The Europeans | European news, politics and culture cover image

The Europeans | European news, politics and culture

Latest episodes

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Jul 1, 2019 • 28min

Notes from Black Europe

What does it mean to be black in Europe? This week's guest Johny Pitts went on a five-month journey around the continent, interviewing black Europeans and exploring his own identity. The result is his brilliant new book, 'Afropean: Notes from Black Europe', which makes the case for a community that crosses borders. Also this week: the role of railways in the Holocaust; whether or not we should talk about Merkel; and a strange reward for good behaviour. Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Patreon europeanspodcast@gmail.com Thanks for listening.
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Jun 25, 2019 • 28min

Eldorado

This week, the strange and rather wonderful story of how the BBC tried (and failed, pretty badly) to create a European soap opera back in the 1990s. Former 'Eldorado' star Kai Maurer reflects on how his unlikely role playing a German beach bum kicked off his acting career and how the show was ahead of its time. Plus: a landmark Spanish court ruling and the ugly realities of European consensus politics. Read the article that sparked Katy's El Dorado obsession here. Should we launch a campaign to get the BBC to bring it back? Send us your thoughts: europeanspodcast@gmail.com Twitter Facebook Instagram Thanks to our supremely generous Patreon supporters. You can help us keep the show running by chipping in here. See you next week.
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Jun 17, 2019 • 31min

Sarajevo calling

This week, the increasingly worrying politics of a country with one of the most complicated governments in the world. We're talking to the Bosnian journalist Aleksandar Brezar about troubles that go ignored all too often in Europe and wartime scars that have yet to heal. We're also talking about European countries' varying approaches to regulating what women do with their bodies, and a transatlantic romance that has stood the test of time. Read Aleksandar's excellent piece in the Guardian and check out his podcast about Southeastern Europe, Sarajevo Calling. Rachel Kadish's superb piece about the humanity of Anne Frank can be found here, and France 24's in-depth reporting on abortion across Europe is here. Thanks as always to the supremely generous Patreon donors who are keeping this show running. You can chip in as little as a dollar a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Thanks for listening. Twitter.com/EuropeansPod Instagram.com/europeanspodcast Facebook.com/europeanspodcast europeanspodcast@gmail.com
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Jun 10, 2019 • 30min

Europe needs culture

Hands up if you've got a better idea of what's happening in American politics than European politics, despite living on this side of the pond? This week André Wilkens, the new director of the European Cultural Foundation, argues that Europeans need to get better at telling their own story — whether it's in the form of a Hamilton-style hit musical or otherwise. Also: scooter wars, holograms, and when the left gets tough on immigration. You can read Katy's piece on the arrival of electric scooters in Paris last summer here in the Guardian, and see a holographic elephant here. If you like the show, you can help us out by giving us five big gold stars on Apple Podcasts, or join our hugely generous Patreon supporters. Thanks for listening. Twitter.com/EuropeansPod Instagram.com/europeanspodcast Facebook.com/europeanspodcast europeanspodcast@gmail.com
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Jun 3, 2019 • 29min

Who won?

We've just elected a bunch of people to represent 500 million of us. But when it comes to the results of the European elections, most of us have been preoccupied with what happened in our own countries. This week we're zooming out to take a look at the continent as a whole with Caroline de Gruyter, the Oslo-based Europe correspondent for the Dutch newspaper NRC. Plus: Ibizagate, part 2; rural PR stunts; and the importance of correctly-spelled tweets. Many thanks to our Patreon supporters! Twitter.com/EuropeansPod Instagram.com/europeanspodcast Facebook.com/europeanspodcast europeanspodcast@gmail.com Thanks for listening.
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May 27, 2019 • 33min

The wars of the future

Should machines have the power to decide whether a human on the battlefield lives or dies? Ulrike Franke spends her days imagining the wars of the future. We chatted to her about ‘killer robots’ and rogue drones. Plus: a far-right honey-trap and Germany in the age of the influencer. Twitter.com/EuropeansPod Instagram.com/europeanspodcast Facebook.com/europeanspodcast europeanspodcast@gmail.com Many thanks to our Patreon supporters! See you next week.
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May 21, 2019 • 40min

SPECIAL EPISODE: Bursting the Bubble, Part 1

Katy's never voted in a European election before. This week she tries to make amends by figuring out, finally, what the European parliament is and what MEPs actually do. The elections are May 23-26 depending on what country you're in. Please vote! This episode was made with support from the European Cultural Foundation. They support initatives which rethink Europe as an open and democratic space. Thanks for listening. europeanspodcast.com
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May 13, 2019 • 35min

Syria, Kosovo, Brussels and the mountain

Countries all around Europe are dealing with the same dilemma: what to do with citizens who went to join ISIS. Tiny Kosovo is alone in opting to bring back a large group of its citizens when other countries are turning their backs. To find out why, Dominic talked to AJ Naddaff, who spent months researching why so many left Kosovo to fight, and the country's humane response to bringing people back. Over on the western edge of Europe Katy's been chatting to the French writer Maxime Calligaro about why the Brussels bubble is a surprisingly great place to set a crime novel. Maxime and Katy also spoke at the Ancienne Belgique last week about how to make Europe less boring (you can watch it here). Thanks Liveurope for hosting! Also this week: sheep, bears (you can read about the mystery here in El País) and an attempted coup. We'll be back next week for a special episode on how the European parliament works and why you should give a damn about the elections. Til then, hit us up online: PATREON: we're hugely grateful for your donations to help keep the show running! Twitter.com/EuropeansPod Instagram.com/europeanspodcast Facebook.com/europeanspodcast europeanspodcast@gmail.com
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May 6, 2019 • 32min

Bananadrama

This week, a celebration of the quintessential Renaissance man: yes, it's opera singer Dominic Kraemer with an interview about CHEMICAL ELEMENTS. We're also marking the 500th deathday of some guy called Leonardo who was similarly talented in both the arts and sciences. In Poland, the art world has gone bananas; in Spain, there's life in socialism yet; and British chemist and YouTube sensation Martyn Poliakoff is here to explain why he wants to turn the periodic table upside down, literally. In a week when we won a big prize, we want to say thanks more than ever for listening. Particularly huge thanks go to our Patreon supporters. If you want to throw a dollar or so into the tip jar, you can do so at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Beat Polish censorship by watching Natalia LL's work here. Love it? Hate it? Let us know: Twitter.com/EuropeansPod Instagram.com/europeanspodcast Facebook.com/europeanspodcast europeanspodcast@gmail.com
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Apr 30, 2019 • 33min

Happy Birthday Bauhaus!

This week, European cultural greats past and present. We discuss the good, the bad and the Bauhaus with the American painter Henry Isaacs, who grew up surrounded by many of the key figures from the legendary German art school that marked its 100th birthday this month. And Katy chats to Kurt Overbergh, artistic director of the Ancienne Belgique music venue, about new sounds, immigration and the return of Turkish psychedelia. In Brussels? Come and see Katy at this great event at the Ancienne Belgique on May 7! Thanks for listening. If you have a euro or more to throw in the tip jar, the more the merrier at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. You can also help other listeners find the show by leaving us a review here. Twitter.com/EuropeansPod Instagram.com/europeanspodcast Facebook.com/europeanspodcast europeanspodcast@gmail.com

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