This week, we talk with Sargon Donabed, author of the book "Reforging a Forgotten History: Iraq and the Assyrians in the Twentieth Century." Sargon tells us some of the history of the Assyrian people, an indigenous people to West Asia/North Africa who are often overlooked and misunderstood. We also talk about how the Assyrians do and don't show up in the academy and in public discourse, what role media plays in shaping our understanding of the WANA region, and how non-Assyrians can do better when it comes to showing solidarity. There's also some bonus stuff on "panenhistoricism," which is the coolest methodology word you'll learn this week for sure. The suggestion for this episode and for reading Sargon's book came from our new friend Meia, who blogs at ninwa.home.blog. Meia is an Assyrian who spent a lot of time helping us put this episode together. In her blog "WANA Christianity and Western Leftism," she explains the left's general ignorance and failure to acknowledge the persecution of minority Christian groups like Assyrians. We encourage you to read Meia's post in full, and also to check out her patreon for more! https://ninwa.home.blog/2018/12/22/wana-christianity-and-western-leftism/ https://www.patreon.com/ninwa Music by Amaryah Armstrong and theillalogicalspoon.