New Books Network
Politics & Polemics
History March 2, 2021

Calhoun

American Heretic

Robert Elder

Hosted by Lane Davis
In Calhoun: American Heretic (Basic Books, 2021), historian Robert Elder documents the life and thought of one of America's most controversial statesman, John C. Calhoun. A congressman, a vice president, and …

Subscribe to

Politics & Polemics

on the NBN

RSS Spotify Stitcher Apple
Gender Studies February 16, 2021

Me, Not You

The Trouble with Mainstream Feminism

Alison Phipps

Hosted by Jana Byars
We are joined today by Alison Phipps, Professor in Gender Studies and the University of Sussex to talk about her newest book, Me, Not You: The Trouble with Mainstream Feminism (Manchester …
Economics February 8, 2021

Neoliberalism

A Very Short Introduction

Manfred B. Steger and Ravi K. Roy

Hosted by Tim Jones
George Orwell once said that “the word ‘fascism’ has now no meaning except in so far as it signifies ‘something not desirable’”. The word ‘neoliberalism’ knows exactly how it feels …
Political Science February 8, 2021

Break It Up

Secession, Division, and the Secret History of America's Imperfect Union

Richard Kreitner

Hosted by Susan Liebell
Journalists, scholars, politicians, and citizens often assume that calls for secession are political or historical aberrations. Our founding myth is that the Civil War divided an otherwise united nation and …
Systems and Cybernetics February 8, 2021

The Hidden Power of Systems Thinking

Governance in a Climate Emergency

Ray Ison and Ed Straw

Hosted by Kevin Lindsay
The Hidden Power of Systems Thinking: Governance in Climate Emergency (Routledge, 2020) is a persuasive, lively book that shows how systems thinking can be harnessed to effect profound, complex change.  …
Postscript February 5, 2021

Postscript

The Biden Administration and the Resiliency of the American Presidency

Lilly J. Goren and Susan P. Liebell

Hosted by Susan Liebell
As we enter the first month of the new presidential administration, Dr. Meena Bose, Executive Dean for Public Policy and Public Service Programs at the Peter S. Kalikow School of …
History February 2, 2021

First Class Passengers on a Sinking Ship

Elite Politics and the Decline of Great Powers

Richard Lachmann

Hosted by Zeb Larson
Being a great power almost seems to invite discussion of decline: whether you are declining, what can be done to prevent or arrest it, and what the consequences of …
Critical Theory January 29, 2021

Access All Areas

The Diversity Manifesto for TV and Beyond

Lenny Henry and Marcus Ryder

Hosted by Dave O'Brien
How can we create a more equal media industry? In Access All Areas: The Diversity Manifesto for TV and Beyond, Marcus Ryder and Sir Lenny Henry, both founder members of …
Performing Arts January 29, 2021

¡Presente!

The Politics of Presence

Diana Taylor

Hosted by Andy Boyd
Diana Taylor's ¡Presente! The Politics of Presence (Duke University Press, 2020) examines what it means to be presente in the context of protest, theatre, and everyday life. Taylor pays particular …
Critical Theory January 28, 2021

Wages Against Artwork

Decommodified Labor and the Claims of Socially Engaged Art

Leigh Claire La Berge

Hosted by Pierre d'Alancaisez
The last twenty years have seen a rise in the production, circulation, and criticism of new forms of socially engaged art aimed at achieving social justice and economic equality.  Leigh …
Critical Theory January 15, 2021

A Critical Legal Examination of Liberalism and Liberal Rights

Matthew McManus

Hosted by Stephen Dozeman
The tradition of political liberalism has a long and complicated history, filled with twists, turns, critiques and responses that have filled books, essays and lectures for several centuries now. Questions …
Law January 6, 2021

Supreme Disorder

Judicial Nominations and the Politics of America's Highest Court

Ilya Shapiro

Hosted by Hope J. Leman
High drama at the high court. Grandstanding at Senate hearings. Distrust on all sides. Nominations made by presidents and ignored or voted down by the Senate or withdrawn due to …
Politics & Polemics December 30, 2020

Levers of Power

How the 1% Rules and What the 99% Can Do About It

Kevin A. Young, Tarun Banerjee, and Michael Schwartz

Hosted by Stephen Dozeman
It is often assumed that American politics is dominated by financial elites and the 1%, who use their massive wealth to gain power and influence, pushing for legislation that benefits …
Performing Arts December 30, 2020

Social Poetics

Mark Nowak

Hosted by Andy Boyd
Mark Nowak's Social Poetics (Coffee House Press, 2020) is a history of the poetry workshop "from below and to the left." Inspired by previous workers' poetry workshops led by writers like …
Politics & Polemics December 28, 2020

War for Eternity

Inside Bannon's Far-right Circle of Global Power Brokers

Benjamin R. Teitelbaum

Hosted by Kirk Meighoo
An explosive and unprecedented inside look at Steve Bannon's entourage of global powerbrokers and the hidden alliances shaping today's geopolitical upheaval. In 2015, Bloomberg News named Steve Bannon “the most …
Malcolm X and Black Nationalism December 22, 2020

A Lie of Reinvention

Correcting Manning Marable's Malcolm X

Jared A. Ball and Todd Burroughs

Hosted by Kirk Meighoo
This is part of our Special Series on Malcolm X and Black Nationalism. In this series, we delve into the background of Malcolm X's action and thought in the context of Black …
Psychoanalysis December 18, 2020

Toward a Social Psychoanalysis

Culture, Character, and Normative Unconscious Processes

Lynne Layton and Marianna Leavy-Sperounis

Hosted by J.J. Mull
In this episode, J.J. Mull interviews Lynne Layton and Marianna Leavy-Sperounis, author and editor respectively of Toward a Social Psychoanalysis: Culture, Character, and Normative Unconscious Processes, published in 2020 by …
Malcolm X and Black Nationalism December 17, 2020

Black Minded

The Political Philosophy of Malcolm X

Michael E. Sawyer

Hosted by Kirk Meighoo
This episode is part of a Special Series on Malcolm X and Black Nationalism.In this series, we delve into the background of Malcolm X's action and thought in the context …
Politics & Polemics December 14, 2020

The Wake-Up Call

Why the Pandemic Has Exposed the Weakness of the West, and How to Fix It

John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge

Hosted by Kirk Meighoo
The Covid-19 pandemic has revealed that governments matter again, that competent leadership is the difference between living and dying. A few governments proved adept at handling the crisis while many …
Politics & Polemics December 11, 2020

Revolution Or Death

The Life of Eldridge Cleaver

Justin Gifford

Hosted by Kirk Meighoo
Revolution Or Death: The Life of Eldridge Cleaver (Lawrence Hill Books, 2020) is a remarkable biography that examines the notorious Black revolutionary meticulously within the context of his changing times. Charismatic …