10:00 AM Pacific Time: Monday - Thursday
Letters & Politics seeks to explore the history behind today’s major global and national news stories. Hosted by Mitch Jeserich.
Mitch Jeserich talks to renowned economist and former finance minister of Greece, Yanis Varoufakis, he gives the full, blistering account of his momentous clash with the mightiest economic and political forces on earth. Guest: Yanis Varoufakis is a Greek economist, academic, politician and author of several books including his latest Adults in the Room. In March 2018 Varoufakis … Continued
Today we are in conversation with Joan Watts and Anne Watts who have collected, curated, and edited the Letters of his father, Alan Watts. Alan Watts is best known as an interpreter of Zen Buddhism in particular and of Indian and Chinese philosophy in general. He earned the reputation of being one of the most original and … Continued
Mitch Jeserich is in conversation with Hurston scholar Deborah Plant to talk about the tragedy of slavery and its pernicious legacy that continues to haunt America. Guest: Deborah Plant is a Hurston scholar at the University of South Florida. She is the editor of the book Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” by Zora Neale Hurston. About Barracoon It … Continued
Mitch Jeserich talks to Catherine Nixey about the history of the rise of Christianity and how its radical followers ravaged vast swathes of classical culture, plunging the world into an era of dogma and intellectual darkness. Guest: Catherine Nixey is a journalist and a classicist. She is the author of The Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of … Continued
Mitch Jeserich is in conversation with Professor Kyle Harper to talk about one of the most consequential chapters of human history: the fall of the Roman Empire. Central to this issue are question such as how does an empire fall? What’s the role of climate change and pandemic diseases in the collapse of Rome’s power. Guest: Kyle Harper … Continued
We are in conversation with Arthur Eckstein about how democracies and republics fell apart into chaos or despotism in the ancient western world. The history of those states recounts the history us of our own current state and the rise of a despotic demagogue in the White House. Guest: Arthur Eckstein is Professor of History and Distinguished … Continued
We are in conversation with Stephen Greenblatt to talk about the psychological roots, and the twisted consequences of tyranny from the study of Shakespeare’s tyrannical leaders: Richard III, Macbeth, Lear, Coriolanus, and the societies they rule over. Guest: Stephen Greenblatt is Professor of the Humanities at Harvard University, a world-renowned Shakespeare scholar, and the author of several books including his … Continued
Mitch Jeserich talks to Gregory Claeys about Marx’s ideas and their development, from the nineteenth century through the Russian Revolution to the present. Guest: Gregory Claeys is a professor of history at Royal Holloway, University of London. He has written several books focusing on the history of radicalism, socialism, and utopianism; his latest is Marx and Marxism. … Continued
Today we dive into the history of Rome’s occupation of Britain and the nature of Roman imperialism. Guest: Adrian Goldsworthy is an award-winning historian of ancient Rome. He is the author of the several books including Caesar, How Rome Fell, Pax Romana, Augustus, and his latest Hadrian’s Wall. About The Book: Hadrian’s Wall is the largest Roman artifact known today. It is commonly viewed … Continued
A conversation on the long history of slavery from the ancient world to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade when the justification of slavery by Europeans went from being based on religion to a new conception of race. Guest: Katharine Gerbner, professor of history at the University of Minnesota and author of the book Christian Slavery: Conversion … Continued
