In the heart of ancient Nigeria, a mysterious civilisation flourished - known today only through archaeology. The Nok Culture, symbolised by its striking terracotta figurines, remains one of Africa’s most fascinating yet overlooked ancient societies.

In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. Kevin MacDonald to uncover the secrets of the Nok. Who were they? Where did they live? And what can their incredible artistry tell us about Iron Age West Africa? From groundbreaking archaeological discoveries to the enduring mystery of their decline, this is the story of one of Africa’s earliest known civilisations.

For more on the ancient Iron Age world, our episode on the Birth of the Iron Age with Eric Cline can be found here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6emHXY7Cv8xImTcVAi4mrf

Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan, the producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music from Epidemic Sounds

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In our third episode on beliefs and ideologies, we explore China’s newfound enthusiasm for psychiatry. Counselling was only registered as a profession in 2001 yet has seen a massive boom under Xi Jinping. The psy-boom is such that even party branch meetings are doing mindfulness exercises, and practitioners are trying to indigenise counselling practices. There’s plenty to work on; the 2022 China Mental Health Survey found seven percent of the population were suffering from depression, half of them schoolchildren. To explore what’s drawing China to the couch, Louisa and Graeme are joined by Yiying Xiong, a counsellor and associate professor at John Hopkins University, Barclay Bram, an audio journalist at the Economist and fellow at the Asia Society, and medical anthropologist Hsuan-Ying Huang, from Taiwan’s National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University.

Image: c/- Wikimedia Commons, Sigmund Freud's Couch, London, 2004.

Episode transcripts are available at: https://ciw.anu.edu.au/podcasts/little-red-podcast

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Does the spirit of the "Futurist" movement live on today in the likes of Elon Musk and America's intrigue of techno-oligarchs? The Italian poet and fantasist Flippo Tommaso Marinetti almost died in a car crash, and out of that experience was born the "Futurist" movement. It went on to inspire the fascism of Benito Mussolini with an energetic emphasis on disruptive technology, conflict and creating an authoritarian future.

Guests

Annalee Newitz — Journalist and author

Dr Jonathan White — Professor of politics, London School of Economics

Further information

Jonathan White’s article - How Trump and the new right came to ‘own’ the future – while apparently exploiting the past | Jonathan White | The Guardian

Annalee Newitz’s article – How futurism took an abrupt right turn in the 20th century

In this episode, Whitney is joined by Iain Davis to discuss his recent article series on the philosophy and political theories that motivate the PayPal Mafia and their most prominent members like Peter Thiel and Elon Musk.

Show notes

Follow Iain Davis: Iaindavis.com, Substack, OffGuardian, Unlimited Hangout, Geopolitics & Empire, Books by Iain Davis

Originally published 03/31/25.

National security professionals often conceptualize a continuum of conflict as a framework to understand the wide variety of ways in which conflict can manifest itself. It extends from relative peace on one end, terrorism and low-intensity conflict, up through large-scale combat, all the way to strategic rivalry in which nuclear weapons even come into the picture. But what if that cognitive framework no long holds? In a recent article published by Foreign Affairs, Dr. Mara Karlin explored that question. A professor of practice at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies and a former assistant secretary of defense for strategy, plans, and capabilities, she shares insights gleaned from ongoing wars, from Ukraine to the Middle East, and argues that warfare is increasingly defined by a mix of characteristics from across the continuum of conflict.

The MWI Podcast is produced with the generous support of the West Point Class of 1974.

In this episode, Chella Ward and Hizer Mir spoke to Leila Abdelrazaq about her artistic practice and its themes of Palestinian futurism. Their discussion centred on Leila’s artistic work, and probed the role that reimagining the past can play in a more just future. Leila Abdelrazaq is a Chicago-born Palestinian artist and cultural organizer whose debut graphic novel ‘Baddawi’ was published in 2015.

Continuing with host Ali Muldrow’s feminist book club series, on today’s show, Muldrow speaks with Annie Menzel, author of Fatal Denial: Racism and The Political Life of Black Infant Mortality. They discuss white racial innocence, the birth justice movement, and the history of obstetrics. Menzel diagnoses how white expertise and authority shape the world of reproductive health for mothers and birthing people. 

Fatal Denial reframes the conversation about Black maternal health away from viewing Black parents as problems. Instead, as Muldrow asserts, the book makes clear that the conditions of Black America are the conditions that white people have created. 

The two also discuss how the anti-abortion movement has shied away from discussing infant and maternal mortality. Menzel says that the myth of the “true baby” as a white cherubic innocent upholds a white patriarchal domestic order. And we can see this myth alive and well in the phenomena of trad wives and nostalgic maternity. Instead, Menzel discusses what it means to be on the side of life. 

Annie Menzel is a political theorist, former midwife, and Associate Professor of Gender & Women’s Studies at UW-Madison. Her work focuses on understanding how white supremacy, colonization, and gender-based oppression shape human reproductive life, health, and care. 

Featured image: a remix of the cover of Fatal Denial: Racism and The Political Life of Black Infant Mortality. 

The post Race and Reproductive Politics with Annie Menzel appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.