Bungacast

On satire of the bourgeoisie. [Patreon Exclusive. Sign up at patreon.com/bungacast] We discuss Luis Buñuel's "deranged masterpiece" from 1972, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, and debate the social ritual of dinner, and why the guests in the film never get to eat theirs. How does this early 70s surrealist film – which in many ways set the template for cinematic satires of the bourgeoisie – compare to more recent portrayals such as The Menu or Triangle of Sadness? Ultimately, who are the bourgeoisie and do they still exist, in a world of distributed ownership and managerialism? Readings: ‘A deranged masterpiece’: why you should watch The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, Luke Buckmaster, The Guardian What Have the Bourgeoisie Done for us Lately?, Stephan Bertram-Lee, Sublation A Brief History of the Bourgeoisie, or We Are All Bourgeois Now, David Polansky, Strange Frequencies The Bourgeois(ie) as Concept and Reality, Immanuel Wallerstein, New Left Review

On the radical right in the global periphery. [This was originally a Patreon Exclusive] Erdogan, Modi, Orban, Bolsonaro, Duterte. Though the latter two are gone, the first three are still going strong, in government for a decade or more. What unites these figures? They’re all right wing and authoritarian, but also popular and anti-establishment. How similar are these politicians to their analogues in the core of global capitalism? Might they even be seen to be forerunners of developments in the rich world? And to what extent are they able to resolve the crises of the end of the end of history? In this episode, we talk to two of the editors of a new book, The Radical Right: Politics of Hate on the Margins of Global Capital. Previous episodes on this theme: Turkey /339/ Erdogone? People vs Nation in Turkey ft. Alp Kayserilioglu Brazil: /299/ Micropower & Transcendence in Brazil (Bungazão 2022) ft. Miguel Lago Brazil: /292/ Bungazão 2022: Unrealistic Pragmatism, ft. Unbridled Possibility Collective India: /198/ Universal India ft. Achin Vanaik Hungary: /33/ Hungary's Illiberal Democracy ft. Tamas Gerocs Philippines: /52/ Duterte's Despotism ft. Nicole Curato

On the politics of consultancy [Patreon Exclusive. Sign up @ patreon.com/bungacast] The past 40 years have seen a whole range of things the state used to do itself outsourced to third parties. Now there is a turn against these practices. But can the state actually get stuff done, or is it doomed for its prior reliance on consultants? It's not just the left the criticises outsourcing - the right now does too. How do these positions differ? And how are these questions related to another critique – that of 'bullshit jobs'? Readings & Links: In Clover, Laleh Khalili, LRB (attached) The Big Con — the case against consultancies (review of Mazzucatto & Collington), Diane Coyle, FT (attached) Letter: Groundless assertions about a trusted profession (response from a consultant), FT How PwC captured Australia, Shahar Hameiri, Unherd Consultancies Have Been the Handmaidens of Neoliberalism, Nathan Akehurst, Jacobin Radical Centrism: Uniting the Radical Left and the Radical Right, Ashwin Parameswaran, Macroresilience The limits of government outsourcing, Martin Bortz, Pursuit /267/ South Africa Mafia State ft. Benjamin Fogel

On the internet being sh*t. Tech critic, author and blogger Cory Doctorow joins us to talk about his new book, The Internet Con. He tells us his ONE SIMPLE TRICK to fix the internet: interoperability. Breaking down the tech giants' walled gardens is the first step to dethroning them. How does Big Tech depend on intellectual property to cement their monopolies? How can their grip be loosened? How do we make tech work for us? In the After Party, the boys debate Doctorow's anti-monopolist arguments, and look at the wider ways tech is affecting everything from agriculture to services. We conclude by asking what the best way to guarantee freedom of expression is. Links: The Internet Con: How to seize the means of computation, Cory Doctorow, Verso Pluralistic, Cory Doctorow's blog Big Tech and the Current Challenges Facing the Class Struggle, Tricontinental Institute

On US politics being stuck. [Patreon Exclusive] We talk to political theorist Benjamin Studebaker about his new book, The Chronic Crisis of American Democracy: The Way is Shut. Studebaker holds that hope is a problem because it's used by professionals to keep people engaged in a system that simply doesn't deliver. Hence the culture wars and the focus on various 'vices'. How are both left and right complicit in this situation? What's the solution? Are we dependent on oligarchs going rogue to shake the system? Do we need to hit rock bottom to rekindle our political imaginations?

On the 3rd and final part of Jurgen Habermas' Legitimation Crisis. [Patreon Tier II & III Exclusive] We wrap up this challenging book by debating some key points. Habermas already felt we lived in a post-truth society. How does his notion differ from the contemporary one concerned with misinformation? And is it possible to get beyond the notion of political authority grounded in (arbitrary) rules and laws – to an order rooted in truth and meaning? Habermas also discusses his Frankfurt School colleagues and 'the end of the individual'. What does this mean? Is there any hope for free, rational, democratic politics? Reading: Legitimation Crisis, Jurgen Habermas The Return of the Repressed, Wolfgang Streeck, NLR 104, March–April 2017

On the American drug binge. Forget all the stereotypes – drug use is no longer confined to particular subcultures. US Americans are taking world-historic levels of drugs. Benjamin Fong tells us about his new book, Quick Fixes: Drugs in America from Prohibition to the 21st Century Binge, which covers everything from morphine to mushrooms, SSRIs to speed, caffeine to cocaine. Ultimately, is all this drug-taking about reckless abandon, or about control? For more, go to patreon.com/bungacast Subscribe to Damage Magazine Links: Building Big Things, Damage Magazine, Issue 1 Quick Fixes: Drugs in America from Prohibition to the 21st Century Binge, Benjamin Y. Fong, Verso Who Deserves Amphetamines, Benjamin Fong, The Point

On Australian and New Zealand at the End of History. Antipodean political scientists Shahar Hameiri and Tom Chodor join us to discuss the history and politics of Australia and New Zealand. If Australia is the “lucky country”, what about New Zealand? What explains the courses both countries took economically and politically over the twentieth century? And where do the two countries find themselves today - did they escape the end of the End of History? Part 2: patreon.com/bungacast Readings: Australian Labor’s hollow victory, Shahar Hameiri & Tom Chodor, UnHerd Jacinda Ardern still haunts New Zealand, Tom Chodor, UnHerd /136/ Banana Monarchy ft. David Edgerton

On everyday, private tyranny. Sohrab Ahmari, one of the editors of Compact Magazine, joins us to talk about his book, Tyranny, Inc. We discuss the sorts of private coercion that are found in the US workplace and marketplace, rather than originate with the state – and how relatively uncommon it is for a conservative like Ahmari to follow that line of critique. Also: the NY Post's scathing front covers, alliances between socialists and conservatives, the world of JG Ballard's Super Cannes, and critiquing the right from the right and the left from the left.

On film and left-wing terrorism. [Patreon Exclusive] We talk about Uli Edel’s 2008 film The Baader Meinhof Complex, which tells the story of the Red Army Faction in 1960s and 70s Germany. What sorts of myths do films create? Is the attempt to break down myths in fact a way of re-making those myths? Is a Red Army Faction response possible today - and what does terrorism at the End of the End of History look like? We also discuss the image-sausage-grinder theory of film and reflect on six years of podcast urban guerilla activity. Links: Episode on Berlusconi biopic, Loro: UNLOCKED /87/ Berluscoming Symptom of the post-political – Terrorism in Contemporary German, British and Hollywood Cinema, Maren Thom (pdf) "The State I Am In", Christian Petzold (2000)

On geopolitical competition over Africa. This episode was originally for subscribers only. To join, sign up at patreon.com/bungacast In light of the 'new Cold War', we look at what the US, Europe, Russia and China's respective "pitches" are to African countries – what are they selling? And we examine the factors that contribute to Africa's place in geopolitics today: Chinese hunger for raw materials, the global war on terror, the green energy transition, drug and people smuggling, and more. If the original Scramble for Africa (1884-1914) was driven by an attempt to displace European class war onto another terrain, can we say anything analogous is happening today? Links: /303/ The Failure of the French Forever War ft. Yvan Guichaoua /304/ The Failure of the French Forever War (2) ft. Yvan Guichaoua Russia in Africa, Financial Times series of articles Defending Our Sovereignty: US Military Bases in Africa and the Future of African Unity, Tricontinental Institute Italophone Somalia, Then and Now, Iman Mohamed, The Drift Emmanuel Macron must reset France’s Africa policy, Sylvie Kauffman (Le Monde editor), FT Debunking the Myth of ‘Debt-trap Diplomacy’, Lee Jones & Shahar Hameiri, Chatham House Let’s talk about neo-colonialism in Africa, Mark Langan, LSE blog /267/ South Africa Mafia State ft. Benjamin Fogel

On Jürgen Habermas' Legitimation Crisis. [Patreon Tier II & III Exclusive] What made postwar capitalism 'organised'? And why did many believe it had overcome economic crisis? In this second episode on Legitimacy, we go through part 2 of Habermas' book, where its main concerns reveal themselves. How does the role of the state in managing the economy transfer crises into the realm of politics and society? Bourgeois ideology seems pretty thin on its own and doesn't provide enough motivation, so what happens when traditionalism no longer holds sway? Is capitalism just hanging on by a thread: the thread of civic privatism? Sign up for $10/mo for full access to the Reading Club: patreon.com/bungacast Join a local Reading Club. Email info [at] bungacast.com

On music, pop culture, and the politics of the spectacle. Musician, host of This is Revolution and Sublation columnist, Jason Myles joins us to talk about how every podcast is a failed band, if pop music is dead, and whether the contemporary left is a lifestyle brand feeding into the all-encompassing politics of the spectacle. We also discuss the music of De La Soul and the role of what Jason calls “underclass ideology” in contemporary America. Finally, we reflect on selling out: it used to be a cardinal sin as recently as 25 years ago, but now, if you don't sell out, you're failing. Why? Links: Stakes is High: Addicted to the Spectacle, Jason Myles, Sublation Is The Contemporary Left A Lifestyle Brand?, Jason Myles, Sublation Virtual Insanity: A Freak Show for Left Media, Jason Myles, Sublation

On China, Russia, the US and UK. Professor Emeritus and one of the founders of ‘Radical Philosophy’, Sean Sayers, joins us to talk about Marxist philosophy, how it’s developed and changed over the course of the twentieth century and into this one. We talk about Sean’s background and experience in the radical academy of the 1960s, and how the New Left fed through into the founding of ‘Radical Philosophy’, and more recently, the Marx and Philosophy Review of Books. Sean talks about what’s happened to academic philosophy, and what it might take to defend the humanities in the modern Western academy. Sean also talks to us about the significance of Hegelian Marxism, the American red diaspora in the UK, his visit to China during the Cultural Revolution, the state of intellectual debate and dissent in China today under Xi Jinping, and how radical politics unfolded from the 1960s over to the new millennium. Plus, he talks about his personal connection to Sacco and Vanzetti, the two Italian-American anarchists executed in 1927. Readings: Radical Philosophy turns 50, Jonathan Rée, Sean Sayers, Christopher J. Arthur, Kate Soper, Diana Coole, Stella Sandford Luigi Galleani: The Most Dangerous Anarchist in America (review), Ruth Kinna, Marx & Philosophy Review of Books Marx and Progress, Sean Sayers, International Critical Thought (pdf)

On the radical right in the global periphery. [Patreon Exclusive] Erdogan, Modi, Orban, Bolsonaro, Duterte. Though the latter two are gone, the first three are still going strong, in government for a decade or more. What unites these figures? They’re all right wing and authoritarian, but also popular and anti-establishment. How similar are these politicians to their analogues in the core of global capitalism? Might they even be seen to be forerunners of developments in the rich world? And to what extent are they able to resolve the crises of the end of the end of history? In this episode, we talk to two of the editors of a new book, The Radical Right: Politics of Hate on the Margins of Global Capital. Previous episodes on the theme: Turkey /339/ Erdogone? People vs Nation in Turkey ft. Alp Kayserilioglu Brazil: /299/ Micropower & Transcendence in Brazil (Bungazão 2022) ft. Miguel Lago Brazil: /292/ Bungazão 2022: Unrealistic Pragmatism, ft. Unbridled Possibility Collective India: /198/ Universal India ft. Achin Vanaik Hungary: /33/ Hungary's Illiberal Democracy ft. Tamas Gerocs Philippines: /52/ Duterte's Despotism ft. Nicole Curato

On Jürgen Habermas' Legitimation Crisis. [Patreon Tier II & III Exclusive - sign up at patreon.com/bungacast] We are in crisis, no doubt about that. But what kind? And what is the relation between economic, political and socio-cultural crisis? In this first episode on Legitimacy, we go through part 1 of Habermas' book, to try to understand some key concepts: system integration versus social integration; what Habermas means by social systems and subsystems; and whether growing individuation makes us more or less prone to manipulation by the political command centre. Join a local Reading Club. Email [email protected]

Live event at Housman's Bookshop. George Hoare hosts Dan Evans (author of A Nation of Shopkeepers: The Unstoppable Rise of the Petite Bourgeoisie) and Bungacast regular Catherline Liu (author of Virtue Hoarders: The Case against the Professional Managerial Class) in a conversation about the middle class. How should we conceptualise the middle class, how has it come to dominate politics, and what should be done about it?

On your questions and criticisms. Bumper edition of Aufhebonus Bonus where we discuss whether we're technologically determinist with regard to artificial intelligence; whether the left should be bulding stuff; why criticising wokeness is boring; work, retirement and time; more on family abolition; and everyone's favourite topic – the PMC/new elite, etc. Event: The Professional-Managerial Class and their Politics, London, Wednesday 28 June, 7pm

On reactionary feminism. [Patreon Exclusive] We continue our discussions on contemporary feminism by looking at the diametric opposite of the atomistic vision presented by Sophie Lewis: the conservative, communitarian approach advanced by Mary Harrington. Harrington is critical of 'Progress Theology'. What does that mean, beyond rejecting new orthodoxies on gender – does that mean rejecting progress wholesale? If liberalism has reached a dead end, what intellectual supports should we draw upon? And if we join Harrington in rejecting the 'caring' state – the 'antiseptic cyborg devouring mother' – does that mean also defending 'care' against 'freedom', as she does? Readings: Feminism against Progress, Mary Harrington, Regenery Reactionary Feminist, Mary Harrington, Substack /49/ Kids & Confessions ft. Amber A'Lee Frost /50/ On The Market ft. Anna Khachiyan

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

Silvio Berlusconi is no more. In mourning of our evil patron saint's passing, we're unlocking this previously paywalled episode in which we discuss a cinematic depiction of the big man. Keep an eye out for more on Berlusca coming out from us in the next days! ——— We discuss Paolo Sorrentino's "Loro" (2018), a dreamlike cinematic depiction of Silvio Berlusconi. Does the film succeed in capturing Silvio, or does it glamourise him? What explains the appeal he had - and why was the left never able to properly dethrone him? What does it say about 2000s Italy, and its relevance to our times?

On power, values and class. [Patreon Exclusive] British professor Matt Goodwin joins us to talk about his recent new book Values, Voice and Virtue: The New British Politics published earlier this year with Penguin. Matt has argued that a new elite has come to dominate public life, leading institutions and the cultural industries in Britain and across the wider Western world, and that they are fixated with issues that divide them from the larger public – to whom they are bitter and hostile. We talk about elites, old and new, as well as ideas about elites stemming back to Daniel Bell and Christopher Lasch, and how these elites are shaping the future of politics. Matt also gives us a breakdown of the most recent local elections from the UK, what has happened with the Scottish National Party since the resignation of Nicola Sturgeon, why Keir Starmer’s Labour party will likely win the next election, and why the Tories are - contrary to their ruthless reputation - failing to adapt to the new political landscape. Readings: National Swing Man, the British electorate’s new-old tribe, Bagehot, The Economist A decade of SNP one-party rule left Scotland in a state, Matthew Goodwin, The Times Sunak’s Tories have lost the Red Wall – and are destined for oblivion, Matthew Goodwin, The Telegraph The New Elite is in complete denial, Matthew Goodwin, spiked

On work stoppages and work-doings. Ben Hickman, published poet and senior lecturer in English at the University of Kent, joins us to discuss his project on different understandings of work, or rather, The Work. What is The Work and why is it so pernicious? Ben wrote a piece for Compact regarding how the American poet and radical professor Audre Lorde transformed the way we think about work. We talk through the differences between work and The Work, how it impacted radical activism, and how middle class work became all about self-exploration. Ben talks through a new book project on work and how it is understood culturally through figures such as Jackson Pollock, among others. Plus, what is happening with industrial relations on UK campuses, and how has radical politics unfolded in the Labour Party over the last few years? Reading: Stop Doing The Work, Ben Hickman, Compact “Atlantis Buried Outside”: Muriel Rukeyser, Myth, and the Crises of War, Ben Hickman, Criticism, Vol. 57, No. 4 (Fall 2015)

On Martin Hägglund's This Life. We continue on the theme of freedom by discussing Martin Hägglund's case for 'democratic socialism'. In this episode, we leave the book itself to one side and attempt to "put the concepts to work". We survey the many intelligent responses the book has generated and discuss what their strengths and weaknesses are. Is 'secular faith' just a therapeutic ethos to do with caring about your loved ones? What guarantees that we will use our free time appropriately? Why would we work freely for others? How does Hägglund’s vision work on a global scale? What kind of post-capitalist “state” does Hagglund actually propose? Does Hägglund evade class struggle? Does he have any vision of agency? For access to the Reading Club, join for $10/mo at patreon.com/bungacast Readings: Limited Time: On Martin Hägglund’s This Life, Robert Pippin – and response by Martin Hägglund (pdf) Response 2: The Problem of Agency, Lea Ypi, The Philosopher Socialism For Our Time: Freedom, Value, Transition, Conall Cash, Boundary2 (esp. Sections IV and V) LA Review of Books symposium. Pieces by Walter Benn Michaels, Benjamin Kunkel, William Clare Roberts and three-part response by Hägglund: 1, 2, 3

On family abolition. [Patreon Exclusive] Amber A'Lee Frost joins us to talk through recent radical proposals to do away with the family as an institution. Author Sophie Lewis claims that "ever since the capitalist victory over the long Sixties, the shout for abolition of the family has been buried beneath a strange kind of shame”, but that now it’s back. Why? What problems does family abolition address? And how do contemporary accounts sit in relation to earlier radical proposals by the Old and New Lefts? If "the family is doing a bad job at care" and "getting in the way of alternatives", what actually is the alternative? Wouldn't destroying the family merely make life worse for most, without putting anything better in its place? Readings: Abolish the Family: A Manifesto for Care and Liberation, Sophie Lewis, Verso Full Surrogacy Now: Feminism Against Family, Sophie Lewis, Verso Profile of Sophie Lewis in VICE Haven in a Heartless World, Christopher Lasch Vulnerability as Ideology, Peter Ramsay, The Northern Star The Lockdown Left: socialists against society, Philip Cunliffe, spiked Anti-Social Socialism Club, Dustin Guastella, Damage

On utopia and individualism. Renowned intellectual historian and critic Russell Jacoby joins us to talk about his lifetime of left critique. We discuss his early criticisms of psychology in light of the advance of therapy culture over the past 50 years, before moving on to the question of utopianism. Will the breakdown of the neoliberal era lead to new utopian thinking? Does enthusiasm for a universal basic income signal serious thinking about the nature of work? Or are we still in a world where only dystopian thinking is permitted? The episode concludes by discussing how all the talk of diversity today obscures the reality of increasing homogeneity. What does this say about the individual? Is the way children are brought up today killing the capacity for imagination and making us all conformists? Part two of the interview, and our After Party, is available at patreon.com/bungacast Selected books by Jacoby: Social Amnesia: A Critique of Contemporary Psychology (Beacon Press, 1975; Transaction, 1997) The Last Intellectuals: American Culture in the Age of Academe (Basic Books, 1987; new edition with new Introduction, Basic Books 2000) The End of Utopia: Politics and Culture in the Age of Apathy (Basic Books, 1999) Picture Imperfect: Utopian Thought for an Anti-Utopian Age (Columbia University Press, 2005) On Diversity: The Eclipse of the Individual in a Global Era (Seven Stories Press, 2020) Other recent articles and interviews: D’une pensée critique sous emprise – Un entretien avec Russell Jacoby, Comptoir A Climate of Fear, Russell Jacoby, Harper's The Takeover, Russell Jacoby, Tablet

On Turkey's elections. Alp Kayserilioglu joins us to talk about a crucial election. Erdogan’s rule is seriously threatened for the first time, with high inflation biting into living standards. Who are the main candidates and do what they propose? Where does AKP draw its support from, and what has sustained its legitimacy? We discuss the supposed supposed culture war between conservative Islamic values and secular liberal ones. And ask how Erdogan has managed the economic crisis of the past few years. We conclude with Alp trying to place Erdogan in longer historical context: 2023 marks 100 years of the Turkish Republic. Does Erdogan represent a radical break, or nationalist continuity? Readings: Turkey’s Statequake, Alp Kayserilioglu, Sidecar Goodbye Erdoğan?, Alp Kayserilioglu, Sidecar Alp's writing at Jacobin

On who owns the power. Matt Huber joins us to discuss his article, "Socialist Politics and the Electricity Grid", and how organised labour is central to a politics of plenty. What is the grid and who owns it? What are the limitations of a "100% renewables" approach? On the politics of energy, the left is divided in a similar way to the ruling class. How do we move from a strategy of 'blocking' (preventing new infrastructure) to one of 'building'? And why does a movement to limit climate change need to focus on production, rather than consumption? We conclude by discussing the conflict between struggles around "the end of the month" (living standards) and those around "the end of the world" (climate change). Readings & Links: Socialist Politics & the Electricity Grid, Matt Huber & Fred Stafford, Catalyst Climate Change as Class War: Building Socialism on a Warming Planet, Matt Huber, Verso On post-neoliberalism: /326/ What Did Capitalism Do Next?, Bungacast On de-growth: /310/ Do You Want to De-Grow?, Bungacast On green activism: /91/ Exhaustion Revealing ft. Leigh Phillips, Bungacast Matt's Twitter thread on Kokei Saito's degrowth communism

On Nigeria's 'end of the end of history'. Sa'eed Husaini from The Nigerian Scam podcast joins us to reflect on all things Nigeria: oil, debt, corruption and February's election. What was all that hype about the 'outsider' who wasn't much of an outsider? Has the country's populist moment passed? More Nigerians are falling into poverty due to low economic growth, while the state is due to spend 96% of its income on debt service. How is this sustainable? We also talk about oil and corruption: the 'resource curse' and the 'survival of the fattest'. And conclude on China's role in the country and Nigeria as a cultural powerhouse. Links & Readings: Buharism is dead, long live Buharism, Sa’eed Husaini, Africa is a Country /61/ Making Plans for Naija ft. Sa'eed Husaini The Nigerian Scam podcast The Oil Thieves of Nigeria, James Barnett, New Lines Survival of the Fattest, Paulo Collier, The American Interest

On Martin Hägglund's This Life. [Patreon Tier II & III Exclusive] We continue on the theme of freedom by discussing Martin Hägglund's case for 'democratic socialism'. Would we actually work under socialism, or do we need the threat of starvation or the promise of profit to motivate us? And what, if anything, is to structure all that free time we would gain? Why is Hägglund's critique of religion – specifically the critique of 'political theology' – so central to his arguments? And how do we avoid the various temptations to retreat from passion, be it therapy-junk, new age buddhism, the goon cave, or post-politics? For local Reading Clubs, email [email protected] Readings & resources: This Life: Why Mortality Makes Us Free, Martin Hägglund, Profile Books ––Chapter 6 and Conclusion On time, work, freedom and necessity: /298/ Working For Freedom ft. Alex Gourevitch On Hegel and contradiction: /167/ The Kingdom of God Is on Main Street ft. Todd McGowan

On history-ending technology. [Patreon Exclusive] The economist Tyler Cowen recently suggested that radical technological change today marks a turning point in history. Is he right, and how would we evaluate such a claim? Should we be sceptical about these big claims, especially given all the Silicon Valley-driven hype around AI? Or is 'radical agnosticism' the right stance? And what about calls to rein-in the development of artificial intelligence, especially when these calls come from Silicon Valley itself? Readings: Existential risk, AI, and the inevitable turn in human history, Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution Is this the end of “The End of History”?, Robert Stark The call for an AI halt disguises the real problems with tech, Jason Walsh, Tech Central /306/ AI Capitalism: Inhuman Power (unlocked Bungacast Reading Club episode)

On the US cultural climate. Renowned/notorious writer Norman Finkelstein joins us to discuss the themes of his latest and last book, I'll Burn That Bridge When I Get To It! What unites the leading intellectual proponents of wokeness today, people like Ibram X Kendi or Kimberlé Crenshaw? How do they differ from anti-racist and liberationist heroes of the past? What continuities are there between today's cancel culture and the politics of the New Left? We discuss the definition of wokeness and ask whether we have already reached peak wokeness, and examine the emergence of anti-wokness. Subscribe to the podcast: patreon.com/bungacast Readings: I'll Burn That Bridge When I Get To It!: Heretical Thoughts on Identity Politics, Cancel Culture, and Academic Freedom, Norman Finkelstein, Sublation

On your questions & criticisms. [Patreon Exclusive] Is the Left dead? Did the turn to culture really kill it? Or is the nostalgia for the post-war Left the real problem? We also debate what the function of imperialism in Africa is; the 'pro-worker' conservatives in the US; surveillance of app workers; what economic growth is for; and whether to f**k models.

On Inhuman Power. [Unlocked episode from Bungacast 'Reading Club', originally released 6 December 2022] Contemporary capitalism is possessed by the Artificial Intelligence (AI) question – one of the few areas today in which capitalists still seem to have ambition. Why is this so, and is there something about AI that gets to the nub of what capitalism is, as a mode of production? Is capitalism without humanity anything more than a dystopian Skynet nightmare? And would the creation of a surplus humanity still be capitalism? Would it be techno-feudal, or something else? Reading: Inhuman Power: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Capitalism, Nick Dyer-Witheford, Atle Mikkola Kjøsen and James Steinhoff, Pluto Books

On cracked-up capitalism. Historian of ideas Quinn Slobodian joins us again, this time to discuss his latest book, Crack-up Capitalism – the vision of a global capitalism with its constituent nation-states perforated by ‘zones’ shorn of any national oversight or democratic accountability. We talk through these archetypal zones encompassing deregulation, investment and sweatshop labour, ranging from the glittering city scapes of Hong Kong, Singapore and Canary Wharf to forgotten zones such as Ciskei in apartheid South Africa as well as the gated communities of California and bit-coin paradise Honduras. We also talk about archetypal crack-up capitalists such as Peter Thiel, William Rees-Mogg and Milton Friedman’s offspring. How did crack-up capitalism feature in the Tory vision of Brexit? Plus, why is Dominic Cummings the one true Singaporean, and why do crack-up capitalists love medieval LARPing? For part two, sign up at patreon.com/bungacast Readings: Crack-Up Capitalism: Market Radicals and the Dream of a World Without Democracy, Quinn Slobodian The Ciskei experiment: a libertarian fantasy in apartheid South Africa, Quinn Slobodian, The Guardian /115/ Singapore Shangri-La ft. Lee Jones As special enclaves proliferate, what are the consequences for democracy?, Kwasi Kwarteng MP, The Spectator Dominic Cummings understands Singapore. The Tories still don’t, Quinn Slobodian, The Spectator Crack-up Capitalism video trailer, Twitter

On Martin Hägglund's This Life. We continue on the theme of freedom. In this episode, we look at what Martin Hägglund describes as 'spiritual freedom', which can ultimately be seen as a question of what we do with our time. Across the two chapters in question, Hägglund ties together his philosophical vision rooted in the notion of mortality and temporal life, with a social critique that draws on Hegel and Marx. He does this by centring the question of time, the only truly scarce resource. How can we negotiate anxiety-inducing freedom today? Where do our 'existential identities' come from, and does Hägglund put too much emphasis on identity? And is Buddhist karma a system analogous to the market? For local Reading Clubs, email [email protected] Readings & resources: This Life: Why Mortality Makes Us Free, Martin Hägglund, Profile Books ––Chapter 4 and 5 On time, work, freedom and necessity: /298/ Working For Freedom ft. Alex Gourevitch On Hegel and contradiction: /167/ The Kingdom of God Is on Main Street ft. Todd McGowan On Sartre: Being and Nothingness (1943) and his subsequent 1946 essay summarising ideas in the book, "Existentialism Is a Humanism"

On depicting dystopia. Acclaimed cartoonists, writers and artists Matt Bors and Ben Clarkson join us for something a little different: to talk about their new comic book, Justice Warriors. Set in a grotesquely unequal world, a police procedural (of sorts) encounters an astrology-based social movement seeking justice. We talk about how dystopian fiction often serves to manufacture consent and about how fiction can confront us with images of social decline. We also debate free will and determinism in a world that presents few opportunities, social justice warriors and politics that perpetuate the present, and why there is no 'pure' people set against the elite. Links: Justice Warriors, Matt Bors, Ben Clarkson, Felipe Sobreiro, Simon & Schuster The Nib - political satire & cartoons

On geopolitical competition over Africa. [Patreon Exclusive] In light of the 'new Cold War', we look at what the US, Europe, Russia and China's respective "pitches" are to African countries – what are they selling? And we examine the factors that contribute to Africa's place in geopolitics today: Chinese hunger for raw materials, the global war on terror, the green energy transition, drug and people smuggling, and more. If the original Scramble for Africa (1884-1914) was driven by an attempt to displace European class war onto another terrain, can we say anything analogous is happening today? Links: /303/ The Failure of the French Forever War ft. Yvan Guichaoua /304/ The Failure of the French Forever War (2) ft. Yvan Guichaoua Russia in Africa, Financial Times series of articles Defending Our Sovereignty: US Military Bases in Africa and the Future of African Unity, Tricontinental Institute Italophone Somalia, Then and Now, Iman Mohamed, The Drift Emmanuel Macron must reset France’s Africa policy, Sylvie Kauffman (Le Monde editor), FT Debunking the Myth of ‘Debt-trap Diplomacy’, Lee Jones & Shahar Hameiri, Chatham House Let’s talk about neo-colonialism in Africa, Mark Langan, LSE blog /267/ South Africa Mafia State ft. Benjamin Fogel

On the crisis of crisis. Bulgarian critical theorist Albena Azmanova joins us to discuss her widely-discussed 2020 book, Capitalism on Edge. We talk critical theory, the paradox of emancipation, her criticisms of Thomas Piketty and why we should be thinking in terms of precarity capitalism, not neoliberalism. Albena also discusses her concept of the ‘crisis of the crisis of capitalism’ - how the current crisis of capitalism fails to augur a new type of society. Albena makes the case that concepts like neoliberalism obscure more than they clarify. We also discuss how far critical theorists can be drawn into providing practical political advice to leaders and governing institutions. Plus, what was it like coming of age in communist Bulgaria at the End of History? Links: It’s the Economic Precarity, Stupid, Albena Azmanova & Marshall Auerback, The Nation Uber’s dangerous drive to serfdom, Albena Azmanova, Unherd Capitalism on Edge: How Fighting Precarity Can Achieve Radical Change Without Crisis or Utopia, Albena Azmanova, Columbia UP

On the left's understanding of freedom. We continue our talk with Steve Hall and Simon Winlow, social scientists in the northeast of England, about their new book, The Death of the Left: Why We Must Begin From the Beginning Again. This is followed by the After Party, where we debate the extent to which Thatcher 'sold' freedom and what the left's understanding of liberty is. To gain access to episodes like this that normally remain paywalled, subscribe to our patreon: patreon.com/bungacast Part 1 is here: https://bungacast.podbean.com/e/318-the-dead-left-ft-steve-hall-simon-winlow/ Links: /65/ Bunga Gets Ultra-Real ft. Steve Hall /111/ Big Money Talk: The Case for MMT ft. Bill Mitchell /68/ Big Money Talk: The Case against MMT ft. Doug Henwood

On what comes after neo-liberalism. [Patreon Exclusive] After 40 years of neo-liberalism, governments are inching their way to some new settlement, under the pressure of repeated crises, as well as populist upsurges. In this episode we try to take a political, not academic, approach to the question. This is not about categorising and labelling, but about understanding what the stakes are in saying a new arrangement is emerging, and grasping how it informs political practice. What are the main "post-neoliberal" arrangements being pushed by different sides of the spectrum? What do they say about the interests of their constituencies? If successful, what sort of political playing field will they present the masses? Will it be a world of greater or fewer opportunities for emancipatory politics? Readings: TCS Special Issue: ‘Post-Neoliberalism?’, Various, Theory Culture & Society End of the Neoliberal Era?, David Kotz, NLR The new rules for business in a post-neoliberal world, Rana Forfoohar, FT What's beyond "beyond neoliberalism"?, Amy Kapczynski, LPE Project Reading the post-neoliberal right, Amy Kapczynski, LPE Project

On Martin Hägglund's This Life. [Patreon Tier II & III Exclusive] We begin the 2023 Reading Club with the theme of FREEDOM. In this episode, we examine Martin Hägglund's arguments for secular faith presented in the first half of his book. Is Hagglund right in arguing that much of religious belief, especially in relation to morality, is actually motivated by secular faith? Hägglund's enemy is not so much religion as the "Stoic" attempt to withdraw and detach from the temporal world. Instead we should be engaged and committed to the persons and projects we care about in this life. But does Hägglund underestimate alienation? Is his approach overly demanding? And what about disenchantment? How would we go about re-enchanting the secular world? For local Reading Clubs, email [email protected] Readings: This Life: Why Mortality Makes Us Free, Martin Hägglund, Profile Books ––Introduction; Chapter 1 (Sections 2, 3, 4); Chapter 2 (Sections 2, 4, 6) From Western Marxism to Western Buddhism, Slavoj Zizek, Cabinet Magazine Vulnerability as Ideology, Peter Ramsay, The Northern Star

On the mainstreaming of racial thinking. We welcome back author and broadcaster Kenan Malik to talk about his new book, Not So Black and White. The book presents a historical account of how racial thinking has accompanied the spread of notions of equality and common humanity. How is it that many supposed humanitarians in the past were often racists? And how have we reached a point where today, many liberals and supposed anti-racists sustain racial thinking? How have notions of global whiteness/blackness come to dominate the discourse? We also discuss the 'post-liberal' critics of wokeness and their shortcomings, and whether the far right is gaining from the reification of race. Want more? Subscribe at patreon.com/bungacast Links: Not So Black and White: A History of Race from White Supremacy to Identity Politics, Kenan Malik, Hurst /70/ In Defence of Universalism ft. Kenan Malik

On the app economy. [Patreon Exclusive] Delivery apps have taken the world by storm, and the pandemic only deepened our dependence on them. What is the price of convenience – and is there anything wrong with wanting ease? Capitalist keep propping up these money-losing enterprises – why? And can they survive the end of cheap money? Is the app economy just a battering ram against labour rights? Are delivery apps out to kill off traditional restaurants? And should we defend the petite bourgeoisie and independent bars and pubs? And does the dream of freedom sold by apps to workers, of being your own boss, work as a legitimating ideology? Reading: Farewell to the servant economy, FT Radical Technologies: The Design of Everyday Life, Adam Greenfield, Verso Delivering Restaurants to Wall Street, Alex Park, Compact 5 Reasons Marxism Has Nothing To Offer Millennials, Austrian Economics Center Links: /59/ Übermenschen of Capital Pt. 3 ft. Leigh Phillips & Michal Rozworski Excerpt: /311/ Reading Club: The Precariat Excerpt: /172/ Three Articles: Elite Production (on Uber)

On The Covid Consensus. We're joined by two authors whose new book asks why lockdowns were adopted almost universally. National and transnational health authorities dropped pre-pandemic plans in favour of open-ended nationwide lockdowns which were to remain in place until vaccines were developed. Why this course of action? And how to account for the unprecedented level of policy alignment across the majority of countries: was it coordination, imitation, or coercion? In part two of the interview, we discuss the devastating impact of lockdowns on poor and middle-income countries where the informal economy is the norm. For access, subscribe at patreon.com/bungacast Links: The Covid Consensus: The Global Assault on Democracy and the Poor—A Critique from the Left, Toby Green & Thomas Fazi /213/ The Leopard Lockdown ft. Adam Tooze /38/ The Economics of Exit ft. Thomas Fazi

[Patreon Exclusive] On your questions and criticisms. A bumper episode as we respond to your points from December through to the end of January. We discuss 'political capitalism', where the left is today, atomisation, degrowth, disciplining the working class, critical cinema, and family abolition.

On the death of the left. We talk to Steve Hall and Simon Winlow, social scientists in the northeast of England, about their new book, The Death of the Left: Why We Must Begin From the Beginning Again. Is the left indeed dead, and what killed it? The turn to culture undoubtedly plays a part, but was the left wrong to turn to liberty, as Hall & Winlow argue? How can we turn back to political economy and what would that politics look like? And if there is to be a future radical movement for and by the working class, would social democracy be its lodestar? Part two of the interview and the After Party are available at patreon.com/bungacast Links: /65/ Bunga Gets Ultra-Real ft. Steve Hall /111/ Big Money Talk: The Case for MMT ft. Bill Mitchell /68/ Big Money Talk: The Case against MMT ft. Doug Henwood

On the key events and developments in 2022. We look back at how the world transitioned from the pandemic to war over the past year, and what the socio-political fallouts have been. Is everything "better than expected"? Has managerial technocracy been rejuvenated? We discuss whether we're in a Third World War, how the US empire is strengthening its grip on Europe, and how cultural populists are taking over from economic populists. Part two is available at patreon.com/bungacast

On aesthetic criticism & performance. The hosts of a new podcast on film, Performance Anxiety, join us to talk about how a focus on performance can break through endless squabbles over wokeness and representation in film. We also discuss our best and worst films of 2022. Part two of this episode is at patreon.com/bungacast Links: Performance Anxiety podcast The Greatest Films of All Time, Sight & Sound, BFI The Radicalization of the Film Canon, Adrian Nguyen, Quillette

On the achievement of democracy and the 'impartial' state. We speak to sociologist Dylan Riley about his new book Microverses, a series of aphorisms on social theory and politics. The rational-legal state seems to be under threat by politicians who have no sense of the division between public and private – patrimonialists like Donald Trump, or Silvio Berlusconi. What are we to make of this attack on the notion of office? Anti-corruption politics is often the response, but what happens when the left positions itself as the defender of the 'impartial' bourgeois state – rather than its overthrower? And was democratic capitalism the achievement of a militant working class – or a concession made after the working class had already been disciplined by fascism and war? The second half of the interview, and our After-Party, is available at patreon.com/bungacast Readings: Microverses: Observations from a Shattered Present, Dylan Riley, Verso Books Seven Theses on American Politics, Dylan Riley & Robert Brenner, NLR Inflection Point (podcast), Dylan Riley & Robert Brenner, UC Berkley Safe Substitutes for Posting: review of Microverses, Harold Florida, Damage