The Arts of Travel

I spoke to Dr. Rodrigo Nunes  on Neoliberalism, Denialism and the question of what political forms and economies may exist in the near future.  We also discuss the paradoxical popularity of leaders like Trump, Bolsanaro and Neoliberalism itself. 

For more w. Dr. Nunes, I highly recommend his essay for Public Books 'Are we in Denial about Denial?" , and look out for his new book ' Neither Vertical Nor Horizontal: A Theory of Political Organization' out May 2021 on Verso. 

Public Books Essay can be found here: https://www.publicbooks.org/are-we-in-denial-about-denial/

Verso Book Here: https://www.versobooks.com/books/3810-neither-vertical-nor-horizontal

You can also follow Dr. Nunes on Twitter: @OrangoQuango

Music by Prod Riddiman: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdSuKogXJOZld5Dzw_9285w 

To discuss Amazon and the failed union effort in Bessemer, Alabama, I spoke to Lauren Kaori Gurley of Vice's Motherboard. We discuss working conditions in Bessemer, how Amazon defeated the unionization effort, and the bleak future of work for all of us if Amazon is not brought under control. 

For more with Lauren, you can check out her reporting here: https://www.vice.com/en/contributor/lauren-kaori-gurley

Or follow her on twitter: @LaurenKGurley

Music by One: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9vgZ8EqY1o 

Photo Credit to thierry ehrmann: https://www.flickr.com/photos/home_of_chaos/37909812316/in/album-72157687615496151/ 

This is a conversation with my dear friend, Palestinian- Lebanese Writer & Academic Joey Ayoub 

We discuss the situation on the ground in Palestine, how all of us can (and need) to stand in solidarity with Palestine, and  why Israel - a nation founded on 'never again' -  is engaging in  ethnic-cleansing and the systemic extermination of the Palestinian people. 

For more resources on Palestine, Joey recommended the following: 

Palestine +100 

The book of Gaza 

Larissa Sansour (her films) 

Elia Suleiman (her films) 

The Holocaust and the Nakba: A New Grammar of Trauma and History

And for a comprehensive list of resources, please check out The Fire These Times reading list on Palestine: 

https://thefirethisti.me/readinglist-israelpalestine/

  Matt  (Asia Art Tours)  highly recommends the following: 

Joey's Podcast Interview with Maya Schkolne on Israel and Paelstine: https://thefirethisti.me/2021/05/16/special-episode-a-conversation-on-israel-palestine/

Jasbir Puar's: Right to Maim 

Achille Mbembe's: Necropolitics 

For more with Joey please follow him at the Fire These Times, his immersive project of global solidarity that takes the form of podcasts, newsletters and other forms of media: https://thefirethisti.me/about/

Music is by Eskot! https://www.youtube.com/c/ESKOTbeats/videos?view=0&sort=p&flow=grid 

We spoke to Zafar Aafaq on his coverage of India's Covid-19 pandemic,  how India's Muslim communities have responded with a huge outpouring of mutual aid to all Indians, and if the BJP's disastrous handling of the Covid-19 crisis will damper the potency of its ethnonationalist politics of Hindutva.  We also discuss the situation of Covid-19 in Kashmir and how the BJP's carceral violence in the region is completely antithetical to public health. 

For more of Zafar's work please follow him on Twitter: @ZafarAafaq

You can also read the article that inspired us to reach out to him here: https://themuslimvibe.com/muslim-current-affairs-news/muslims-in-india-continue-to-offer-help-and-volunteer-as-covid-wrecks-havoc

Music is by Gold Streak Beats , "The Cut" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkrKAmwnv8k 

I was fortunate to be able to speak with Journalist Viola Zhou, on China's Gig Economy and how it compares to the US gig economy. 

For more w. Viola you can follow her on Twitter : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3u43yUcB8uY

And read her work on Vice: https://www.vice.com/en/contributor/viola-zhou

Music by Prod Riddiman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3u43yUcB8uY

To discuss Central Asia, I spoke to Joanna Lillis, author of: Dark Shadows: Inside the Secret World of Kazakhstan. We have a far-reaching discussion on Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan and the real lives of people living in these diverse and dynamic nations.

A journalist with over 20 years of experience living in Central Asia, Joanna has an unparalleled knowledge on the region and is able to host a fascinating discussion on the different politics of the various nations of Central Asia, as well as the differing desires of their citizens.

 We discuss the USSR/Russia's imperialism over the region, the various spectrum of democracy that exists throughout Central Asia, how young people are remaking these countries (often to the chagrin of the gerontocratic authoritarians who too often are in control) and why Central Asia deserves far more attention and reporting than it currently receives.  

For more with Joanna, please follow her on Twitter or purchase her book! 

https://twitter.com/joannalillis

https://bookshop.org/books/dark-shadows-inside-the-secret-world-of-kazakhstan/9781784538613

Image is shared under CC 2.0, Photographer is Steve Evans: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Young_Uzbekistani_boys_at_a_mosque_in_Uzbekistan.jpg

Music is by ESKRY: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqpJOU2ny6U

I spoke to Eli Friedman of Cornell University on China's Gig Economy. Why the Gig Economy has taken such a large role in China's economy.  And what the future of the Gig Economy will be in China. 

Beat by Gold Streak Beats: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztKSVF06cVI

I had the honor of speaking to Let Let Sein (a pseudonym) a brave Shan/Karen ethnic women on the ground in Myanmar. 

We discuss how protesters are using strikes/mutual aid/digital activism and street protests to fight for democracy, the inhuman violence that Myanmar's Military (Tatmadaw) dictatorship is using to brutally claim power, and how the world can help Myanmar's protesters and freedom struggle. 

For more resources on Myanmar I would recommend the following: 

 Justice for Myanmar: http://justiceformyanmar.org/

Mutual Aid Myanmar: https://www.mutualaidmyanmar.org/

Scholar Geoff Aung: https://nplusonemag.com/online-only/online-only/dead-generations/ 

Scholar Chu May Paing: https://www.instagram.com/lionwithaflowingmane/?hl=en 

The Newgroups Myanmar Now & The Irrawaddy: https://www.myanmar-now.org/en , https://www.irrawaddy.com/ 

Organizers  Breanna Randall & Theo Htet: https://speakupformyanmar.com/ ,  https://twitter.com/theohtet

And Historian Edith Mirante: https://www.projectmaje.org/ 

The photo is of murdered protester Kyal Sin, also know as Angel or (邓家希) who has become a martyr and symbol of these protests. Her tee-shirt reads ' everything will be OK'. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Kyal_Sin 

Music by Prod. Riddiman: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdSuKogXJOZld5Dzw_9285w 

To discuss the violence of Borders & Global North Immigration, I was honored to speak w. Shahram Khosravi of Stockholm University. Dr. Khosravi is the author of several books (on Art, Iran, Sweden), but it is his work  '"Illegal'" Traveler: An Auto-Ethnography of Borders' that we discuss most extensively today. 

Dr. Khosravi discusses the violence he faced as an 'illegal' migrant fleeing Iran for Sweden, how migrants today face even worse violence and exclusion from Global North countries, how welfare for Swedish citizens that excludes migrants reinforces segregation, and how we can build a world without borders and the Nation-State. 

For more w. Dr. Khosravi please check out his group: Critical Border Studies & please pick up a copy of "'Illegal' Traveler" after listening, it is a life-changing book. 

- https://www.criticalborderstudies.com/about/ 

- https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9780230230798 

Music is by  H3 Music: https://www.youtube.com/c/H3Music/videos?view=0&sort=p&flow=grid

This is the conclusion (part 2) of our conversation w. Writer & Agitator Vicky Osterweil, Author of 'In Defense of Looting'. 

In our conclusion we discuss how several prominent academics have tried to wield the violence of the state as a force of liberation, and why this is a dead-end for abolition.  

Turing to the future we end by looking at the visions of Russell Maroon Shoatz & Achille Mbembe and their frameworks of Maroonage & Black Lives in the Anthropocene as ways forward for scholarship and revolution. 

For more w. Vicky, please follow her on Twitter @Vicky_ACAB

And please buy her book from any non- Amazon platform, such as Bookshop:https://bookshop.org/books/in-defense-of-looting-a-riotous-history-of-uncivil-action/9781645036692 

Music by Gold Steak Beats: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq8OovnOuKE

Photo from Russell Maroon Shoatz's Website: https://russellmaroonshoats.wordpress.com/about/