The Malcolm Effect

In this first instalment of this 3 part series, we discuss with Dr. Bikrum Gill: what is imperialism? More specifically, what is capitalist-imperialism? And what does it mean to be anti-imperialist?

This is the second episode in a 3-part series on African thought. In this second instalment, we discuss with Professor Zubairu Wai: What is missed by focusing on 1492? Coloniality and decolonisation, and so much more.  I.G. @TheGambian Twitter: @MomodouTaal @CTayJ @ZubaWai

In this far-ranging episode, we discuss: Why is Shaykh Khaled so different? What colonialism did to Islamic institutions The story of Lut and much more!

There are many theories that attempt to explain the "special" relationship between US imperialism and the Zionist entity. Listen in to this masterclass as Max Ajl explains and details the historical roots of this relationship   Max Ajl is a fellow at MECAM/University of Tunis, a Senior Fellow at University of Ghent and an associated researcher at the Tunisian Observatory for Food Sovereignty and the Environment. He is an associate editor at Agrarian South and Journal of Labor and Society, and has written for The Journal of Peasant Studies and the Review of African Political Economy. His book, A People’s Green New Deal, was published in 2021 with Pluto Press.   I.G. @TheGambian Twitter: @maxajl @MomodouTaal

With Assad gone, what does an anti-imperialist line on Syria now sound like? Listen in as Professor Navid Farnia responds to many commonly asked questions about Syria.    Navid Farnia is an Assistant Professor in the Department of African American Studies. His research broadly explores the relationship between racial oppression in the United States and U.S. imperialism in the context of revolution and counterrevolution. Dr. Farnia’s book manuscript, National Liberation in an Imperialist World: Race, Counterrevolution, and the United States, traces the U.S. national security state’s evolution by examining how U.S. officials responded to national liberation movements at home and abroad from the 1950s to 1980. The book looks at several cases, including the U.S.-orchestrated coups in Iran and Guatemala, the Cuban Revolution, the 1960s

This is the first episode in a 3-part series on African thought. In this first instalment, we discuss with Professor Zubairu Wai how African thinkers concerned with decolonisation have thought about and theorised The Continent. In this episode, we discuss decolonisation through the lens of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o & Valentin-Yves Mudimbe.    I.G. @TheGambian Twitter: @MomodouTaal @CTayJ @ZubaWai

As the West continues to malign China in an attempt to give life to imperialism. Professor Rockhill details how his recent visit went.    Dr. Gabriel Rockhill is the Founding Director of the Critical Theory Workshop / Atelier de Théorie Critique, Professor of Philosophy and Global Interdisciplinary Studies at Villanova University, and the author or editor of ten books, as well as numerous scholarly and general public articles. He is also the Associate Director of Cultural Studies at Villanova University, Research Associate at the Laboratoire d’anthropologie politique – LAP (EHESS, Paris), one of the editors-in-chief of the World Marxist Review, and co-editor of the book series AIM–Anti-Imperialist Marxism.   Journals: Monthly Review, World Marxist Review, International Critical Thought   Books: China's Economic Dialectic, People's China at 75, The East Is Still Red, China's Path to Development, Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, Class Struggle (Losurdo), China's Global Strategy, The Dragon's Gift         Twitter @GabrielRockhill @CTayJ @MomodouTaal

Listen in as we discuss the story of US imperialism in central America and how it relates to today.   Aviva Chomsky is an American professor, historian, author, and activist. She is a professor of history and the Coordinator of Latin American, Latino and Caribbean Studies at Salem State University in Massachusetts.

Listen in as we discuss how drones have changed the landscape of war.   Khalil Dewan is a dedicated researcher and practitioner with a strong focus on international law and human rights.  Currently pursuing a PhD in Law at SOAS University of London, he is also a Member of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (IALS), SOAS Centre for Human Rights Law, and the Centre for the Study of Colonialism, Empire and International Law.  Khalil's research primarily centers around the intersection of UK counter-terrorism practices, drone targeted killings, and international law. His work incorporates critical legal theories and the socio-legal method, with a particular emphasis on lived experiences. Khalil's academic journey includes the successful completion of an LL.M in International Law with merit at SOAS.    I.G. @TheGambian Twitter: @MomodouTaal @IbnSafad @KhalilDewan

Listen in as we discuss what the future holds for the Arab-Iranian region with Professor Marandi   Mohammad Marandi (Persian: سید محمد مرندی; born 1966 in Richmond, Virginia) is an Iranian-American academic and political analyst.    I.G. @TheGambian Twitter: @MomodouTaal @CTayJ @s_m_marandi    

What does the world look like from a Pan-Africanist perspective? Listen in as we discuss what it means to be "authentically" African and see the world from the vantage point of Africa.   Zubairu Wai is Associate Professor of Political Science and Global Development Studies at the University of Toronto, Canada   I.G. @TheGambian @Ethan_Levine_ Twitter: @MomodouTaal @CTayJ @EthanLevine0  

Featuring: Haya Adam Tara Mann Abel Harvie-Clark Alex Cachinero-Gorman   @democratise.education  @soasliberatedzone @hiitshayaa @abel.su.dem.ed @alejandre.cachivache https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20241201-soas-student-union-is-supposed-to-be-independent-but-it-has-been-completely-silenced/

What is neoliberalism? What is the nature of US capitalism today? How does the dollar act as a function of US imperialism? Listen in to the brilliant Radhika Desai.    Dr. Radhika Desai is Professor at the Department of Political Studies, and Director, Geopolitical Economy Research Group, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. She is the author of Geopolitical Economy: After US Hegemony, Globalization and Empire (2013), Slouching Towards Ayodhya: From Congress to Hindutva in Indian Politics (2nd rev ed, 2004) and Intellectuals and Socialism: ‘Social Democrats’ and the Labour Party (1994), a New Statesman and Society Book of the Month, and editor or co-editor of Russia, Ukraine and Contemporary Imperialism, a special issue of International Critical Thought (2016), Theoretical Engagements in Geopolitical Economy (2015), Analytical Gains from Geopolitical Economy (2015), Revitalizing Marxist Theory for Today’s Capitalism (2010) and Developmental and Cultural Nationalisms (2009). She is also the author of numerous articles in Economic and Political Weekly, International Critical Thought, New Left Review, Third World Quarterly, World Review of Political Economy and other journals and in edited collections on parties, political economy, culture and nationalism. With Alan Freeman, she co-edits the Geopolitical Economy book series with Manchester University Press and the Future of Capitalism book series with Pluto Press. She serves on the Editorial Boards of many journals including Canadian Political Science Review, Critique of Political Economy, E-Social Sciences, Pacific Affairs, Global Faultlines, Research in Political Economy, Revista de Economía Crítica, World Review of Political Economy and International Critical Thought   I.G. @TheGambian Twitter: @MomodouTaal @CTayJ

What is the material basis of fascism? Listen in as Dr. Mullin masterfully details the political economy of fascism and how Palestine fits into US' current juncture of capitalist crisis.   Corinna Mullin is an anti-imperialist scholar who teaches political science and international political economy at John Jay College and Brooklyn College (CUNY). Corinna's research examines global South security dependency through a world system analytical framework, with a focus on colonial legacies, imperialism, unequal exchange and delinking. Corinna has also researched and published academic works on anti-/decolonial theory and praxis, the colonial-capitalist university, land and labor struggles.  Corinna is a member of  CUNY4Palestine and The Committee of Anti-Imperialists in Solidarity with Iran (CASI). She is on the Editorial Board of the journal Science & Society and is an Editor of Middle East Critique.   Links:    https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SrveH0c5XA3a2CksdCcz6M5H7YTjboP93iLftqq8yUA/edit   https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SrveH0c5XA3a2CksdCcz6M5H7YTjboP93iLftqq8yUA/edit

What does an anti-imperialist position on the question of Syria sound like?   Max Ajl is a fellow at MECAM/University of Tunis, a Senior Fellow at University of Ghent and an associated researcher at the Tunisian Observatory for Food Sovereignty and the Environment. He is an associate editor at Agrarian South and Journal of Labor and Society, and has written for The Journal of Peasant Studies and the Review of African Political Economy. His book, A People’s Green New Deal, was published in 2021 with Pluto Press.   I.G. @TheGambian Twitter: @maxajl @MomodouTaal @Khamis_AC

What does our present moment require from us? Listen in as Dr. Nina Farnia and I discuss the responsibility of those who live in the imperial core, particularly the US.   Nina Farnia is a law professor and legal historian whose research focuses on US imperialism and anti-imperialist dissidents. Her forthcoming book is entitled Imperialism: An American Story (Stanford University Press).   Twitter: @MomodouTaal @NinaFarnia  

Why is it the case that so many leftists in the West fail on the question of imperialism? Listen in as Professor Rockhill takes us through the problems with Western Marxism Dr. Gabriel Rockhill is the Founding Director of the Critical Theory Workshop / Atelier de Théorie Critique, Professor of Philosophy and Global Interdisciplinary Studies at Villanova University, and the author or editor of ten books, as well as numerous scholarly and general public articles. He is also the Associate Director of Cultural Studies at Villanova University, Research Associate at the Laboratoire d’anthropologie politique – LAP (EHESS, Paris), one of the editors-in-chief of the World Marxist Review, and co-editor of the book series AIM–Anti-Imperialist Marxism. He has made numerous media appearance related to his scholarship and interventions in public debates. Click here to contact Dr. Rockhill for speaking engagements or interviews. Twitter @GabrielRockhill @CTayJ @MomodouTaal

Listen in to this super informative episode on Marx's methodology and place within the western philosophical canon   Colin Bodayle teaches philosophy at Villanova University. His main research areas are Marxism, Classical German Philosophy, and anti-colonial philosophy. You can find him on social media on Twitter @colinbodayle or on Substack.   @momodoutaal @ctayj

In this episode we take a look at the life and work of Khalil Gibran

Listen in as we discuss how we build socialism whilst our subjectivities have been constituted under neoliberalism.   Arun Kundnani is a writer interested in race, Islamophobia, surveillance, political violence, and radicalism. Born in London, he moved to New York in 2010 and now lives in Philadelphia. The Guardian has described him as “one of Britain’s best political writers.” Kundnani is the author of What is Antiracism? (Verso, 2023), The Muslims are Coming! (Verso, 2014) and The End of Tolerance (Pluto, 2007), which was selected as a New Statesman book of the year. He has written for the Nation, the Guardian, the Washington Post, Vice, and The Intercept.  A former editor of the journal Race & Class, he was educated at Cambridge University, and holds a PhD from London Metropolitan University. He has been an Open Society fellow and a scholar-in-residence at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library.   I.G. @TheGambian   Twitter: @MomodouTaal @FanonIsCanon @CTayJ