Guerrilla History

In this episode of Guerrilla History, we once again have our great friend and comrade Zhun Xu, whom you should remember from two previous episodes of the show, North Korea & Industrial Agriculture as well as  Sanctions Against China & Their Political Economy.  Here, we discuss Zhun fantastic book From Commune to Capitalism: How China’s Peasants Lost Collective Farming and Gained Urban Poverty!  Unsurprisingly, this was a fabulous discussion, and is a really important conversation when added to the two conversations on this period of history that we had in our Modern Chinese History miniseries with Ken Hammond - The Great Leap Forward & Cultural Revolution and the Deng Reform Period. It might be helpful to listen to those two episodes first, but regardless, we are sure that you will find great use in this conversation! Zhun Xu is Associate Professor of Economics at John Jay College, City University of New York. He is on the editorial boards of Science and Society and the Journal of Labor and Society. His recent book is From Commune to Capitalism: How China’s Peasants Lost Collective Farming and Gained Urban Poverty. Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory 

In this episode of Guerrilla History, we end up continuing our informal and unplanned "Football" (soccer to those of you in the US and Canada) miniseries with our friend and comrade Alex Aviña!  Here, we discuss some of the Palestine related goings-on in the football world, as well as give a preview and make predictions for the Copa América and European Championships, which are getting kicked off at the time of this episode being released.  If you've not already heard our previous Football episodes with Alex, check out our first The Beautiful  Game, plus our newer World Cup: Sport, Politics, History, & Propaganda. We are sure that even those of you who are not super football fans will get a lot of use from these discussions! Alexander Aviña is associate professor of Latin American history at Arizona State University and author of Specters of Revolution: Peasant Guerrillas in the Cold War Mexican Countryside. Alex's website is available at alexanderavina.com, and he can be followed on twitter @Alexander_Avina Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory                               

In this episode of Guerrilla History, we bring on the absolutely terrific Professor Jemima Pierre to discuss her vital piece Haiti as Empire's Laboratory, which came out in NACLA late last year.  Here, we discuss the history of Western Imperialist intervention in  Haiti primarily since the revolution, and why Haiti is often overlooked outside of analysis of the Revolution, or the current material situation divorced from any historical understanding.  You may remember our episode Haiti and Western Intervention w/ Pascal Robert, which came out just over a year and a half ago.  This conversation is in much the same vein, with some updating and additional analysis, so if you haven't already listened to that other conversation, please do so! Jemima Pierre is Professor at the Social Justice Institute at the University of British Columbia and is the Haiti/Americas Coordinator with the Black Alliance for Peace. She is the author of The Predicament of Blackness: Postcolonial Ghana and the Politics of Race and numerous academic and public articles about Haiti.  Try to find her on her secret twitter account, one of the best follows out there, but you have to do the searching yourself! Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory   

In this episode of Guerrilla History, we discuss a fascinating new book The Shoulders We Stand On: How Black and Brown people fought for change in the United Kingdom with its author, Preeti Dhillon.  This conversation is a terrific look at the repression against racially oppressed communities in the UK from the 1960s-80s, and the resistance of those communities.  This episode works excellently in conjunction with our previous episode  African & Caribbean People in Britain - A History w/ Hakim Adi, so be sure to listen to that episode as well if you have not already! Preeti Dhillon is is a researcher, writer and historian who is passionate about capturing hidden stories from oppressed and marginalised communities. Preeti was an Independent Research Fellow with the Women’s History Network 2021-2022 and has written for many outlets and venues.  Keep up with her work by checking out her website, and follow her on twitter @preetikdhillon. Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory 

In this episode of Guerrilla History, we bring back our great friend and comrade Zhun Xu, whom you may remember from our episode  Sanctions Against China & Their Political Economy from our Sanctions As War miniseries.  In this episode, we discuss Zhun terrific new article in Monthly Review, Industrial Agriculture: Lessons from North Korea!  This conversation was incredibly generative, and will certainly be of great benefit to you whether you are someone who studies agricultural systems, the DPRK, or none of the above.  Stay tuned, Zhun will appear on the show again VERY soon for another great topic and discussion... Zhun Xu is Associate Professor of Economics at John Jay College, City University of New York. He is on the editorial boards of Science and Society and the Journal of Labor and Society. His recent book is From Commune to Capitalism: How China’s Peasants Lost Collective Farming and Gained Urban Poverty. Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory 

In this episode of Guerrilla History, we bring on the fantastic and vitally important Paris Yeros to discuss his fabulous article A Polycentric World Will Only Be Possible by the Intervention of the ‘Sixth Great Power’, which was published by the Agrarian South Network.  Paris himself and the Agrarian South Network more generally are both some of the best resources out there today, and we hope that you will engage with more of their work. We hope that this conversation similarly will be of great use to you! Paris Yeros is the a Professor at the Federal University of ABC in Brazil, and is on the Editorial Board of the Agrarian South Network.  The edited book he worked on, which is mentioned in the conversation, Gender in Agrarian Transitions: Liberation Perspectives from the South, is now available.  We also recommend you keep up to date by checking out Paris's website and following him on twitter @parisyeros Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory 

In this special episode of Guerrilla History, we bring you a crossover episode done in collaboration with The Majlis, a project by the Muslim Societies Global Perspectives project at Queens University, which is hosted by our own Adnan Husain (so be sure to subscribe on your podcast app!). Here, Adnan and Dr. Ardi Imseis, explore the complexities of international law, human rights and the urgent imperative of addressing the current situation of Palestine. Through meticulous research and unwavering dedication to justice, Imseis's scholarship offers invaluable insights into the legal frameworks that underpin the Palestinian struggle. As we unpack the historical narratives and contemporary realities shaping the question of Palestine, Imseis's work serves as a guiding beacon, challenging prevailing norms and advocating for a rights-based approach to peace and justice. Ardi Imseis joined the Queen’s University Faculty of Law in 2018, following a 12-year career as a UN official in the Middle East, first with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and then with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Dr. Imseis's Latest Book is The United Nations and the Question of Palestine: Rule by Law and the Structure of International Legal Subalternity.  You can  follow him on twitter @ArdiImseis Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory 

In this episode of Guerrilla History, we conclude our series on Modern Chinese History with this important, and inevitably controversial discussion of the Deng Reforms and the Reform Period!  Very important that no matter your ideological tendencies, you come into this episode with an open mind, because there will be a lot of useful information for you regardless of how you analyze the Deng Reforms overall - this is meant primarily as a resource to allow you to deepen your personal understanding and analysis of this critical juncture in Chinese and world history.  We definitely want to also thank Ken for spending over 6 hours with us on this mini-series, and we hope that you all get some use from it! Ken Hammond is Professor of East Asian and Global History at New Mexico State University. He has been engaged in radical politics since his involvement in the anti-war movement at Kent State in 1968-70.  Ken is also the author of the book China’s Revolution & the Quest for a Socialist Future. Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory                               

In this terrific episode of Guerrilla History, we bring on our comrade and friend Matteo Capasso to discuss his fantastic book Everyday Politics in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, a work based on oral histories and "provides a unique and vivid look into the political dynamics that characterized the everyday lives of Libyans, offering a compelling counterargument to those who insist on framing the history of the country as a stateless, authoritarian, and rogue state".  Really great conversation and a really important book, we already have plans for Matteo to come back on in a coming miniseries set to drop this summer! Matteo Capasso is the editor of the invaluable journal Middle East Critique (on twitter @MidEastCritique), and his work pertains to political economy and international relations.  He is a Marie Curie Fellow between the University of Venice and Columbia University.  In addition to picking up his book, you can follow him on twitter @capassomat. Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory 

In this episode of Guerrilla History, we get into part 3 of our 4 part miniseries on modern Chinese history featuring Ken Hammond (and guest host Breht O'Shea of Revolutionary Left Radio) with an amazing discussion of The Great Leap Forward and The Cultural Revolution!  If you haven't already listened to part 1 of the series, on the Taiping and Boxer Rebellions, or part 2 on The Chinese Revolution & Civil War, be sure to go back and check those out because we pick up right where we left off last time.  With these final two episodes in the series, we enter the period where various ideological traditions diverge in their analysis of the events, but regardless of what ideological background you come from, we encourage you to listen to these and engage with the information, as we believe the information will help you deepen your own analysis regardless of your ideological position.  The final installment will drop in two weeks (with another episode in between), and will cover the Reform period, so be sure to subscribe to not miss that episode! Ken Hammond is Professor of East Asian and Global History at New Mexico State University. He has been engaged in radical politics since his involvement in the anti-war movement at Kent State in 1968-70.  Ken is also the author of the book China’s Revolution & the Quest for a Socialist Future. Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory                               

In this terrific and wide ranging episode of Guerrilla History, we bring on Pawel Wargan to discuss the recent elections in Pakistan, which he was an international observer for, as well as his excellent article Disarming Empire (which we HIGHLY recommend reading!).  We truly enjoyed this conversation, and are really looking forward to having Pawel back on again soon to discuss Western Sahara and the work he has done there.   Pawel Wargan is an activist, researcher, organizer, and coordinator of the Secretariat of the Progressive International, and has been published in many places. You can follow Pawel on twitter to keep up with his latest work @pawelwargan Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory                               

In this episode of Guerrilla History, we get into part 2 of our 4 part miniseries on modern Chinese history featuring Ken Hammond (and guest host Breht O'Shea of Revolutionary Left Radio) with this absolutely terrific discussion on the Chinese Revolution & Civil War!  If you haven't already listened to part 1 of the series, on the Taiping and Boxer Rebellions, be sure to do so because we pick up right where we left off last time.  The next two installments will drop every other week (with other episodes in between), and will cover the Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution, and the Reform period, so be sure to subscribe to not miss any of those coming episodes! Ken Hammond is Professor of East Asian and Global History at New Mexico State University. He has been engaged in radical politics since his involvement in the anti-war movement at Kent State in 1968-70.  Ken is also the author of the book China’s Revolution & the Quest for a Socialist Future. Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory                               

In this outstanding episode of Guerrilla History, we have another installment of our Sources and Methods series, and this time with the terrific Louis Allday.  Here, we bring on Louis to discuss Liberated Texts and the work that is done within that project, as well as the recently released special edition of Ebb Magazine, For Palestine.  We loved the conversation with Louis about preserving and spreading under-appreciated and supressed sources and books, Kanafani, solidarity with Palestine, and more, and we are sure you will too!  Be sure to check out the links we are including to the work Louis does for more! Louis Allday is a writer and historian. He has a PhD in History. He is the founding editor of Liberated Texts, a book reviewing and publishing project dedicated to reviewing and (re)publishing works that have been neglected, overlooked or suppressed in the mainstream since their publication. In July 2022, in collaboration with Ebb Books, Liberated Texts published the first English language translation of Ghassan Kanafani’s On Zionist Literature to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of his assassination. Louis is also an editor at Ebb Magazine.  Follow Louis on twitter @Louis_Allday Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory                               

In this episode of Guerrilla History, we launch our 4 part miniseries on modern Chinese history featuring Ken Hammond (and guest host Breht O'Shea of Revolutionary Left Radio) with this terrific discussion on the Taiping and Boxer Rebellions!  Be sure to go back and listen to the previous episode we did with Ken in the fall, which serves as a bit of an introductory work for this miniseries. The other three installments will drop every other week (with other episodes in between), and will cover the Chinese Revolution/Civil War, the Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution, and the Reform period, so be sure to subscribe to not miss any of those coming episodes! Ken Hammond is Professor of East Asian and Global History at New Mexico State University. He has been engaged in radical politics since his involvement in the anti-war movement at Kent State in 1968-70.  Ken is also the author of the book China’s Revolution & the Quest for a Socialist Future. Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory                               

In this absolutely fascinating and important episode of Guerrilla History, we are joined once again by Patrick Higgins to discuss the history of Palestinian communism. Patrick serves up an masterclass here, and honestly this one is worth listening to and then re-listening to while taking notes despite its 2 hour length.  You certainly don't want to miss this one!  Also be sure to share this with comrades, this episode is sure to benefit many! If you didn't catch Patrick's last appearance on the show, you should check out our episode Palestinian Resistance vs. The Zionist Project w/ Max Ajl & Patrick Higgins, where he and comrade Max Ajl provided biting and vital analysis immediately after October 7.  A wonderful (and extremely popular) episode of Guerrilla History in its own right! Patrick Higgins is a researcher and writer, holding a PhD in Arab History.  Patrick recently completed his dissertation titled "Palestinian Revolution and World Imperialism in the 'American Century': 1945-1972".  While Patrick doesn't use social media, he is going to be co-presenting a class on April 13 on the topic History of Palestinian Revolution, which is hosted by the excellent journal Middle East Critique as part of their Ramadan Course on Palestine and Imperialism.  The whole course is free, so sign up! Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory                               

In this episode of Guerrilla History, we mark an era change in the show's history as we bid farewell to cohost Breht and Producer Dave.  After almost three and a half years of working together on the show, we amicably part ways as Breht and Dave take on new endeavors in their lives and renew their focus on Rev Left Radio and Red Menace.  From the bottom of our hearts, Adnan and Henry thank the Breht and Dave for their tireless pursuit of justice and for the effort they have put in alongside us from the inception of this show.  While we are officially parting ways for now, we will remain lifelong friends, and are looking forward to continuing to collaborate periodically going forward (including on an upcoming miniseries that you will be hearing soon on the History of Modern China, which Breht is guest hosting!).  Be sure to keep up with everything that they continue to do at revolutionaryleftradio.com. Also, special thanks to Comrade Booker Omole, Manny Ness, Brandon Wolfe-Hunnicutt, Ken Hammond, Jon Melrod, and Alex Aviña for coming through on short notice to make an audio contribution to this episode, we deeply appreciate it!  Further thanks to all of the other guests we have had since the show's inception, we know that Breht has appreciated working with each of you! Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory 

In this blockbuster episode of Guerrilla History, we bring on two outstanding guests to discuss the modern history of Yemen, as well as their ongoing struggle against Zionist imperialism and opposition to the genocide in Gaza.   Shireen and Rune bring fantastic insight and analysis, making this complicated history accessible and utilizable for individuals in our movement against imperialism in all forms, and Zionist imperialism specifically at this moment.  Be sure to take in all that our guests say, and share this episode with comrades you believe would similarly benefit! Shireen Al-Adeimi is an assistant professor of language and literacy at Michigan State University, and is an expert on the war and humanitarian crisis in her country of birth, Yemen. She writes for In These Times and Responsible Statecraft, and speaks and writes frequently on Yemen for media globally.  You can follow her on twitter @shireen818, and help support the Yemen Relief & Reconstruction Foundation. Rune Agerhus Political Commentator & Member of the International Commission for Solidarity with Yemen (ICSY).  He is the founder of Hamra Books, which Iskra Books and Guerrilla History have just announced a partnership with in order to release materials from the socialist People's Democratic Republic of Yemen. You can follow him on twitter @Aldanmarki. Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory 

In this fantastic episode of Guerrilla History, we bring back our esteemed friend and guest, Prof. Hakim Adi, to discuss his eminently important new book African and Caribbean People in Britain: A History, which has just been shortlisted for the prestigious Wolfson History Prize!  In this conversation, we trace this history back thousands of years and come up to the present, but you MUST get this book in order to truly appreciate the work that Prof. Adi has done here.  We also get an update on the previous conversation we had with Hakim about the eminent closure of the MRes in the History of Africa and the African Diaspora program.  For more updates on the legal challenges and ways to get involved, follow this link. Hakim Adi is a Professor of the History of Africa and the African Diaspora, and the founder of History Matters and its affiliated journal.  He has authored numerous books, and has written many articles which can be found on his website hakimadi.org.  You can follow him on twitter @hakimadi1 Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory 

In this episode of Guerrilla History, we are joined by returning guest Michael Fox (whom you may remember from our episode The Rise of Fascism, Bolsonaro, & the Brazilian Elections) to discuss his excellent new series Under the Shadow, a collaboration between The Real News Network and NACLA which examines the lasting impacts of American imperialism on Latin America.  This is a fantastic conversation, and one which we hope to follow up with Michael on as his project continues for years to come! Michael Fox is a Brazil-based journalist, contributor to The World, former Editor of NACLA, and the host of the podcast series Under the Shadow and  Brazil on Fire, both collaborations between NACLA and The Real News Network. Michael can be followed on Twitter @mfox_us, you can support his project on his patreon and follow his band Monte Perdido (who will be releasing an album soon!). Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory

In this terrific Sources and Methods episode of Guerrilla History, we are joined by Torkil Lauesen, Nemanja Lukić from the Anti-Imperialist Network, Immanuel Ness, and Joseph Mullen (whom you may remember from our episode with The Cadre Journal, which has since merged with Anti-Imperialist Network), who are members of the newly formed Arghiri Emmanuel Association!  We discuss the life of the legendary theorist of Unequal Exchange, his theory, as well as the Association's efforts to archive his works.  A fantastic conversation on some incredibly important work being done!  Be sure to check out the Arghiri Emmanuel Digital Archive. Torkil Lauesen is a longtime anti-imperialist activist and writer living in Denmark. From 1970 to 1989, he was a full-time member of a communist anti-imperialist group, supporting Third World liberation movements by both legal and illegal means.  He has been a multiple time guest on Rev Left and Guerrilla History discussing his books The Principle Contradiction and Riding the Wave: Sweden's Integration into the Imperialist  World Order. Nemanja Lukić is a Yugoslav anti-imperialist activist who runs the Anti-Imperialist Network website. You can also follow Anti-Imp Net on twitter @antiimpnet. Immanuel Ness  is  Professor of Political Science at Brooklyn College, City University of New York and Visiting Professor of Sociology at the University of Johannesburg.  He is the author or editor of numerous works including Organizing Insurgency: Workers' Movements in the Global South, Southern Insurgency: The Coming of the Global Working Class, and The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Imperialism and Anti-Imperialism.  You can follow Manny on twitter @ImmanuelNess. Joseph Mullen is a student activist who was a member of the Cadre Journal, which has since been merged with Anti-Imperialist Network.  He runs unequalexchange.org/.  You can follow Anti-Imperialist Network  - North America on twitter @antiimpnetna. Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory