Zero Books: Advancing Conversations

Nick Dunn is a professor of Urban Design at Lancaster University. He is formerly of the Manchester School of Architecture where he was Principal Lecturer, Director of Studies and Co-director of the [Re_Map] atelier, whose research is concerned with the mapping and representation of urban networks, data and conditions.

His book Dark Matters: A Manifesto of the Nocturnal City, published by Zero Books last November, explores the city at night as a place and time within which escape from the confines of the daytime is possible.

Nicolas Diaz of NetGalley described the book this way: A must read for anyone who's starting with hauntology, dérive or urbanism in general. It's short, urgent and written with poetic sensibility.

I want to remind you that Angela Nagle’s book Kill All Normies and Brian Willem’s novel Henry Henry is available for pre-order through Amazon. Henry Henry is an experimental novel comprising two alternating stories: one a factually inaccurate pseudo-biography of 17th-century composer Henry Purcell and the other the story of Purcell’s mid-20th-century biographers.

If you enjoy this podcast consider joining the Zero Books Club. Zero Books Club members receive access to a Saturday podcast entitled Inside Zero Books which sometimes features the second half of conversations with Zero Squared guests and sometimes features conversations with Zero Books readers about the state of the left. Zero Books Club members are also invited to participate in youtube workshops with Zero Books authors and others.

This week's Inside Zero Books podcast is actually an episode from the C-Realm's membership site. The original description, slightly edited, follows:

Sam Harris interviewed Charles Murray for his podcast. KMO tried to generate some discussion of that podcast episode on the Friends of the C-Realm group. The resulting discussion proved frustrating, as the most dedicated participants were focused on discrediting Murray and showed little willingness to engage with the issues that Harris and Murray discussed. Author and publisher Douglas Lain admits that Murray's talking points make him angry, but Doug is willing to resist the impulse to lead with ad hominem and actually delve into Murray's arguments. His effort at honest criticism is most appreciated.

The first half of the conversation takes place on the the C-Realm Podcast in an episode entitled Honest Criticism. In it KMO tries to highlight what he finds useful in Murray's presentation and Doug articulates why Murray's arguments are built on shaky foundations.

The conversation you'll hear in this week's Inside Zero books is the conclusion to that conversation also published in the C-Realm Vault.

The conclusion of conversation is heated at times as they examine Murray's explanation for the decline of the American working class. The post-war boom is not the natural state of man, Doug argues, nor is the market a benign, disinterested force of nature. Doug argues that Murray's worldview excuses philosophical and policy choices that have resulted in despair and desperation for those not in the cognitive elite.

David Auerbach is a freelance columnist and gadfly who has written for the LA Review of Books, Slate, the American Reader, and many other publications. He is a former software engineer based in New York, and a fellow at the think tank New America. We discuss his recent blog posts entitled Trump Diaries as well as the concepts of an underculture and an overculture on this week’s podcast.

I want to remind you that Angela Nagle’s book Kill All Normies is available for pre-order through Amazon and to let you know that there will be a link to both the US and UK editions in the show notes at the Zero Books blog.

If you enjoy this podcast consider joining the Zero Books Club. Zero Books Club members receive access to a Saturday podcast entitled Inside Zero Books which sometimes features the second half of conversations with Zero Squared guests, sometimes features conversations with Zero Books readers about the state of the left, and sometimes features public lectures from Zero Books authors or staff. Zero Books Club members are also invited to participate in youtube workshops with Zero Books authors and others.

Moishe Postone is a Western Marxist and a Professor of History at the University of Chicago and he is the author of the book Time, Labor and Social Domination a book that won the American Sociological Association’s prize in the theory. In this episode of Zero Squared, Postone discusses whether the working class is the true subject of capitalism and history, the particular particularity of today’s left, and the new Black Lives Matter visa card.

Angela Nagle’s book Kill All Normies is now available for pre-order through Amazon and to let you know that there will be a link to both the UK and US editions in the show notes.

If you enjoy this podcast you should consider joining the Zero Books Club. The Zero Books Club members receive access to a Saturday podcast entitled Inside Zero Books which sometimes features the second half of conversations with Zero Squared guests, sometimes features conversations with Zero Books readers about the state of the left, and sometimes features public lectures from Zero Books authors or staff. Zero Books Club members are also invited to participate in youtube workshops with Zero Books authors and others.

Stephen Lee Naish's writing explores film, politics, and popular culture and the places where they converge. His essays have appeared in numerous journals and periodicals, including The Quietus, Empty Mirror, and 3:AM and his book Deconstructing Dirty Dancing is out now from Zero Books.

Liza Palmer, Managing Editor of The Moving Image, reviewed the book this way:

Dirty Dancing has quietly evolved from a film to enjoy, to one you can admire -- helped along by Stephen Lee Naish's Deconstructing Dirty Dancing. A model of detailed textual analysis, Deconstructing Dirty Dancing reveals what Dirty Dancing’s devoted fanbase has known for years: that the film tackled sophisticated, progressive themes with dignity, courage, and a catchy soundtrack. Rest assured, the political can indeed be pleasurable

If you enjoy this podcast consider joining the Zero Books Club. Zero Books Club members receive access to a Saturday podcast entitled Inside Zero Books which sometimes features the second half of conversations from the Zero Squared podcast, sometimes features conversations with Zero Books readers about the state of the left, and sometimes features public lectures from Zero Books authors or staff. Zero Books Club members are also invited to participate in youtube workshops with Zero Books authors and others.

Nick is the genderqueer self-described mangirl/degenerate PhD dropout behind the smart and funny Youtube channel Contrapoints. Nick is also the guest on this week’s podcast.

This is part one of a two part conversation. If you’d like to hear the second half think about joining the Zero Books Club. Zero Books Club members receive access to a Saturday podcast entitled Inside Zero Books which sometimes features the second half of conversations from the Zero Squared podcast, sometimes features conversations with Zero Books readers about the state of the left, and sometimes features public lectures from Zero Books authors or staff. Zero Books members are also invited to participate in youtube workshops with Zero Books authors and others.

You might also stop by the Zero Books website and purchase a book on critical theory. Recommended titles include Uncertain Futures, Alfie Bown’s interview with Srecko Horvat, and the late Mark Fisher’s Capitalist Realism.

In this episode you’ll hear The Struts covering David Bowie’s hit Rebel Rebel, some controversial statements on transgender politics from Slavoj Zizek, and a sped up clip of Justin Bieber’s Love Me. Right now you’re listening to an instrumental cover of the Kinks hit Lola, but in just a moment you’ll be listening to Nick and I discuss Contrary points on identity.

Justin Murphy is a lecturer in political science, a participant in the Anti-Fascist movement, and an occasional practitioner of Black Bloc tactics. In this episode Justin discusses some of the uses and limitations of the Black Bloc.

This is part one of a two part conversation. If you’d like to hear the second half think about joining the Zero Books Club. Zero Books Club members receive access to a Saturday podcast entitled Inside Zero Books which sometimes consists of unedited or full length interviews from the Zero Squared podcast, sometimes features conversations with Zero Books readers about the state of the left, and sometimes features public lectures from Zero Books authors or staff. Zero Books members are also invited to participate in youtube workshops with Zero Books authors and others.

You might also stop by the Zero Books website and purchase a book on critical theory. Recommended titles include Uncertain Futures, Alfie Bown’s interview with Srecko Horvat, and the late Mark Fisher’s Capitalist Realism.

Edmund Berger is the guest this week. Berger is an independent writer, researcher, and activist living in Louisville, Kentucky. He blogs intermittently at Deterritorial Investigations Unit and Synthetic Zero, and his first book, entitled Uncertain Futures, provides a detailed look into the economic and political conditions of our present moment from a Marxist perspective.

David Winberg columnist for the Straight Dope reviewed the book this way: Berger says “Fascism is nothing less than the intensification of every regressive sentiment to be found in the whole of society, mobilized and put on the march by elements in the ruling class.” And “To reform capitalism at this stage is a revolutionary act.” That’s how far we’ve fallen.

Thanks should go out to members of the Zero Books Club. Zero Books Club members receive access to the Inside Zero Books which sometimes consists of unedited or full length interviews from the Zero Squared podcast, sometimes features conversations with Zero Books readers about the state of the left, and sometimes features public lectures from Zero Books authors or staff. This week the Inside Zero Books podcast will feature the second half of this conversation with Edmund Berger on Marx and Trump.

I should also take a moment to ask you to stop by the Zero Books website and purchase a book on critical theory. You might pick up Uncertain Futures or Alfie Bown’s interview with Srecko Horvat.

The Symptomatic Redness podcast presents conversations on political economy and history. Hosted by C. Derick Varn and Amogh Sahu, the program was an independent project for several years but is now hosted by Zero Books on the Zero Squared podcast feed. This first podcast of Symptomatic Redness hosted by Zero Books features Amogh Sahu interviewing C. Derick Varn on the history and prehistory of human societies.

Thanks goes out to Zero Books Club members. This week’s Inside Zero Books podcast will feature the second part of this conversation from Symptomatic Redness.

If you find this podcast helpful you might subscribe to the Zero Books podcast feed and keep listening or leave a review of the podcast on iTunes.

Norman Finkelstein is a controversial figure on the left and he’s the guest this week. However, while Finkelstein is famous for his books about the Israel/Palestine conflict, we don’t discuss that topic, but instead discuss a book he’s working on entitled On Academic Freedom.

Finkelstein has taught political theory for years. A former Maoist he has, perhaps surprisingly, become an admirer of John Stuart Mill and this admiration informed our conversation and informs the book he’s working on.

Thanks should go out to members of the Zero Books Club. Zero Books Club members receive access to the Inside Zero Books which sometimes consists of unedited or full length interviews from the Zero Squared podcast, sometimes features conversations with Zero Books readers about the state of the left, and sometimes features public lectures from Zero Books authors or staff. This week the Inside Zero Books podcast will feature the second half of this conversation with Norman Finkelstein wherein we discuss his former Maoism, how he thinks Obama was overrated, and Bertrand Russell.

I should also take a moment to ask you to stop by the Zero Books website and purchase a book on critical theory. The title I’d most recommend is Uncertain Futures by Edmund Berger. Berger explains how understanding Marx’s theory of value can help us understand the rise of the far right. Also of interest would be Alfie Bown’s interview with Srecko Horvat and Stephen Lee Naish’s Deconstruction of the 80s film Dirty Dancing in his book Deconstructing Dirty Dancing.