Guerrilla History

Professor Elizabeth Thompson joins the hosts in this remastered episode to discuss her book 'How the West Stole Democracy from the Arabs.' They explore the historical context of the Syrian Arab Congress of 1920, challenging colonial narratives and examining the Arab struggle for democracy. They also delve into the erosion of democracy in Syria, the Orientalist view in Lawrence of Arabia, and promote related content for further reading.

In this episode of Guerrilla History, we bring on Benjamin T. Smith and his coauthor, returning fan favorite Alexander Aviña, to talk about an article that they just cowrote about the (ongoing) Mexican Dirty War for NACLA titled A War to the Death!  This short article condenses the decades history of the Mexican Dirty War in advance of an upcoming Truth Commission report on state terrorism within Cold War era Mexico.  As our guests highlight though, this dirty war never really ended.  A great conversation, do us a favor and send it to comrades who are interested in Cold War Latin America, Mexican history, or state sponsored dirty wars, they will certainly find this useful! Benjamin T. Smith is professor of Latin American history at the University of Warwick and author of several books, including The Dope: The Real History of the Mexican Drug Trade.  Ben's website is available at thedope.co.uk, and he can be followed on twitter @benjamintsmith7 Alexander Aviña is associate professor of Latin American history at Arizona State University and author of Specters of Revolution: Peasant Guerrillas in the Cold War Mexican Countryside. Alex's website is available at alexanderavina.com, and he can be followed on twitter @Alexander_Avina Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory 

Professor Ken Hammond discusses China's Revolution & the Quest for a Socialist Future, covering topics like China's economic history, rebellion against Western imperialism, and the country's journey towards socialism. The podcast provides insights into historical roots, challenges faced by individuals, and the legacy of the Boxer Rebellion, offering a deep dive into China's quest for a socialist future.

In this outstanding episode of Guerrilla History, we bring on Jon Melrod to discuss his new book Fighting Times: Organizing on the Front Lines of the Class War (use code FIGHTING to get 40% off)!  In this episode, we discuss the life and times of Jon, who in many ways is a real working class hero.  We talk about his early embrace of radical political ideology, his radical campus organizing, his 13 years fighting in and organizing within industrial factories in Wisconsin, his rise within the UAW, and his post-factory work as a lawyer representing political refugees and victims of police violence.  This conversation is really inspiring, and we cannot recommend enough that you pick up the book, read it with fellow workers, and share this episode with those you think would benefit! Jon Melrod is a journalist, activist, and lawyer that left the campus for the factory in 1973. For thirteen years, he immersed himself in the day-to-day struggles of Milwaukee’s working class, both on the factory floor and in the political arena. Despite FBI surveillance and interference, Jon organized a militant rank-and-file caucus and rose through union ranks to a top leadership position in UAW Local 72. After this part of his career, he opened a law firm in San Francisco, successfully representing hundreds of political refugees.  You can follow Jon on twitter @JonathanMelrod, and keep up with his latest work and read more about his story on his website jonathanmelrod.com. Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory 

In this episode of Guerrilla History, we have a fascinating discussion alongside three wonderful paleontologists based in Brazil about efforts to decolonize paleontology and restitute stolen fossils.  These three have written some great articles on this topic, such as The moral and legal imperative to return illegally exported fossils, Colonial history and global economics distort our understanding of deep-time biodiversity, and Digging deeper into colonial palaeontological practices in modern day Mexico and Brazil.  This is a crucial conversation, and one which we feel doesn't get nearly enough attention even within political circles like the one we operate in.  #IrritatorBelongstoBr Aline Ghilardi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geology at UFRN.  You can find the work that her (and Tito's) paleontology lab does at the website en.dinolab.com.br.  Aline can be followed on twitter @alinemghilardi   Juan Cisneros is a paleontologist and an Associate Professor in the Department of Geology at UFPI twitter @PaleoCisneros.   Tito Aureliano is an Associate Researcher at DINOlab in the Department of Geology at UFRN.  His work can be viewed at the same website linked in Aline's bio above.  In addition, Tito and Aline co-run a multimedia science communication project titled Colecionadores De Ossos (Bone Collectors), which includes a YouTube channel, books, comics, and even a video game!  Tito can be followed on twitter @tito_aureliano   Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory

This episode is a fully-remastered edition of a previous episode we released, where we brought on Halil Karaveli to talk about Why Turkey Is Authoritarian. This discussion was our second interview ever on the show, and while the format of the show has slightly changed over the last few years, this was really a tremendous discussion about an important work and topic.  If you didn't catch this episode when it first came out, or if it has been a few years since you have listened to it, be sure to check it out! Halil M. Karaveli is a Senior Fellow with the Turkey Center of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program Joint Center and editor of its publication The Turkey Analyst.  His book Why Turkey Is Authoritarian:  From Atatürk to Erdoğan is available from Pluto Books. Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory 

In this fascinating and fun episode, Aaron Good comes on the show to discuss his book American Exception: Empire and the Deep State.  This is a great conversation which focuses on Aaron's conceptualizing of exceptionism and how the American Empire works.  This topic is critical for us, as the concept of "the Deep State" has been distorted by the right-wing, and obscures the workings of the actual Deep State here within the belly of the beast.   Aaron Good has a PhD in Political Science from Temple University. His dissertation, “American Exception: Hegemony and the Tripartite State,” examined the state, elite criminality, and US hegemony.  His book American Exception: Empire and the Deep State is available from Skyhorse Publishers, and he has a website and podcast of the same name which can be found at https://americanexception.com/.  Aaron can be followed on twitter @Aaron_Good_. Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory 

Arun Kundnani discusses the link between anti-racism and anti-capitalism, highlighting the ineffectiveness of liberal antiracism. He explores the intertwined nature of racism, imperialism, and capitalism, emphasizing the need for systemic change. The discussion touches on historical developments, colonial legacies, and strategies for collective struggle against racial capitalism.

In this episode of Guerrilla History, we are joined by Mike Prysner to discuss the devastating impact of the US military, and the forthcoming documentary that Mike and Abby Martin are putting together on this topic titled Earth's Greatest Enemy (watch the trailer here)! This is a critical and deeply underappreciated topic that we really appreciate Mike and Abby taking the effort to tell the story of.  Do us a favor, share this episode, and contribute to the finishing of Earth's Greatest Enemy if you are able to! Mike Prysner is a co-founder of March Forward, a long time organizer with the ANSWER Coalition, and is on the National Board of Directors of Veterans for Peace.  He also is a producer and cowriter for The Empire Files.  You can find out more about the documentary and the information for how to contribute to it at earthsgreatestenemy.com.  Mike can be followed on twitter @MikePrysner, Empire Files is @EmpireFiles, and Eyes Left is @EyesLeftPod. Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory

In this episode of Guerrilla History, we bring on a returning fan favorite, Prof. Brandon Wolfe-Hunnicutt, for an episode on sources and methods within history - including discussion of a method Brandon dubs psychedelic remote viewing. This conversation is certainly one that will please those interested in HOW history is done, and how we should view various sources used within historiographic analysis!  It sounds super nerdy, and it kind of is, but we're sure you're going to love the conversation!  Brandon Wolfe-Hunnicutt is a historian at California State University, Stanislas.  You can (and should!) get The Paranoid Style in American Diplomacy: Oil and Arab Nationalism in Iraq from Stanford University Press.  He can be followed on twitter @HunnicuttWolfe Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory