We’re finally launching our exploration of Moroccan history, the most important country that Americans have hardly heard of. This episode will be a crash course on Moroccan history up until the early modern period. We follow rise of the 'Alawi dynasty that still holds power today, exploring how they came to power, kicked out the conquistadors, and established a massive army of slave-soldiers who helped turn a medieval kingdom into a modern state.

In coming weeks, we’ll explore how French and Spanish colonialists imposed themselves on Moroccan politics and what effect these imperial incursions had on the colony and the metropole. These episodes will correspond with our upcoming republication of the works of Ramón J. Sender, a Spanish antifascist whose 1930 novel The Magnet chronicles imperial blunders in the 1921 Rif War.

Hosted by Liam, and Russian Sam.

We continue our journey into medieval Sicily by following the rag-tag band of Normans who carved out a tiny foothold on the Italian peninsula. In less than 50 years, these French-speaking adventurers and grandchildren of the Vikings would unite Southern Italy and established themselves as the overlords on the advanced and prosperous island of Sicily. We’ll explore how these adventurers like Robert Guiscard and the warrior-queen Sikelgaita were able to defeat popes, emirs, and even Byzantine Emperors and discuss how these new Norman rulers would join, and not destroy, the existing Arab civilization of Sicily.

Hosted by Liam, and Russian Sam.

And we’re back! Liam and Russian Sam return to the early middle ages to explore the unique and unbelievably fascinating history of Medieval Sicily. A true crossroads of civilization, this sun-soaked island has been influenced by cultures from every corner of the Mediterranean and beyond and is an amazing microcosm for the entire history of Europe and the Middle East as well. The first of a two-part series, this episode recounts many incredible stories of Sicily’s Islamic period. Get ready to hear about how Sicily drew Arab adventurers into the cutthroat politics of Italy’s city-states, why you should never accept a dinner invitation from Emir Ibrahim, and how these Islamic newcomers gave us the one Sicilian word that everybody knows.

Hosted by Liam, and Russian Sam.

1100 years ago, the power of the Normans stretched from the British Isles to the Mediterranean. They had become one of the most powerful clans in Europe. Yet their recent ancestors were lowly pagan Vikings. In this episode, we go over the swashbuckling history of the Normans to figure how a group of barbarian pirates were able to fight for their seat at the table of European politics and leave their unique mark on world history.

Further Listening: E30 The Lion in Winter and Medieval Christmas, E36 The Franks, E24 Kievan Rus', E15 The Last Kingdom

Hosted by Liam, Russian Sam, and Halal Sam.

As the Zodiac Killer was tormenting San Francisco and captivating the rest of the country, Dirty Harry, a movie about a hard nosed cop who takes down a serial killer called Scorpio, was released. We talk about it, why people may have convinced themselves there were more similarities than there were, and the general topic of escalating violence within society and cinema.

Hosted by Liam, and Abram.

Play it again, Russian Sam. The gang takes a deep dive into the circumstances that produced the most celebrated picture in Hollywood history: Casablanca. We explore how a distant Moroccan port became a cosmopolitan haven for Europe’s refugees, delve into the notorious Vichy French government that ran wartime North Africa, and explain how the most beloved American film almost didn’t happen in this week’s episode.

Note: Sam mistakenly mentions the First and Second Agadir Crises. This was a mistake, these were rather called the Moroccan Crises and the first one is named after Tangiers and happened in 1905-6, while the second one is the Agadir Crisis of 1911.

Hosted by Liam, and Russian Sam.

Everybody’s been talking about The Northman, so we decided to talk about it even more. We break down the meticulous research Robert Eggers put into this movie. From Norse mythology to the details of Viking slavery, Scandinavian state formation, and material culture, we cover the bases to allow our audience to appreciate what a truly alien world this was.

Hosted by Liam, and Russian Sam.

Our interest in 1960s radicalism has lead us back to North Korea, this time by way of the Black Panther Party. Using Eldridge Cleaver's memoir Soul on Fire as our guide, we discuss the links between Black radicalism and Cuba, China, and North Korea.

The documentary about Eldridge Cleaver in Algeria is available on youtube.

Now check this out

Hosted by Liam, and Abram.

We meet with lifelong New Yorker Derek Putin to discuss Serpico, a story of sleaze and scandal in the 70s NYPD. We talk about the iconic 1973 movie starring Al Pacino and the man who inspired it, a rare good cop who's crusade against corruption earned him a bullet in the face.

This episode explores other scandals that plagued the NYPD across the late 20th century and how they've shaped the force today, ending with Frank Serpico's own words on policing and what, if anything, can be done to fix it.

Hosted by Liam, Russian Sam, and Derek.

Kevin rejoins us to tell the story of Mandate Palestine through the travails of international diplomacy, as well as the regional developments that unfolded once the British embraced the Balfour Declaration as policy. We explain the workings of the mandate system, the escalation of violence between the Palestinians and Zionist settlers in the early 1920s, and more.

Part 1 of our Mandate Palestine discussion

Hosted by Russian Sam, Halal Sam, and Kevin.