Last Born In The Wilderness

Prolific author and historian Dr. Gerald Horne joined me to discuss his recently published book, The Apocalypse of Settler Colonialism: The Roots of Slavery, White Supremacy, and Capitalism in 17th Century North America and the Caribbean.  In the 17th century, major European powers were undergoing massive colonization projects on the North and South American continents, resulting in mass genocide and enslavement of countless indigenous peoples. Simultaneously during this same period, millions of Africans were kidnapped from their respective homelands, transported across the vast Atlantic Ocean, and then sold for staggeringly high profits, resulting in one the most economically profitable periods—for the major European powers involved—in human history.  In this conversation, we explore how these monumentally disruptive events in the 17th century informed the initial formation and development of capitalism as the dominant socio-economic system of our time. Also, we explore the socially constructed and institutionally enforced concept of race, and how the historical development of both of these concepts, capitalism and race, are inextricably connected to the "apocalypse of settler colonialism" that arrived on the shores of the American and African continents during this time period. // Episode notes: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/gerald-horne // Sustain + support: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness // Donate: https://www.paypal.me/lastbornpodcast

In this episode, I speak with John Feffer, director of Foreign Policy In Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies. This interview covers two major geopolitical trends currently developing in the world today: the reconciliation process currently unfolding between North and South Korea, and the inflamed tensions between the United States and Israel (and other regional players) with the government of Iran. // Episode notes: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/john-feffer // Sustain + support: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness // Donate: https://www.paypal.me/lastbornpodcast

I speak with Israel Bravo, an innovator in the world of beekeeping and bee colony storage. Israel has years of experience in beekeeping, and through experimentation and passionate dedication to the preservation of bee colonies, has managed to work through, and ultimately overcome, one of the major reoccurring problems experienced by many beekeepers around the world: the decline of bee populations in storage during the winter months. Beekeepers lose significant portions of their bee colony populations over those months of storage (often, up to 40 percent of the bee colony populations). It's common practice, at least in this part of the United States, to store bees through the winter months in vacant potato cellars, and for reasons discussed in this episode, provide less than ideal conditions for bee colony storage. Israel goes over the very practical methods and tools that can be adopted to prevent such significant losses. // Episode notes: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/israel-bravo // Sustain + support: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness // Donate: https://www.paypal.me/lastbornpodcast

In this episode, I speak with Alley Valkyrie about the recent events in western France regarding the communal, long-term occupation at the ZAD (French: zone à défendre; English: zone to defend). Alley provides a much-needed explanation of the events currently unfolding there, contextualizing and expounding on the cultural, political, and historical trends that have led to the present situation on the ground. // Episode notes: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/alley-valkyrie // Sustain + support: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness // Donate: https://www.paypal.me/lastbornpodcast

Psychiatrist, lecturer, and author Dr. Iain McGilchrist joins me for this episode. We discuss some of the themes and ideas presented in his book The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World. In the very beginning of this interview, Dr. McGilchrist presents a detailed picture of the "divided brain"—specifically, the evolutionary and adaptive perceptual functions of the left and right hemispheres of the brain. We then discuss how the balance, or imbalance, of these relatively different perceptual functions inherent to each hemisphere of the brain informed the development and trajectory of human cultures and societies, up to the present. More specifically, we discuss how the Western worldview (the value systems that have been cultivated in predominantly Western societies), over the course of thousands of years, began to favor a more "left brain" form of organized thinking and cultural development, and how this predominantly "left brain" thinking has lead our civilization, now global in scope, towards the brink of wide-scale ecological devastation. // Episode notes: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/iain-mcgilchrist // Sustain + support: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness // Donate: https://www.paypal.me/lastbornpodcast

In this episode, I speak with Max Dashu, founder of the Suppressed Histories Archive and author of Witches and Pagans: Women in European Folk Religion, 700–1100. // Episode notes: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/max-dashu // Sustain + support: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness // Donate: https://www.paypal.me/lastbornpodcast

In this episode, I speak with Dmitry Orlov. This interview was recorded Sunday, April 15, less than two days after the events discussed in this episode. We discuss the recent missile strikes by the US military in Syria, the Trump Administration, and the broader US military establishment's true intentions and objectives behind the strike, as well as what other major world powers (Russia in particular) are doing in response to this attack.  Dmitry presents this whole event within a broader geopolitical trend: the American Empire is fading. America's influence in the Middle East, in particular, has begun to dissipate, with Russia and other regional players aligning themselves outside US American control and influence. These nations have begun to nudge the United States out of its once dominant role on the international stage, and the response to this missile strike in Syria fits neatly within this trend. // Episode notes: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/dmitry-orlov // Sustain + support: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness // Donate: https://www.paypal.me/lastbornpodcast

Shane Burley joins me to discuss his book Fascism Today: What It Is and How To End It. At the beginning of this interview, Shane provides a precise description of what fascism is, the historical context in which it first emerged, as well what fascist organizing in contemporary US society looks like. We discuss and break down the pseudo-scientific claims espoused by many of these groups regarding the concepts of race, as well as the reasons as to why and how these widely dismissed pseudo-scientific claims still exist and continue to spread among the far-right. // Episode notes: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/shane-burley // Sustain + support: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness // Donate: https://www.paypal.me/lastbornpodcast

Rhyd Wildermuth returns to the podcast to discuss some of the ideas presented in his recent essay, A New Luddite Rebellion. Rhyd expounds on the role social media has played on our ability to discuss complex and nuanced ideas, and the role identity politics has played in the Left's (in)ability to effectively organize against capitalism and produce tangible alternatives to the dominant organizing ideology of our time. We also discuss traveling, the culture shock that comes when you travel back to the United States, as well as an upcoming online course, led by Rhyd, on "a pagan introduction to Marxism." // Episode notes: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/rhyd-wildermuth-2 // Sustain + support: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness // Donate: https://www.paypal.me/lastbornpodcast

This is a segment of my incompletely recorded conversation with Daniel Christian Wahl. Unfortunately, due to some technical issues with the recording of this episode, a significant chunk of our conversation was lost and unsalvageable. Daniel asked that I release what was recorded, and here is the finished result. I thank Daniel for sharing his insights with me, and I appreciate his kindness. // Episode notes: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/daniel-wahl // Sustain + support: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness // Donate: https://www.paypal.me/lastbornpodcast