David Wengrow, archaeologist and co-author of The Dawn of Everything, challenges conventional narratives of human history, discussing topics such as the origins of inequality, misconceptions about the agricultural revolution, contradictions within the family unit, interpreting violence in prehistoric societies, reimagining human nature and history, and the experience of co-writing the book with David Graeber.

Philip Pilkington, macroeconomist and podcaster, discusses the shift from a unipolar to a multipolar world, highlighting China's influence. They explore the Israeli war in Gaza and emerging technologies, as well as the implications of inflation for the US election. The podcast also delves into the ChIPs Act, China's governance model, China's potential future wealth, the Conservative Party, and understanding the dollar-based financial system.

Music expert Jeremy Gilbert takes us on a narrated playlist journey through 60 years of plugged-in protest music. From hip-hop campaign boosters to new wave takes on British imperialism, Gilbert reveals the manifold methods of musical persuasion.

Mark Steven, author and literary critic, joins Juliet Jacques and Nihal El-Aasar in a discussion on the role of literature in revolution. They explore the relationship between literature and politics, the global scope of revolutionary moments, the influence of Antonio Gramsci on the autonomous movement in Italy, Lenin's perspective on Tolstoy, the importance of strikes as a tactic in class war, and contemporary literature that inspires collective action.

Author and broadcaster Gaia Vince argues that we need to focus on how we'll deal with the already happening and about to get much worse effects of climate change, such as huge swaths of the planet becoming uninhabitable and 2 billion people needing to find somewhere new to live. She proposes a radical reframing of how we think about migration. Topics discussed include wet bulb temperatures, demographic aging, the Japanese nappy market, rising sea levels, tipping points, electric vehicle infrastructure, the warping of time, lessons from COVID-19, declining birth rates, special economic zones, anti-migrant rhetoric, and the multicultural nature of Britain.

Anthropologist Dean MacCannell discusses the manipulation of tourism by capitalism, staged authenticity in travel, and the environmental guilt associated with tourism. The podcast explores the shift from collecting objects to collecting experiences, the search for authenticity in relation to Airbnb, tourists' fascination with disaster zones, and tips for becoming more organic tourists. It also emphasizes the importance of embracing local experiences and the significance of unexpected events while traveling.

From his radical youth in 1970s Italy to his research as one of the world’s leading theoretical physicists, Carlo Rovelli is as comfortable talking politics as he is explaining quantum theory. He sat down with Aaron to talk about the future of Europe, his theory of white holes, and why we’re not actually living in […]

Is football the place for political struggle? Is there a limit to the success of fan-owned clubs? How disappointed can we be when pundits and players turn out not to be comrades? Cultural critic Juliet Jacques and Pro Revolution Soccer host Tom Williams unite for a conversation inspired by Mickaël Correia’s book, The People’s History […]

For this end-of-year edition of Downstream, the Novara Media team look back on the biggest stories of the year. Ash Sarkar is joined by Moya Lothian-McLean, Michael Walker and Owen Jones to talk about the Labour Party, the climate crisis, the rise of AI and the war on Gaza. From clouds brightening to prospects dimming, […]

The ACFM gang get together for the last time this year to deliver a Festive 50. Keir, Jem and Nadia select the best bits of culture and politics from 2023, from music, films, books to games, strikes and actions. Unwrap to find sci-fi blaxploitation, comedy history, gobby glam-punk, Judge Dredd analysis, a fresh angle on Silicon […]