Last Born In The Wilderness

In this interview, I speak with Sunil Bhatia, Professor of Human Development at Connecticut College. He is the author of dozens of articles related to transnational migration, identity and cultural psychology, and is the author of two books, American Karma: Race, Culture and Identity in the Indian Diaspora, and Decolonizing Psychology: Globalization, Social Justice and Indian Youth Identities. At its root, Western Psychology is colonial. With that in mind, what would a decolonized psychology include and exclude in its framework? As Sunil addresses in his work and in this interview, Psychology, as a social science, has served the Western colonialist project in all its forms. Even as we have entered into a "post-colonial" period over the past century or more, the impacts of colonization on numerous populations around the world are still felt presently, profoundly so. Officially, Western nation-states have abandoned previously defined colonies to self-governance (after centuries of various forms of anti-colonial resistance). But, the processes of an "internalized colonization" continue to manifest from a globalized, neoliberal socioeconomic system that is structurally founded on the long-lasting legacies of colonialism and white supremacy. // Episode notes: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/sunil-bhatia // Sustain + support: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness // Donate: https://www.paypal.me/lastbornpodcast

In this episode, I speak with award-winning author and journalist Chris Hedges. We discuss the material conditions precipitating the unprecedented uprisings in the United States the past few weeks, as addressed in his recent article published at SheerPost, The Treason of the Ruling Class. // Episode notes: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/chris-hedges // Sustain + support: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness // Donate: https://www.paypal.me/lastbornpodcast

In this episode, I speak with Mike Africa, Jr., second generation member of the MOVE Organization and founder of The Seeds of Wisdom, a sister chapter of the MOVE Organization. // Episode notes: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/mike-africa-jr // Sustain + support: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness // Donate: https://www.paypal.me/lastbornpodcast

In this episode, I speak with Dr. Gerald Horne, Moores Professorship of History and African American Studies at Houston State University and the author of The Dawning of the Apocalypse: The Roots of Slavery, White Supremacy, Settler Colonialism, and Capitalism in the Long Sixteenth Century. In this discussion, Dr. Horne examines the material conditions that have precipitated the uprisings across the United States the past week, in response to the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25th. His analysis includes how the novel coronavirus pandemic has led to the "unmasking of capitalism” stemming from the U.S. government's altogether lack of economic support for the majority of U.S. citizens in wake of this unprecedented crisis; the far-right political and economic policies of the Trump Administration and his recent decision to defund the World Health Organization, in turn instigating a new Cold War with China; and the hundreds of years of white supremacy and class conflict the United States has grappled with up to the present moment. Dr. Horne frames the wave of uprisings across the nation within a deeper and broader context of previous uprisings (e.g. the Watts Riots of the 1960s in Los Angeles and the nation-wide uprisings that occurred after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.), and points to the impacts the "Long Sixteenth Century" had in the formation of white supremacy, as explored in his book The Dawning of the Apocalypse. // Episode notes: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/gerald-horne-2 // Sustain + support: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness // Donate: https://www.paypal.me/lastbornpodcast

In this episode, I speak with historian and conservationist Betsy Gaines Quammen, author of American Zion: Cliven Bundy, God and Public Lands in the West. This discussion with Betsy begins with an examination of the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and how the theological underpinnings of this religious organization has played an important and instrumental role in the settler-colonialist expansion in the American West since the followers of this faith settled in the region over a century ago. This is especially relevant when we examine how these historical processes have led to the present day crises of land use in the region — conflicts between the federal government (e.g. the Bureau of Land Management) and the political extremism of various cattle ranchers and the militia movement, particularly the Bundy family (Cliven and his son Ammon). The Bundy's numerous high-profile confrontations with federal authorities in recent years have been at the forefront of the "wise use" movement, a "loose-knit coalition of groups promoting the expansion of private property rights and reduction of government regulation of publicly held property." (https://bit.ly/3djbaub) These confrontations came to a head in 2014, with Cliven Bundy leading an armed confrontation with the BLM regarding a 21-year legal dispute involving grazing fees on public land in southeastern Nevada, and in 2016 with Ammon Bundy leading the armed occupation of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County, Oregon, lasting well over a month. Betsy reveals the longstanding relationship far-right militias have had with the Bundy’s and their ongoing conflict with public land management in the western United States, and how the theology of the LDS church has informed their relationship with the land in the region. With these high-profile armed confrontations in mind, I ask Betsy to point to where this ultimately will lead—environmentally, politically, and socially. // Episode notes: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/betsy-gaines-quammen // Sustain + support: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness // Donate: https://www.paypal.me/lastbornpodcast

In this episode, I speak with Margaret Kimberley, author of Prejudential: Black America and the Presidents, and Editor and Senior Columnist at Black Agenda Report. We begin this discussion with Margaret examining the role every United States president has played in perpetuating and reinforcing the white supremacist structure of the nation, including the most lauded presidents in U.S. history: Abraham Lincoln, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Barack Obama, to name a few. From there, I asked Kimberly to define the term she and others at Black Agenda Report have coined, the "black misleadership class." // Episode notes: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/margaret-kimberley // Sustain + support: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness // Donate: https://www.paypal.me/lastbornpodcast

In this episode, I speak with Darcia Narvaez PhD, Professor of Psychology at Notre Dame University. Professor Narvaez is the author and editor of numerous books, including Neurobiology and the Development of Human Morality: Evolution, Culture and Wisdom, and Indigenous Sustainable Wisdom: First-Nation Know-How for Global Flourishing. She also writes regularly for Psychology Today with her Moral Landscapes column, which explores her work with parenting, child development, self-development, and morality. The first time I spoke with Darcia was almost three years ago, back when I was first beginning to do interviews for this podcast. A great deal has changed and happened since then, not only with my work specifically, but in the world at large. In contemplating the roots of the fragmented, disruptive responses the novel coronavirus pandemic has generated, I felt compelled to reconnect with Prof. Narvaez to discuss her insights into this subject. This includes an examination of the contemporary, common child-rearing practices in the West (specifically the United States), and how this informs the ideologies/belief systems people attach themselves to in states of crisis and uncertainty, such as ours. // Episode notes: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/darcia-narvaez-2 // Sustain + support: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness // Donate: https://www.paypal.me/lastbornpodcast

In this episode, I speak with psychotherapist, writer, and witch Anthony Rella.  Much of this discussion with Anthony touches on some very personal topics I'm presently reflecting on and addressing in my own life. This includes personal reflections on intergenerational and collective trauma, somatic responses to conflict in intimate relationships, masculinity, privilege, and our individual and collective responses to the overlapping crises we are in the midst of contemporarily. In conducting this interview, I attempted to present my inquiries into these subjects with openness and vulnerability, while also keeping our explorations broad enough to be received by practically anyone who is receptive to these subjects. // Episode notes: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/anthony-rella // Sustain + support: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness // Donate: https://www.paypal.me/lastbornpodcast

In this episode, I speak with Jeff Gibbs, Director of the popular and controversial documentary film Planet of the Humans. The film was Executive Produced by Michael Moore and released to the public on YouTube, generating over six million views since its release on Earth Day last month. Since its release, Planet of the Humans has generated enormous controversy, backlash, and intense discussion within the environmental and climate movement at large. Some of the harshest criticisms this film has received have come from stanch proponents of "renewable" and "green" energy technologies (like wind, solar, and biomass—the subjects of the film). The harshest of these criticisms have come from activist and Gasland filmmaker Josh Fox, who has stated that the film "is wildly unscientific, outdated, full of falsehoods, and benefits fossil fuel industry promoters and climate deniers" and has asked Moore and Gibbs to disavow the project. (https://bit.ly/3b6ElPa / https://bit.ly/3dnft7c) Pen America, preeminent watchdog in the U.S. defending free expression and human rights, in turn has responded to the calls to take down the film by stating “calls to pull a film because of disagreement with its content are calls for censorship, plain and simple.” (https://bit.ly/2YDZKgg) In researching the dozens of reactions this documentary has generated, I recognized that the underlying point of the film was lost in all the controversy. In this discussion, I ask Jeff to provide some deeper insights into what his intentions with the film really were, as well as address some of the criticisms the film has received, in particular from Josh Fox. // Episode notes: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/jeff-gibbs // Sustain + support: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness // Donate: https://www.paypal.me/lastbornpodcast

In this episode, I speak with Indigenous elder, author, and teacher Stan Rushworth. We discuss Traditional Ecological Knowledge and his upcoming book project, The Changing Earth: Indigenous Voices from Turtle Island, made in collaboration with journalist and author Dahr Jamail. Stan is featured in Ian MacKenzie's recently released short film Prayer for the Earth: An Indigenous Response to These Times. Our planet is undergoing massive ecological, climatological, and cultural shifts, with the consequences of these crises playing out in the near and distant future. In our attempt to reattain a harmonious balance with the life systems of the planet, certain traditions of knowledge and wisdom come to the forefront, namely Indigenous or Traditional Ecological Knowledge. But what is attached to these traditional forms of knowledge is often overlooked, whether on purpose or not: the hundreds of years of genocide that nearly erased Indigenous peoples from Turtle Island. This erasure is just as much physical and is it cultural and spiritual. For those that carry the values and perspectives of the dominant culture, to respectfully and humbly embrace traditional Indigenous knowledge, wisdom, and perspectives requires taking a hard look at what has brought us collectively to this moment. This includes listening and full acknowledging Indigenous people and their history, including all the pain, sorrow, and beauty that comes with it. // Episode notes: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/stan-rushworth // Sustain + support: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness // Donate: https://www.paypal.me/lastbornpodcast