The Fire These Times

Today we'll be talking to Saleem Haddad. He is the author of Guapa, the director of Marco and a 2nd time guest on The Fire These Times. Topics discussed: What constitutes queer literature?; Muhammad Abdelnabi; Ocean Vuong;  James Baldwin; The Personal is Political; Pedro Lemebel; Israeli  pinkwashing; criticizing the so-called ‘gay international’ by Joseph  Massad; how ‘anti-imperia...

This is a conversation with Kai Kuhnhenn and Linda Schneider. They recently co-wrote a really important and freely-available study exploring a Societal Transformation Scenario (STS) on how to limit global warming to 1.5°C. Topics Discussed: The importance of the study The problem with assuming economic growth in studying environmental impact The reliance on growth in Intergovernmental Panel on Cli...

This is a conversation with Anand Gopal about his essay for Catalyst Journal entitled ‘The Arab Thermidor‘ in which he presents a class analysis of the Arab Spring. We spoke about a number of Arab-majority countries but with a focus on Syria. We briefly mentioned Afghanistan too.  PATREON Help me make more podcast episodes by supporting me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/firethesetimes &n...

Today we'll be talking to Emmi Bevensee again. They're a data journalist who utilizes a data storytelling approach to make complexity understandable. Topics discussed: Fifth Section : Eco-Fascism; the ‘Thanos’ tendency;  Climate grief; Climate anxiety; Climate denialism; Manipulative  algorithms; Network effects; Peer-to-peer technology; Gab; Alt-right  echo chambers; Machine learni...

Today we'll be talking to Emmi Bevensee . They're a data journalist who utilizes a data storytelling approach to make complexity understandable. Topics discussed: First section: Complex Warfare; Disinformation Warfare; Drones; 3D-printed Guns; Houthis and Saudi Arabia; Asymmetrical  Warfare; Surveillance; Anti-authoritarian communities; Open-source intelligence  (OSINT); Katehon; Russia;...

Today we’ll be talking to Rohini Hensman. She is an India-based Sri Lankan labor activist and feminist and an  independent scholar whose book “ Indefensible: Democracy,  Counterrevolution, and the Rhetoric of Anti-Imperialism ” I’ve reviewed some years ago, and which will be the topic of our conversation today. In that book, she argues that the apparent anti-imperialism of many  sel...

This is the first episode of the year and I wanted us to start this year by talking about silicon valley. Now, I know that this might sound weird, maybe out of context even, but I think we've reached a point where we need to come to terms with the fact that we're all living in a world heavily influenced by what we usually call Big Tech. So Amazon, Apple, Google, Facebook and Microsoft, but we can...

This is the audio version of the virtual book launch of ' A region in revolt: Mapping the recent uprisings in North Africa and West Asia '. I took part in it alongside a number of the co-authors of the book. See you all in 2021. The Fire These Times will be back in mid-January. A wave of mass protest movements has spread across North Africa and West Asia, including Sudan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon an...

This is a conversation with Zhongjin Li and Eli Friedman, co-editors of the book ' China on Strike: Narratives of Workers' Resistance ', with the original Chinese edition edited by Hao Ren. Through the story of Labor insurgency in China we go into the world of narratives and ideas. We explore the contrast between a government's projected image, and its reality. My guests do an excellent job at exp...

This is a conversation with Martin Parker and Thomas Swann , co-editors of the book " Anarchism, Organization and Management: Critical Perspectives for Students ". Now I know what you must be thinking: anarchism and management? Aren't they contradictory?  Often, yes, but not necessarily, and this conversation will try and argue that they can work very well together. In fact, my guests and I a...

This is a conversation with Jonathan McIntosh who runs the Pop Culture Detective Agency ,  the video essay series focusing on the intersections of masculinity,  politics and entertainment. He was also a producer and co-writer on the Tropes vs. Women in Video Games YouTube video series created and hosted by Anita Sarkeesian . You don't have to watch his videos before listening to this &nb...

I spoke with Francesco Saverio Leopardi of Ca'Foscari University of Venice about his recently released book 'The Palestinian Left and Its Decline: Loyal Opposition'. We go through the recent history of the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine, or PFLP, from 1982 to 2007. We go through its complicated role(s) in various Arab countries and even more complicated relationship with other P...

This is a conversation with Dr Mona Harb ,  Professor of Urban Studies and Politics at the Department of  Architecture and Design at the American University of Beirut. She also  works at Beirut Urban Lab which is: "a collaborative and interdisciplinary research space. The Lab produces  scholarship on urbanization by documenting and analyzing ongoing  transformation process...

This is an unusual episode in that it's just me reflecting on the first 50 episodes that were released on The Fire These Times since March 14th 2020. I also speak about the projects I'm working on and which are made possible by your support. The projects: The Fire These Times : the podcast named after the James  Baldwin book ‘The Fire Next Time’. Its overarching philosophy is exploring ways t...

This is a conversation with Loukas Stamellos . He's a member of the Greek grassroots media organisation OmniaTV and of the " Golden Dawn Watch "  initiative. Loukas and I spoke about Golden Dawn more generally, not just the trial that finally concluded that they are a criminal organisation but about  fascism in Greece and in Europe more broadly. He was really able to link Golden Dawn's f...

This is a conversation with Syrian-British human rights activist Ghias Al Jundi about the recent fires at the Moria camp for refugees and migrants in Greece. The fires that burned through the camp left thousands houseless, turning a situation that was already described as a living hell into something even worse. Please check the links below for readings on that. Ghias has been going frequently to...

This is a conversation with Dr Peter Kalmus .  He's a climate scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, and an activist  struggling, like so many of us, with the overwhelming presence of the  climate emergency. You can follow the podcast on Twitter @FireTheseTimes . You can follow the other project, Hummus For Thought, on Twitter @LebInterviews . If you like what I do, please consider...

This is a conversation with Lara Bitar , the founding editor of The Public Source , a Beirut-based independent media organization  "dedicated to reporting on socioeconomic and environmental crises afflicting Lebanon since the onset of neoliberal governance in the 90s, and providing political commentary on events unfolding since  October 17." We spoke about the im...

This is a conversation with Shui-yin Sharon Yam , a US-based Hongkonger academic who has been writing on various topics. It is a long conversation about Hong Kong, being a member of the  diaspora who may not be able to go back, how Hong Kongers can learn from  other people’s experiences with disinformation, as well as the  emotional cost of that disinformation on Sharon and I. She i...

This is a conversation with Ethiopian journalist Zecharias Zelalem on  his recent investigation into the horrific living conditions that Ethiopian migrants are living in in Saudi detention centers, as well as  his overview of the recent protests in Ethiopia following the murder of  popular Oromo singer Hachalu Hundessa. Additional links on TheFireThisTi. Me You can follow the podcas...

This is a conversation with Hamed Sinno, lead singer of the Lebanese band Mashrou' Leila . We spoke about the September 2017 concert in Cairo, Sarah Hegazi, mental health, and growing up queer in Lebanon - and everything in between. You can follow the podcast on Twitter @FireTheseTimes . You can follow the other project, Hummus For Thought, on Twitter @LebInterviews . If you like what I do, please...

This is a conversation with Rayhan Asat and Yonah Diamond , authors of a piece for Foreign Policy entitled " The World’s Most Technologically Sophisticated Genocide Is Happening in Xinjiang ." In addition to both being lawyers, Rayhan is also the sister of Ekpar Asat who was forcibly disappeared by the Chinese Communist Party in 2016, and she's the president of the American Turkic International La...

I spoke with Lebanese writer and translator Lina Mounzer about witnessing and experiencing the Beirut explosion on August 4th,  2020. So far there are 157 deaths, 5,000 injuries, US$10–15 billion in  property damage and an estimated 300,000 people left homeless. The blast was linked to about 2,750 tonnes (3,030 short tons) of ammonium nitrate – equivalent to around 1,155 tonnes of TNT (4...

This is a conversation with Mariam Barghouti . She’s a Palestinian-American writer and researcher currently based in Ramallah. I spoke with Mariam about her growth as a Palestinian activist,  #BlackLivesMatter, the Syrian revolution, trans-generational  understanding and rendering our struggles visible Topics discussed: COVID19 in the context of the Israeli occupation of  the West B...

Trigger warning : suicide. We talked about Sarah Hegazi's death. This is a conversation with Alia and Nadia of " The Queer Arabs " podcast. We spoke about what it's like to host a podcast about LGBTQ Arabs, the guests they have on and how queer arab activism has changed in recent years and especially since the 2011 uprisings including with the recent crackdowns in, for example, Egypt. We also spok...