Space the Nation
Space the Nation
On Space the Nation, we take our love of science fiction (and fantasy and horror) and smash it together with our professional passions: international relations (as brought to the table by Tufts University professor and Washington Post columnist Dan Drezner) and cultural criticism (as brought to the table by political columnist Ana Marie Cox). It's a highly informed but hilarious conversation that starts with an examination of a particular text (everything from Ursula K. LeGuin to the MCU, Star Trek to Colson Whitehead) and veers into current events, mental health practices and imagined conversations between Ted Cruz and the Predator. For people who like white papers and graphic novels, Chapo Trap House and what Political Science Twitter used to be. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 15, 2021 • 1h 4min
E13: ALIEN
A goddamn perfect movie. Economical yet lush. Sophisticated themes about class and alienation, but straightforward in every respect. Superb cast. Thoughtful in everything from character to sound design. Get ready for fan-personing. CW: Brief discussion of rape. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 5, 2021 • 1h 10min
Canon Fodder: Ender's Game
Ender's Game has one of literature's greatest twists and greatest heroes, brought to us by one of the genre's most unpleasant authors. Dan and Ana discuss: Is it canon or is it fodder? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 27, 2021 • 1h 5min
E11: Family Business
Ana and Dan recap alllllll the IR! There is a lot of IR! Most prominent: persistent echoes of the Peloponnesian War! (Dan teaches from this translation of Thucydides if you're interested, and if you are reading this, you are!) But, ultimately, The Expanse is about choices and the ways they reverberate through systems (including family systems). Have a nit to pick? If you're an All-Access Patron or above, come to our AMA next weekend! (March 6, 10am CT/ 11am ET) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 23, 2021 • 58min
E10: Nice to Be Seen
In which Ana and Dan actually recap the entire jam-packed final episode of the season AND discuss applicable IR in under and hour. Even though they frequently mention that this seems impossible! They mourn the loss of Martian Mata Hari and embrace the fan theory that Bull will be drinking from Alex's coffee cup a lot more next season. Also: Is it possible The Expanse is really about nothing but familial bonds? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 15, 2021 • 1h 2min
E9: You Must Be New at This
Can you teach an old Inner new tricks? Can you take the boy out of Baltimore but not the Baltimore out of the boy? PINKWATER? GET IT? GET IT? Ana and Dan discuss whether or not it's a good idea to grow your tribe or not. There is IR in this episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 7, 2021 • 58min
E8: Scavengers
Ana and Dan discuss the lies we tell ourselves, and the lies we tell each other. Are our faves progressing or regressing in their travels around the known worlds? There is IR in this episode, oh boy oh boy, perhaps you'd like to revisit the Iraq War? No? *Neither would we.* Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 29, 2021 • 57min
E7: Nothing Without Me
Ana and Dan discuss modes of leadership and toxic masculinity (related!) and the lessons Expanse offers in nuclear safety (think: Pakistan). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 25, 2021 • 49min
E6: I Am Not a Killer
There is IR in this episode! Dan discusses "bandwagoning" and "balancing" and neither of those things has to do with what you might do if you played the French horn! Ana has malignant narcissism on her mind, for some reason. Also: Maybe Marco and Amos have more in common than you think. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 15, 2021 • 60min
E5: Hard Burn
Is biology destiny? Does blood relation make you family, or is it something else? Ana and Dan discuss Belter alliances, Amos' continued emotional evolution, and Marco's general dickishness. There is IR in this episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 8, 2021 • 1h 5min
E4: No More Worlds Left to Conquer
Welp, that escalated quickly. Dan goes deep on international relations theories about how third-party nation-states respond to larger conflicts; Ana recalls everything she ever learned about post-modernism in order to deconstruct the Expanse's argument about nature versus nurture. Oh, and extended sidebar on the actual historical battle referenced in the title. But it's interesting, really! Also: thoughts on the prison industrial complex and how it might or might not change and wondering if Monica will write "The Looming Tower" of the attack on Earth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
