Best Pluto Press Podcasts (2025)

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Immigration Detention Inc.: The Big Business of Locking up Migrants 57:29

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6d ago57:29

57:29

The USA locks up more migrants in its immigration detention facilities than any other country in the world. Already operating over capacity, the Trump administration has ramped up its campaign of immigration raids, allegedly instructing ICE to hit quotas of 3,000 arrests a day. The ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ will, if approved by the Senate, appropria…

1
Democratic Living in Times of Fascism 55:54

1M ago55:54

55:54

With H. L. T. Quan and Dylan Rodríguez. This is the final installment of our three-part mini series, 'Beyond the Ballot Box', which explores some of the major political currents in US politics today. Chris Browne and James Kelly are joined by H. L. T. Quan and Dylan Rodríguez for a conversation about life in times of fascism. We explore concepts su…

1
Tenant Unions Fighting the Housing Crisis 1:08:46

2M ago1:08:46

1:08:46

With Jacob Stringer. We are joined on the show by Jacob Stringer, a housing and social movements researcher and organiser, and the author of Renters Unite: How Tenant Unions Are Fighting the Housing Crisis. We discuss the many local and international dimensions to housing crisis in countries across the Global North. We talk about why simply buildin…

1
Billionaires and Guillotines: The Board Game 24:29

3M ago24:29

24:29

With Max Haiven. In this special episode of Radicals in Conversation, we take a first look at the new board game, Billionaires & Guillotines, in which players take on the role of 2-5 rival plutocrats vying to grab the wealth of the world before their actions trigger a revolution where they all lose … a lot more than their assets. Chris Browne is jo…

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Palestine and Visual Activism Since October 7 1:06:16

4M ago1:06:16

1:06:16

With Nicholas Mirzoeff. Content Warning: Sexual abuse In this episode we discuss the new book, To See in the Dark: Palestine and Visual Activism Since October 7. Nicholas Mirzoeff shares how experiences of domestic, political and sexual violence - in both his family history and his own childhood - have shaped his understanding of events since Octob…

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Eros and Alienation: Capitalism and the Making of Gendered Sexualities 1:10:32

5M ago1:10:32

1:10:32

With Alan Sears. In this episode we discuss the new book, Eros and Alienation: Capitalism and the Making of Gendered Sexualities. Alan Sears lays out his expansive understanding of key ideas like labour, alienation, social reproduction, and eroticism. We discuss 'erotic enclosure' in 19th century industrial capitalism, bodily discipline and identit…

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Trans Femme Futures: Abolitionist Ethics for Transfeminist Worlds 1:06:53

5M ago1:06:53

1:06:53

With Nat Raha and Mijke van der Drift. In our first episode of 2025, we discuss the themes of the new book, Trans Femme Futures: Abolitionist Ethics for Transfeminist Worlds. We talk about what is entailed by trans and femme practices, the value of critical theory, and how trans liberation moves beyond the liberal call for rights. We discuss solida…

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Radicals in Conversation: 2024 Curated Highlights 58:24

7M ago58:24

58:24

Our 2024 roundup features curated highlights from episodes released throughout the year: We speak to John Pring, about the British government’s Department for Work and Pensions, and its horrific work capability assessment. We speak to Robert Chapman, about why the neurodiversity movement emerged when it did, its successes, and the limitations of a …

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Beyond the Ballot Box: Pacification and Intergenerational Memory in Social Movements 1:02:36

7M ago1:02:36

1:02:36

With Peter Gelderloos and Vicky Osterweil. Whether it is in the fight against police violence, ecological destruction, or any other manifestation of patriarchal white supremacy, time and again, the hard-earned lessons of past struggles seem to get forgotten. Our social movements are capable of generating significant momentum, moments of far-reachin…

1
Western Complicity and the Human Cost of the Arms Trade in Gaza 49:30

8M ago49:30

49:30

With Ahmed Alnaouq, Andrew Feinstein and Anna Stavrianakis. It has now been over a year since Israel embarked on its genocidal campaign in Gaza. In that time, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been killed or injured. Furnishing Israel with more than just diplomatic cover, Western governments have kept up a steady supply of military aid and…

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Resisting Cop Cities and the Militarization of Policing 56:40

9M ago56:40

56:40

What happens when the police become an army? Since 1997, the US Department of Defense has transferred more than $7.2bn in military equipment to law enforcement agencies. This militarization has, unsurprisingly, been shown to unjustly impact on Black communities and is associated with increased killings by police. The Police Public Safety Training C…

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Beyond the Ballot Box: On the Far Right with Mike Wendling 53:01

9M ago53:01

53:01

This is episode 1 of ‘Beyond the Ballot Box' - our new mini-series exploring some of the major political currents in US politics. With the presidential election just around the corner, American politics is increasingly a focus of international attention as well. Electoralism, reproductive justice, the climate crisis, Palestine, a resurgent far righ…

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The Department: How a Violent Government Bureaucracy Killed Hundreds and Hid the Evidence 50:39

10M ago50:39

50:39

In the early 2010s, reports began to emerge of deaths linked to a government department. Suicide notes, coroners' reports, and research by disabled activists pointed to failings within the Department for Work and Pensions – the DWP – the government body responsible for the disability benefits system. As years passed, and austerity tightened its gri…

1
Labour Movement Solidarity with Palestine 54:39

1y ago54:39

54:39

At the time of recording, Israel’s relentless bombardment of Rafah continues. Around 1 million people have been forced to flee the city. Condemning the assault on Rafah, Spain, Ireland and Norway have joined 140 other countries in officially recognising a Palestinian state. It is a symbolic action that has undoubtedly damaged diplomatic relations b…

1
Constellations of Care: Anarcha-Feminism in Practice 1:04:32

1y ago1:04:32

1:04:32

'Whether one is an anarchist or not, the contemporary turn of geopolitical events—from the global phenomena of pandemics, fascistic regimes, and collapsing infrastructure for any sort of social well-being, to capitalist-fueled climate catastrophes and displacement, to occupations spiraling into genocides—has compelled a shift toward prioritizing do…

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Enough: Why It's Time to Abolish the Super-Rich 52:15

1y ago52:15

52:15

Forbes' annual rich list reveals that 2,781 people in the world have fortunes in excess of $1 billion. 141 people joined the list in 2023, with a combined wealth of around $14 trillion - a $2 trillion collective increase on the previous year. There are now more billionaires than ever before. It is a grotesque state of affairs, when we reflect on th…

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On Abolition Feminism with H.L.T. Quan 50:43

1+ y ago50:43

50:43

We’re excited to have H.L.T. Quan on the pod this month, as we publish her new book Become Ungovernable: An Abolition Feminist Ethic for Democratic Living. Joined by Professors Barbara Ransby and Tiffany Willoughby-Herard, the conversation circles the themes of the book, exploring topics such as radical love, transformative justice, and ungovernabi…

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Empire of Normality: Neurodiversity and Capitalism 55:57

1+ y ago55:57

55:57

In our first episode of 2024 we speak to Robert Chapman, author of Empire of Normality: Neurodiversity and Capitalism. Awareness around and diagnoses of neurodiversity have exploded in recent years, but as Robert argues, we are still missing a wider understanding of how we got here and why. In today's episode we discuss the rich histories of the ne…

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On Palestine with Ghada Karmi 46:54

1+ y ago46:54

46:54

Almost two months have passed since Hamas’s October 7th attack, in which it killed around 1,200 Israeli civilians. The retaliatory campaign that has been waged since then by the Israeli state against the Palestinian population—predominantly in Gaza, but also in the West Bank—has been nightmarish to behold. The latest estimates suggest as many as 15…

1
A People’s History of Football 1:04:14

1+ y ago1:04:14

1:04:14

From England, France and Germany to Palestine, South Africa and Brazil, the 'beautiful game' has been a powerful instrument of emancipation for workers, feminists, young people and protesters around the world. Football has often found itself at the heart of anti-colonial struggles; a tool of repression and cooptation, as well as liberation and resi…

1
Let Them Eat Crypto: The Blockchain Scam That’s Ruining the World 1:07:37

1+ y ago1:07:37

1:07:37

The subject of immense hope, hype and confusion, crypto has amassed countless headlines in recent years. Right now, one of crypto’s biggest names, Sam Bankman-Fried, is set to go on trial in New York, accused of having defrauded millions of investors at his FTX cryptocurrency exchange, stealing billions of dollars in the process. But with cryptocur…

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Family Abolition with M. E. O’Brien 1:04:38

2y ago1:04:38

1:04:38

For many of us on the left, it would probably be uncontroversial to say that seek a political horizon in which class society, and all of its manifold expressions, has been overcome - wage labour, private property, the capitalist state, white supremacy, settler colonialism and anti-Blackness. But what about the family? In a world that is often beref…

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RIC in-haus: Space Crone: Ursula K. Le Guin on Feminism and Gender 35:16

2y ago35:16

35:16

Radicals in Conversation in-haus is a podcast series collaboration between Pluto Press and Bookhaus, an independent bookshop in Bristol. RIC in-haus is recorded on location at Bookhaus. The bookshop’s ‘in-haus’ events programme features authors of some of the most exciting radical nonfiction being published today. Episode 10 was recorded in May 202…

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Mad World: The Politics of Mental Health 53:06

2y ago53:06

53:06

Mental health is a political issue, even though we often discuss it as a personal one. So how is the current mental health crisis connected to capitalism, racism and other social issues? And in a different world, how might we transform the ways that we think about mental health, diagnosis and treatment? These are some of the big questions Micha Fra…

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RIC in-haus: Mussolini’s Grandchildren: Italian Fascism in 2023 53:07

2y ago53:07

53:07

Radicals in Conversation in-haus is a podcast series collaboration between Pluto Press and Bookhaus, an independent bookshop in Bristol. RIC in-haus is recorded on location at Bookhaus. The bookshop’s ‘in-haus’ events programme features authors of some of the most exciting radical nonfiction being published today. Episode 9 was recorded in May 2023…

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Locating Legacies: ’Abolition in the UK’ with Ruth Wilson Gilmore 58:13

2y ago58:13

58:13

In the sixth and final episode of Locating Legacies, series host Gracie Mae Bradley speaks to Ruth Wilson Gilmore. Often dismissed or set aside as a US-based movement, Gracie and Ruth sit down together to explore how we can think about the histories, legacies and politics of abolition in the British context and beyond. They map how local instances …

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RIC in-haus: Friends of Israel: The Backlash Against Palestine Solidarity 42:07

2y ago42:07

42:07

Radicals in Conversation in-haus is a podcast series collaboration between Pluto Press and Bookhaus, an independent bookshop in Bristol. RIC in-haus is recorded on location at Bookhaus. The bookshop’s ‘in-haus’ events programme features authors of some of the most exciting radical nonfiction being published today. Episode 8 was recorded on 17th May…

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Locating Legacies: ’Queer Class Politics’ with Sita Balani 43:05

2y ago43:05

43:05

In episode 5 of Locating Legacies, series host Gracie Mae Bradley speaks to Sita Balani. They explore the legacies of queer liberation struggles on contemporary class politics, and the ways in which queer radicalism has expanded notions of liberatory politics in the everyday. They also discuss the radical potential of the trade union movement, and …

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Queer Footprints: LGBTQIA+ Solidarity, Protest and Pride 1:09:12

2y ago1:09:12

1:09:12

In May 2023, Pluto published Queer Footprints: A Guide to Uncovering London’s Fierce History, by Dan Glass. The book is a groundbreaking guide that takes you through the city streets to uncover the scandalous, hilarious and empowering events of London's 'queerstory'. Accompanied by a chorus of voices of both iconic and unsung legends of the movemen…

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Locating Legacies: ’The Cold War’ with Vijay Prashad 48:49

2y ago48:49

48:49

In episode 4 of Locating Legacies, series host Gracie Mae Bradley speaks to Vijay Prashad. They discuss the legacies of the Cold War from the vantage point of the Global South, to contextualise the global economic, ecological and political crises that we're struggling through today. They also consider the liberatory potential of nationalism, what m…

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Locating Legacies: ’Identity Politics’ with Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò 45:06

2y ago45:06

45:06

In episode 3 of Locating Legacies, series host Gracie Mae Bradley speaks to Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò. They discuss how politics moves between the world of ideas and the material world, the process by which radical ideas are co-opted by elite interests, and the importance of organising across difference. Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò is Associate Professor of Philosop…

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Private Worlds: Growing up Gay in Post-War Britain 54:41

2y ago54:41

54:41

In 1950s suburban England, a friendship bloomed between Jeremy Seabrook and Michael O'Neill - both gay men coming of age during a time when homosexuality was still a crime. Their relationship was inflected by secrecy and fear, and when the prohibition on same-sex relationships was partially lifted in 1967, they were already well into adult life; th…

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Locating Legacies: ’The Politics of Decolonisation’ with Françoise Vergès 45:10

2y ago45:10

45:10

In episode 2 of Locating Legacies, series host Gracie Mae Bradley speaks to Françoise Vergès. They explore the connections and disparities between the anticolonial politics of the 1950s and 1960s in relation to today's movements to decolonise educational, arts and heritage institutions. Françoise Vergès is an activist and public educator. She grew …

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Locating Legacies: ’On Stuart Hall’ with Kojo Koram 39:40

2y ago39:40

39:40

In episode 1 of Locating Legacies, series host Gracie Mae Bradley speaks to Kojo Koram about Stuart Hall's contributions to radical thought and their relevance to present-day politics. Gracie and Kojo discuss some of the themes in Stuart Hall’s work pertaining to empire, neoliberalism and right-wing politics, and consider how Hall’s work might be u…

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Announcing the ’Locating Legacies’ Podcast: In Partnership with the Stuart Hall Foundation 28:27

2y ago28:27

28:27

We are excited to announce the Locating Legacies series - a fortnightly podcast created by the Stuart Hall Foundation and co-produced by Pluto Press. The series is dedicated to tracing the reverberations of history to contextualise present-day politics, deepen our understanding of some of the crucial issues of our time, and to draw connections betw…

1
RIC in-haus: The Cost of Living Crisis (and how to get out of it) 49:57

2+ y ago49:57

49:57

Radicals in Conversation in-haus is a podcast series collaboration between Pluto Press and Bookhaus, an independent bookshop in Bristol. RIC in-haus is recorded on location at Bookhaus. The bookshop’s ‘in-haus’ events programme features authors of some of the most exciting radical nonfiction being published today. Episode 7 was recorded on the 8th …

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Hostile Homelands: The New Alliance Between India and Israel 51:31

2+ y ago51:31

51:31

Since the election of Narendra Modi in 2014, India has changed dramatically. As the world attempts to grapple with its trajectory towards authoritarianism and ethnonationalism, little attention has been paid to the linkages between Modi's India and the governments from which it has drawn inspiration, as well as military and technical support. India…

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Practical Anarchism: A Guide for Daily Life 55:54

2+ y ago55:54

55:54

In a context in which abolitionist discourse is reaching an ever-wider audience, and people’s trust in the state, as a vehicle through which we can hope to achieve meaningful political change, continues to ebb away, we are seeing a renewed engagement with prefigurative politics across the left. Pluto has always published books from a variety of pol…

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RIC in-haus: Expressionism and the Myth of the Western with Robin McLean 59:26

2+ y ago59:26

59:26

Radicals in Conversation in-haus is a new podcast series collaboration between Pluto Press and Bookhaus, an independent bookshop in Bristol. RIC in-haus is recorded on location at Bookhaus. The bookshop’s ‘in-haus’ events programme features authors of some of the most exciting radical fiction and nonfiction being published today. Episode 6 was reco…

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Workers Can Win: On Strike in 2022 53:55

2+ y ago53:55

53:55

In 2022, workers have taken strike action on a massive scale, and many more are in the process of balloting to take strike action. In Britain, NHS workers, postal workers, criminal barristers, rail workers, university lecturers and many more have all walked out in the face of attacks on pay, pensions and working conditions. Amidst the cost of livin…

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RIC in-haus: Is Socialism Possible in Britain? 51:26

2+ y ago51:26

51:26

Radicals in Conversation in-haus is a new podcast series collaboration between Pluto Press and Bookhaus, an independent bookshop in Bristol. RIC in-haus is recorded on location at Bookhaus. The bookshop’s ‘in-haus’ events programme features authors of some of the most exciting radical nonfiction being published today. In episode 5, Andrew Murray sp…

1
Hope in Hopeless Times: Fighting the Hydra of Money 1:01:44

2+ y ago1:01:44

1:01:44

Amidst the global pandemic, war, environmental catastrophe, the cost of living crisis, and where victories for anti-capitalist forces are few and far between, it can feel like we are living in well and truly hopeless times. But as Marxist philosopher John Holloway argues in his new book, the times may indeed be hopeless, but we must still have hope…

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RIC in-haus: Against Borders 56:07

2+ y ago56:07

56:07

Radicals in Conversation in-haus is a new podcast series collaboration between Pluto Press and Bookhaus, an independent bookshop in Bristol. RIC in-haus is recorded on location at Bookhaus. The bookshop’s ‘in-haus’ events programme features authors of some of the most exciting radical nonfiction being published today. In episode 4, Gracie Mae Bradl…

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Mussolini’s Grandchildren: Fascism in Contemporary Italy 50:30

2+ y ago50:30

50:30

Giorgia Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia, or Brothers of Italy, emerged from the Italian general election earlier this week with around 26% of the vote. Although it has been a junior partner in previous coalition governments, this is the first time that the party, which traces its lineage back to Mussolini and the post-war fascism of the Italian Social M…

1
RIC in-haus: Neither Vertical nor Horizontal 45:58

3y ago45:58

45:58

Radicals in Conversation in-haus is a new podcast series collaboration between Pluto Press and Bookhaus, an independent bookshop in Bristol. RIC in-haus is recorded on location at Bookhaus. The bookshop’s ‘in-haus’ events programme features authors of some of the most exciting radical nonfiction being published today. Episode 3 features Rodrigo Nun…

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The U.S. Constitution v. Democracy 55:55

3y ago55:55

55:55

Recently, U.S. politics has appeared to be very much in a state of crisis. The last president was impeached by Congress, and stands accused of inciting an attempted coup in the January 2021 assault on the Capitol. What's more, in devastating acts of judicial review, The Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, throwing out the right to an abortion…

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RIC in-haus: Reclaiming Antiracism 56:56

3y ago56:56

56:56

Radicals in Conversation in-haus is a new podcast series collaboration between Pluto Press and Bookhaus, an independent bookshop in Bristol. RIC in-haus is recorded on location at Bookhaus. The bookshop’s ‘in-haus’ events programme features authors of some of the most exciting radical nonfiction being published today. Episode two features Azfar Sha…

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From Carcerality to Abolitionism 1:00:26

3y ago1:00:26

1:00:26

This month we are joined on the panel by Françoise Vergès, author of A Feminist Theory of Violence and A Decolonial Feminism, and Aviah Sarah Day and Shanice Octavia McBean, co-authors of the forthcoming book, Abolition Revolution. Our discussion focuses on the connections between carceral feminism, racial capitalism and the structural violence per…

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RIC in-haus: The Ethical Stripper 1:05:54

3y ago1:05:54

1:05:54

Radicals in Conversation in-haus is a new podcast series collaboration between Pluto Press and Bookhaus, an independent bookshop in Bristol. RIC in-haus is recorded on location at Bookhaus. The bookshop's 'in-haus' events programme features authors of some of the most exciting political nonfiction currently being published. In episode 1, Stacey Cla…

1
Tangled in Terror: Uprooting Islamophobia 1:12:09

3y ago1:12:09

1:12:09

Islamophobia is everywhere. It is a narrative and history woven so deeply into our everyday lives that we don't even notice it – in our education, how we travel, our healthcare, legal system and at work. Behind the scenes it affects the most vulnerable, at the border and in prisons. Despite this, the conversation about Islamophobia is relegated to …