolf-warrior diplomacy"? Is it still a thing? What's going on economically with the property bubble, and with Chinese manufacturing over-capacity? Should we be worried about WWIII over Taiwan or the South China Sea? Links: China’s plenum must offer action not rote slogans, Financial Times Views of China and Xi Jinping in 35 countries, Pew Research Centre Fractured China: How State Transformation is Shaping China’s Rise, Lee Jones & Shahar Hameiri

On the tourist city, the tourist industry, and its critics. Renowned Italian journalist Marco d'Eramo joins us to talk about his wide-ranging inquiry into the age of tourism, The World in a Selfie. We also discuss how migration is the obverse of tourism, and take a look at Marco's most recent book, Masters, on the neoliberal revolution from above. Why is hating tourists the main characteristic of being a tourist? Why is the tourist/traveller dichotomy a false one? What is the threshold for a city becoming a place that exists primarily for tourists? How should we understand tourism economically, and why is the tourist city a mono-industry? Is the "authentic" travel experience ever possible? Why do critiques of tourism so often slide into snobbery or outright class contempt? How is the city changing under the impact not just of "over-tourism" but rising rents, exclusions, and remote working? Links: The World in a Selfie: An Inquiry into the Tourist Age, Marco d'Eramo, Verso Masters: The Invisible War of the Powerful Against Their Subjects, Marco d'Eramo, Wiley Barbed Wire, Marco D'Eramo, Sidecar The cost of Europe’s backlash against tourists, Barney Jopson, Financial Times

On Julien Benda's famous 1927 work. [Patreon Exclusive] We continue on the theme of 'Intellectuals and the Public' by discussing the often cited by little read The Treason of the Clerks. We ask: If Benda was responding to the intellectuals' role in the Dreyfus Affair and WWI, was he already a man out of his time? What are intellectuals' proper role in society? Can they be abstract universalist moralists? Benda laments the end of humanism – can we endorse this lament, even if things are too far gone now? Is Benda a centrist dad, urging us all not to get too passionate or engaged? How do Benda’s ideas related to Gramsci’s notion of the traditional versus the organic intellectual? If Benda was critical of the 'realism' of his day – as opposed to the detached ethics of pre-20th century intellectuals – how might we use Benda to critique the cynicism of today? Readings: Treason of the Intellectuals, Mark Lilla, Tablet (from preface to new edition) The Treason of the Intellectuals, Niall Ferguson, The Free Press Julien Benda’s political Europe and the treason of intellectuals, Davide Caddedu Edward Said on imperialist hypocrisy on Kosova: The treason of the intellectuals, Green Left

On JD Vance, Hillbilly Elegy, and arresting decline. [For the full episode: patreon.com/bungacast] We discuss the Netflix adaptation of vice-presidential nominee JD Vance's memoir – and the memoir itself – and what it tells us about the direction of US politics, Trump, and MAGA. We ask: What is Ryan's own anti-hillbilly elegy, drawn from his experience in Central Illinois? How far does the character in the film correspond with Vance’s public persona today? How do we account for Vance’s political pivot – at least in rhetoric – from “lift yourself up by your bootstraps” meritocracy to pro-labour nationalism? What will happen to rural/small-town US American life? Plus: Is reading books gay? Is a "hillbilly" just Hillary + Bill? And what is a horseshoe sandwich? Links: The State of Illinois is Killing My Family, Ryan Zickgraf, Jacobin An anti-Hillbilly Elegy, Ryan Zickgraf, The Third Rail (Substack) Hillbilly Elegy Doesn’t Reflect the Appalachia I Know, Cassie Chambers Armstrong, The Atlantic Why the Left Gets J.D. Vance Wrong, Zaid Jilani, Compact

On emotional capitalism + Israeli politics. Renowned sociologist Eva Illouz joins us to talk about her recent book on the emotions of populism, and her work on the sociology of emotions in general. We discuss: Why have emotions become such a collective obsession? Where can you buy emotional commodities? What are influencers really selling? What emotions accompany victim culture? How is identity and victimhood linked in a way that allow us never to forgive or forget? Plus: How has Netanyahu failed even on his own terms? How has Israeli populism channelled fear, disgust, resentment, and love? Why have Eva's views on the progressive left changed? Readings & Links: The Emotional Life of Populism: How Fear, Disgust, Resentment, and Love Undermine Democracy, Eva Illouz Emotion Sickness: The Politics of Feelings, Bungacast series Cold Intimacies: The Making of Emotional Capitalism, Eva Illouz /232/ Reading Club: Cold, Hard / Warm, Soft - on Eva's 'Cold Intimacies' The Global Left Needs to Renounce Judith Butler, Eva Illouz, Ha'aretz 'Never has peace seemed so necessary and impossible' — Eva Illouz on the horrors of Oct. 7 and its aftermath, Forward Eva Illouz, sociologist: 'I think that after the terrorist attacks, for Israeli society, Hamas has become the Nazi' Le Monde Israel Is Facing Existential Threats From Inside and Out. There's One Solution, Eva Illouz, Ha'aretz Subscribe: patreon.com/BungaCast Follow us: X Instagram TikTok YouTube

On the disaster of the culture wars. [Patreon Exclusive] Regular contributor Catherine Liu is back on to talk about her essay in Damage, issue 2, "Professional Populists in the Culture Wars". We discuss: What were the original 'culture wars' and how are they different to today? Why are the "academic populists" more elitist than anyone? Was there a need in the 1980s to "disrupt" the humanities? Why does conservatism now need to wear "populist" clothes? How should we defend the "canon"? What is the "Catherine Liu Foundation for Attacking Badness"? Links: Professional Populists in the Culture Wars, Catherine Liu, Damage /246/ Why Isn't There Revolution? ft. Vivek Chibber /67/ Legacies of Postmodernism ft. Catherine Liu Reading the Romance: Women, Patriarchy, and Popular Literature, Janice Radway

On the late Dmitri Furman's account of post-Soviet Russia. Patreon Exclusive: for the Reading Club, join for $12/mo and get access to ALL Bungacast content, incl. 4 exclusive, original episodes a month We continue our discussions along this year's themes (rise and fall of nations; Russia past and present) by tackling Imitation Democracy: The Development of Russia's Post-Soviet Political System. Why has there been a revival in interest in the late Soviet and early post-Soviet period? And in the global 1990s in general? What does it really mean to be without-alternative? Why didn't democracy take hold in Russia? And why did it become an "imitation democracy" and not something else? How was Yeltsin a disaster? And what was Putin's appeal? Does 'Putinism' actually exist? Is it interesting or novel in any way? What happened after Furman's death and Russia's turn to "violent parody of the West"? Readings: Imitation Democracy: The Development of Russia's Post-Soviet Political System, Dmitri Furman, Verso Imitation Democracies: The Post-Soviet Penumbra, Dmitri Furman, New Left Review (pdf) Imitation Democracy: Perry Anderson writes about Dmitri Furman’s analysis of Russia’s post-communism, Perry Anderson, London Review of Books Listening Links: /114/ Reading Club: The Light That Failed - on the end of the "Age of Imitation" /270/ Russia vs the West ft. Richard Sakwa - on the endgame to war in Ukraine; and /271/ Russia vs the West (2) ft. Richard Sakwa - on the post-Soviet landscape /410/ Reading Club: Deutscher's Stalin - On Isaac Deutscher's classic Stalin: A Political Biography /421/ Who Are the Wrong Ukrainians? ft. Volodymyr Ishchenko - on post-Soviet Ukraine, from Maidan to war Music: Éva Csepregi, "O.K. Gorbacsov", Hungaroton , WEA, High Fashion Music, Dureco

On your questions & criticisms about fertility, culture war, and more. [Patreon Exclusive] In our monthly mailbag episode we take points from the discussion on patreon, including on futuristic music, holocaust movies, german populism, whether culture war can be global, and the link between modernisation, productivity and birth rates.

On France's surprise parliamentary election. The left-wing 'New Popular Front' came a surprise first, for now putting a halt to expectations that the far-right Rassemblement National would soon enter government. We talk to political scientist and commentator Charles Devellennes, and ask: What was Macron's gamble in calling this early election? Is becoming Prime Minister actually a bad thing for your future prospects? Is the Left actually 'far left' and the Right 'far right'? Is Le Pen a fascist? Did the Left actually save Macron? Why not an alliance between Left and Right against the centre? Will France opt for the undemocratic 'Italian Solution' and appoint an unelected technocrat? Can Macron's party and his style of rule survive Macron eventually being out of office? Does the uncertainty mean France is back to the postwar 4th Republic? Is this continuity? Something new? Links: The Macron Régime: The Ideology of the New Right in France, Charles Devellennes

On Labour's landslide and sandcastle majority. We unpick what happened in the UK's general election, discussing: How did Labour get such a large majority with so little enthusiasm for them? Is the UK now a multiparty democracy, and will there be demands for serious electoral reform? What accounts for low turnout and the fragmentation of the vote (Reform, Greens, Independents, etc)? What is Keir Starmer's electoral base and how will he govern? What is their electoral programme? Is Nigel Farage's reform the real opposition now? Is the Brexit period now definitely over? Will there be a move to rejoin the EU? Links: The McSweeney Project, Tom McTague, UnHerd Debasing Citizenship, Peter Ramsay, TNS Data on the nationalist right + driving to work in the UK and French train stations

Ukraine, from Maidan to war. [For the full episode: patreon.com/bungacast] Berlin-based Ukrainian sociologist Volodymyr Ishchenko joins us to talk about his new book, Towards the Abyss: Ukraine from Maidan to War and his dissection of the war and the underlying political crisis in Ukraine. We discuss: class conflict in Ukraine as a legacy of the collapse of the USSR and the stagnation of the Brezhnev regime in the 1970s. The role of the Ukrainian professional classes in the conflict and oversize influence of relatively small neo-Nazi and far-right movements The meaning of ‘Soviet Ukrainians’ today and whether a neo-Soviet revival is happening among youth across the post-Soviet landscape The difference between neo-Soviet revival and Eastern bloc ‘Ostalgie’ The concept of de-modernisation The vicious post-Soviet cycle of passive revolutions and corrupt oligarchic regimes Links: Towards the Abyss: Ukraine from Maidan to War, Volodymyr Ishchenko The crisis of Soviet Ukraine, Volodymyr Ishchenko, UnHerd The class conflict behind Russia’s war, Volodymyr Ishchenko, Lefteast Russia’s War on Ukraine Has Already Changed the World, interview w/ Volodymyr Ishchenko, Jacobin As Ukraine Expands Military Draft, Some Men Go Into Hiding, NYT

On baby bust, feminism and male resentment. [Patreon Exclusive] Alex and regular contributor Leigh Phillips call up Korean sociologist Hyeyoung Woo, director of the Institute for Asian Studies at Portland State University, to talk about demography, family and gender in the Republic of Korea. How urgent is the national debate on fertility? What policy measures have been introduced to reverse the decline? How is work organised and how do long hours contribute to the lack of family formation? What has been the impact of feminist movements in Korea? Is there a male backlash against feminism underway? Why is there such a huge gender gap in voting behaviour among the young? Links: /394/ Girls, Left / Boys, Right ft. Nina Power The Real Reason South Koreans Aren’t Having Babies, Anna Louie Sussman, The Atlantic Foreign maids and no military service: South Korea criticised over ideas to boost birthrate, The Guardian South Korea's incel election, S. Nathan Park, UnHerd Why South Korean women aren't having babies, BBC News This demographic catastrophe will hit us all, Peter Franklin, UnHerd Korean Families Yesterday and Today, eds. Hyunjoon Park & Hyeyoung Woo

On the electricity grid and the institutions involved. [Patreon Exclusive] Fred Stafford, a STEM professional, a writer on energy and power, and an editor at Damage, talks to Alex and regular contributor Leigh Phillips about the utility of utilities and his recent essay in the second print issue of Damage, "Deinstitutionalized"./ What actually is a utility: is it a question of ownership, structure, purpose..? How did the 70s energy crisis, neoliberal economics, and environmentalism create a perfect storm that broke up regulated utilities? How does the regulatory regime on energy in the US actually work? Why have environmentalists been so keen to line up with neoliberal deregulation and to attack utilities – in Europe as well as the US? Why should the left think about a restoration of the investor-owned utility model, and not just jump straight to public ownership? Links: The Utility of Utilities, Fred Stafford & Matt Huber, Damage Big Public Power from the Atom, Matt Huber & Fred Stafford, Damage Power Loss: The Origins of Deregulation and Restructuring in the American Electric Utility System, Richard F Hirsch

On German political derangement. [Patreon Exclusive] Independent researcher and writer Gregor Baszak joins us to talk about German centrism being squeezed under pressure from both left and right — Sahra Wagenknecht and the AFD. Meanwhile the German economy is getting squeezed between the US and Russia, and NATO pressures Germany to up its defence spending. Is German public life remilitarising? What are the prospects for Sahra Wagenknecht’s new ‘left-conservative’ politics? What was the original political vision behind the Nordstream 2 pipeline? Why are Marine Le Pen and Giorgia Meloni trying to carve the AFD out of pan-European national-populist cooperation? Where does Germany now stand in relation to the Ukraine War? Links: Europe After America, Gregor Baszak, The American Conservative What’s the Matter With Germany?, Gregor Baszak, The American Conservative The Left-wing maverick who could stop the AfD For many, Sahra Wagenknecht is a tribune of the people, Gregor Baszak, UnHerd

On the one-year anniversary of the death of our evil patron saint, Silvio Berlusconi, we are re-releasing our audio obituary. RIP Silvio. Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi died on 12 June 2023 at the age of 86. In this special episode, we say goodbye to the towering figure of the End of History, and explore how the contradictions he exemplified spoke to our age. Contributions in order of appearance: Mattia Salvia Alice Oliveri Nadia Urbinati Carlo Invernizzi-Accetti Paolo Gerbaudo Thomas Fazi Pier Paolo Tamburelli The Bungacast Boys: Alex, George, Phil Music: Bunga theme tune: Nous Non Plus / Bunga Bunga / courtesy of Sugaroo Rune Dale / Tell You Something / courtesy of http://www.epidemicsound.com

On India's election and a blow for the BJP. Esteemed writer and social activist Achin Vanaik is back on Bungacast to unpick India's monumental, seven-week-long electoral process in which over 600m people took part. How did the ruling Hindu nationalist BJP lose its majority? Is there really a cult of personality around Modi? How does the BJP differ in important ways from Western 'national conservatives'? Does the BJP losing seats reflect a loss of support for Hindutva ideology? Modi claims India will reach developed economy status by 2047. Is this true? How bad are problems of under- and un-employment, especially for the youth? What is the nature of India's "crony oligarchy"? How does the National Population Register threaten to divest people of citizenship? How does the BJP see Israel as an example for itself? Links: /198/ Universal India ft. Achin Vanaik In State Repression and Its Justification, India and Israel Have Much in Common, Achin Vanaik, The Wire Narendra Modi Is Preparing New Attacks on Democratic Rights, Achin Vanaik, Jacobin

On your questions & criticism regarding pro-Palestine protests. [Patreon Exclusive] In this episode we focus on the discussion generated by our episode that came out in early May on the protests on US campuses. We discuss the issues along a few axes: How do ideas of victimhood relate to the material reality of international politics? What really are the aims of the protesters and how likely are they to achieve them? Are we cynical in our approach or conclusions? How do the protests relate to populism and the end of the End of History? What is the proper basis of nationhood? How do these protests relate to the millennial Left? We also deal with your points on Civil War, the state funding of culture, and whether Joe Rogan is a good male role model. Readings: Vulnerability as Ideology, Peter Ramsay, Northern Star The victimological imagination, Matthew B. Crawford, Substack

On MORENA and Claudia Sheinbaum's huge victory. Mexico has elected its first woman president, tasked with extending the hugely popular AMLO'S legacy. What are her prospects and challenges? We ask: What was the effect of NAFTA on Mexico, and particularly manufacturing? How is US-China competition playing out in Mexico? Why did Trump and leftist AMLO get along? What about Scheinbaum and Trump? How does the politics of migration play out in Mexico? How come there is no hardline Mexican right, especially given the problems of crime and drug trafficking? Can other countries follow MORENA's example of centre-left success? Links: Mexico’s Political Revolution, Juan David Rojas, Compact AMLO and Mexico’s Fourth Transformation, Juan David Rojas, American Affairs Lessons of the AMLO-Trump Bromance, Juan David Rojas, Compact /413/ Left-Populism That Works? (I) ft. Roger Lancaster

On Zone of Interest and Holocaust film. [Patreon Exclusive] We discuss the winner of the Oscar for Best International Feature Film – one that split opinion, among critics and on the pod too! How does the film fit in the pantheon of Holocaust films? Is it a Holocaust film? How well does it deal with its obvious subject matter: the banality of evil? Is the film neutral and detached or preachy, condescending, moralising? What to make of the commentary around the film, including director Jonathan Glazer's statements? How does it relate to Israel/Palestine? What to make of present-day Auschwitz? Should it be preserved? Link: The Zone of Interest is an extreme form of 'Holokitsch', Richard Brody, New Yorker Is The Zone of Interest simply uninteresting? Toby Marshall, Substack The Zone of Interest is about the danger of ignoring atrocities – including in Gaza, Naomi Klein, The Guardian The Zone of Interest Reminds Us How Easy It Is to Ignore a Genocide on Your Doorstep, Juliet Jacques, Novara The Banality of Evil is No Longer Banal, Maren Thom, Café americain One-star review of Zone of Interest

On Mexico's elections. [Full episode at patreon.com/bungacast] Mexico goes to the polls this Sunday with the ruling centre-left MORENA party holding a commanding lead. Anthropologist Roger Lancaster joins us to preview the election and look at outgoing President AMLO's record. What are the stakes in this election? Has Mexico bucked the trend of class realignment? Where is the 'Brahmin Left'? What is "republican austerity" and has this actually combatted corruption? What do make of AMLO's use of the military? Militarising public life or domesticating the military? What has AMLO done for the working class? And what might it do for itself? What is AMLO's populism and has he rekindled class consciousness? Links: The AMLO Project, Edwin Ackerman, Sidecar The Mexican Question, Ramon Centeno, Sidecar The Struggle to Be Gay—in Mexico, for Example, Roger Lancaster

On Futuromania and closing and opening of musical horizons. We talk to renowned music critic Simon Reynolds about his new book. A counterpart of sorts to his famous Retromania (2011), Futuromania looks at the exciting futuristic music of the past and present. We discuss its themes to try understand whether the culture is still about to throw up something new. Is talk about popular music stuck between the poles of “rockism” and “poptimism”? How did Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder invent "electronic dance music"? Why is "future music" good? What are its pitfalls? How did Daft Punk run out of futurity? Why is Auto-Tune actually not the worst invention? How are genres like trap technically exciting but thematically glum? Is there any way of bringing the future back? Links: Futuromania: Electronic Dreams, Desiring Machines, and Tomorrow's Music Today, Simon Reynolds blissblog, Simon Reynolds blog Futuromania companion playlist with Reynolds' introductions, on NTS: https://www.nts.live/shows/guests/episodes/simon-reynolds-9th-april-2024 Futuromania companion playlist on Spotify No Bells music blog

On Alex Garland’s new film, Civil War. [Patreon Exclusive] The boys discuss a film that seems designed to say something in the context of a US election year. But what? We ask: What kind of film is this: a dystopian fantasy, a war movie, a road movie? Why the focus on the media? Does the film celebrate or satirise journalists? Does Garland’s dystopia tell us anything about the landscape of US politics today? Why is political polarisation between liberals and populists seen in terms of civil war? What would a civil war look like in geopolitical terms, along the lines Garland suggests? What side would you choose? Links: Where will America's Civil War be fought?, Michael Lind, UnHerd The Civil War Will Not Be Mediated, Nina Power, Compact Civil War is a terrifying film, but Trump: The Sequel will be a real-life horror show, Simon Tisdall, The Guardian

On Isaac Deutscher's classic Stalin: A Political Biography. [Patreon Tier III & IV Exclusive] We start off dealing with your questions from the first two Reading Clubs of the year, before Phil takes us through the famous biography of the Soviet leader. We discuss: Deutscher's work in historical context Stalin’s parents' experience as serfs and the significance of his boyhood education in an Orthodox seminary How the oppression of the Russian Empire and the promises of Soviet industrialisation shaped young Stalin's lifecourse Whether, compared to other Bolshevik leaders, Stalin would have succeeded anytime, anywhere Was Stalin honest in his commitment to the revolution? Was Trotsky right that Stalin was just a cynic? How did Stalin compare to the other leaders at Yalta, such as the aristocratic Churchill? How do we compare Stalin to Cromwell or Napoleon? And what's behind cheeky internet Stalinism today? Links: Message of the Non-Jewish Jew, Isaac Deutscher, Marxists.org On Orwell: 1984 - The Mysticism of Cruelty, Isaac Deutscher, Marxists.org I must start completely alone: Gonzalo Pozo on Isaac Deutscher’s wartime years in London, LRB

On US campus protest, the brutalisation of Gaza, and whether this is an age of war. Join us: patreon.com/bungacast Bunga boys Alex, George and Phil debate the matter of the day. We ask: Is the police repression and associated censorship (the anti-semitism bill) a reflection of the fact the content of the protest unsettles the establishment? Why? Why is the Left breaking with Biden and the Dems over this and not before? How do these student protests compare to BLM? And how do they compare to those of the late 60s and Vietnam? What should those in Western countries do in response to Israel’s war? Is the Palestinian struggle dead? What are the risks of regional war? And does Israel's assault on Gaza presage a new era of warfare? Links: The Triumph of American Idealism, Alex Hochuli, Damage Like it or not, the politics of war is upon us, David Jamieson, Conter Express Train to Nowhere: Class and the Crisis of the Modern Jewish Soul, Samuel Biagetti, American Affairs Is this How We Can STOP Genocide Joe?, Doug Lain interviews Dr. Elektra Kostopoulos & Dave Fox, Sublation Media The Left Cannot Make Use of the Gaza War, Benjamin Studebaker, Sublation Media Meet the new Left, who think Hamas are good and that Swastikas are woke, Ryan Zickgraf, Telegraph Their Fight, Not Ours, Alex Gourevitch, The Northern Star