Centre Stage

Centre Stage

By Al Jazeera Media NetworkSociety & CultureNewsNews Commentary
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Centre Stage episodes

  • Bearing witness: A doctor’s reckoning with Gaza

    Dr Mimi Syed, a US emergency physician, joins Centre Stage to talk about the horrific reality she witnessed during her two trips to Gaza in 2024. She shares evidence she says indicates the Israeli military is deliberately targeting children, the stories she carries from the patients and families she met and explains why she believes the US is no longer merely an accessory to Israel’s war on Gaza— but fully complicit.

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    18 min
  • The importance of preserving Palestinian archives

    In this episode of Centre Stage, our guest is Zach Foster, a Jewish historian of Palestine. 

    He joins us to discuss his work on preserving Palestinian maps and archival materials, despite the deliberate destruction of archives by Israel. Foster explains his journey from growing up in a Zionist household to advocating for the rights and history of Palestinians. Phil Lavelle is a TV news correspondent at Al Jazeera.

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    16 min
  • The West’s 'principles fall apart' over Palestine

    French political analyst Francois Burgat was charged with supporting terrorism over a social media post he shared, which included a statement by Hamas. He was later acquitted. Burgat joins Centre Stage to unpack the case, the politics behind it, and what he believes it reveals about free speech and support for Palestine in the West.

    This episode is produced in partnership with the Islam and Muslims Initiative, an international platform that connects Muslims and non-Muslims in the realms of religion, politics, business, media, academia, and civil society.

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    22 min
  • Progress, Secularism and the Orientalist Gaze

    Olivier Roy, a professor of Orientalism, talks about the roots of Orientalism and the enduring myth of how only the West represents progress. From colonial-era narratives to modern-day politics, Roy explores how the Global South is still perceived through a Eurocentric lens — and what that says about our civilisation, modernity and the West’s ongoing struggle with pluralism.

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    26 min
  • Gabor Mate on trauma and Palestinian suffering

    In this episode of Centre Stage, our guest is Dr Gabor Mate, a retired physician, author and Holocaust survivor who has written extensively on trauma and child development, as well as Israel and Palestine. Mate talks about the colonial foundations of Zionism, how living under it has traumatised Palestinians and the ways mainstream media distorts the realities on the ground in Gaza. Phil Lavelle is a TV news correspondent at Al Jazeera.

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    22 min
  • Norman Finkelstein on identity politics, free speech and pro-Palestine protests

    In this episode of Centre Stage, our guest is scholar and activist Norman Finkelstein. He discusses his latest book on the role of identity politics in the repression of campus protests in support of Palestine. Finkelstein explores how contradictions in wokeism are being weaponised against the pro-Palestine movement and what that means for free speech today. Phil Lavelle is a TV news correspondent at Al Jazeera.

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    23 min
  • Jeremy Corbyn on Gaza and Britain’s Imperial Legacy

    Jeremy Corbyn, an Independent MP in the UK Parliament, has long fought for economic justice, peace and a British foreign policy that tries to atone for its imperial legacy. In this episode, he talks about the cost of standing with Palestine, and why Europe may need to unite against a US-led trade war.

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    25 min
  • The White House vs US universities

    Harvard fights back against the administration’s cuts — will it succeed?

    Andrew Manuel Crespo, lead counsel for Harvard’s faculty, discusses the administration’s assault on US higher education

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    19 min
  • Ralph Wilde on the ICJ & why Israeli occupation must end

    International lawyer Ralph Wilde joins Centre Stage to talk about the 2024 landmark ruling by the International Court of Justice that deems Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories illegal — and why it must cease immediately. Wilde provides detailed analysis, which he presented to the court, and tells Al Jazeera principal presenter Cyril Vanier what Israel and the international community must do to comply with the ICJ ruling and the UN resolution that endorsed the court’s decision.

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    24 min

About Centre Stage

From the publisher's feed

Centre Stage is an interview podcast where influential thought leaders share their perspectives on pressing world issues.