The Europeans | European news, politics and culture

Katy Lee and Dominic Kraemer
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Jun 17, 2020 • 33min

Recipes for rebellion

Communist Bulgaria was home to a furtive cooking craze on a massive scale: women swapping recipes on scraps of paper, with strangers on trams, even at funerals. The historian and writer Albena Shkodrova sees this fascinating phenomenon as a form of subversion; we called her up to ask why. Also this week: Happy Birthday Schengen, an accidental invasion, and an end to Sweden's longest-running murder mystery. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy the show, you can chip in a couple of dollars a month to keep us running at https://patreon.com/europeanspodcast. You can also leave us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-europeans/id1315776736 Find out more about Albena's forthcoming books, 'Communist Gourmet' and 'Rebellious Cooks': https://www.albenashkodrova.com Who Killed The Prime Minister? - The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/news/2019/may/16/olof-palme-sweden-prime-minister-unsolved-murder-new-evidence On achève bien les gros - ARTE https://www.arte.tv/fr/videos/086161-000-A/on-acheve-bien-les-gros Lianne LaHavas - NPR Tiny Desk (Home) Concert https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qso4MRfidrw People of Europe - Susan Neiman https://www.facebook.com/debalie/videos/948520485598650 Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com
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Jun 10, 2020 • 31min

Why the Black Lives Matter protests are different in Europe

Protests over the death of George Floyd have been spreading on this side of the Atlantic, from Britain to Hungary. This week we're talking about what makes the European anti-racism protests different, with the artist and cultural critic Quinsy Gario. We're also talking about Prague's mysterious poisoned suitcase, and a possible post-COVID rail revolution. Amsterdam protest recording by Katz Laszlo. Thanks for listening! If you like the show, you can chip in a couple of dollars a month to help us keep making it at https://www.patreon.com/europeanspodcast. You can also leave us a review at https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-europeans/id1315776736 On hydrogen and pasta: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/27/business/hydrogen-fuel-climate-change.html Isolation Inspiration: Afropean by Johny Pitts | Whisper of the Heart | Wind of Change Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com
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Jun 3, 2020 • 27min

The Great Pull of China

You can blame Dominic for the pun. This week, as tensions between the United States and China reach fever-pitch, we're asking: does Europe need to pick a side? Tom Wan, Research Director in European Politics at the Global Studies Institute in Hong Kong, is on the line to explain what's at stake in Europe's relationship with China. Also this week: reproductive rights, a badly-behaved prince, and what lies beneath the floorboards. In memory of Christo: https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2020/06/photos-works-of-christo/612484/ The Crowd: https://ochentastudio.com/ochenta-stories/2020/5/27/the-crowd Thanks for listening! If you liked the show and have a couple of dollars spare a month, you can help us keep making it at https://patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com
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May 27, 2020 • 32min

Guide to a Non-Existent Country

The Italian journalist and travel writer Giovanni Vale is used to writing tourist guidebooks, but usually they're for countries that still exist. We rang him up to ask why he's turned his attention to 'extinguished' countries, starting with the Venetian Republic which sprawled across the Mediterranean for more than a millennium. Also this week: Polish punk and Europe's organic revolution. Giovanni's guide to the Venetian Republic is available for pre-order here: https://bit.ly/2zB1Rar Isolation Inspiration: Rabbit Hole - The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/column/rabbit-hole (Although) In Pieces, Yet One - Francesca Vincentie https://inpiecesyetone.com Inside Politics - all that bond stuff, explained https://bit.ly/2AcEPq6 Thanks for listening. If you like the show, you can help us keep making it by chipping in a few dollars a month at https://patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com
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May 20, 2020 • 33min

Wikipedia’s Missing Women

Less than a fifth of the biographies on Wikipedia are those of women; Rebecca O'Neill is part of a movement to fix that. We talk to her about her quest to write famous Irish women into the Wikiverse, as well as how the site helps minority languages to stay alive. Also this week: Merkel rises above it, and theatre gets political in Albania. Find Rebecca's Wikipedia tutorials on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/smirkybec/videos And on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCME0KIqk13bdfdg_fqqYISA Thanks for listening! If you'd like to help us keep this podcast running, you can chip in a few dollars a month at https://patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com
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May 13, 2020 • 31min

What is Russia doing at the bottom of the sea?

Last July, a group of fishermen near the coast of Norway were surprised to see a submarine burst out of the water in front of them. A terrible disaster had struck the Losharik, a highly advanced Russian vessel that had been lurking on the seafloor. But what happened? And what was the submarine doing so close to European shores? This mystery has fascinated the Norwegian journalist Thomas Nilsen, one of the authors of a New York Times investigation into the Losharik disaster. We talked to him about why Russia is so interested in what lies beneath these waters. Spoiler alert: your internet connection depends on it. Also this week: Finland's basic income experiment, a setback for German homophobes, and graffiti for the green-fingered. Thomas is the editor of the Barents Observer. Read his New York Times investigation: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/20/world/europe/russian-submarine-fire-losharik.html We're hosting an Online Pub Quiz for our Patreon supporters this week! To join the fun, you can sign up to support us here: https://www.patreon.com/europeanspodcast Isolation Inspiration: Trying: https://youtu.be/nGA_6WTD3vM Under Milk Wood: https://youtu.be/WJtzOD3KbLM Thanks for listening! Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com
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May 6, 2020 • 33min

Quarantainment

This week we've got a cultural bonanza for you. We're talking about Poland's Netflix tax and the new drive-in cinema in Vilnius, as well as all the TV and online concerts we've been bingeing on. Plus, a great interview with the French screenwriter Noé Debré about Parlement, the European satire we've been waiting for. Thanks to all the generous supporters who are helping us keep this podcast running right now. If you have a few dollars to spare a month, you can chip in at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Watch Parlement here: https://www.france.tv/series-et-fictions/series-comedies/parlement Hope@Home: https://www.arte.tv/en/videos/RC-019356/hope-home Floyd on France: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=floyd+on+france Fleabag Live: https://www.sohotheatreondemand.com/show/FleabagFourPound Thanks for listening. Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com
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Apr 29, 2020 • 28min

The Other C-Words

This week we bring you: coal, chess, and the circular economy. We speak to Esther Goodwin-Brown of Circle Economy about the economic model that's getting environmentalists all hot and bothered. We're also talking about why Europe's fallen out of love with the black stuff and why chess is getting a revamp. Plus, metal detectors — because what would this podcast be without metal detectors? Thanks for listening! If you like our show, you can help us keep it running by chipping in a couple of dollars a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Isolation Inspiration: Frankenstein at the National Theatre https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/nt-at-home-frankenstein Wordsworth 250 https://wordsworth250.org Parlement https://www.france.tv/series-et-fictions/series-comedies/parlement That climate litigation thing that Katy forgot about: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/24/dutch-officials-reveal-measures-to-cut-emissions-after-court-ruling Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com
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Apr 22, 2020 • 30min

Normal and Boring

The superstar illustrator Christoph Niemann is on a mission to better understand Europe. 'In Praise of a Normal, Boring Country', the latest installment of his New York Times visual essay series, took him to Estonia. We rang him up in Berlin to talk about his trip and a bunch of other stuff. Also this week: Dominic gets to grips with debt mutualisation, and Katy gets to grips with mittens. Thanks for listening! If you like our show, you can help us keep making it at Patreon: https://patreon.com/europeanspodcast Read Christoph's lovely visual essay about Estonia here: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/03/25/magazine/dispatches-estonia.html Isolation Inspiration: Sunday Sketching by Christoph Niemann | Unorthodox on Netflix Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com
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Apr 15, 2020 • 32min

Poll-Land

There's a bunch of interesting stuff happening in Poland right now, so we rang up our favourite Polish journalist Ania Jakubek to untangle it for us. Also this week: blue tits, volcanoes, mutant enzymes and an Easter panda. Thanks for listening. If you like our show, you can help us keep making it at https://www.patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Isolation Inspiration: Ania's drawings: https://www.instagram.com/amjakubek Making An Opera: https://www.nporadio4.nl/podcasts/making-an-opera Are We Europe magazine: https://www.areweeurope.com/ Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com

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