The Fire These Times

Elia Ayoub reads from his newsletter piece "Merry Christmas Homs: Tribute to Bassel Shehadeh's Last City" which is available for free. It is a reference to a short film directed by Bassel during Christmas 2011 in Homs under heavy shelling by the Assad regime. You can watch it on YouTube. Trigger warning: this audio features some sounds from the original film, including airstrikes. They come right after Elia says 'at times getting closer' at around 1:25 seconds. Skip to 1:59 to avoid them. As this is time sensitive, it is released on the public feed shortly after the Patreon. If you're seeing this from the public feed, please consider joining our Patreon to support this podcast as well as all the other podcasts by FTP. Follow Wafa Mustafa on Instagram to get updates on her ongoing search for her father, Ali Mustafa. Quick announcement: Elia and Leila Al-Shami are going to launch a new podcast called The Inconvenient Revolution focusing on Syrian history between 2011 and 2024. From the Periphery (FTP) Patreon subscribers will get all episodes before the general public. 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! ⁠⁠⁠The Fire These Times⁠⁠⁠⁠ by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Elia Ayoub⁠⁠⁠⁠ is licensed under ⁠⁠⁠⁠Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International

For episode 181, Elia Ayoub is joined by Margaret Killjoy to talk about her piece "⁠The Sky is Falling; We've Got This⁠" published on her newsletter. We recorded this shortly after Trump was announced as the winner of the US elections and many people were feeling despair, understandably so.Check out Margaret's new book and first novel "The Sapling Cage" with Feminist Press!The Fire These Times is a proud member of⁠ ⁠From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective⁠⁠. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: From The Periphery Podcast, The Mutual Aid Podcast⁠, ⁠Politically Depressed⁠, ⁠Obscuristan⁠, and ⁠Antidote Zine⁠.To get early access to our episodes as well as other perks (monthly hangout, movie club, exclusive content and so on) you can join our patreon on Patreon.com/fromtheperiphery For more:Margaret is on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠Bluesky⁠. She has a ⁠website⁠ and a ⁠newsletter⁠.Elia is on Bluesky, Mastodon, IG. He has a newsletter and a website.The Fire These Times is on Bluesky,⁠ IG⁠ 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:Elia Ayoub (host, episode designer, producer), Elliott Miskovicz⁠⁠ (sound editor), ⁠⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Music), ⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TFTT theme design), ⁠⁠Hisham Rifai⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP theme design) and ⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP team profile pics). 

For episode 180, Leila Al-Shami and Elia Ayoub are joined by Dr Banah Ghadbian to talk about her piece "Give Us Our Land Back: The Golan Heights, Greenwashing, Syria and Palestine’s Intertwined Revolutions" published on Spectre Journal. We spoke of the importance of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights in the liberation of both Palestine and Syria. This was recorded before the fall of the Assad dynasty in Syria. Since then, Israel has already taken steps to occupy more of Syrian territory in the Golan Heights, making Banah's arguments about how Syria and Palestine's freedoms are intertwined even more pertinent. The Fire These Times is a proud member of⁠ ⁠From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective⁠⁠. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: From The Periphery Podcast, The Mutual Aid Podcast⁠, ⁠Politically Depressed⁠, ⁠Obscuristan⁠, and ⁠Antidote Zine⁠.To get early access to our episodes as well as other perks (monthly hangout, movie club, exclusive content and so on) you can join our patreon on Patreon.com/fromtheperiphery For more:Listen to the previous episode with Banah on TFTT: 78/ Pedagogies of Liberation, Gender and the Syrian RevolutionLeila is on Mastodon and Bluesky. She has a website.Elia is on Bluesky, Mastodon, IG. He has a newsletter and a website.The Fire These Times is on Bluesky,⁠ IG⁠ 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:Leila Al Shami (host), Elia Ayoub (host, episode designer), Ayman Makarem (producer, sound editor), Elia Ayoub (episode design), ⁠⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Music), ⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TFTT theme design), ⁠⁠Hisham Rifai⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP theme design) and ⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP team profile pics). 

For episode 179, Beirut-based journalist Justin Salhani is joined with New York University professor and journalist Mohamad Bazzi to talk about the situation in Lebanon before and after the ceasefire with Israel.For more:Follow The Fire These Times on ⁠⁠IG⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠From The Periphery is on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and has a ⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠More links:https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/sep/27/israel-lebanon-gaza-war-bidenhttps://www.theguardian.com/profile/mohamad-bazzihttps://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/11/10/in-lebanon-misleading-and-sporadic-israeli-evacuation-orders-instil-fearhttps://www.aljazeera.com/features/longform/2024/10/26/once-upon-a-time-in-dahiyeh-israels-destruction-of-lebanons-communitiesBooks recommended by Bazzi:Rashid Khalidi 100 years warFawaz Traboulsi A History of Modern LebanonDavid Hirst Beware of Small StatesThe Fire These Times is a proud member of⁠ ⁠From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective⁠⁠. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: From The Periphery Podcast, The Mutual Aid Podcast⁠, ⁠Politically Depressed⁠, ⁠Obscuristan⁠, and ⁠Antidote Zine⁠.To get early access to our episodes as well as other perks (monthly hangout, movie club, exclusive content and so on) you can join our patreon on Patreon.com/fromtheperiphery For more:Justin Salhani is on BlueskyMohamad Bazzi is on BlueskyThe Fire These Times is on Bluesky,⁠ IG⁠ 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:Justin Salhani (host), Ayman Makarem (producer, sound editor), Elia Ayoub (episode design), ⁠⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Music), ⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TFTT theme design), ⁠⁠Hisham Rifai⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP theme design) and ⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP team profile pics). 

A lot has happened over the last week in Syria, so we figured we'd gather together, as members of From the Periphery, to discuss the latest developments and provide a historical and political background to help understand the current moment. We discuss a broad range of topics starting with an overview of the what's happened in the last week or so, including: the origins of the Syrian revolution, the counter-revolutionary war, the abuses and crimes of the Assad regime, foreign interventions and regional factors, descriptions of groups such as HTS (Hayat Tahrir al Sham) and SNA (Syria National Army), Kurdish movements and the concerns of ethnic/religious minorities, the racist tankie 'take' industry, and the connections between liberatory movements for Palestine and Syria. We cover a lot but of course we couldn't do everything justice. We will provide links below for further resources, but also plan on doing more episodes in the near future on all these topics as things develop and progress.You can support us on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠. You’ll get early access to all podcasts, exclusive audio and video episodes, an invitation to join⁠ ⁠⁠⁠our monthly hangouts⁠⁠⁠⁠, and more.For more:Elia Ayoub is on ⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠, ⁠Mastodon⁠, ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ and blogs at ⁠Hauntologies.net⁠ Leila Al-Shami on ⁠⁠Mastodon⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠Ayman Makarem is on BlueskyKarena Avedissian is on BlueskyThe Fire These Times is on Bluesky,⁠ IG⁠ and has a⁠ ⁠website⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠From The Periphery is on⁠ ⁠Patreon⁠⁠, ⁠Bluesky⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠,⁠ Instagram⁠, and has a⁠ website⁠⁠The Fire These Times is a proud member of⁠ ⁠From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective⁠⁠. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: From The Periphery Podcast, The Mutual Aid Podcast⁠, ⁠Politically Depressed⁠, ⁠Obscuristan⁠, and ⁠Antidote Zine⁠.Transcriptions: Transcriptions are done by⁠ Antidote Zine⁠ and will be published on⁠ The Fire These Times' transcript archive⁠.Credits:Elia Ayoub (host, episode design), ⁠⁠Leila Al Shami (host), Ayman Makarem (host, producer, sound editor), Karena Avedissian, ⁠⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Music), ⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TFTT theme design), ⁠⁠Hisham Rifai⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP theme design) and ⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP team profile pics).

For episode 177, Leila is joined by Serge from Buzuruna Juzuruna, an agro-ecological farm and heirloom seed producer in the Bekka Valley working on food autonomy, and Abir from Hostel Beirut, a worker owned cooperative in the heart of the Lebanese capital committed to social and economic justice for all. We talk about the current situation in Lebanon following the Israeli invasion, the mutual aid initiatives both guests are involved in during the current crisis, and what international solidarity looks like in their context. The Fire These Times is a proud member of ⁠From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective⁠.  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. Transcriptions: Transcriptions will be by Antidote Zine and published on this website. Episode links:  Hostel Beirut Solidarity Call Lebanon Solidarity Collective/Buzuruna Juzuruna fundraiser (in French) People to People Initiative  The Peoples Want Mutual Aid Lebanon (From the Periphery) For more: Follow The Fire These Times on IG and YouTube From The Periphery is on ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠,⁠ and has a ⁠website⁠⁠ Follow Leila on Twitter and Mastodon and Bluesky  Check out Leila’s blog   Credits: Host: Leila Al-Shami | Guests: Abir & Serge | Music: ⁠⁠⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠ | TFTT theme design: ⁠⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠⁠ | FTP theme design: ⁠Hisham Rifai⁠ | Sound editor: Ayman Makarem| Team profile pics: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Episode design: Elia Ayoub | Producers: Leila Al-Shami & 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

In this rerun of episode 131, Elia is joined by Dr Yafa El Masri to talk about her paper “72 Years of Homemaking in Waiting Zones: Lebanon’s “Permanently Temporary” Palestinian Refugee Camps” which she presented at the 2022 Pluriverse of Eco-social Justice summer school in Coimbra, Portugal, where we met. Dr El Masri spoke from first hand experience of commoning in "permanently temporary" spaces as she is herself a Palestinian refugee who was born and raised in Borj El Brajneh refugee camp in Beirut's southern suburbs. Mentions and Recommendations: A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster by Rebecca Sornit  Eleven Lives: Stories from Palestinian Exiles edited by Muhammad Ali Khalidi The Ungrateful Refugee: What Immigrants Never Tell You by Dina Nayeri Placeless People: Writings, Rights, and Refugees by Lyndsey Stonebridge Orwell’s Roses by Rebecca Sornit Credits: Host(s): Elia Ayoub | Guest (s): Yafa El Masri | 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  

For episode 176, Dana El Kurd is joined by Atalia Omer, professor of Religion, Conflict and Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame to discuss her work on the convergences between American neoconservatism, Christian Zionism, and Israeli politics, as well as how attacking Palestine is being used to advance right-wing politics around the world. Omer discusses the impact of American right-wing politics on knowledge production and the study of Palestine, the Israeli Kahanist far right, and broader trends of Israeli violence.The Fire These Times (TFTT)⁠ is part of the ⁠From The Periphery (FTP)⁠ Media Collective. To support our work, please ⁠head out to Patreon⁠ and get early access to all podcasts, an invite to join our monthly hangout, exclusive content, and more. Books by Atalia - Decolonizing Religion and Peacebuilding When Peace Is Not Enough: How the Israeli Peace Camp Thinks about Religion, Nationalism, and Justice Days of Awe: Reimagining Jewishness in Solidarity with Palestinians Transcriptions: Transcriptions will be ⁠by Antidotezine⁠ and published on ⁠The Fire These Times⁠.Credits:Host(s): Dana El Kurd | Guest: Atalia Omer | 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 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 under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International

In lieu of an episode this week, we're pleased to announce a new podcast within the From the Periphery network. We'll return to regular TFTT releases next week. -- -- -- Welcome to The Mutual Aid Podcast. Join Ayman and israa every week as they discuss, share, and explore all things mutual aid. In this intro episode they talk about the reasons they started this project, what the project even is, and their experience, history, and positionally with mutual aid in general. They also discuss what you can expect from this project in the future and the necessity to take discussions of mutual aid more seriously, especially as the systems around us face collapse and crisis. Gaza Relief Mutual Aid https://www.instagram.com/ibrahimforgazamutualaid/ https://www.liberationthrumutualaid.com Queer Mutual Aid Lebanon https://www.patreon.com/qmalebanon References: https://www.thepublicsource.org/charity-mutual-aid Peter Kropotkin - Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution Dean Spade - Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During this Crisis (and the Next) David Graeber - Debt: The First 5000 Years Support this podcast: https://www.patreon.com/fromtheperiphery Credits: Artwork - Hisham Rifai Music - Beit Youssef and Ramsey Khudairi Hosts - israa and Ayman

Larisa Jašarević, an anthropologist and author of "Beekeeping in the End Times," dives into the rich interplay between beekeeping, culture, and climate change. She discusses personal stories from Bosnia and Armenia, revealing how religious beliefs shape our relationship with bees. The conversation touches on the importance of traditional knowledge and community responsibility in environmental stewardship. Jašarević also tackles climate's toll on mental health in youth, connecting it to broader spiritual narratives and hope amidst crises.