The Burning Archive

Marie Favereau shows how the Mongol Horde changed the world and world history in this special interview. It was not only the conquests of Genghis Khan, but his successors in the Horde, especially the Golden Horde. Their culture, skilful diplomacy and embrace of diversity were the real reasons the Mongol Horde changed the world. If you're interested in world history, then this podcast is for yo...

It is all about the story. We are all experts in story, aren't we? And every day amidst this current world crisis, we are bombarded with narratives. Some of these "geopolitical" narratives are based on good history. Some on very poor history. But how do you spot the difference? How do you know big historical comparisons like "Pearl Harbour or "Munich 1938" are flawed,...

If a modest librarian had not pulled the sole manuscript of the Old English poem, Beowulf from the fire, we might never have had J.R.R. Tolkein's Lord of the Rings. You have probably heard of Beowulf, but never have read the poem. Introduce yourself to this legend saved from a burning archive on the Burning Archive podcast. More details of all my content and free weekly newsletter are at thebu...

It covers the history of the Nobel Prize for Literature, some of my favourite winners and losers, and some controversies. I also cover in this episode the 2022 winner, French writer, Annie Ernaux. This episode begins a mini-series on the Nobel Prize for Literature. There will be episodes in all in the lead-up to the announcement of the prize on 5 October. William Butler (W.B) Yeats 1923 100th anni...

The Israel-Gaza Crisis, as the United Nations describes the situation, has shocked the world, and confronted us with the difficulties of living in a time of war. How can we respond to these shocking events mindfully, given the torrents of emotion coursing around the world? How can we use history not to nurse grievance, but to nurture empathy, and so to restore peace? I address these questions thro...

Are you looking for a new, readable, intriguing history book to read? I introduce you to a shortlist of 6 top history books from 2023. All 6 books come from the shortlist for the 2023 Wolfson History Prize, Britain and the UK's most prestigious history book prize. I also invite you to help me shape my idea for an online history reading club, where you can learn and read with me. Would you like...

The 2023 Nobel Prize for Literature is announced. Relive world literature's night of nights with this edited live reaction to the announcement. It covers all the predictions, the actual announcement, and an emotional introduction to why you might want to read the works of this year's winner. Whether you do not know who won, or do not know anything about who won, this podcast will offer you...

Why read Olga Tokarczuk, Winner of 2018 Nobel Prize for Literature? Find out in this fourth episode of my series on the Nobel Prize for Literature. It discusses the life of the 2018 Nobel Prize for Literature Laureate, the novelist Olga Tokarczuk. I give you 10 reasons to read one of the most celebrated Nobel winners of recent years. I give a guide to her works: The Books of Jacob (the best histor...

Why read Patrick White, Winner of 1973 Nobel Prize for Literature? Find out in this third episode of my series on the Nobel Prize for Literature. It discusses the life and works of the 1973 Nobel Prize for Literature Laureate, the novelist Patrick White, the only Australian to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. You will hear White react to the news of the prize in his own voice, and learn how thi...

Why should you read W.B. Yeats, Winner of 1923 Nobel Prize for Literature? Find out in this second of my series on the Nobel Prize for Literature. It discusses the life and works of the 1923 Nobel Prize for Literature Laureate, William Butler (W.B.) Yeats, including a rare recording of Yeats in his own voice and the surprising story of his poem, The Second Comin g. Find out about this intriguing p...

What is the history behind the rise and fall of the professions? How is their story linked to the rise of management especially since the 1970s? And how does it all relate to what happens in the modern university? Find out answers to all these questions in this in-depth interview with historian Dr Hannah Forsyth , author of Virtue Capitalists :  the rise and fall of the professional class in the A...

The Burning Archive brings you the second in a special two-part interview with the esteemed world historian, Felipe Fernández-Armesto. Is the world changing in ways not seen for 100 years? How can America's Hispanic past and present inform how it responds to this changing world of more equally distributed power? And what makes explorers like Magellan, Columbus and Captain James Cook such intri...

The Burning Archive brings you a special two-part interview with the esteemed world historian, Felipe Fernández-Armesto. Did you know the first case of animal farming was the humble snail? How does the world's leading historian of the world see the accelerating pace of change today affecting identity and mental health? In this first episode we discuss 1. World History, Food, Environment and Ci...

Why can't we just all get along? Is all history class struggle, or a fight between the people and the elites? Or, as Peter Turchin suggests, do elites fight hardest against other elites? And how can Stockholm show us a better way to live together? Quote of the show: "Identity is an invitation to dialogue, not a prison." (Vaclav Havel)

We feel that society is changing in dramatic ways. But what are the four big social changes that are driving how we make sense of society. Find out on the Burning Archive Podcast. www.theburningarchive.com

There are mass protests in France. Tensions everywhere. Peter Turchin has published End Times- his theory of social collapse. Is it that bad? And what are Emmanuel Todd's seven top social changes that define the conflicts of modern advanced societies?

The NATO Summit in Vilnius disappointed Volodomyr Zelenszky and Ukraine. He might be singing, Is that all there is to an alliance? Find out what it means for NATO, for the war in Ukraine, and risks of war with China in the Indo-Pacific. Is it the beginning of the end game? Or is it the old game of the End and the Beginning?

Atlantic Romantics, Part II gives you a rapid fire history of the Altlantic, structured around seven key dates. These dates provide glimpses into the multipolar history of the Atlantic Ocean, and the chameleon-like character of the Atlantic idea, institutions, alliance, cultures and civilizations. This podcast will take you in less than an hour from late Bronze Age Portugal to the July 11-12 NATO...

Three big regional ideas dominate the world: the Indo-Pacific, Eurasia, and the Atlantic. What is the Atlantic? Is it an ocean? An alliance? An idea? Is it Western civilization? Is it a special relationship between the USA and Britain? Could the NATO alliance be about to break up? Find out the answers and some surprising fun facts about the Atlantic on this podcast. Imagine the world differently w...

There are not two continents of Europe and Asia. There is one physical continent of Eurasia. Ideas of Europe and Asia, and their place in world history have formed two continents from one. And ideas of Eurasia in Russia and in the West threaten war between the Eurasian and Atlantic worlds. But it does not need to be so. Halford Mackinder has a lot to answer for, including Aleksander Dugin. Join my...

There are not two continents of Europe and Asia. There is one physical continent of Eurasia, and the countries of Eurasia are becoming more important, more wealthy and more assertive in world politics. Find out why, and how powerful new international institutions, infrastructure projects and foreign policies are strengthening this region, including its Heartland, Russia, compared to the Atlantic p...

I wrote recently that the Free and Open Indo Pacific is like the Holy Roman Empire. It is not free, not open, and not even the Indo-Pacific. Find out why on this intriguing podcast that covers - my article on Australia, India and the Indo-Pacific, "Australia, Little Country Lost" - some real history you can read to get a better understanding of the history of the Indian and Pacific Ocean...

Some leaders say the world is in a crisis it has not seen in 100 years. Adam Tooze (historian) says the world is in a polycrisis, and that we all struggle to cope with the shock of the many. Some cynics might say, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Who is right? Or are they all right? How do we make sense of the cascading crises of war, diplomacy, pandemic, politics, economy, soc...

When Indian Prime Minister. Narendra Modi came to Sydney in 2023 he charmed the crowd so much that Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared him to be "The Boss". His charisma came with India's soft power, based in its millenia of cultural traditions of responsible statecraft. And it came with a punch, a strong demand that it's time to reform the United Nations Security...

Hard truth, bitter lesson: Governments around the world often fail people with mental illness. Many grand plans for reform or noble visions of liberation crash to earth. Why? On this podcast, I show the connection of mental illness to problems in democracy and the great world crisis today I share my reflections on government failure in mental health during my 33 years as a government official, inc...