Guerrilla History

In this important episode of Guerrilla History, bring on Sarah Raymundo to discuss Women and Militarism, with a particular focus on the context of the Philippines, but ranging far beyond that!  Within this conversation, we discuss the impact of militarism, and imperialist/colonialist military presence on women, as well as women's resistance to militarism.  This is a critical discussion, and Sarah brings out many important threads here within the conversation. You, listeners, will no doubt be happy to know that we have plans for another episode with Sarah soon, on indigenous issues within the Philippines, so be sure to stay tuned! Sarah Raymundo is a faculty member at the University of the Philippines-Diliman Center for International Studies. She is engaged in activist work in BAYAN (The New Patriotic Alliance), the International League of Peoples’ Struggles, and Chair of the Philippines-Bolivarian Venezuela Friendship Association. She is a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal for Labor and Society (LANDS) and Interface: Journal of/and for Social Movements.  You can follow Sarah on twitter @jinkydoo. 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 several comrades from Iskra Books, a non-profit, all volunteer-run, independent communist publishing company to discuss Publishing as Anti-Imperialist Practice!  This discussion also relates to the episode we did two weeks ago with Sina Rahmani of The East Is a Podcast on Radical Independent Media as Anti-Imperialist Practice.  We also include the audio of a talk that Henry did on these topics at a China at 75 event hosted by the Friends of Socialist China a few weeks ago.  This is a marvelous discussion on an important topic with some incredibly committed comrades.  Be sure to check this out, and be sure to check out Iskra Books's catalogue (keeping in mind that physical book purchases support the project, but that the pdfs of all of their books are also available for FREE at iskrabooks.org).  You can also keep up to date with their releases by following them on twitter @iskrabooks. The recently released and forthcoming books from Iskra that we discussed at the end of the episode are available at the following links:  The Lost & Early Writings of James Connolly: 1889 - 1898, edited by Conor McCabe The Long Transition Towards Socialism and the End of Capitalism by Torkil Lausen Unequal Exchange and the Prospects of Socialism by The Communist Working Group Communism - The Highest Stage of Ecology by Guillaume Suing (link forthcoming on the Iskra Books site) Talia is an Editorial Board member of Iskra Books, is one of the hosts of The Minyan podcast, and is an academic librarian.  Follow The Minyan on twitter @the_minyan. David Peat is an Editorial Board member of Iskra Books, is an anti-war activist, and is involved with The Friends of Socialist China.  You can follow David on twitter @dajveism. Ben Stahnke is one of the cofounding Editors at Iskra Books, is a Professor of Philosophy, and one of the main art members at Iskra.  Follow Ben on twitter @phdirtbag. 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, bring on Gabriel Rockhill to discuss the landmark new English translation of the legendary Domenico Losurdo's Western Marxism: How it was Born, How it Died, How it can be Reborn, freshly out from Monthly Review Press.  This critical work acts as a trenchant critique of the Western left intelligentsia, showing how it is rooted in the political economy of imperialism.  The conversation we have surrounding this is deep, generative, and thought provoking, so be sure to listen closely!   In addition to reading Western Marxism, Gabriel also recommended the book Let Me Speak! Testimony of Domitila, A Woman of the Bolivian Mines, which is also available from Monthly Review Press.  Check it out! Gabriel Rockhill is a philosopher and activist who has published numerous books. He is the Founding Director of the Critical Theory Workshop and Professor of Philosophy at Villanova University. Be sure to follow him on twitter @GabrielRockhill. 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 present a crossover conversation we did with our friend Sina from The East Is a Podcast on the topic of Radical Independent Media As Anti-Imperialist Practice!  This topic stems from a talk Henry gave for the Friends of Socialist China, and will be continued in a forthcoming episode on Publishing As Anti-Imperialist Practice featuring several Editorial Board members of Iskra Books.  Be sure to Subscribe to Sina's show (links below), and also subscribe to our freshly made YouTube channel, which will begin uploading material very soon! Sina Rahmani is host of The East Is a Podcast, which is a critical lens on the history of the present on West Asia and North Africa (and beyond), featuring interviews with experts and archival mashups.  Be sure to also subscribe to his YouTube channel, and follow him on Twitter @urorientalist. 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 have an informal discussion with our friend and comrade Alex Aviña about the dangers of dogmatism when reading history, and much more! We love these slightly more theoretical conversations, and we know many of you do too. This one fits very well with many of the Sources and Methods episodes we have released, so be sure to check those previous episodes out if you are new to the show! 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 two wonderful comrades to take on a pretty big topic of traitors and sellouts, the processes that take place that cause ideological changing, and some case studies of this phenomenon, including the discussion of Zak Cope's recent heel turn from Thirdworldist to radical free market capitalist and Zionist, and how to try to prevent this from happening within our organizations and within ourselves.  We could not ask for better guests to tackle this topic than returning friend Manny Ness, who had collaborated with Cope in the past, and J. Moufawad Paul, who in addition to being a friend of the show also wrote "Obituary": Zak Cope in the aftermath of this situation.  You definitely will want to listen closely here! J. Moufawad Paul is a professor of philosophy at York University and the author of several books including Continuity and Rupture, Politics in Command: A Taxonomy of Economism, and Critique of Maoist Reason.  He also is one of the editors at the fantastic Material journal, and has a blog M-L-M Mayhem that you should check out. Be sure to also follow him on twitter @MLM_Mayhem. 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, The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Imperialism and Anti-Imperialism, and the incredible Journal of Labor and Society.  You can follow Manny on twitter @ImmanuelNess. 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 two members from the Good Shepherd Collective, Bana Abu Zuluf and Lara Kilani, for a wide ranging conversation on The West Bank, the nature of resistance, the one year mark from October 7, narratives, and more!  This was a terrific and vital discussion with two wonderful comrades, and we will certainly be bringing them back on again soon.  Be sure to follow the Good Shepherd Collective on twitter @Shepherds4Good, and check out their website.  Additionally, read their article Anti-Zionism as Decolonization, and if you have the ability to do so, consider supporting them financially to allow them to continue their crucial work. Bana Abu Zuluf is a Palestinian PhD candidate in International Law at Maynooth University Ireland and a member of the Good Shepherd Collective. Lara Kilani is a Palestinian-American researcher and member of the Good Shepherd Collective. 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 first provide a small bit of information about the retribution that friend (and future guest) of the show Momodou Taal is facing from Cornel University for standing in solidarity with Palestine in the face of the ongoing Genocide, before releasing a fully remastered edition of one of our very first episodes, the nearly 4 year old survey on African revolutions and decolonization movements we did.  We still have our ~35 part series on African Revolutions and Decolonization upcoming imminently, so this past episode can serve as a sort of a first precursor/prelude to those coming episodes, and we can call back to this episode for the broader regional/continental historical context.  For this herculean task, we brought on Leo Zeilig, an editor of the Review of African Political Economy, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the School of Advanced Study University of London, and an Honorary Research Associate at the Society, Work and Development Institute (SWOP) at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. Leo's books include Thomas Sankara, Frantz Fanon: Philosopher of the Third World, African Struggles Today: Social Movements Since Independence, and Congo: Plunder and Resistance.  You can find his website at https://leozeilig.com/ and follow him on twitter @LeoZeilig.  Also, follow the Review of African Political Economy on twitter @ROAPEJournal and their website https://roape.net/ . Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory 

In this wonderful crossover episode between Guerrilla History and The Majlis, we bring on Dr. Ali Al-Assam to discuss the legendary Iraqi Communist leader Ibrahim Allawi's work Al-Mushtarak (The Commons), which Ali has just translated an edited edition in English, available from Iskra Books!  This conversation covers the life and work of Allawi, his book Al-Mushtarak, and the fascinating fusion of Islamic culture and socialist politics contained within.  Really a great discussion, you're going to want to check this out (and pick up the book!). Ali Al-Assam is founder and Secretary of NewsSocial Cooperative and member of the Friends of Socialist China - Britain Committee.  Be sure to check out the Mushtarek platform and the NewsSocial Cooperative.  You can follow Ali on twitter @aliassam, and get the book Reading In Al-Mushtarak from Iskra Books.  Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory 

In this critically important episode, we bring back our friend Comrade Booker from the Communist Party of Kenya to discuss the breaking news of his arrest and charges against him by the Kenyan governing apparatus.  In addition to discussing his personal case, he analyses and describes the wider repressive nature of the Kenyan government, and how the Communist Party of Kenya is operating in the environment of mass public discontent.  A fascinating, timely, and important conversation! Also, be sure to listen to the other episodes we have with Booker - History and Class Analysis of Kenyan Elections Dispatch, and Building the Communist Party of Kenya. Booker Omole is the National Vice Chairperson and National Organizing Secretary of the Communist Party of Kenya.  He can be found on Twitter @BookerBiro. Support the Communist Party of Kenya! You can follow them on Twitter @CommunistsKe, on Facebook, YouTube, or on Instagram.  You can also check out their website at https://www.communistpartyofkenya.org/. Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory 

In this fully remastered 3+ year old episode of Guerrilla History, we brought on Professor August Nimtz to talk about his book, The Ballot, The Streets, or Both? From Marx and Engels to Lenin and the October Revolution.  This book takes a look at the theoretical and strategic groundings and evolution of electoralism via the writings of Marx/Engels and Lenin.  A conversation that will add a lot of historical nuance to the debates that we have every election season in the "western democratic" countries! August Nimtz professor of political science and African American and African studies at the University of Minnesota.  His book The Ballot, The Streets, or Both? is available from Haymarket Books. His other books include Marx and Engels: Their Contribution to the Democratic Breakthrough (SUNY Press), Marx, Tocqueville, and Race in America: The 'Absolute Democracy' or 'Defiled Republic'  (Lexington Books), and Marxism versus Liberalism: Comparative Real-Time Political Analysis (Palgrave Macmillan).   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 on our friend Vijay Prashad to talk about one of the latest newsletter articles from the Tricontinental Institute for Social Research, titled Ten Theses on the Far Right of a Special Type.  Here, we have a bit of a theoretical discussion before diving in and discussing each of the theses in turn.  Be sure to read the article, critically engage with it, and critically engage with our discussion here as well!   Also, check out our previous episodes with Vijay, Washington Bullets, COP26 Dispatch (alongside Chris Saltmarsh), and The Fragility of US Power (alongside Noam Chomsky)!   Vijay Prashad is director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, editor of LeftWord Books, and the chief correspondent for Globetrotter, author of numerous books, and is a multiple-time guest of Guerrilla History.  Follow him on twitter @VijayPrashad. 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 have an vitally important conversation with Ju-Hyun Park of Nodutdol.  In this conversation, we discuss the recent history of American imperialism within Korea, recent developments in the Korean Peninsula regarding stances towards unification and nuclear disarmament, and Nodutdol's new campaign US Out of Korea.  Be sure to keep up with the campaign at usoutofkorea.org, take part, and share this conversation and the resources within with your comrades!   The two episodes regarding the DPRK mentioned at the beginning of this episode were North Korea & Industrial Agriculture w/ Zhun Xu and History of Sanctions on the DPRK & China w/ Tim Beal, be sure to check them out!   Ju-Hyun Park is a writer and activist with Nodutdol for Korean Community Development.  Their writing has appeared in a variety of outlets, and they can be followed on Twitter @hermit_hwarang. 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 have the opportunity to discuss a fabulous new book, Subjectivity and Decolonisation in the Post-Independence Novel and Film with its brilliant author Sarah Jilani.  Through examinations of novels and film from Africa and South Asia, Frantz Fanon's materialist approach to self and representations of subjectivity and decolonization are discussed.  Really an outstanding conversation, we really hope Sarah will join us again for future conversations!  Another project Sarah is involved with is Revolutionary Papers, and we look forward to discussing this project in weeks to come.   Sarah Jilani is a Lecturer in English at City, University of London, and a 2021 AHRC/BBC New Generation Thinker. She is the author of several articles on postcolonial literatures and film that have appeared in Textual Practice, Interventions, and Journal of Commonwealth Literature, amongst others, and a widely published culture journalist.  Keep up to date with Sarah by checking out her website for more of her work, and follow her on twitter @sarahjilani. Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory 

In this timely episode of Guerrilla History, Adnan discusses Defiance: Fighting the Far Right w/ Rajesh Thind, a director & producer of the three part Channel 4 documentary series produced by Rogan Productions in association with Riz Ahmed’s Lefthanded Films. The series is an immersive social history that brings the South Asian activists who combatted and organized successfully against far right racist and anti-immigrant violence in the 1970s & early 1980s to our screens.  Exclusive to Guerrilla History, one of those veteran activists Shahnaz Ali joined the conversation to talk about her experiences organizing in the late 1970’s and 80’s in Bradford, and since then, fighting for equality and justice in UK society and the National Health Service specifically. This history is incredibly relevant for the resurgence of far right violence and rioting being witnessed right now on city streets across the UK.   In addition to watching Defiance: Fighting the Far Right, you should also listen to our two related previous episodes, African & Caribbean People in Britain - A History w/ Hakim Adi, and  Black & Brown Resistance in the UK (1960s-80s) w/ Preeti Dhillon.   Rajesh Thind is an award-winning director, writer & producer of films, tv, stage & prose known for tackling challenging & complex subjects.  Keep up to date with his work by checking out his website and by following him on twitter @RajeshThind Shahnaz Ali OBE is former Director of Equality, Inclusion and Human Rights NHSNW. Now a freelance consultant Making Equality Work and Lay Council member for University of Bradford.  You can read more about her work at the Nursing Narratives website, her Wikipedia page, and on LinkedIn. Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory 

In this critical Dispatch episode of Guerrilla History, we are joined by Abdullah Shehadeh from al-Feda'i Media (formerly known as al-Falastineyeh) and Matteo Capasso (whom you will remember from our episode on the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) to discuss the assassinations by the Zionist entity of Ismail Haniyeh (political leader of Hamas) and Fuad Shukr (military commander of Hezbollah), as well as what we might expect from the Axis of Resistance going forward.  This is a very timely discussion, and one which we hope helps you analyze the situation as it continues to unfold. References made in the episode were to the documentary Defiance, Sarah Jilani's book Subjectivity and Decolonization in the Post-Independence Novel and Film, and the Middle East Critique video lecture series hosted by Matteo.  Click on the hyperlinks to check them out! al-Fida'i Media is an independent, viewer supported media network amplifying Palestinian voices for resistance, liberation, and return to a free Palestine.  Be sure to check out their work on their website alfidai.org, and follow them on social media, where their handle on Twitter and Instagram is @fidaimedia 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 terrific episode of Guerrilla History, Adnan and returning guest co-host Breht discuss the essays of an important new book studying many aspects of the history and contemporary expression of right wing demographic obsessions, anti-immigrant and fascistic patriarchies, and the politics of Islamophobia in Europe, North America and beyond with co-editors Luiz Manuel Hernandez Aguilar and Sarah Bracke.  The book is The Politics of Replacement: Demographic Fears, Conspiracy Theories, and Race Wars, and is definitely worth picking up! Sarah Bracke is Professor of Sociology of Gender and Sexuality at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. She is the principal investigator of the research project EnGendering Europe’s “Muslim Question”, funded by the Dutch Research Council.  Follow her on twitter @SarahABracke Luis Manuel Hernández Aguilar is an associate researcher at the European University Viadrina, Frankfurt Oder, Germany. He holds a PhD in sociology by the Goethe-University Frankfurt am Main. His research interests focus on racism, Islamophobia and antisemitism, conspiracy theories, and the far right. 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 lucky to be joined by a special guest in Cuba as well as a special guest host whom many of you will likely remember from past episodes of the show.  Here, we bring on Cuban journalist Liz Oliva Fernández from Belly of the Beast to discuss Bob Menendez (who was just convicted on corruption charges), US-Cuba policy, and how these are related. This episode is being based off of two documentaries that Liz hosted for Belly of the Beast - Hardliner of the Hudson which takes a deep look at Menendez, and Uphill on the Hill which is an examination of recent US-Cuba policy. Watch these, and subscribe to Belly of the Beast on YouTube! Adnan was not able to join Henry for this one, so we drafted in our friend and former guest Taylor Genovese as a special guest host.  Taylor is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Dutchess Community College, an editor at Iskra Books, and a documentary filmmaker.  You may remember Taylor as a guest from two previous episodes - Peasants' Revolt of 1381 and Art and the Working Class.  Major thanks to Taylor for coming in on relatively short notice for this one! Liz Oliva Fernández is a Cuban journalist and the presenter of The War on Cuba, for which she won a Gracie Award. Apart from her journalism and filmmaking, Liz is a dedicated anti-racist and feminist activist.   Follow Belly of the Beast on Twitter @bellybeastcuba to keep up with Liz's work. 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 wonderful Professor Rashmi Sadana to discuss the Delhi metro system from a political economic, sociological, and ethnographic framework, based on her terrific book The Moving City: Scenes from the Delhi Metro and the Social Life of Infrastructure.  Talking about the political and sociological dimensions of infrastructure is a critically important topic for us to focus on, and one which we are trying to devote a bit more time to.  We recommend also checking out our recent conversation with Laleh Khalili on Red Sea Shipping & the Gaza Genocide to hear a bit more of our discussions on transportation infrastructure. Rashmi Sadana  is Professor of Anthropology at George Mason University and author of English Heart, Hindi Heartland: The Political Life of Literature in India.  Keep up to date with the Professor's work by checking out her faculty webpage. 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, we bring you an appearance we recently made on Revolutionary Blackout Network.  Adnan and Henry were invited to sit on a roundtable discussion alongside long-time Indigenous activist John Looking Glass to discuss a wide variety of topics. We highly recommend subscribing to RBN, and watching the video version of this conversation, which includes an additional 10 minute intro/discussion by RBN host Nick.  Find the video version here. Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory