
The Fire These Times
The Fire These Times is a podcast by Lebanese writer and researcher Elia Ayoub and friends connecting academics, writers, artists and activists from around the world to “build the new in the shell of the old.”
It is a part of the From The Periphery Media Collective. To support: https://www.patreon.com/fromtheperiphery
Latest episodes

Mar 4, 2025 • 1h 34min
184/ Öcalan's Statement and the Future of the PKK w/ Dîlan
On Feb 27, Abdullah Öcalan, the long-time jailed leader of the PKK (Kurdish Worker’s Party), released a statement that shocked many. In the statement he called for the PKK to lay down their arms, which could spell the end of the 40-year long armed struggle against the Turkish state, and for the creation of a legal, diplomatic framework to ensure inclusion, rights, and dignity for the Kurdish communities within a democratic Turkish nation. In this episode, Ayman Makarem, Israa, and Karena Avedissian are joined by Dîlan who provides a thorough overview of the present moment, situates it within the longer history of the Kurdish struggle, and explores analysis of what this all means - for Kurds and other communities across the WANA region. As this episode is time-sensitive we are releasing it on Patreon and publicly at the same time.Dîlan is a reluctant academic and tired organizer. She is interested in alternative historiographies, feminist methodologies, and memory. She considers herself an equal-opportunity hater regarding states and authoritarian power structures, and is a dedicated skeptic of reactionary tendencies in both organizing and academic spheres.Links:https://wjas.org/en/the-foundation/https://nudemorg.com/support/https://rojavainformationcenter.org/donate/The Fire These Times is a proud member of From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: the (newly aired!) Mutual Aid Podcast, Politically Depressed, Obscuristan, and Antidote Zine.How to Support: on Patreon or on Apple Podcasts. You’ll get early access to all podcasts, exclusive audio and video episodes, an invitation to join our monthly hangouts, and more.For more:Ayman Makarem is on Bluesky and InstagramKarena Avedissian is on Bluesky Israa is on BlueskyThe Fire These Times is on IG and YouTube and has a website From The Periphery is on Patreon, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, and has a websiteTranscriptions: Transcriptions are done by Antidote Zine and will be published on The Fire These Times' transcript archive.Credits:Ayman Makarem (host, producer, sound editor), Karena Avidissian (host), Israa (host), Dîlan (guest), Rap and Revenge (Music), Wenyi Geng (original TFTT theme design), Hisham Rifai (FTP theme design), Molly Crabapple (FTP team profile pics), Elia Ayoub (episode design).From The Periphery is built by Elia Ayoub, Leila Al-Shami, Ayman Makarem, Dana El Kurd, Karena Avedissian, Daniel Voskoboynik, Anna M, Aydın Yıldız, Ed S, Alice Bonfatti and israa abd elfattah.The Fire These Times by Elia Ayoub is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International

Mar 4, 2025 • 13min
Our Plans for 2025
What we hope to achieve this year.Mentioned:Our patreonAntidotezine Liz Artistry'sWebsite andInstagramThe monthly hangout is open to all Patreon supporters, guests and hosts.Join us!Hauntologies.net The email:ayoub@thefirethesetimes.com Elia'sBluesky andMastodonTFTT is onBluesky andIG, and we have awebsiteFTP is onBluesky andIG, and we have awebsiteThe Inconvenient Revolution is an upcoming podcast by Leila Al-Shami and Elia Ayoub on Syria. All episodes will be first available on ourPatreonThe Mutual Aid Podcast is already available wherever you listen to podcasts. They are also onBluesky andIG. All episodes are first available on ourPatreonObscuristan is already available wherever you listen to podcasts. All episodes are first available on ourPatreon.Ayman's video essays are available first on Patreon and then on YouTube. The first episode is entitled 'Zionism from the Standpoint of its Victims' and is already on YouTube. The second episode is entitled 'Where are the Arabs?' and is available onPatreon.Ayman's live streams are on the From The PeripheryYouTube channel.The upcoming Star Trek podcast (not FTP-related) is by Elia Ayoub and carla joy berman. It will be announced on their social media accounts soon. The TFTT episode with carla is entitled "Let’s Talk About Youth Autonomy w/ carla joy bergman" and is episode number 132.carla joy berman can be found ontheir website and onBluesky. Check out their podcastGrounded Futures and the journal they're part of,CAW: "a worker-run anarchist journal of art, culture, and all the shiny things we can find."

Feb 25, 2025 • 1h 9min
TFTT x Obscuristan: Navalny, A Year Later
In this special collab episode betweenObscuristan and The Fire These Times, Karena Avedissian and Anna are joined by Daniel Voskoboynik to discuss the life of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and what his death means for those of us not quite at the heart of the Russian empire.Obscuristan and The Fire These Times are proud members of From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: the Mutual Aid Podcast, Politically Depressed, andAntidote Zine. To support FTP please head out toPatreon.Transcriptions: Transcriptions are done byAntidote Zine and will be published on The Fire These Times’ transcript archive.For more:Karena Avedissian is onBlueskyObscuristan is onInstagram Daniel Voskoboynik is onBluesky and has anewsletter and awebsiteThe Fire These Times is onBluesky,IG and YouTube and has awebsite From The Periphery is onPatreon,Bluesky,YouTube,Instagram, and has awebsiteCredits:Hosts: Karena Avedissian and Anna | Guest: Daniel Voskoboynik | Music: Sarven Yapar | TFTT theme design:Wenyi Geng | FTP theme design:Hisham Rifai | Sound editor: Anna | Team profile pics: Molly Crabapple | Episode design: Elia Ayoub | Producers: Elia Ayoub and AnnaFrom The Periphery is built by Elia Ayoub, Leila Al-Shami, Ayman Makarem, Dana El Kurd, Karena Avedissian, Daniel Voskoboynik, Anna M, Aydın Yıldız, Ed S, Alice Bonfatti, israa abd elfattah, with more joining soon!The Fire These Times by Elia Ayoub is licensed underAttribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International

Feb 18, 2025 • 1h 42min
Black History Month Special: Black Anarchism, Abolition and the Radical Tradition w/ William C. Anderson
This is a conversation withWilliam C. Anderson, author of the bookThe Nation on No Map (AK Press 2021) and co-author ofAs Black as Resistance (AK Press 2018). He’s also the co-founder ofOffshoot Journal and provides creative direction as a producer of theBlack Autonomy Podcast.The Fire These Times is a proud member of From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: the Mutual Aid Podcast, Politically Depressed, Obscuristan, andAntidote Zine. To support FTP please head toPatreon.For more:William C Anderson has awebsiteElia Ayoub is onMastodon,IG,Bluesky, and he hasa newsletterThe Fire These Times is onIG and YouTube and has awebsite From The Periphery is onPatreon,YouTube,Instagram, and has awebsiteTranscriptions: Transcriptions are done byAntidote Zine and will be published on The Fire These Times’ transcript archive.Credits:Host: Elia Ayoub | Guest: William C Anderson | Music:Rap and Revenge | TFTT theme design:Wenyi Geng | FTP theme design:Hisham Rifai | Sound editor: Elliott Miskovicz | Team profile pics: Molly Crabapple | Episode design: Elia Ayoub | Producer: Elliott Miskovicz and Elia AyoubFrom The Periphery is built by Elia Ayoub, Leila Al-Shami, Ayman Makarem, Dana El Kurd, Karena Avedissian, Daniel Voskoboynik, Anna M, Aydın Yıldız, Ed S, Alice Bonfatti, israa abd elfattah, with more joining soon!The Fire These Times by Elia Ayoub is licensed underAttribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International

Feb 11, 2025 • 11min
Hauntologies 4/ Punishing the Land
Elia reads and comments on his essay "Punishing the land: Israeli symbolism during the Gaza genocide" for Hauntologies.net He was also on Al Jazeera to talk about how the Israelis mark the lands they destroy (link in the newsletter).
The Hauntologies Podcast is a production of From The Periphery and part of The Fire These Times podcast. A newsletter version exists at hauntologies.net. To support us, please head out to Patreon.com/fromtheperiphery to subscribe. You are free to republish and translate the text and audio as long as you credit us with the appropriate patreon link.
For More:
Elia is on Bluesky, Mastodon and Instagram
From the Periphery is on Bluesky and Instagram
The Fire These Times is on Bluesky and Instagram
From The Periphery is built by Elia Ayoub, Leila Al-Shami, Ayman Makarem, Dana El Kurd, Karena Avedissian, Daniel Voskoboynik, Anna M, Aydın Yıldız, Ed S, Alice Bonfatti, israa abd elfattah, with more joining soon!

Feb 4, 2025 • 50min
Hauntologies 3/ Lebanon's Lost Communist Future
Elia Ayoub goes into his essay for hauntologies.net in which he asks: what does it mean to lose the future?
The film explored is Maher Abi Samra's 'We Were Communists' (2011). It will be part of our upcoming movie club on the patreon.
The Hauntologies Podcast is a production of From The Periphery and part of The Fire These Times podcast. A newsletter version exists at hauntologies.net. To support us, please head out to Patreon.com/fromtheperiphery to subscribe. You are free to republish and translate the text and audio as long as you credit us with the appropriate patreon link.
For More:
Elia is on Bluesky, Mastodon and Instagram
From the Periphery is on Bluesky and Instagram
The Fire These Times is on Bluesky and Instagram
From The Periphery is built by Elia Ayoub, Leila Al-Shami, Ayman Makarem, Dana El Kurd, Karena Avedissian, Daniel Voskoboynik, Anna M, Aydın Yıldız, Ed S, Alice Bonfatti, israa abd elfattah, with more joining soon!

Jan 25, 2025 • 14min
Video Essay Announcement
It's finally happening. Ayman has finished his new video essay 'Where are the Arabs?'.
'Where are the Arabs?' is a long-form video essay about the history, failures, and nostalgia of Arab Nationalism. It's one Arab leftist's attempt to sift through this trend, see its remnant today, nd dispell its myths. Today, there is no Arab solidarity in action. But was there ever? I explore this question and many more over 1h 15m, with clips from a broad range of Arab leftist intellectuals.
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There's a live drop happening on Patreon on Sunday 26th at 8pm CET. I'll be in the live chat. Join me!
Link to the Video Essay
Free for members, available for one-time purchase for anyone else!
Here's a Youtube link to Ayman's first video essay, released a few months ago
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Jan 20, 2025 • 8min
Hauntologies 2/ This Moment. Or, Why I Cannot Mourn Gaza
Elia Ayoub reads from his Hauntologies.net piece "This Moment. Or, Why I Cannot Mourn Gaza" which is available for free.
The Hauntologies Podcast is a production of From The Periphery and part of The Fire These Times podcast. A newsletter version exists at hauntologies.net. To support us, please head out to Patreon.com/fromtheperiphery to subscribe. You are free to republish and translate the text and audio as long as you credit us with the appropriate patreon link.
For More:
Elia is on Bluesky, Mastodon and Instagram
From the Periphery is on Bluesky and Instagram
The Fire These Times is on Bluesky and Instagram
If you are on Apple Podcasts: We recommend subscribing via Patreon instead of Apple's FTP Premium as it is a friendlier option to creators. Go to the website, subscribe there and use the RSS feed to listen on your iPhones.
If you are a paid subscriber to Hauntologies.net you will have the same audio as part of the regular newsletter, so you won't have to pay twice to get access to these.
From The Periphery is built by Elia Ayoub, Leila Al-Shami, Ayman Makarem, Dana El Kurd, Karena Avedissian, Daniel Voskoboynik, Anna M, Aydın Yıldız, Ed S, Alice Bonfatti, israa abd elfattah, with more joining soon!

Jan 17, 2025 • 57min
183/ Making Home in Exile: Stories from the New Syrian Diaspora w/ Wendy Pearlman
For episode 183, Leila and Elia are joined by Wendy Pearlman to discuss her newest book,The Home I Worked to Make: Voices from the New Syrian Diaspora as well as her previous bookWe Crossed a Bridge and Trembled. Note that we recorded this episode on November 9, 2024 – just weeks prior to the ousting of the Assad regime. As such, a few small details of the conversation are now ‘outdated’, however the conversation we had and Wendy’s books still remain extremely relevant and important to understanding the Syrian revolution, war, and its present day.The Fire These Times is a proud member of From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: the (newly aired!)Mutual Aid Podcast, Politically Depressed, Obscuristan, andAntidote Zine. To support FTP please head toPatreon.From The Periphery is onYouTube,Bluesky,Instagram, and has awebsiteMentioned in this episode:Wendy Pearlman’s bioThe Home I Worked to Make: Voices from the New Syrian Diaspora by Wendy PearlmanWe Crossed a Bridge and Trembled by Wendy PearlmanBurning Country: Syrians in Revolution and War by Leila Al-Shami and Robin Yassin-Kassab Nostalgia by Svetlana BoymResilient: Broken by Elia AyoubSyrian Association for Citizens' Dignity for reports on Syrian refugees, forced returns to Syria, and other stories and analyses of the Syrian political contextFrom the Periphery’s newly releasedMutual Aid PodcastFor more:Wendy is onBluesky and has awebsiteLeila is onMastodon and Bluesky, and check out herwebsite Elia Ayoub is onMastodon,IG,Bluesky, and he hasa newsletterThe Fire These Times is onIG and YouTube and has awebsiteFrom The Periphery is onPatreon,YouTube,Bluesky,Instagram, and has awebsiteTranscriptions: Transcriptions are done byAntidote Zine and will be published on The Fire These Times' transcript archive.Credits:Hosts: Leila Al-Shami, Elia Ayoub | Guest: Wendy Pearlman | Music:Rap and Revenge | TFTT theme design:Wenyi Geng | FTP theme design:Hisham Rifai | Sound editor: Kaylee | Team profile pics: Molly Crabapple | Episode design: Aydın Yıldız | Producer: Aydın YıldızFrom The Periphery is built by Elia Ayoub, Leila Al-Shami, Ayman Makarem, Dana El Kurd, Karena Avedissian, Daniel Voskoboynik, Anna M, Aydın Yıldız, Ed S, Alice Bonfatti, israa abd elfattah, with more joining soon!The Fire These Times by Elia Ayoub is licensed underAttribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International

Jan 10, 2025 • 1h 35min
182/ Our Mirror Worlds w/ Naomi Klein
For episode 182, Elia, Anna, and Dana are joined by author, scholar, and activist Naomi Klein to discuss her most recent book, Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World, and the myriad connections her analysis of the cultural rise of fascism has to our work at From the Periphery.
The Fire These Times is a proud member of From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: the (newly aired!) Mutual Aid Podcast, Politically Depressed, Obscuristan, and Antidote Zine.
For more:
Naomi Klein has a website, a newsletter, and is on Instagram and Bluesky
Elia Ayoub is on Mastodon, Instagram, and Bluesky, and he has a newsletter
Anna's podcast is Obscuristan which is part of the From The Periphery Media Collective
Dana El Kurd is on Bluesky
The Fire These Times is on IG and YouTube and has a website
From The Periphery is on Patreon, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and has a website
Transcriptions: Transcriptions are done by Antidote Zine and will be published on The Fire These Times' transcript archive.
Credits:
Hosts: Elia Ayoub, Anna M, Dana El Kurd | Guest: Naomi Klein | Music: Rap and Revenge | TFTT theme design: Wenyi Geng | FTP theme design: Hisham Rifai | Sound editor: Kaylee | Team profile pics: Molly Crabapple | Episode design: Elia Ayoub | Producer: Aydın Yıldız
From The Periphery is built by Elia Ayoub, Leila Al-Shami, Ayman Makarem, Dana El Kurd, Karena Avedissian, Daniel Voskoboynik, Anna M, Aydın Yıldız, Ed S, Alice Bonfatti, israa abd elfattah, with more joining soon!The Fire These Times by Elia Ayoub is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities, employers, or other affiliations the speakers may have.