Sense & Solidarity (Sarah Stein Lubrano and Max Haiven)

We take the occassion of the first Trump-Mamdani meeting to ask: How can Max Weber's theory of charismatic authority help us understand fascism and the struggle against it?  Do we need a charismatic leader to save us?  PLUS: we spill the tea on Max Weber's spicy poly life. And the ghost of David Graeber makes his usual appearance. THOUGHT SNACK is an occasional podcast from Sense & Solidarity...

Sarah indulges Max's controversial take that... Students are workers Use of ChatGPT and generative AI is the refusal of work Workers can and should reclaim the means of study as part of a class war THOUGHTSNACK is an occasional podcast from Sense & Solidarity where Sarah Stein Lubrano and Max Haiven explore the big ideas that make and break our world. Sense & Solidarity is a platform where...

Sarah and Max try and figure out why everyone is so obsessed with (mis)counting babies. Of course, we talk about capitalism, imperialism, patriarchy and much more. Here's what set us off: "The Birth-Rate Crisis Isn’t as Bad as You’ve Heard—It’s Worse" in  The Atlantic . "How does Low Fertility Affect Economic Growth, Worldwide?" in Rocking our Priors podcast THOUGHTSNACK is an occasional podcast f...

Max and Sarah sketch a framework for understanding three core fascist motivations, based on Max's forthcoming book The Player and the Played: From Gamified Capitalism to 21st Century Fascism. An OPPORTUNIST motivation to personally benefit from authoritarianism A PARANOID fear that the "natural" order is collapsing A PSYCHEDELIC infatuation with the power to bend and break reality THOUGHT SNACK is...

On May 21, Sarah Stein Lubrano , author of Don't Talk About Politics: How to Change 21st-Century Minds sat down with Max Haiven at Berlin's Shakespeare and Sons bookshop. "Democracy is dying because we are clinging to a dangerous and outdated myth: talking about politics can change people's minds. It doesn't. This provocative debut from a bold new voice combines a fascinating range of research to...

In this short bonus episode... 👹 We at  Sense & Solidarity invite you to apply for our study workshop “Fascist Dreams, Antifascist Awakenings” in Palermo, May 25-29 (applications due April 7!). 📘 Sarah tells you about her forthcoming book   Don’t Talk About Politics : How to Change 21st Century Minds and events this Spring and Summer.   🎲 And Max tells you about the  crowdfunding campaign o...

The world is giving fascism in 2025, so we’ve been away writing, reading and getting ready to serve up more on that topic.  Meanwhile, here’s a chattier, less-structured version of our usual schtick - recorded over the holidays, live in front of a studio (well, living room) audience.  Tune in to hear: Sarah talk about why we shouldn’t argue with our relatives and why fascists are much like guys wh...

Live, in front of a seductive studio audience, Sarah and Max bring to a climax the first intoxicating season of  What Do We Want ? (a podcast about what brings social movements together and drives them apart) with an episode on PLEASURE. They are joined by dazzling special guests Sita Balani and Zrinka Balo, to explore salacious questions including: Should we prioritize activism being pleasurable?...

We, an unnamed collective, must sanctimoniously inform would-be listeners that the SHAME episode of WHAT DO WE WANT? (a podcast about what brings social movements together and drives them apart) has been summarily cancelled.  The hosts, Sarah and Max, have been found preemptively guilty of causing grievous harms to the left by asking questions including: Is pride enough? Should we wield shame? And...

Why do so many people insist on believing in systems that hurt them?  Why do so many of us dwell in fantasy, rather than facing reality?  (Wait, is dwelling in fantasy an option? Why weren’t we told?)  In this episode of WHAT DO WE WANT? (a podcast about what brings social movements together and drives them apart) Max and Sarah dive deep into the murky waters of FANTASY, desire and illusion to ask...

Do you sometimes feel like a little cartoon dog, surrounded by flames? Is the dog also our movements for justice? Are the flames systems of domination? Is nothing, in fact, at all “fine”? Then break out the marshmallows and join us for an episode of What Do We Want? (a podcast about what brings social movements together and drives them apart) about despair! This time Sarah and Max go deep and dark...

Unless you are a lizard person hiding under a tin-foil rock, you, dear activist, have met your fair share of conspiracists. What the f*ck is wrong with these people? And why are they so damn successful in attracting others when their stories are so implausible? In this episode of What Do We Want? (a podcast about what brings social movements together and drives them apart), Max and Sarah sail to t...

“Heartbreak is at the heart of revolutionary consciousness” writes Gargi Bhattacharyya. So let’s get used to it!  In this episode of What Do We Want? (a podcast about what brings social movements together and drives them apart), Sarah and Max ask the tear-jerking questions about movement breakups, wounded hearts and petty revenge fantasies. Should we try and hit on (recruit) everyone? How can we k...

In this trailer, Max and Sarah discuss what motivated them to produce WHAT DO WE WANT? (a podcast about what draws movements together... and drives them apart) and what they're looking forward to in season 1, with episodes on heartbreak, conspiracy, despair, fantasy, shame and pleasure and special guests including Rachel Donald, Lola Olufemi, Brent Lee and Sophie Lewis. For more information, visit...