Best C Derick Varn Podcasts (2025)

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/521/ Too Smart to Read ft. C. Derick Varn 59:48

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6d ago59:48

59:48

On the crisis in literacy. Poet, podcaster and teacher, C. Derick Varn – who has taught in Mexico, Korea, Egypt and the US, at various levels – joins Alex and George to interrogate the coming "post-literate society". What do we mean when we say 'post-literate'? This seems a global problem – so is it a problem of the education system? Is it as simpl…

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Boundless and Bottomless (Special): Jay Rogers on Dugin's Fourth Political Theory 2:01:05

4d ago2:01:05

2:01:05

What happens when a Protestant Christian delves into the philosophy of Russia's most controversial thinker? Jay Rogers, a heart transplant survivor and longtime student of Russian culture, takes us on a fascinating journey through his engagement with Alexander Dugan's Fourth Political Theory. Having traveled extensively throughout Russia and Ukrain…

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How to Confront Political Despair (feat. Benjamin Studebaker) 1:47:30

5d ago1:47:30

1:47:30

I am joined by political theorist Benjamin Studebaker to discuss the retreat of the political and the concomitant rise in despair. How do we theorize this despair, and how does it differ from spiritual despair? Please read Studebaker's article which is the focus of this discussion: "Political Despair and Moral Injunctions" https://bit.ly/469EqkQ…

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Michel Clouscard's Critique of Liberal-Libertarian Ideology (feat. Michael C. Behrent) 1:39:10

5d ago1:39:10

1:39:10

My guest is Michael C. Behrent, a historian of French intellectual history and a leading scholar of Michel Foucault. Behrent has been at the forefront of an important debate about the legacy of Foucault's thought, and specifically his political influence on the contemporary left and the rise of neoliberalism. Behrent is also working on the thought …

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Can Ressentiment Be Revolutionary? (feat. Zahi Zalloua) 1:38:44

5d ago1:38:44

1:38:44

I am joined by philosopher and scholar Zahi Zalloua to discuss the politics of resentment, and how to theorize the problematic concept of "ressentiment" and whether this concept can be applied to emancipatory ends. Is ressentiment a political affect that can be harnessed for revolutionary action? We discuss Zalloua's recent works: Fanon, Žižek, and…

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Palestine and the Political Economy of the Middle East (feat. Adam Hanieh) 1:28:18

5d ago1:28:18

1:28:18

My guest is the political economist Adam Hanieh, a foremost expert on the political economy of the Middle East, fossil capitalism and imperialism. We discuss the war on Gaza, the prospects of Palestinian statehood, the dominance of Gulf oil and how it shapes the ruling classes in the region and the status of labor struggles across the wider Middle …

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Iranian Diaspora and Political Identity with Keanu Heydari 1:09:58

7d ago1:09:58

1:09:58

What defines Iranian identity, both within Iran and across its global diaspora? In this thought-provoking conversation with historian Keanu Heydari, we peel back layers of complexity surrounding one of the world's most politically fragmented diasporic communities. Heydari, a PhD candidate at the University of Michigan specializing in Iranian studen…

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How Zoran Mamdani Surfed Anti-Politics To Beat A Party Machine with the Rapple Report 2:17:25

11d ago2:17:25

2:17:25

A shock win feels like a movement—until the math starts. We dig into Zoran Mamdani’s ascent with a clear-eyed look at why voters broke for him, what “anti-politics” actually signals, and how a mayor’s bold promises get squeezed by bonds, taxes, and thin state capacity. The story here isn’t a fairy tale of revival; it’s a patient autopsy of party ca…

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/520/ Conspiracy Culture & Paranoid Styles ft. Catherine Liu 12:21

12d ago12:21

12:21

In this special episode, we present talks given by contributing editor Catherine Liu and co-host George Hoare on the paranoid style at a recent conference at UC Irvine, co-hosted by the Palm Springs School for Social Research. 00:01:23 – Catherine Liu: Opening Remarks, on Richard Hofstatder’s classic essay “The Paranoid Style in American Politics” …

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/519/ Reading Club: White Collar & Post-Mass Culture ft. Dustin Guastella 31:07

14d ago31:07

31:07

On the middle classes and cultural compression. For the concluding episode of the 2024/25 Reading Club, we discuss C. Wright Mills' White Collar, plus some additional short texts on what mass culture is like today. credit: Ryan Zickgraf, based on The Wilson Quarterly/Russell Lynes 1949 For the full episode, subscribe at patreon.com/bungacast Does M…

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The Subject Unbound: Structuralism, Psychoanalysis, and Revolutionary Consciousness with Andrew Flores, Jr. 1:47:42

14d ago1:47:42

1:47:42

What happens when the revolutionary fervor of Marxism meets the probing depths of the psychoanalytic couch? In this intellectually stimulating conversation, Andrew Flores (host of The Parallax Viewer) explores the fascinating and often contentious relationship between psychoanalytic theory and left politics. The discussion begins with a fundamental…

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UNLOCKED: /497/ Are We Living in Fast Times? ft. James Hughes & Eli Sennesh 1:08:22

20d ago1:08:22

1:08:22

On technology, transhumanism, and progress. James Hughes (Exec Director, Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies) and Eli Sennesh (postdoc, Vanderbilt) present a futurist approach to Alex and contributing editor Leigh Phillips. What is wrong with the acronym TESCREAL? Why is it wrong to worry about future transhumanism when we need to grappl…

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The Marxist Unity Group: Navigating DSA's Political Landscape 2:17:40

21d ago2:17:40

2:17:40

What does it mean to build a socialist party in America today? The Marxist Unity Group, a left caucus within the Democratic Socialists of America, offers their perspective on this critical question while unpacking the complexities of DSA's internal dynamics, electoral strategy, and revolutionary vision. Fresh from DSA's national convention, MUG mem…

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/518/ We Have Never Been Postmodern ft. Geoff Shullenberger 43:11

23d ago43:11

43:11

On free speech, the tech right, and politicisation. Geoff Shullenberger, managing editor at Compact, joins Alex and George to talk about Peter Thiel, René Girard, victimhood and the antichrist. Does it make sense to talk of "right-wing cancel culture"? Is it different from the left's? Is countercultural trolling in tension with "defending Western c…

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/517/ Wonders of the Modern World ft. Pier Paolo Tamburelli 45:21

27d ago45:21

45:21

On places of ritual. Architect Pier Paolo Tamburelli talks to Alex about his project to catalogue modern wonders – structures that are very big, that pretend to be ancient, and are mostly ugly. For the full episode subscribe at patreon.com/bungacast How has architecture lost its ritual dimension? Why are these "modern wonders" kitsch? And why are t…

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The Spectacle Society: When Nothing Means Anything with Dave Stockdale 3:46:29

28d ago3:46:29

3:46:29

In this riveting conversation with Dave Stockdale of Nightmare Masterclass, we dive deep into the crumbling foundations of media trust and how dark money shapes our information landscape. The discussion begins with a critical examination of the recent "Chorus" controversy, where progressive influencers took billionaire funding while decrying critic…

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/516/ France's Two Peripheries: Riots and Insurrection ft. Fred Lyra 35:36

1M ago35:36

35:36

On 20 years since the 2005 riots. Fred Lyra, philosopher and musicologist based in Paris, joins Alex to talk about France through 4 moments: 1995 – the last moment of classic class struggle; 2005 – riots in the banlieues; 2015 – Islamist terror; 2025 – government collapse. For the full episode, subscribe at patreon.com/bungacast How were the riots …

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The People's Era: How France Unbowed Reimagines Leftist Politics 2:48:22

1M ago2:48:22

2:48:22

What makes a radical left movement actually succeed in the 21st century? In this deeply illuminating conversation, Henry Wallis of New International Magazine breaks down how France Unbowed has become one of Europe's most significant left formations while avoiding the collapse that befell similar movements. Unlike traditional leftist organizations f…

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(From the Patreon Archives) From Operaismo to Autonomy: Italian Radical Thought with P.H. Higgins 1:44:28

1M ago1:44:28

1:44:28

This episode was released patreon's only in 2021. Mario Tronti and Antonio Negri stand as towering figures in the forgotten history of Italian radical Marxism. Their theoretical frameworks - operaismo and autonomia - emerged from the unique contradictions of post-war Italy: a strong Communist Party trapped in parliamentary politics while workers so…

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/515/ State Capitalism Is Now ft. Ilias Alami 1:14:14

1M ago1:14:14

1:14:14

On the weakness of state and capital – and their fusion. Ilias Alami joins Alex and Lee to talk about his essential co-authored book, The Spectre of State Capitalism. Why is state capitalism not just a China story, but is global? What does the rise of state capitalism tell us about the health of contemporary capitalism? How did globalisation and st…

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/514/ The Expressway World ft. Richard Williams 59:29

2M ago59:29

59:29

On living with modernity. Richard J Williams talks to Alex and George about his new book, The Expressway World and how cities have adapted to the infrastructural legacies of the mid-20th century. We talk about New York, London, São Paulo, Madrid, Glasgow and Seoul. Why do people hate expressways – and who actually loves them? What are Big Man citie…

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How Technology Could Transform Our Failed Economic Models with Victor Vernissage rom Humanode 1:28:21

2M ago1:28:21

1:28:21

What if blockchain technology could emancipate us rather than just enrich speculators? In this wide-ranging conversation with Victor Vernissage, researcher, economist, and founder of Humanode.io, we explore how emerging technologies might transform our economic systems if deployed with democratic values rather than purely capitalist structures. "Cr…

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/513/ Global Right: LATAM Division ft. Guilherme Casarões 47:43

2M ago47:43

47:43

On the Bolsonaros, Milei and MAGA. Alex talks to Guilherme Casarões, Associate Professor of Brazilian Studies at Florida International University, about Bolsonaro's sentencing, Trump's tariffs on Brazil, and the bailout of Milei. Is the motivation behind the tariffs on Brazil just partisan interest? How has Jair Bolsonaro's son, Eduardo, become poi…

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Impossible Things: A Poet's Journey Through Loss and Translation with Miller Wolf Oberman 1:29:13

2M ago1:29:13

1:29:13

What happens when grief becomes inheritance? When poet Miller Oberman became a father himself, he suddenly understood something that had shaped his entire life: he had been parented by someone traumatized by the loss of a child. This revelation sparked an extraordinary poetic journey, driving him toward his father's unfinished memoir about the drow…

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/512/ Reading Club: Middle-Class Dreams & Nightmares 25:31

2M ago25:31

25:31

On Göran Therborn's article, "Dreams and Nightmares of the World's Middle Classes". The penultimate episode of this block on the middle class, we discuss the differing fortunes and politics of the global North and South middle-classes – as well as ways they may be similar. Subscribe at patreon.com/bungacast Is the middle-class dream increasingly on…

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/511/ Britain's Tinderbox ft. Lisa McKenzie 1:19:05

2M ago1:19:05

1:19:05

On the UK's working-class unrest. Sociologist Lisa McKenzie talks to Alex and contributing editor Lee Jones about why the country feels like a powder-keg. What's behind protests like Unite the Kingdom? How responsible are far-right agitators? Why are threats posed to women and children such an explosive issue? What is the type of nationalism that i…

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Marxism and the Literary Left in America (feat. Alan Wald) 1:53:26

2M ago1:53:26

1:53:26

I am joined by Alan M. Wald to discuss his extensive work on the literary left and the history of intellectuals and the communist movement in America. We discuss Wald's new book of essays called "Bohemian Bolsheviks: Dispatches from the Culture and History of the Left" which features a number of Wald's more recent essays and interventions on the hi…

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Socialist Realism and the Communist Ideal: On Mikhail Lifshits (feat. Angela Harutyunyan) 1:54:16

2M ago1:54:16

1:54:16

My guest is art historian and Marxist thinker Angela Harutyunyan, who has joined us to discus the work of the Marxist philosopher Mikhail Lifshits. Lifshits was an important Soviet Marxist thinker who developed a theory of aesthetics that remained committed to the proposition that communism entails the overcoming of alienation. Lifshits offers a cr…

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Flowers for Marx Symposium, Part 2: Daniel Tutt and Matt McManus 2:01:45

2M ago2:01:45

2:01:45

From theoretical battles to publishing controversies, this episode dives deep into the fault lines dividing today's left through the lens of "Flowers for Marx," a new collection exploring Marxist humanism and scientism. Contributors Daniel Tutt and Matt McManus share the book's tumultuous journey—rejected by its original publisher because contribut…

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/510/ Couch Potatoes to Screen Sausages ft. Ryan Zickgraf 26:25

2M ago26:25

26:25

On critiques of entertainment. New contributing editor Ryan Zickgraf joins Alex and George to talk about the history of media critique and contemporary cases. How does consensus-age comedy like King of the Hill deal with hyperpolitics today? Is the reliance on archetypes a problem, or inherent to all comedy? Why is Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves …

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Flowers for Marx Symposium, Part 1: Ben Burgis, Conrad Hamilton, and Ernesto Vargas 1:35:39

2M ago1:35:39

1:35:39

What makes a book of Marxist theory so controversial that publishers back out after initially accepting it? The answer takes us deep into the heart of leftist intellectual debates that have shaped revolutionary movements for generations. "Flowers for Marx" brings together contrasting perspectives on fundamental questions that have divided Marxists …

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/509/ The Revenge of Ethnic Chauvinism ft. Orlando Patterson 1:17:42

3M ago1:17:42

1:17:42

On slavery, racism, and the politics of freedom. Renowned sociologist Orlando Patterson talks to contributing editor Alex Gourevitch about themes brought up by his recent The Paradox of Freedom as well as his works as a whole. Why is the study of slavery too affected by the exceptional US American experience? In what way is violence a constitutive …

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Why Your Stories Matter More Than Technology Ever Will with William "Bill" Welser 1:22:50

3M ago1:22:50

1:22:50

What if our personal stories are more valuable than we realize? In this thought-provoking conversation, William Welser, founder of LOTIC and innovative technologist, explores how our narratives shape not just our understanding of ourselves but also the artificial intelligence systems we create. Welser challenges conventional thinking about data, ar…

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RE-RELEASE: OK BUNGER! The Problem of Generations, 5 1:05:32

3M ago1:05:32

1:05:32

The fifth and final part of a series on generational consciousness and conflict. 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 and class conflict seemingly …

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RE-RELEASE: OK BUNGER! The Problem of Generations, 4 1:08:52

3M ago1:08:52

1:08:52

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 th…