Bungacast

On India's election and a blow for the BJP. Esteemed writer and social activist Achin Vanaik is back on Bungacast to unpick India's monumental, seven-week-long electoral process in which over 600m people took part. How did the ruling Hindu nationalist BJP lose its majority? Is there really a cult of personality around Modi? How does the BJP differ in important ways from Western 'national conservatives'? Does the BJP losing seats reflect a loss of support for Hindutva ideology? Modi claims India will reach developed economy status by 2047. Is this true? How bad are problems of under- and un-employment, especially for the youth? What is the nature of India's "crony oligarchy"? How does the National Population Register threaten to divest people of citizenship? How does the BJP see Israel as an example for itself? Links: /198/ Universal India ft. Achin Vanaik In State Repression and Its Justification, India and Israel Have Much in Common, Achin Vanaik, The Wire Narendra Modi Is Preparing New Attacks on Democratic Rights, Achin Vanaik, Jacobin

On your questions & criticism regarding pro-Palestine protests.   [Patreon Exclusive]   In this episode we focus on the discussion generated by our episode that came out in early May on the protests on US campuses. We discuss the issues along a few axes: How do ideas of victimhood relate to the material reality of international politics? What really are the aims of the protesters and how likely are they to achieve them? Are we cynical in our approach or conclusions? How do the protests relate to populism and the end of the End of History? What is the proper basis of nationhood? How do these protests relate to the millennial Left? We also deal with your points on Civil War, the state funding of culture, and whether Joe Rogan is a good male role model.   Readings: Vulnerability as Ideology, Peter Ramsay, Northern Star The victimological imagination, Matthew B. Crawford, Substack

On MORENA and Claudia Sheinbaum's huge victory. Mexico has elected its first woman president, tasked with extending the hugely popular AMLO'S legacy. What are her prospects and challenges? We ask: What was the effect of NAFTA on Mexico, and particularly manufacturing? How is US-China competition playing out in Mexico? Why did Trump and leftist AMLO get along? What about Scheinbaum and Trump? How does the politics of migration play out in Mexico? How come there is no hardline Mexican right, especially given the problems of crime and drug trafficking? Can other countries follow MORENA's example of centre-left success? Links: Mexico’s Political Revolution, Juan David Rojas, Compact AMLO and Mexico’s Fourth Transformation, Juan David Rojas, American Affairs Lessons of the AMLO-Trump Bromance, Juan David Rojas, Compact /413/ Left-Populism That Works? (I) ft. Roger Lancaster

Discussion on the Oscar-winning film's portrayal of the Holocaust, exploring the banality of evil, and analyzing the commentary around the film, including its relation to Israel/Palestine. Controversy over the preservation of present-day Auschwitz and the danger of ignoring atrocities.

Anthropologist Roger Lancaster discusses Mexico's upcoming election, class realignment, 'Brahmin Left', republican austerity, AMLO's use of the military, and his impact on the working class and class consciousness. They explore the challenges of corruption, populism, and political movements in Mexico's unique political landscape.

On Futuromania and closing and opening of musical horizons.   We talk to renowned music critic Simon Reynolds about his new book. A counterpart of sorts to his famous Retromania (2011), Futuromania looks at the exciting futuristic music of the past and present. We discuss its themes to try understand whether the culture is still about to throw up something new. Is talk about popular music stuck between the poles of “rockism” and “poptimism”? How did Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder invent "electronic dance music"? Why is "future music" good? What are its pitfalls? How did Daft Punk run out of futurity? Why is Auto-Tune actually not the worst invention? How are genres like trap technically exciting but thematically glum? Is there any way of bringing the future back? Links: Futuromania: Electronic Dreams, Desiring Machines, and Tomorrow's Music Today, Simon Reynolds blissblog, Simon Reynolds blog Futuromania companion playlist with Reynolds' introductions, on NTS: https://www.nts.live/shows/guests/episodes/simon-reynolds-9th-april-2024 Futuromania companion playlist on Spotify No Bells music blog

On Alex Garland’s new film, Civil War.   [Patreon Exclusive]   The boys discuss a film that seems designed to say something in the context of a US election year. But what? We ask: What kind of film is this: a dystopian fantasy, a war movie, a road movie? Why the focus on the media? Does the film celebrate or satirise journalists? Does Garland’s dystopia tell us anything about the landscape of US politics today? Why is political polarisation between liberals and populists seen in terms of civil war?  What would a civil war look like in geopolitical terms, along the lines Garland suggests? What side would you choose? Links: Where will America's Civil War be fought?, Michael Lind, UnHerd The Civil War Will Not Be Mediated, Nina Power, Compact Civil War is a terrifying film, but Trump: The Sequel will be a real-life horror show, Simon Tisdall, The Guardian

On Isaac Deutscher's classic Stalin: A Political Biography.   [Patreon Tier III & IV Exclusive]   We start off dealing with your questions from the first two Reading Clubs of the year, before Phil takes us through the famous biography of the Soviet leader. We discuss: Deutscher's work in historical context Stalin’s parents' experience as serfs and the significance of his boyhood education in an Orthodox seminary How the oppression of the Russian Empire and the promises of Soviet industrialisation shaped young Stalin's lifecourse Whether, compared to other Bolshevik leaders, Stalin would have succeeded anytime, anywhere Was Stalin honest in his commitment to the revolution? Was Trotsky right that Stalin was just a cynic? How did Stalin compare to the other leaders at Yalta, such as the aristocratic Churchill? How do we compare Stalin to Cromwell or Napoleon? And what's behind cheeky internet Stalinism today? Links: Message of the Non-Jewish Jew, Isaac Deutscher, Marxists.org On Orwell: 1984 - The Mysticism of Cruelty, Isaac Deutscher, Marxists.org I must start completely alone: Gonzalo Pozo on Isaac Deutscher’s wartime years in London, LRB

Debates focus on US campus protests, police repression, Left's break with Dems, comparisons with BLM and Vietnam protests, responses to Israel's war, risk of regional war, and Palestinian struggle. Discusses crackdowns on dissent globally, evolving Jewish identity, shifting dynamics of anti-war protests, moral demands in foreign policy, political shifts in US foreign policy towards Israel and Palestine, and geopolitical complexities of future warfare.

On the earth-shaking events of the 20th century, through a personal lens.   Regular contributor Alex Gourevitch sits down with political scientist Peter Gourevitch to talk about their shared family history. Why did their grandparents/great-grandparents become Mensheviks? How did one half of the family leave the USSR and the other half remain? What was life like in exile in Berlin before the Nazis took power? And how did the family know to flee? What was distinctive about fascism and the terroristic assault on democracy? How was the escape from Paris just like the film Casablanca? What happened to those who remained in the Soviet Union and how did one member meet death via torture? What is the legacy of Menshevism – and what is the relationship between socialism and democracy? Links: Who Lived, Who Died? My Family's Struggle with Stalin and Hitler, Peter Gourevitch, Dio Press   Full episode for subscribers only. Go to patreon.com/bungacast. Members who sign up for $7/mo get 4 original paywalled episodes a month and a free subscription to Damage magazine.