Cosmopod

Join a deep dive into Hawaii's rich history, from independence to U.S. statehood. Discover Captain Cook's impact and the evolution of its political structure. Explore the economic shift from agriculture to a booming tourism industry. Unearth the complexities of the 1950s Democratic Revolution and its fight for rights. Delve into the ongoing struggles with military presence and cultural identity. Finally, reflect on the implications of tourism on local communities and the revitalization of Hawaiian culture amidst modern challenges.

James, Steven and Rudy sit down to talk about the Italian Communist Party (PCI) from its foundation to its dissolution, with a focus on its period of maximum influence from the post-WW2 refoundation to the unraveling of the Historic Compromise in 1980 as well as the differences and similarities to the French Communist Party. We discuss the founding of the PCI in the aftermath of the First World War, followed by its destruction during the fascist period and how this destruction was a historic trauma of fascism that colored its post-WW2 strategy. We discuss how the party negotiated a place in the Italian political system, and how different tendencies within the party responded to events in the 50s and 60s. We then turn to the historic compromise, what it was and how it can be seen as a right-wing interpretation of the Popular Front. We finish by discussing the unraveling of the Popular Front, the dissolution of the party in the 1990s and the consequences on the present Italian left. Bibliography: G. Amyot - The Italian Communist Party: The Crisis of the Popular Front Strategy P. Daniels, M. J. Bull - Voluntary Euthanasia: From the Italian Communist Party to the Democratic Party of the Left S. Hellman - Italian Communism in Transition: The Rise and Fall of the Historic Compromise in Turin, 1975-1980 L. Magri - The Tailor of Ulm: A History of Communism M. A. Macciocchi - Letters from inside the Italian Communist Party to Louis Althusser D. Sassoon - The Strategy of the Italian Communist Party: From the Resistance to the Historic Compromise R. Rossanda - The Comrade from Milan J. B. Urban - Moscow And The Italian Communist Party: From Togliatti to Berlinguer Pre-fascist period: J. M. Cammett - Antonio Gramsci and the origins of Italian Communism P. Spriano - The occupation of the factories, Italy 1920 G. Williams - Proletarian Order: Antonio Gramsci, Factory Councils and the origins of Italian communism, 1911-1921

Jackson and Donald are joined by Christian Noakes author of Do It Yourself, Brother: Cultural Autonomy and the New Thing to discuss jazz music and musicians during the Cold War. We cover the U.S. state department's attempts to weaponize Jazz for imperial cultural diplomacy and how artists in the Jazz avant-garde of the 1950s-60s resisted the exploitation of their music by both the U.S. government and the capitalist music industry.

We join Gabriel Kuhn, author of books like Soccer vs. the State and Antifascism, Sports, Sobriety: Forging a militant working-class culture for a discussion on sports, sobriety and also the ways Austromarxism applied these principles during the interwar period. We discuss Gabriel's attraction to the Straight Edge movement as well as its contemporary transformations, as well as sports and left-wing interventions. We then focus on his study on Austromarxism, Red Vienna, and working-class culture, discussing key figures like Julius Deutsch and the Schutzbund and examining their historical impact and relevance today. We conclude with reflections on the legacy of the Schutzbund, the Worker’s Olympics, and the applicability of these historical lessons to contemporary health and sports interventions.

Rudy, Andrew and Eric sit down to discuss Egypt from its origins as an independent polity under Mehmed Ali up to the Sadat years, with a focus on the Nasserist revolutionary period. We discuss the origins and aims of the 1952 coup and revolution, the relationship between communists and Nasser(ism), the three periods of Nasserism, the national and international character of the government periods, the (lack of) institutionalization of Arab Socialism and the Arab Socialist Union, the unraveling of Arab Socialism under Sadat and much more! References: A. Abdel-Malek - Egypt: Military society: The Army Regime, the Left, and Social Change under Nasser S. Aburish - Nasser: The Last Arab: A Biography K. J. Beattie - Egypt During the Sadat Years M. Hussein - Class Conflict in Egypt: 1945-1970 E. Kienle - Egypt: A Fragile Power

Donald and Luke talk with Aziz Rana about his latest book, The Constitutional Bind: How Americans Came to Idolize a Document That Fails Them. Rana discusses why constitutional veneration has remained (for now) "a naturalized, unremarked-upon feature” of American life despite the Constitution's flagrantly undemocratic nature. Along the way, he touches on the Socialist Party of America's constitutional skepticism, the impact of war and foreign revolutions on constitutional ideology, and the risks and rewards of our current moment. Rana integrates the lives of several important people, including Crystal Eastman, W.E.B DuBois, Eugene Debs, Afemi Shakur, and Charles Beard.

We sit down with Jerome Scott, former Detroit Auto worker and founding member of the League of Revolutionary Black Workers to learn about Black working-class radicalizing during the Vietnam War and Detroit uprisings and to get advice on directions for the revolutionary movement today.

Ian, a leading AI expert, joins Nico, who navigates AI’s historical debates, alongside Matt exploring socio-economic implications. Chas adds a unique perspective on understanding AI, while Rudy delves into its Marxist interpretations. They discuss AI's evolution, its current societal impacts, and prospects for the future. The conversation touches on the balance between optimism and caution, emphasizing the need for human reasoning in navigating AI's role in labor and creativity, and critiques the socio-economic frameworks that shape technology today.

Exir, Toby and Jackson join for a discussion on the (in)famous Frankfurt School. They discuss the history of the Institute for Social Research from its founding as a think tank for the study of the workers’ movement, through the turn to critical theory and empirical social research in the 1930s, its flight to America in the wake of the Nazis’ rise to power, and its return to Germany after the Second World War. Focusing in on Max Horkheimer, Theodor Adorno, and Herbert Marcuse, they use the trajectory of these thinkers and the Institute to consider questions of how intellectuals should relate to political movements, the relationship between theory and empirical research, and the possibility and desirability of intellectual independence. They also discuss some of the key ideas of the Frankfurt School, including the critique of instrumental reason, the concept of the totally administered society, and Marcuse’s development of psychoanalytic ideas.

Rudy joins Martín Lallana for an introductory discussion on mining. We talk about the importance of mining to capitalism, the ecological impacts of different kind of mining, the way that the materials extracted have changed along history focusing on the materials needed for an energy transition and the way the Ukranian war has changed the needs of European countries before discussing the possibilities to have more just forms of mining and the potentialities of "urban mining"