Bungacast

We take on Italy's election of a new president and what that tells us about permanent crisis, the EU and the curtailing of democracy; we ask how serious the risk of war in Ukraine actually is; and review a film we haven't seen.   The full episode is for subscribers only. Sign up at patreon.com/bungacast   3 Articles: As war looms larger, what are Russia’s military options in Ukraine? , The Economi...

On the German Greens' shady history.   Journalist Lily Lynch, editor of Balkanist , joins us to talk about her recent investigations into the Green Party, who are now back in power in Germany.   The 68ers attempted to combat authoritarianism and Nazi legacies through sexual liberation, building on the work of Wilhelm Reich. How did this lead some small groups associated with the Greens to advocate...

On our current attention-deficit and hyperpolitical disorder.     In our book, The End of the End of History , we discuss the move from post-politics to anti-politics; from consensus to rejection; from apathy to anger. In a new article , Anton Jäger argues we've now moved into a hyperpolitical age. Is everything being politicised...except the really important stuff?   We discuss some examples of h...

Bungacast is back for 2022, refreshed and reloaded.   We've got a completely revamped Reading Club , arranged along three themes: Emergency Politics & Control; Cynical Ideology; and Techno-Feudalism.   And there will be plenty of deep dives on national politics around the globe and discussions of big ideas with top guests. Buy The End of the End of History Subscribe on Patreon Follow us on Faceboo...

On Millennial homeowners, the USA falling apart, and restoration in the UK. As better-off 30-somethings start to get on the property ladder, does this put paid to 'Generation Left'? Will American decline be accompanied by a second civil war - as China serenely watches on? And does Britain represent a return to the 'End of History'? Is everything becoming boring again?   This is an excerpt. For the...

For the last time in 2021, we take your questions, comments and criticisms.   As always, lots of debate about Covid - and we start by remarking upon a possible u-turn on the issue on the British left.   Answer the Bungacast Listeners' Survey: surveymonkey.com/r/NN6SPD9   Buy the Bunga book: linktr.ee/bungacast   This is a sample. For the full episode, subscribe at patreon.com/bungacast

On Eva Illouz's Cold Intimacies: The Making of Emotional Capitalism How has the cold and hard world of bureaucratic, instrumental rationalism penetrated the intimate sphere of love and relationships? And how has open communication and emotional understanding been used to advance economic interests? –– We want to hear what you're thinking: fill out our Bunga Listeners' Survey! https://www.surveymon...

On Thursday 9 November, George Hoare and Alex Hochuli took part in a conversation with Catherine Liu about their recent books – The End of the End of History  and Virtue Hoarders , respectively. The focus was on the social and political role of the Professional-Managerial Class in historical context. The webinar was hosted and presented by the UCI Humanities Center , as part of their Ideas with Im...

On the left outflanked.   We continue our discussion with Douglas Lain, formerly of Zer0 Books and now of Diet Soap Media. Has the left been overtaken by events - yet again? And we propose a typology of a left divided between progressives, populists and Marxists – progressives who are authoritarian, populists who are opportunists, and Marxists who are lonely.   Hey listener - why not tell us how y...

On branding and the left.  Douglas Lain, until recently publisher of Zer0 Books and now of Diet Soap Media, joins us to talk about what happened with Zer0. Mainly, we discuss the left at the End of History, revisit No Logo and the anti-branding stance, and compare Gen X and Millennial lefts - is it just a continual story of decline? Links: Diet Soap Media: Patreon | YouTube OK Bunger! The Problem...

On people power on three continents. We discuss Chile's landmark elections, the first after the uprising of 2019-20, which see a face-off between left and far-right; Modi's repeal of controversial laws that provoked a huge mobilisation of farmers in India last year; and protests and riots against new lockdowns and vaccine mandates across Europe. Articles: Has the Backlash to Progressivism Come to...

On modernity's contradictions.   In this month's Reading Club, we discuss the introduction to Marshall Berman's marvellous All That Is Solid Melts Into Air .   This is an excerpt. For the full episode, subscribe for $10/mo at patreon.com/bungacast   Can we revive, as Berman intends, the truly dialectical, 19th century attitude to modernity? What value is there in talking about "modernity" rather t...

On the Jacobin & YouGov survey of the US working class.   A study (pdf) carried out by YouGov on behalf of Jacobin magazine and the Center for Working-Class Politics has learned that "working-class voters prefer progressive candidates who focus primarily on bread-and-butter economic issues, and who frame those issues in universal terms." What can we learn from the study, beyond the obvious? What a...

On sectarianism & identitarianism. Karl Sharro ( @KarlreMarks ) is back on Bunga to talk to us about his essay " The Retreat from Universalism in the Middle East and the World ". Lebanon has been used as a model for other Middle Eastern countries, even though its confessional system is a disaster. But Lebanese-style sectarianism isn't a form of 'feudal' backwardness – in fact it represents a precu...

On rising wages after the pandemic.   Workers are quitting their jobs and not going back. Restricted supply is seeing wages go up. Does this signal a new militancy, or are workers just deciding to make do with less? How has the pandemic shaped people's outlooks?   Articles: Wages are surging across the rich world , The Economist The Revolt of the American Worker , Paul Krugman, NYT US Workers Are...

On the global energy crisis.    Nuclear energy advocate Emmet Penney ( @nukebarbarian ) joins us to discuss the growing energy crunch in Europe, the US and beyond. Nuclear power is opposed by an unholy alliance of environmentalists and neoliberals - yet it seems the best solution for providing plentiful, reliable, and clean energy. As a demand, it seems an open goal for the left - so why are so ma...

This month we discuss GM Tamas' essay " Telling the Truth About Class " published in the Socialist Register. Is Tamas' division between Marxist and Rousseauian socialism useful? Does it help us to understand the Left today? And is Tamas right that "authentic proletarian revolution... has never occurred in its anti-capitalist purity anywhere"?   Reading Clubs are for patrons $10+, sign up at patre...

Responding to your questions, comments & criticisms.   It's a big mailbag this time round, including plenty on Covid (lockdowns, vaccines, etc), incels and dating culture, breaking out of neoliberalism's clutches, and much much more. –– Bungacast will be live in New York on 19 November. Come see Alex Hochuli in conversation with Adam Tooze & Amber A'Lee Frost. Tickets at Eventbrite –– The full epi...

The fifth and final part of a series on generational consciousness and conflict. This is an excerpt. For the full episode, subscribe at patreon.com/bungacast In this episode, we examine the Millennials and Generation Z. Uniquely, generation war today seems to be a conflict over resources more than over values. Is there any basis for this, and what do Millennials actually want? With generational an...

The fourth in a special five-part series on generational consciousness and conflict.   In this episode, we examine Generation X – the generation of the End of History. How was this generation overshadowed by the Boomer's failures? In the Eastern Bloc, the fall of Soviet regimes was a traumatic moment – how did this shape consciousness? And how did the Iranian Revolution – and subsequent war – shap...

The third in a special five-part series on generational consciousness and conflict.   This is an excerpt. For the full 1h40min episode, subscribe at patreon.com/bungacast   In this episode, we examine the Baby Boomers – myth and reality. The revolt of the '60s has been misunderstood in many dimensions. Was it betrayed or did it always express capitalist ideology? Were the Boomers the ones who real...

On German's elections – and the costs of stability. Wolfgang Streeck is back on the podcast to round-up Germany's elections last Sunday (26 September). What's behind the emphasis on continuity and competence? Is Germany stuck in the 2000s? We also discuss the importation of US-style culture wars into Germany, the country's role in the Eurozone, and strategic relations with France.  The second part...

The second in a special five-part series on generational consciousness and conflict. In this episode, we look at the emergence of 'youth' as political concept in the age following the French Revolution, and its shifting meanings. How important was generational consciousness in the Young Italy movement and its imitators in the 19th century, and how should we understand the so-called 'Lost Generatio...

This month's Reading Club is on Mike McNair's " Intersectionalism, the highest stage of western Stalinism? " from the journal Critique (pdf attached on Patreon).   How convincing is his genealogy in which he traces intersectionalism back to the 1930s Popular Front and 1960s soft Maoism? What function does intersectionalism play on the Left - and for the ruling class? And is McNair right that inter...

On Germany's election this week. Merkel has led Germany since 2005, outlasting any number of politicians across the West. What accounts for her longevity? How has such a non-ideological, post-political figure lasted so long?  Germany is finally leaving her motherly embrace. But why is continuity on the cards, despite the many global crises Germany has passed through?