Bungacast

Is there a new 'transformative' class? [Patreon Tier II & III Exclusive] We close of the 2022 Reading Club, and the final section on 'Neo-Feudalism', by discussing how class is changing. Through readings by Guy Standing and Ruy Braga, we ask if the precariat are the new serfs in a supposed feudal-ish social formation. It's clear the old Fordist arrangements have broken down, so what does the working class look like today? Is it still a class in the old sense? Braga argues we are witnessing 'class struggle without class'. But why then do the precariat's revolts only target state political authority, and not property relations? Readings: A return of class struggle without class? Moral economy and popular resistance in Brasil, south Africa and Portugal, Ruy Braga, Sociologia & Antropologia The Precariat: Today's Transformative Class?, Guy Standing, GTI

On 'degrowth communism'. [Patreon Exclusive] Why the rage for degrowth now? With deindustrialisation, energy rationing and severe pressure on standards of living, it looks increasingly like degrowth is official policy. Yet its advocates, drawing from the work of radicals like Mike Davis, John Bellamy Foster, Jason Hickel, and Kohei Saito, would argue that ecological Marxism or degrowth communism is wholly different from stagnant capitalism. How much continuity is there between much older generations of socialists and the contemporary left? Readings: The paradox of Degrowth Communism, Thomas Fazi, UnHerd ‘A new way of life’: the Marxist, post-capitalist, green manifesto captivating Japan, Justin McCurry, Guardian The degrowth delusion, Leigh Phillips, openDemocracy

On atomisation and association. Robert Putnam's Bowling Alone came out 22 years ago and the structural changes he identified then – increasing atomisation – have only worsened. Everyone now blames the internet, and though it may have accelerated some aspects, the problem goes deeper. The social consequences – loneliness, mistrust, depression – are widely discussed, but the political ones less so. Does the decline of associationalism open the door to authoritarianism? Are 'right-wing' associations (say, churches or homeowner groups) just as threatened as left-wing ones (like unions or labour clubs)? What are the political valences of growing atomisation? And are we now like the peasants that Marx described in his 18th Brumaire: just potatoes in a sack - and does this explain the crazy politics of our time? Links: Fill out our 2022 Listener Survey: tinyurl.com/bunga2022survey From Bowling Alone to Posting Alone, Anton Jäger, Jacobin Bowling Alone (2020 revised edition), Robert Putnam

On the global left after the Cold War. [Patreon Exclusive] Has the left declined, been defeated, or is it dead? Is the continuity with the Old and New Lefts of the 20th century, or should we understand 1989 as marking a definitive break? We use a long essay by Swedish Marxist sociologist Göran Therborn in the latest New Left Review as a plank to examine these questions. Therborn tries to present a synoptic analysis of where the left is, globally speaking, almost a quarter of the way into the 21st century. Is he right that the old dialectics of industrialism and colonialism are no longer operative - and that no new dialectic has emerged? And is trying to present a "balance sheet" a valid approach in the first place? FILL OUT OUR 2022 LISTENER SURVEY: tinyurl.com/bunga2022survey Links: The World and the Left, Göran Therborn, New Left Review (2022) Renewals, Perry Anderson, New Left Review (2000) /37/ The Ghosts of May ‘68 ft. Catherine Liu, Bungacast OK BUNGER! The Problem of Generations, ep. 3 (Boomers), Bungacast

On your questions & criticisms. [Patreon Exclusive] We debate what kind of work 'shared-labour socialism' would involve in a complex society, and what role 'dispossession' or 'expropriation' has in the contemporary economy. Plus: strategies on Ukraine – backing independence, guerilla warfare, and what an 'anti-NATO' stance actually looks like; and whether the forces exist for exiting the EU. Fill out our 2022 Listener Survey! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XNLTVLB

On Inhuman Power. [Patreon Tier II & III Exclusive] Contemporary capitalism is possessed by the Artificial Intelligence (AI) question – one of the few areas today in which capitalist 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 "techno-feudalism". In the Bungacast Reading Club for patrons, we've been discussing various works on "neo-feudalism" - a thesis that tries to explain capitalist stagnation and inequality by arguing that we are moving beyond capitalism – toward something worse. In this free episode, we discuss one of the most thoroughgoing critiques of this thesis: Evgeny Morozov's "Critique of Techno-Feudal Reason". Why has this thesis becomes so popular today, across the political spectrum? What is the economic and political logic of feudalism, and how do current trends supposedly indicate a resurgence of these logics? Why have Marxists, who draw such a clear line between feudalism and capitalism, believe that politically-driven expropriation is replacing exploitation? And how do Big Tech companies make money - purely through rent, or do they produce commodities? To join the Reading Club, sign up for $10 at patreon.com/bungacast Readings: Critique of Techno-Feudal Reason, Evegeny Morozov, New Left Review The 'New' Imperialism: Accumulation by Dispossession, David Harvey, Socialist Register (pdf) Escalating Plunder, Robert Brenner, New Left Review

On Mali and the Sahel. French president Emmanuel Macron declared the end of Opération Barkhane on 9 November 2022, bringing to an end to nearly 10 years of French military intervention in Mali. But what is the legacy of the French Forever War in the Sahel, and what happens next? Sahel expert Yvan Guichaou joins us to talk about French defeat in the war on terror, the continued French military presence in the region, the growing extent of jihadi power, as well as the crisis of the post-colonial state in Africa and the new geo-politics of Franco-Russian competition in the region. How do these various political forces intersect with the political economy of aid and smuggling networks? [Part 2 is available to subscribers at patreon.com/bungacast] Readings: Norms, non-combatants' agency and restraint in Jihadi violence in Northern Mali, Yvan Guichaoua and Ferdaous Bouhlel, International Interactions The bitter harvest of French interventionism in the Sahel, Yvan Guichaoua, International Affairs Music: Nous Non Plus / Bunga Bunga / courtesy of Sugaroo!

A special five-part series on generational consciousness and conflict. Previously released in 2021 only to subscribers at patreon.com/bungacast, a year on we're releasing the whole series to everyone. Part 1: (00:00:00) Part 2: (00:38:11) Part 3: (01:07:54) Part 4: (02:50:32) Part 5: (03:59:24) Part 1: We look at the current, vexed discourse around generations, and analyse competing theories on how to understand generational cleavages. Guests include: Felix Krawatzek, political scientist at the Centre for East European and International Studies in Berlin Jennie Bristow, sociologist at Canterbury Christ Church University Joshua Glenn, semiotician, author, and publisher of HiLoBrow Part 2: We look at the emergence of ‘youth’ as political concept in the age following the French Revolution, and its shifting meanings. How important was generational consciousness in the Young Italy movement and its imitators in the 19th century, and how should we understand the so-called ‘Lost Generation’ of 1914? Guests include: Niall Whelahan, Chancellor’s Fellow in History, Strathclyde University Part 3: We examine the Baby Boomers – myth and reality. The revolt of the ’60s has been misunderstood in many dimensions. Was it betrayed or did it always express capitalist ideology? Were the Boomers the ones who really did the 1960s anyway? And what world have the Boomers created as they passed through life – and institutions? Guests include: Jennie Bristow, senior lecturer in sociology at Canterbury Christ Church University Helen Andrews, senior editor at The American Conservative Josh Glenn, semiotician, author, and publisher of HiLoBrow Jeffrey Alexander, professor of sociology at Yale University Holger Nehring, chair in contemporary European history at the University of Stirling Kristin Ross, professor emeritus of comparative literature at New York University Part 4: We examine Generation X – the generation of the End of History. How was this generation overshadowed by the Boomer’s failures? In the Eastern Bloc, the fall of Soviet regimes was a traumatic moment – how did this shape consciousness? And how did the Iranian Revolution – and subsequent war – shape the political perspectives of Iranians? Guests include: Maren Thom, film scholar Alexei Yurchak, professor of anthropology at Berkeley Jennie Bristow, senior lecturer in sociology at Canterbury Christ Church University Josh Glenn, semiotician, author, and publisher of HiLoBrow Arash Azizi, historian of Iran at New York University Felix Krawatzek, political scientist at the Centre for East European and International Studies in Berlin Part 5: We examine the Millennials and Generation Z. Uniquely, generation war today seems to be a conflict over resources more than over values. Is there any basis for this, and what do Millennials actually want? With generational and class conflict seemingly bound together today, we analyse ‘Generation Left’ and ‘Millennial Socialism’. And we ask what the effect of the pandemic may be on the creation of a Gen Z consciousness. Guests include: Paul Taylor, former director, Pew Research Jennie Bristow, senior lecturer in sociology at Canterbury Christ Church University Helen Andrews, senior editor at The American Conservative Clive Martin, journalist who has written for VICE Magazine Josh Glenn, semiotician, author, and publisher of HiLoBrow Jennifer Silva, assistant professor in sociologist, Indiana University Original music by: Jonny Mundey Additional music: Peter Kuli / OK Boomer / courtesy of Elektra Entertainment Group, Inc. Liru / For the Floor / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com Leimoti / Don’t Leave It Here / courtesy of http://www.epidemicsound.com Leimoti / The Small Things / courtesy of http://www.epidemicsound.com Philip Ayers / Trapped in a Maze / courtesy of http://www.epidemicsound.com Walt Adams / Dark Tavern / courtesy of http://www.epidemicsound.com Medité / A Change in My Heart / courtesy of epidemicsound.com Ondolut / Blumen / courtesy of epidemicsound.com Elliott Holmes / Bull Chase / courtesy of epidemicsound.com Kick Castle / Kick Down / courtesy of epidemicsound.com T. Morri / Nuthin’ but Nuts / courtesy of epidemicsound.com Kit Kruger / Freakin’ Freefall / courtesy of epidemicsound.com Cacti / I Will Be Waiting / courtesy of epidemicsound.com Filthy the Kid / Vampire / courtesy of epidemicsound.com Other Clips: Black 47 Trailer © 2018 – WildCard Distribution Arracht Trailer © 2019 – Break Out Pictures The Sun Also Rises © 2019 – 20th Century Fox Mr Lloyd George Speaks To The Nation (1931) British Pathé American Pastoral Trailer © 2016 – Lionsgate Mai 1968 © France 3 Paris Ile-de-France Imitation de Daniel Cohn-Bendit © C’est Canteloup Baader Meinhof Complex © 2008

On your questions & criticisms. [Patreon Exclusive] The weakness of anti-EU forces; the implications of defending Ukrainian sovereignty; what should we call the new far-right and what does it *do* in power? And the gravity of nuclear war Also, is Phil okay?

On Joel Kotkin's The Coming of Neo-Feudalism We start off by discussing your points on the last RC, on conspiracy theory. Then we delve into Kotkin's book, asking whether he has an adequate understanding of feudalism, and whether this is the right lens to understand transformations underway now. Is 'techno-feudalism' not just a downturn in 'systemic cycles of accumulation', related to the decline of the US empire? And what are Kotkin's politics and how do they relate to his analysis? Thanks for all the questions received on this one, we discussed them as we went through the episode. Reading: The Coming of Neo-Feudalism: A Warning to the Global Middle Class, Joel Kotkin, Encounter Books Techno-Feudalism Is Taking Over, Yanis Varoufakis, Project-Syndicate Next month: Inhuman Power: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Capitalism, Nick Dyer-Witheford, Atle Mikkola Kjøsen and James Steinhoff, Pluto Books

On nuclear exterminism. To commemorate our 300th episode, we discuss how the world is closer to a nuclear conflict than at any point since the Cold War. After decades of inconsequential 'permawar' (at least inside the Western bubble), the proxy war in Ukraine between NATO and Russia is suddenly very consequential indeed. How does our situation differ from that of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis? Why might it be more unpredictable? Does today's very different ideological configuration make war more or less likely? Before that, we reflect on five and half years of Bungacast, how the world has changed over the period, and pick out some of our favourite episode from the past half-decade. The main discussion begins at 23mins. Readings: Who will stop Putin from going nuclear?, Philip Cunliffe, UnHerd How to prevent World War III, Philip Cunliffe, UnHerd Notes on Exterminism, the Last Stage of Civilisation, EP Thompson, New Left Review The War in Ukraine Could Lead to Nuclear War, Anatol Lieven, Quincy Institute

On reclaiming populism. With only a couple of days to go until the decisive runoff between Lula and Bolsonaro, we continue our Bungazão 2022 series by talking to to political scientist Miguel Lago about how Lula and Bolsonaro both construct a Brazilian people. Lula does so broadly on class lines, while Bolsonaro's construction is a moral one: "good citizens" and those to be excluded. Why is populism the right way to analyse the election, and how might Lula re-embody Brazil's greatest populist leader, Getúlio Vargas? We discuss how Bolsonarismo works on the basis of 'micropower' – that is, it appeals to those who hold power over others in any walk of life. And we conclude by looking at Bolsonaro's combination of transcendence and transgression, and how it has re-politicised Brazilian society. Why is this recipe proving more successful than the transactional politics of old? Readings: Batalhadores do Brasil, Miguel Lago, piauí (in Portuguese) The self-help guru who conquered Brazil, Alex Hochuli, UnHerd What Lula's Comeback Means, Alex Hochuli, Compact Do que falamos quando falamos de populismo, Miguel Lago & Tomás Zicman de Barros, Companhia das Letras (in Portuguese) Linguagem da destruição, Miguel Lago et al., Companhia de Letras (in Portuguese) Listenings: On anti-corruption: /297/ Bungazão 2022 (Clean & Godly) ft. Benjamin Fogel (on anti-corruption) On the war of all against all: /292/ Bungazão 2022: Unrealistic Pragmatism, ft. Unbridled Possibility Collective On the role of the military: /284/ Bungazão 2022 ft. Alcysio Canette

On shared-labour socialism. Political theorist Alex Gourevitch talks to us about his critique of post-work thought, and how it presupposes the very labour it seeks to free us from. We start of by distinguishing post-work socialism (e.g. Fully Automated Luxury Communism) from various propositions for a Universal Basic Income, and discuss why these ideas are popular today. We then dedicate much of the time to debating Gourevitch's alternative proposal for "shared-labour socialism". What counts as necessary labour – and who is going to do it? How has globalisation changed people's perspectives on what necessary labour is? And will we be producing more under socialism? Part 2 is here: patreon.com/posts/73765804 Readings: Post-Work Socialism?, Alex Gourevitch, Catalyst Why your flights keep getting cancelled, Daniel Zamora Vargas, New Statesman Listenings: /149/ It’s Not Robots, It’s Capitalism ft. Aaron Benanav / Liz Pancotti /72/ Frankly Awesome Lefty Conversation ft. Aaron Bastani /88/ Vouchers for Toxicity ft. Anton Jäger

On corruption & anti-corruption. When Bolsonaro won in 2018, he rode a wave of anti-corruption sentiment. Now he's doled out billions in pork via a secret budget, but this doesn't seem to bother his supporters. What happened? Benjamin Fogel, who studies the history of corruption in Brazil, comes on to discuss how a moralistic account of corruption has fortified the far right. How has corruption been used as a political weapon in the past, and how has it shifted from right to left and back again? How are scandals made rather than born? And what would an anti-corruption politics that is emancipatory look like – rather than the predominant technocratic or moralistic form today? Readings: Against Anti-Corruption, Benjamin Fogel, Jacobin From Anti-Politics to Authoritarian Restoration in Brazil, Alex Hochuli, Jacobin

On Trussonomics. [Patreon Exclusive] Having stumbled upon a successful recipe under Boris Johnson which would see greater state intervention, Britain's Tories then pivoted to a much more pro-market approach. But the markets haven't liked it – they've hated it. What does this say about neoliberalism and what the new orthodoxy is? Why did markets react so badly against a budget that featured things they normally like, such as lower rates of corporate taxes? And does this mean the market's authority has been restored, but under a new guise? Readings: Liz Truss’s Britain Is a Morbid Symptom of the World’s New Era, Adam Tooze, Foreign Policy The markets are wrong about ‘Trussonomics’ just like they were about Brexit, Julian Jessop, Telegraph What is Kwasi Kwarteng really up to? One answer: this is a reckless gamble to shrink the state, Adam Tooze, Guardian Britain's Tory Meltdown Is a Case of Socially Determined Stupidity, David Jamieson, Jacobin The economic consequences of Liz Truss, Martin Wolf, FT

On who's responsible for prolonging the Ukraine War + your questions & criticisms. [Patreon Exclusive] We start off by discussing whether the Zelensky tail is wagging the NATO dog, and what possible exits to conflict there might be. Then, in the main section, we respond to listener comments: we talk about the possibility of a "Chinese Dream", what the point of economic growth is, the monarchy and modernisation, and whether 'fascism' is an appropriate term for the far right today.

On Empire of Conspiracy and agency panics. [Patreon Exclusive - Tiers II & III] We focus our discussion on the notion of 'agency panic' that is at the centre of Timothy Melley's account of conspiracy theories in postwar America. Does it apply to the Great Reset and Russiagate equally? Melley's approach is a useful way of understanding what conspiracy theories give voice to – but is Melley defending or attacking the liberal humanist subject? We disagree amongst ourselves. We then discuss how apathy and paranoia coexist, and wonder whether paranoia characterises the End of the End of History. And does Enlightenment scepticism reside somewhere between these two states? Finally, we discuss jealous cuck husbands and Obama's idea of an epistemological crisis. Additional reading: An extensive list of works on conspiracy theory can be found here

On the meaning of Gorbachev. [Patreon Exclusive] Mikhail Gorbachev continues to be lauded in Western circles for overseeing the collapse of the Soviet Union without much bloodshed. But given the historic societal disaster that followed, is this status unmerited? How naive was Gorbachev about the wolves at the door? And to what extent was the writing on the wall by the late '80s – was there an alternative path not taken? Readings: Big Man Walking: Gorbachev’s Dispensation, Neal Ascherson, LRB, 2017 Voices of Glasnost review Why Gorbachev Failed, Slavoj Zizek, Compact Listenings: OK BUNGER! The Problem of Generations, pt. 4 (on Gen X, the End of History and Soviet collapse) /276/ Broken Promises ft. Fritz Bartel (on the end of the Cold War and the rise of neoliberalism) /270/ Russia vs the West ft. Richard Sakwa (on the geopolitics of NATO expansion)

On Brazil's containment of the crisis. We talk to members of the Unbridled Possibility Collective (Fabio Luis B. Santos | Thais Pavez | Daniel Cunha) about their intervention, trying to look beyond this week's election in Brazil. What does establishment support for Lula this time round represent? Is Lula guilty of "unrealistic pragmatism"? How will Brazil react to a potential coup attempt by Bolsonaro? And we look at the deeper social and structural context: what are the features of the Brazilian "war of all against all"? How does Bolsonaro accelerate these tendencies? We conclude by looking at the possibility of a new 'Pink Wave' in Latin America and examining the state of the Brazilian left. Readings: After the Election: a Contribution to the Debate, Unbridled Possibility Collective, Damage /189/ Pink Tide Paradoxes ft. Fabio Luis Brazil's Arrested Development, Alex Hochuli, Jacobin Policing Bolsonaro's Brazil, Alex Hochuli, Verso

On the Brothers of Italy. We talk to Mattia Salvia, former Rolling Stone Italia politics editor and author of Interregno, about Italy's election last weekend in the context of a Europe in crisis. The big question to start: is Meloni a fascist - and will her government be fascist? With very low turnout, it seems like the working class has deserted politics, with 5 Star being the last gasp of proletarian participation. Does Meloni try to appeal to this constituency at all? Her low-tax anti-welfare policies don't seem like it. And what of Meloni's pro-NATO politics? And what does this mean for the EU - will a FdI-ruled Italy weaken the union, or strengthen it? Readings: Meet the New Wolf, Giorgia Meloni, Mattia Salvia, Popula In Italy’s Deserted Democracy, Far-Right Giorgia Meloni Has Emerged Victorious, David Broder, Jacobin Meloni’s victory only strengthens the EU, Philip Cunliffe, Unherd What an Italy led by the far-right might mean for Europe, FT In Italian: Coatta Antica, Mattia Salvia, Not Nero http://www.iconografie.it/

On La Macronie, or Macronistan Is France in perma-crisis? We talk to Nathan Sperber, independent researcher on political economy based in Paris and the author of a recent piece on Macronistan in American Affairs. Does Macron evince a neo-statist turn, away from the entrepreneurial, neoliberal rhetoric of 2017? And what about the anti-establishment forces, left and right – how much of a chance do they have to shake La Macronie, or will they be co-opted? Readings: Muddling Through in Macronia: How Populism and the Establishment Intertwine, Nathan Sperber, American Affairs Emmanuel Macron announces the “end of abundance”, Katherine Bayford, Unherd Listenings: /256/ How to Boil a Frog (1) ft. Charles Devellennes /257/ How to Boil a Frog (2) ft. Chris Bickerton /64/ These Vests Don’t Yellow ft. Aurélie Dianara

On your questions and criticisms. [Patreon Exclusive] We discuss the Chinese Dream, speculation and horizontal politics, foreign fighters and spies, Dune, and killing Phil.

[Patreon Exclusive] On the death of Queen Elizabeth, a 20th century figure To our own surprise, we are doing an episode on the Queen of England. How will her death impact the UK when she was basically the only institution that still retained popular trust? Will Britons be made to face up to the question of what kind of country they want? We revisit the Nairn-Anderson theses about how and why Britain had so many seemingly feudal remnants, and ask whether there is still something to bourgeois modernisation. And we look globally at the response to the Queen's death and ask why so many people care? Readings: The Revolutionary Monarchy of Elizabeth II, Adrian Wooldridge, Bloomberg The House of Windsor, Tom Nairn, NLR 'London Bridge is down': the secret plan for the days after the Queen’s death, Sam Knight, The Guardian

On Communism's historic role. We talk to renowned Serbian-American economist Branko Milanovic about growing up in Yugoslavia and how, in much of the world, History never ended. We then dedicate much of the episode to discussing Branko's claim that communism was essentially an engine of economic convergence, allowing developing countries to haul themselves into the industrial age. We also talk about Branko's work on inequality and why growth still matters. Readings: Capitalism, Alone, Branko Milanovic, Harvard UP The Aloofness of Pax Sinica, Branko Milanovic, Global Policy Journal

On Brazil's elections and the military. A month away from the first round showdown between former president Lula and current president Jair Bolsonaro, lawyer, podcaster and communist Alcysio Canette joins us to look at the features that have shaped the past years. How did Bolsonaro's response to the Covid pandemic – denialism, essentially – tarnish his image? What role is the military playing in Brazilian politics and what is its history of political interference since the 1964-85 dictatorship? Part two available at: patreon.com/posts/71560313 Readings: Will Bolsonaro Be Held Responsible for Brazil’s COVID-19 Disaster?, Alcysio Canette, Jacobin Cálice podcast, Atabaque Produções (in Portuguese) Pro-Bolsonaro Protests Were Supposed to Show His Strength. Instead, They Showed His Weakness, Alex Hochuli, Jacobin (on last year's 7 September protests) From Anti-Politics to Authoritarian Restoration in Brazil, Alex Hochuli, Jacobin

On Anthony Giddens' The Consequences of Modernity (ch.3) [Patreon Tier 2&3 Exclusive] In the second episode of the Cynical Ideology section of the 2022 Reading Club, we look at what trust is and why it has declined so precipitously in recent decades, especially in relation to institutions. Is the opposite of trust mistrust, or is it existential angst? What's the link between the absence of trust and a sense of impending apocalypse? Is money or the market the only abstract entity we still trust? And what about the state? Reading: The Consequences of Modernity, Anthony Giddens (1990), ch. 3

Just a short announcement about what's coming up, while we're off on summer holidays. Subscribe to the podcast to support us and get two new, original, paywalled episodes a month ($5/mo). For $10/mo you also get access to the Reading Club. Sign up at patreon.com/bungacast

On Rojava and Ukraine. We talk to Stefan Bertram-Lee, former volunteer fighter for the the YPG in Rojava, about whom a Hollywood movie is being made. We ask him about the type of person who volunteers, and how this compares to those who have gone to Ukraine. How does this stop you "being a teenage nihilist"? And who would win in a fight: ISIS, Azov or the YPG? Part two of this episode is available at: https://www.patreon.com/posts/70597308 Reading: Ukraine the Day after Tomorrow, Stefan Bertram-Lee, Sublation The Nazification of Ukraine, Stefan Bertram-Lee, Sublation ‘Stefan Vs. ISIS’ Pic In Works, Deadline

[Patreon Exclusive] With European liberals waving Ukraine flags, how might the war and escalating geopolitical tensions between major power be prompting a return to nationalism and patriotism? Is it just a means for elites to extract sacrifices from the people? And how 'real' are nations anyway? Articles: As we unite for the jubilee, let’s believe Britain’s best days are ahead, not behind, Lucy Powell, The Guardian The Return of Liberal Nationalism, Sohrab Ahmari, Compact What Putin and liberals share, Aris Roussinos, Unherd

On our financialised world. We talk to Aris Komporozos-Athanasiou about his new book, Speculative Communities. How has speculation become the very practice around which modern societies coalesce? And how does speculation actually give voice to the waning legitimacy of neoliberalism? Do dating apps, Tik Tok and other social media give birth to 'speculative communities'? And is populism a speculation on the future, a leap into the unknown?

[Patreon Tier 2&3 Exclusive] On Zizek's "How Marx Invented the Symptom" from The Sublime Object of Ideology. We kick off the second phase of the 2022 Reading Club, on Cynical Ideology, with this selection from Slavoj Zizek's landmark first book in English. How does he supplement Marx's conception of ideology? Are we post-ideological or trapped in cynical ideology? How would we go about breaking free of it? Reading: The Sublime Object of Ideology (ch. 1), Slavoj Zizek

On the end of the Cold War and the rise of neoliberalism. Fritz Bartel talks to us about his new book in which the 1970s crisis and its aftermath takes centre-stage. How did the response to this global crisis differ in Western democratic capitalism versus Eastern state socialism? And why did this determine which side won the Cold War? How did the twin factors of global finance and energy emerge then, to the extent they still seem so determining today? We discuss Bartel's striking claim that democracies, rather than authoritarian systems, were better able to 'break promises' – that is, impose economic discipline. And we conclude by discussing whether it could have been otherwise, whether neoliberalism and the collapse of the 'really existing socialism' were inevitable. Readings: The Triumph of Broken Promises: The End of the Cold War and the Rise of Neoliberalism, Fritz Bartel, Harvard UP Democracy and Discipline: Review Essay, Alex Hochuli, American Affairs

On the climate emergency. We are specially unlocking this episode of our monthly Reading Club – the concluding episode of the first half of the 2022 syllabus (download it here). If you'd like full access to all of the Reading Club, go to patreon.com/bungacast We discuss Andreas Malm's Climate, Corona, Chronic Emergency and Adam Tooze's review essay, "Ecological Leninism". How convincing is Malm's call for Soviet war communism as a model for responding to climate change? We also approach these readings in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the knock-on consequences for energy politics. And what should we make of Tooze's contrast of social democratic time-frames with the eco-Leninist one?

On reviews of our book, The End of the End of History [Patreon Exclusive] A year since the book came out, and two years since we finished writing it, we take a look at published reviews the book has received and respond to them. Questions addressed include: have we overstated our case? Do we ignore the importance of the 1970s in favour of the 1990s? Might war matter more than class struggle? Is it useful to understood History in the metaphysical/Hegelian sense? Should we be less modernist and dispense with the politics inherited from 1848-1980s? And are we too critical of left-populism? Reviews War at the End of History, Adam Tooze, Chartbook 109 The End of the End of the End, Sam Kriss, First Things Book Review: The End of the End of History, Jason C. Mueller, Critical Sociology How long is the end of history?, Connor Harney, Platypus Beginning of the End, or End of the Beginning?, Park McDougald, American Affairs Book Review: The End of the End of History, Dan Taylor, Marx & Philosophy Review of Books Certainly the End of Something or Other, Joseph Keegin, The Bellow New Perspectives journal roundtable (forthcoming) on The End of the End of History: Daniel Zamora, Anton Jäger, Richard Sakwa, Nicholas Kiersey

[Patreon Exclusive] On your questions & criticisms. We discuss the link between Covid and war in Ukraine and return to the question of who exactly is the ruling class. Plus: inflation, what actually happened in the 1990s, contemporary art, and the politics of abortion.

On abortion. After the US Supreme Court ruling, where does this leave women in the US? Political theorist Alex Gourevitch joins us to discuss Roe v Wade, and how the fact it rooted abortion in a right to privacy was problematic. How can we ground the right to abortion in an argument for freedom in general? And is the US really faced with a rising tide of reaction, as liberals claim? Are same-sex marriage and contraception imperilled by the decision. Reading: Wrong Life and Abortion, Ethan Linehan, Sublation The Left killed the pro-choice coalition, Kat Rosenfield, Unherd A Defence of Abortion, Judith Jarvis Johnson How to Win the Abortion Argument, Helen Lewis, The Atlantic

On the endgame to war in Ukraine. Eminent Russian expert, Putin and Gorbachev biographer and ex-Sovietologist, Prof Richard Sakwa, joins us in advance of his imminent retirement from the University of Kent. We talk about the geopolitics of NATO expansion and the dynamics of the Ukraine war reaching back to 2014. How high is the risk of nuclear war now, and how might the Ukraine war play out? Readings: Whisper it, but Putin has a point in Ukraine, Richard Sakwa, The Spectator The Dual State in Russia, Richard Sakwa, Post-Soviet Affairs A Review of 'Frontline Ukraine' by Richard Sakwa, Peter Hitchens, Mail on Sunday Putin Redux: Continuity and change, Richard Sakwa, openDemocracy

[Patreon Exclusive] On the whatever decade. People are turning back to reinterpret the 1990s. Clearly, they were peak End of History years. But does that mean that no politics actually happened? If it's the period of the cultural turn, does that mean we should seek to understand that decade culturally? And what are the political consequences of how we interpret the 1990s? Readings: The 1990s: An age without qualities, Gavin Jacobson, New Statesman (attached) Were the 1990s Really Devoid of Politics?, Ryan Zickgraf, Jacobin The ‘90s: The decade that never ended, Jason Farago, BBC

If the End of History was characterised by post-politics, and the 'populist decade' of the 2010s dominated by anti-politics, then how should we understand more recent phenomena? Are the following of a qualitatively different nature to anti-politics, namely: the intensification of culture wars, growing polarisation that does not always align neatly with class, of increasingly hysterical and personalised politics, and of the competition between escalating emergency politics? To commemorate the publication of the German edition of The End of the End of History, co-author Alex Hochuli was in conversation with historian of political thought, Anton Jäger at the Monacensia in Munich.

To commemorate the publication of the German edition of The End of the End of History, co-author Alex Hochuli was in conversation with David Broder, Europe editor of Jacobin Magazine at Spike Magazine, Berlin. The crumbling of the liberal, technocratic order over the past decade has led to a variety of hysterical reactions from the establishment. Faced with new challenges to their authority, they have reacted by calling their opponents "fascist", blaming misinformation or adopting conspiracy theories of their own. How are we to understand these reactions and the apparent conflict between neoliberal technocracy and "populism"?

[Live events in Germany: Berlin / Munich] On emergency politics today. We talk to Geoff Shullenberger about competing emergency politics, left and right. Should politics be enjoyable and provide a frisson of transgression, or not? Is bare life all that's on offer? And is declaring the predominance of 'emergency politics' itself an emergency a problem? Readings: How We Forgot Foucault, American Affairs The Crisis of the Crisis, The New Atlantis

On crumbling state authority. Benjamin Fogel is back on the podcast to talk us through how South Africa has gone from the hopes of post-apartheid to the Durban riots of 2021. How have corruption, criminal networks, Indian oligarchs, and political forces combined to shatter any sense of a national project? We also discuss the role of xenophobia and particularist and racial politics in today's South Africa. Readings & Links: /27/ After Zuma ft. Sean Jacobs The insurrection in South Africa is about more than freeing Zuma, Benjamin Fogel, Al Jazeera Dons have KZN in their grip — and Don of Dons Jacob Zuma has the tightest grip, Chris Makhaye, Daily Maverick No two elephants are alike, Ryan Brunette, Africa Is A Country Rising vigilantism: South Africa is reaping the fruits of misrule, Landau & Misago, The Conversation

[Patreon Tier II & III Exclusive] On neoliberalism and biopolitics. In the fifth session of the "Emergency Politics & Control" theme of the 2022 Reading Club, we take on The Birth of Biopolitics, Michel Foucault's 1978-9 lectures at the College de France (no's 4-6, 9-10). How does Foucault trace a line between German ordo- and American neo-liberalism to biopolitics? What role does human capital play? Is 'biopolitics' a critique or a manual? And how useful a tool is it to understand the management of the Covid pandemic?

[Patreon Exclusive] On the economic drivers and political choices of inflation. In the absence of workers demanding higher wages, where is inflation coming from? Is there more to it than pandemic-related supply chain disruptions and the Ukraine war? How responsible is Biden's spending package? And how can generations who have never known serious inflation respond? Three Articles: Chartbook #122: What drives inflation?, Adam Tooze, Substack Inflation Is No Accident, Christopher Caldwell, Compact Britain is drifting towards economic oblivion, Ben Marlow, Telegraph

[Patreon Exclusive] On your comments & criticisms. We tackle ideological realignments over the use of history; conspiracy theorising; a game-show called The Last True Marxist; whether we've had any progress over the last 50 years; and much more.

On liberals' embrace of the past and history wars. We talk to Matthew Karp about his essay, "History As End: 1619, 1776, and the politics of the past". It seems as if there's an ideological inversion going on, where liberals see history in terms of original sin and cycles of injustice, or at best, want to relitigate the past in order to fight battles of the present. Meanwhile conservatives have abandoned the past. What does this say about current attitudes to capital-h History and making the future? Readings: History As End: 1619, 1776, and the politics of the past, Matt Karp, Harpers Ends in Sight: Marx/Fukuyama/Hobsbawm/Anderson, Gregory Elliott The End of the End of History, Bungacast

[Patreon Exclusive] We analyse the French presidential election results, the country's geographical and class divides, and what a second term for Macron means for the EU. Three Articles: Emmanuel Macron Is Forming a New Right-Wing Bloc, Interview with Bruno Amable, Jacobin Why Macron is invincible, Christopher Caldwell, Unherd Le Pen was doomed from the start, Nathan Pinkoski, Compact Other readings: Waking Up from Anesthesia: Decline and Violence in France, Alexis Moriatis, Brooklyn Rail Macron, Le Pen and France’s long battle between order and dissent, Sudhir Hazareesingh, FT Jean-Luc Mélenchon's new supporters: the young, urban working class, Julie Carriat, Le Monde

[Patreon Tier 2 Exclusive] On Frank Furedi's How Fear Works. Following on from last month's discussion of Corey Robin's Fear, we examine a differing attempt to demystify the politics and culture of fear. To join a local Reading Club where you are, email [email protected]

On Marxism & the Left. We talk to Elena & Joshua about their new edited collection, The Conformist Rebellion: Marxist Critiques of the Contemporary Left. Who or what is "the Left" today – merely the left wing of Capital? And what distinguishes a specifically Marxist critique of the Left? How has Marxism and the question of exploitation been sidelined in favour of a libera concern with discrimination? Over on Patreon you can hear the second part of the interview, plus our After Party debating the contemporary Left's connection to Marxism, the history of social democracy, and moral versus materialist critique. Readings: Counterattack journal Counter Attack telegram Elena's substack Value without Fetish: Uno Kōzō’s Theory of ‘Pure Capitalism’ in Light of Marx’s Critique of Political Economy, Elena Lange