Red Medicine

Micha Frazer-Carroll and Sasha Warren are back on the podcast to discuss the Dialectics of Liberation Congress: a conference that brought together the likes of R. D. Laing, David Cooper, Kwame Ture (FKA Stokely Carmichael), Herbert Marcuse, Allen Ginsburg, CLR James, Angela Davis, Carolee Schneemann, and many more in London, 1967. The congress attempted to theorize and resist violence in all its forms, we discuss what took place at this weird and intense event and what we can learn from it today.  Sasha Durakov Warren is a writer based in Minneapolis. He cofounded the group Hearing Voices Twin Cities and is the author of the fantastic book Storming Bedlam: Madness, Utopia, and Revolt which published last year with Common Notions. He runs the substack Of Unsound Mind.  Micha Frazer-Carroll is an author, journalist and editor living in London.  She was previously an editor at the magazine gal-dem and has written for publications including the Guardian, Vogue, Huck, and DAZED magazine. Micha is also the author of Mad World: The Politics of Mental Health which was published in 2023 by Pluto Press.  All samples in this episode come from the film Dialectics Of Liberation - Anatomy Of Violence (Villon films). Submit to the ANTI-SELF-HELPLINE here: https://linktr.ee/redmedicine.xyz  SUPPORT: www.buymeacoffee.com/redmedicineSoundtrack by Mark PilkingtonTwitter: @red_medicine__www.redmedicine.substack.com/

Emily Lim Rogers and Rouzbeh Shadpey join the podcast to talk about the history of chronic fatigue under capitalism. We explore the way in which medical knowledge reflects and enacts the need for capitalist society to monitor, measure and discipline workers before situating conditions like ME/CFS within these dynamics.   Emily Lim Rogers is an Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology at Duke University, with secondary appointments in Asian American and Diaspora Studies and Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies. She has a book forthcoming with Duke University Press called Sick Work: Exhaustion, Labor, and Invisible Illness Rouzbeh Shadpey is an artist, writer, and musician. Rouzbeh has exhibited and performed at TULCA (Ireland), documenta fifteen (Germany), The Mosaic Rooms (UK), Poetry Project (New York), MUTEK (Montréal), and more. His writing appears in artistic and academic journals, including Parapraxis, Decolonial Hacker, Weird Economies, Syllabus Project, and Momus. His musical practice, under the name GOLPESAR / گلپسر , combines avant-garde electronics, guitar, spoken word, and Iranian sonics. ANTI-SELF-HELPLINE SUBMISSIONS: https://forms.gle/8npHMJmsSXjEdc8s5 JULY 10th panel information: https://www.outsavvy.com/event/28215/thinking-together-for-consolation-and-towards-liberation   SUPPORT: www.buymeacoffee.com/redmedicineSoundtrack by Mark PilkingtonTwitter: @red_medicine__www.redmedicine.substack.com/

The ANTI-SELF-HELPLINE is a place to share and make sense of our experiences of political struggle. Political struggle is hard; yet there are very few resources for thinking through the emotional and psychic dimensions of these experiences. Those of us who want to radically change the world are often exposed to the depoliticizing tendencies of mainstream therapy, the disciplining functions of self-help, and the pathologisation of political consciousness. The ANTI-SELF-HELPLINE is a space to think through these experiences collectively whilst engaging critically with psychoanalysis, therapy, and histories of struggle. Send your questions, reflections, and experiences to editorial@redmedicine.xyzOr submit here: https://forms.gle/2RzafrqoqLLEav7X6You can also send messages or voice-notes to any of the podcast social media accounts.  SUPPORT: www.buymeacoffee.com/redmedicineSoundtrack by Mark PilkingtonTwitter: @red_medicine__www.redmedicine.substack.com/

Hannah Zeavin, an Assistant Professor at UC Berkeley and cofounder of The Psychosocial Foundation, teams up with Helen Charman, a Cambridge Fellow and accomplished writer. They delve into the intersection of motherhood, media, and technology throughout the 20th century. Their conversation reveals how media shapes societal expectations of mothers and explores the anxieties tied to modern parenting. They also critique historical narratives and the influence of iconic TV shows, highlighting the evolving dynamics of maternal roles and the impact of technological advancements.

Jess Thorne returns to the podcast to discuss workers' self-management – from the Lucas Plan of the 1970s to Yugoslavian workers' councils. She explains how workers have challenged the idea that innovation only happens thanks to top-down management structures and asks what worker autonomy offers in the face of current political problems.Jess Thorne is a trade union organiser who has spent the last two years assisting health care assistants with a rebanding campaign. She is also a labour historian and has contributed to journals such as European History Quarterly, Labour History Review and History Workshop Journal.Tickets for Festival of the Oppressed 2025: https://revsoc21.uk/festival2025/Jess' report on workers' self management: https://autonomy.work/portfolio/worker-led-innovation/  SUPPORT: www.buymeacoffee.com/redmedicineSoundtrack by Mark PilkingtonTwitter: @red_medicine__www.redmedicine.substack.com/

Abby Kluchin and Patrick Blanchfield dive into the impactful work of D. W. Winnicott, a cornerstone of British psychoanalysis. They explore how WWII influenced his theories and the evolution of maternal roles in psychoanalysis. The conversation highlights how negative emotions can foster creativity, contrasting Winnicott's views with traditional psychoanalytic perspectives. They also discuss the complexities of caregiving and its societal undervaluation, all while shedding light on the emotional dynamics between parents and children and how these insights are relevant today.

Erik Baker, a Harvard lecturer and Senior Editor of The Drift, joins to unravel the intricate relationship between entrepreneurialism and pop psychology. He discusses the historical roots of the entrepreneurial spirit, tracing its evolution from spiritualism to modern self-help. Topics like the link between anti-psychiatry movements and entrepreneurship, as well as how crises drive innovative thinking, are explored. Baker emphasizes the need for collaborative solutions in today’s economic landscape, highlighting the shift from individual success to collective welfare.

Emily Callaci, a History Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, delves into the fascinating origins of the Wages for Housework movement. She highlights five key women, including Selma James and Silvia Federici, who championed recognition for unpaid domestic labor. The discussion covers the movement's resurgence in contemporary feminism, especially during the pandemic, and critiques mainstream narratives. Callaci also explores the intersections of race, class, and caregiving in activism, revealing the timeless struggles women face within economic systems.

Ellen Clifford contextualizes the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill – often referred to as the assisted dying or assisted suicide bill – within the long history of eugenic politics and welfare reform.Ellen Clifford is a disabled activist and writer. She is on the National Steering Group for Disabled People Against Cuts and is the author of The War on Disabled People: Capitalism, Welfare and the Making of a Human Catastrophe. SUPPORT: www.buymeacoffee.com/redmedicineSoundtrack by Mark PilkingtonTwitter: @red_medicine__www.redmedicine.substack.com/

Peter Apps and Anna Stec discuss the Grenfell Tower fire, placing the incident in a longer political history of deregulation and privatisation as well as the ongoing dangers caused by the toxic nature of the fire. Peter Apps is a journalist who has covered the housing sector for Inside Housing and other publications for over 10 years. He has reported extensively on the Grenfell Tower fire, authoring a book on the topic titled Show Me The Bodies: How We Let Grenfell Happen. Anna Stec is Professor of Fire Chemistry and Toxicity at the University of Central Lancashire and has published extensively on the topic. Anna was also an expert witness the Grenfell Tower Enquiry.  SUPPORT: www.buymeacoffee.com/redmedicineSoundtrack by Mark PilkingtonTwitter: @red_medicine__www.redmedicine.substack.com/