IDEAS IN MOTION

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. S.A. Hamed Hosseini to discuss his work, "The Quranic Blueprint for a Global Commons." We explore how ancient theological principles offer a radical alternative to the enclosures of late-stage capitalism, reimagining everything from digital platforms to ecological governance as a shared sacred trust. Episode Highlights: Beyond Physical Resources: Dr...

In this episode, we dive into "The Ruins of Hubris," by Dr. S.A. Hamed Hosseini, a profound exploration of what the source calls a "Quranic archaeology of power." Rather than viewing the stories of lost empires like ‘Ad, Thamud, and the Pharaonic state as mere historical footnotes, we unearth them as diagnostic tools for our modern global crises—from ecological collapse to the...

Episode Description: In this episode, we explore the striking paradox of the modern food system: why are emissions, hunger, and land concentration intensifying even as multi-billion-dollar "sustainability" programs from global giants like Nestlé and PepsiCo expand at record rates?. We take a deep dive into the groundbreaking paper by S. A. Hamed Hosseini , titled " Sustaining What?...

Episode Description: In this episode, we investigate a fundamental shift in how we work and how we are managed. We take a deep dive into the insightful article "The dual economics in the labor process: managerial contradictions and indirect control" by researchers Wolfgang Menz and Sarah Nies . The authors challenge the popular idea of "Digital Taylorism"—the belief that techno...

Episode Description: In this episode, we explore the subtle and pervasive ways digital tools have shifted from being mere instruments to becoming independent forces of control. We take a deep dive into the provocative article "Governed by digital technology? Self-perpetuation and social domination in digital capitalism" by researchers Konstantin Klur and Sarah Nies . Moving beyond the co...

What is meta-modernism, its key ideas, and their applications and practical implications for today's world? a conversation based on the following resources: Andersen, L. R. (2019). Metamodernity: Meaning and hope in a complex world . Nordic Bildung. Dempsey, B. G. (2022). Emergentism: A religion of complexity for the metamodern world . Palimpsest Press. Dempsey, B. G. (2023). Metamodernism: Or...

The University as Assemblage Is the "ivory tower" truly crumbling, or is it just being rearranged? In this episode, we dive into Jana Bacevic’s insightful paper, "With or without U? Assemblage theory and (de)territorializing the university," to challenge everything you thought you knew about higher education. We move beyond the headlines of "dying" universities to exp...

In this episode, we investigate how race functions as a primary organizing feature of the modern world, drawing on Chapter 9 of George Ritzer’s Contemporary Sociological Theory and Its Classical Roots (2022) . We move beyond biological myths to explore race as a social construction forged through the history of European colonialism and the "primitive accumulation" that fueled early capit...

Beller, J. (2022).  Digitality and racial capitalism . In B. Skeggs, S. R. Farris, A. Toscano, S. Bromberg (Eds.)  The Sage Handbook of Marxism . SAGE Publications Ltd, In this episode, we explore the chilling intersection of technology and systemic oppression through Jonathan Beller's "Digitality and Racial Capitalism," featured in the Sage Handbook of Marxism . Beller proposes that...

In this episode, we explore the structural and cultural construction of identity and inequality, drawing on Chapter 12 of Michele Dillon’s Introduction to Sociological Theory: Theorists, Concepts, and Their Applicability to the Twenty-First Century . We examine the persistent "problem of the color-line" and how the historical legacies of slavery and colonialism continue to shape modern s...

Abstract: Gender has emerged as a central pillar of social theory, evolving from early feminist activism into a complex discipline that interrogates systemic structures of power. The conceptual framework of patriarchy serves as a master concept, describing a normative order that enforces heteronormativity and rigid gendered expectations across society. Through the historical progression of feminis...

Abstract: This work provides an extensive examination of feminist sociological theories, focusing on how gender inequality is structured and experienced across macro and micro levels of society. It traces the historical development of feminist thought, from early critiques of androcentric culture to contemporary frameworks that challenge objectified knowledge. Central to the discussion are standpo...

Intersectionality is an analytical framework that conceptualizes various modes of oppression—such as race, gender, class, and sexuality—as mutually constitutive and inseparable rather than distinct or additive categories. Rooted in the activism and theoretical contributions of women of color, it rejects "single-axis" thinking and the ranking of social injustices in a hierarchy. The docum...

The Jeffrey Epstein case provides a profound example for social analysis, revealing how elite power, impunity, and the mechanisms of class operate. According to the sources, a comprehensive understanding of the case requires both Bourdieusian concepts to map the granular mechanisms of legitimation and Marxian theory to explain the underlying structural forces. A Bourdieusian Analysis: The Machiner...

The source under discussion: Ritzer, G. & Stepnisky, J. (2022).  Chapter 10 – Postmodern Grand Theories   in  Contemporary Sociological Theory and Its Classical Roots: The Basics,  Los Angeles: SAGE. (pp. 297-340) This chapter examines several postmodern grand theories that describe a contemporary world characterized by flux, uncertainty, and social constructions rather than modern certainty....

The Dialectic of Reason: From Mythic Origins to Modern Barbarism.  The Enlightenment’s foundational goal was the liberation of humanity from fear and the establishment of sovereignty through knowledge. However, this program of disenchantment has paradoxically facilitated a reversion to mythology and a new form of barbarism . By reducing knowledge to instrumental rationality —a tool for the dominat...

Social theory has transitioned from its classical European foundations —grounded in historical materialism, social facts, and interpretive sociology—to a multifaceted global discipline. While the traditional canon focused on class conflict and bureaucracy , the field now encompasses diverse American and European perspectives on symbolic interactionism , structural functionalism, and intersectional...

Are we truly measuring progress when we rely solely on economic growth? In a world grappling with urgent global socio-ecological challenges, the traditional concepts of 'well-being' and 'quality of life' have proven inadequate, often reduced to measuring "well-having" rather than authentic fulfilment. Reformist efforts to move "beyond GDP" have been crucial, but...

Toward a #Commonist Future: Redefining Value to Liberate Life (Insights from the Food System)This episode presents a summary of S. A. Hamed Hosseini's conference paper (presented at the 2025 New Economy Network Australia's Conference, 12 Oct 2025). He argues that the root cause of today's escalating socio-ecological crises, widening inequality, and global genocides is how "value&q...

This episode discusses a few key classical concepts in environmental studies from the book "Companion to Environmental Studies" Edited by Noel Castree, Mike Hulme, and James D. Proctor

This episode outlines the final assignment for a sociology course, SOCA3780, which challenges students to analyse  value dynamics  within a single, chosen sector (such as housing, healthcare, or education). The core purpose is to critically examine how  true value —grounded in human agency, liveability, conviviality, and alterity—is distorted into  capitalist value and fetish value  through the pr...

This academic article, authored by S. A. Hosseini and published in 1998, focuses on  “The Islamic Reconstructionist Methodology of Studying Quran.”  The text outlines a scholarly approach for understanding the Qur'an within contemporary Islamic thought, moving beyond traditional methods. The central purpose of the work is to present an  "Islamic Reconstructionist"  framework, advocat...

Dr Hosseini's work presents an  Existential Process Theory  inspired by the Islamic philosophy of Mulla Sadra, seeking to answer the profound question:  "Why is there existence instead of nothing?"  Drawing partly on the cosmological challenge raised by physicist Paul Davies, who notes that science cannot explain the origin of physical laws outside of space and time, Hosseini propose...

Value Dynamics in the Agricultural Sector (Podcast version of Session 11 Lecture) by S A Hamed Hosseini

This episode, based on an excerpt from Dr. S. A. Hamed Hosseini, addresses a student's confusion regarding the core distinctions between key concepts in critical theory, particularly those related to the origins of capitalist value. The text systematically differentiates  abstraction  (broken into primary and secondary stages) from  decommonization , explaining that decommonization is the over...