BlomCast

Karl Schlögel, Träger des Friedenspreises des deutschen Buchhandels 2025, ist einer der ganz wichtigen historischen Autoren in Europa. Er hat sein Lebenswerk der intellektuellen Geschichte Russlands gewidmet, eine Geschichte, die er immer wieder als eine Topografie beschreibt, die sich in großen Städten lesen lässt. Sein Wendepunkt ist die Annexion der Krim 2014, ein Moment, in dem sich seine eigene, tiefe Beziehung zu Russland radikal änderte. Wir sprechen über die kulturelle Geographie Russlands, die Blindheit westlicher Eliten und Schlögels eigene intellektuelle Neuorientierung hin zur Ukraine und einer alternativen Geschichte und Grammatik Osteuropas. Support the show

Present political structures, powers, and peoples are better understood through their history. Ussama Makdisi, a historian of the Middle East and distinguished professor at the University of California at Berkeley, has spent much of his research on the formation of the modern Middle East out of the ruins of the Ottoman empire. He now writes on the peace conference of 1919 and its effects on the lands of the collapsing Ottoman empire, including the often-ignored fact finding mission that asked local inhabitants of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine about their own visions of their future governance. The report was quietly shelved, as a story of colonial domination played itself out and the region was carved up between Britain and France. The historical consequences, including the orientalist gaze that depicted Arabs and Muslims as less than human or at least less than civilised second-class citizens seen through a series of stereotypes. This orientalism still dominates Western policy towards the Middle East, Ussama Makdisi argues in this fascinating discussion. Support the show

Beatrice de Graaf is fascinated by the tensions between terror and statehood and she asks what it really takes to maintain vibrant democracies in a neo-imperial world. Her turning point lies in the early 19th century. When Napoleon was finally defeated at Waterloo in 1815, the allies drew up a new political order in Europe. Its architecture not only shaped the patterns of alliances of Western powers and Russia engaged in a series of more or less difficult dances while leaving the Russian partners feeling betrayed, it also redefined the idea of terror and terrorism and answered the loss of metaphysical authority with a secular authority based not on democratic legitimacy, but on systematic surveillance and information gathering. Welcome to the modern nation state. In the early 21st century, the question remains how and indeed weather security and democratic freedoms can be reconciled, especially in an age of AI and digital self surveillance on an unprecedented scale. Could a fight against inequality be the only possibility for democracy to survive? And can we learn from history, after all?Support the show

In this discussion, Luke Kemp, a Fellow at Cambridge's Centre for the Study of Existential Risk and author of 'Goliath's Curse', explores how elites contribute to societal collapses. He argues that collapse often benefits the majority, challenging the narrative that history favors the rich. Luke examines the positive health outcomes post-empire and highlights the role of geography and resource visibility in shaping societies. He warns of modern challenges from systemic risks like AI and climate change, proposing that democracy can survive if we embrace deliberative solutions.

David Bell is Professor for the Era of North American Revolutions at Princeton University. He has written a biography of Napoleon Bonaparte, and much of his research is focussed on the French Revolution, the history of the Enlightenment, and on the importance of charisma in political leadership. In our conversation we discuss what makes a charismatic leader and why some historical moments tilt the balance of power towards charismatic leaders, past and present. How much is the Enlightenment legacy of human rights, individualism and universalism under threat as democracy is on the retreat and universities, scientific research, institutions, freedom of speech, and human rights are being questioned? And was there really one Enlightenment, and was it not completely hijacked by capitalism, communism, and colonialism, to leave little more than a dry shell of empty slogans? Is the Enlightenment still an inspiration for today? Support the show

As a scholar of Arabic language and literature, Tim has made classic Arabic literature his life’s work, and has lived in Yemen until 2019. His special interest at the moment is the great scholar Ibn Khaldoun, who lived in the 14th century and who was one of the great thinkers about power, society, and, yes, being Arab, a concept linked to language more than to territory or ethnicity — or even religion. Ibn Khaldoun created an analytical lens through which societal dynamics and turning points become very clear. So, what does being Arab really mean, what did it mean at the time of the writing of the Quran, and what does it mean today? How did the love of the language influence the confrontation with new technologies such as printing with moveable type, and, lately, social media? What did it mean to be Arab for the demonstrators of the Arab Spring, and what can it mean in a time when language is so much shaped by social media? Support the show

Im frühen 16. Jahrhundert erhoben sich im süddeutschen Raum tausende von Bauern, Bergwerksknappen und Bürgern gegen ihre adeligen oder kirchlichen Herren. Sie stürmten Burgen und Klöster und forderten mehr Rechte, weniger Frondienste, weniger Steuern und die freie Ernennung von Priestern. Gerd Schwerhoff hat diese Welle von Rebellionen, durch die innerhalb von wenig mehr als einem Jahr 70.000 Menschen zu Tode kamen, untersucht und nacherzählt. War dies die erste Sozialrevolution Europas oder nur eine Serie von gescheiterten Aufständen? Wie wichtig war die Reformation für die aufständischen Bauern und welchen Einfluss hatten die Abschaffung der Almenden und der Buchdruck? Geschichte, sagt man, wird immer von Siegern geschrieben. In diesem Falle ist es sicher so. Die meisten offiziellen Dokumente kommen von der Seite, die die Aufstände niederschlug und die Anführer oft grausam hinrichten ließ. Was können wir von der anderen Seite wissen, davon, was sie dachten, wie sie den Konflikt erlebten und wie sie sich daran erinnerten?Support the show

Once more a dive into deep history, this time into the question how languages developed, and how it is possible to reconstruct the history and genesis of languages, and with them of abstract thinking and civilisation. Laura Spinney is a distinguished and bestselling science writer. In her new book Proto she looks at the world of languages before the indo-european and sino-tibetan language families that today represent the bulk of the 7000 or so languages still spoken today. But apart from the mere question of history: how does language colour and influence the way we think about the world and we perceive it? How do we think about things for which we lack the vocabulary? This question has preoccupied philosophers for centuries and we try to apply Laura’s historical insights to throw a little light on the matter.Support the show

Ian Buruma is a historian, biographer, memorialist and essayist between “East” and “West" whose insights and intellectual precision make him a joy to discuss with. In his recent biography of Spinoza he argues that the great Enlightenment philosopher has a message that is more urgent today than ever. The idea of a West, of a realm of rational rule and individual choice, of emancipation and liberty, began with these early Enlightenment thinkers as well as with Protestantism which eliminated the priest as intermediary between God and his people, making the relationship to the divine a matter based on individual conscience and personal choice. But what is left of this great utopia in a time in which democracies appear to collapse and the legacy of the Enlightenment seems in crisis? Do these ideals and principles still have the power to carry a social consensus, as well as societies and states, or is this the beginning of the sunset of Enlightened thinking?Support the show

Julian Baggini is one of the most insightful writers on philosophy in general and the Enlightenment in particular I know. We talk about the Enlightenment, and in how far it was the radical turning point as which it is often seen, or whether it does not mask great continuities under the guise of dramatic change. Has the Enlightenment released a vast liberating energy or was it just another mask of power? And does Western culture have a god-shaped hole at its heart. And how does one talk about the problems of the time if our shared use of language has been ring-fenced so rigidly that it is almost impossible to have a conversation about it? Is there a connection between Enlightenment traditions, liberal values and plain old hypocrisy? And is it possible to rescue these ideals from the hypocrisy that cloaks them? I had immense fun encountering Julian’s sharp thinking, his historical and political points?Support the show