Katie Stallard is the author of Dancing on Bones: History and Power in China, Russia, and North Korea, which was named political book of the year 2022 by the Financial Times, Sunday Times, and BBC History magazine. She was previously based in Russia and China as a foreign correspondent for Sky News, and is now Senior Editor, China and Global Affairs, at the New Statesman. She is also an endurance athlete.

In this show, we discuss:

* The role of history in authoritarian regimes

* Symbolism and power in military parades

* Trump and authoritarian spectacles

* The mechanics of narrative control

* The disturbing trends in American history education

* The courage of dissent in authoritarian regimes

* Journalism in hostile environments

* Lessons for American dissenters from running ultramarathons

The Rhyming Chaos podcast is produced by Jeremy Goldkorn and Maria Repnikova, and edited by Cadre Scripts. The theme music is Paper Boy, composed and performed on the guzheng by Wu Fei. Our closing music is Erik Satie’s Gymnopédie No. 1, arranged and performed by Wu Fei. Our cover art is by Li Yunfei.

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