The Public Sphere
This is a pilot episode for a podcast on the work. Original music by Samuel Haines.
info_outline Free as in MarketThe Public Sphere
Pete and Luke talk about Elizabeth Anderson’s Tanner Lectures in Human Values: "Liberty, Equality, and Private Government." Anderson says we don’t really understand the relationship between the “free market” and some of our most cherished political ideals, namely freedom and equality. This has lead us to overlook how the modern workplace has become politically authoritarian even as it is championed by free market ideologues.
info_outline The New LeftThe Public Sphere
Rafael Khachaturian and Sean Guillory visit to talk about their new article "Mapping the American Left." Both have been on the podcast before. Their article lists a few challenges faced by the Left in America.
info_outline Reacting to the State of EmergencyThe Public Sphere
In a shorter episode, Pete and Luke are astounded by President Trump's declaration of a State of Emergency in order to find money for his border wall. The Public Sphere is a podcast from Contrivers Review.
info_outline Research Interests: NeoliberalismThe Public Sphere
A discussion about neoliberalism as a political and theoretical concept arising out of research research and reading. The Public Sphere is a podcast from Contrivers' Review.
info_outline The Literal Opium of the MassesThe Public Sphere
Pete and Luke discuss a controversial article from Andrew Sullivan, "America's New Religions," in New York Magazine. They debate the differences between small-L liberalism and small-C conservatism in political theory. They also probe the role played by religion in providing the background cultural resources for stable political disagreements (as Sullivan seems to believe it must).
info_outline Representing the Working ClassThe Public Sphere
Pete talks with frequent guest Wes Bishop about how politics (mis-)characterizes and stereotypes the working class.
info_outline PartisanshipThe Public Sphere
Pete and Luke discuss a few articles about party politics in America. The Public Sphere is a podcast from Contrivers Review.
info_outline Reconsidering Fascism in AmericaThe Public Sphere
On this episode, Luke and Pete discuss "Scary Clowns,” an article in the Baffler by Brendan O'Conner. Luke begins with a monologue about his growing fear of extremist right-wing violence. We consider the connections between more mainstream conservative groups and fascist groups like the Proud Boys. We discuss the racial polarization of politics, and how race has crystalized into a political differentiator. Finally, we consider the complicity by silence of the GOP.
info_outline Ryan Zinke and Public UseThe Public Sphere
Pete and Luke discuss Ryan Zinke, the scandal-ridden Secretary of the Interior. What does "public land for public use" mean? What is an "America First" energy policy? They also briefly revisit last week's topic, Matthew Whitaker, the newly appointed acting Attorney General. The Public Sphere is a podcast from Contrivers Review.
info_outlineThis week, we’re talking about A Kingdom of Dust, by Mark Arax. This long-form article was published in California Sunday Magazine in late January. It’s a long winding lyrical account of the largest grower of almonds, pistachios, and pomegranate in the country. You would probably recognize the Wonderful brand from the bottles of pom juice you seen in the grocery store or Fiji water.
This is a story of a tycoon of American agri-business, the rights to California’s scarcest resource, water, the company town of Lost Hills and the workers who live there, and the role of philanthropy in providing what are usually public services.
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- Brian Schatz, "California’s Housing Crisis Is So Bad, Families Are Squatting Abandoned Homes Just to Survive," MotherJones (March/April 2018).
- Clair Potter, "How to learn from Conservatives," Public Seminar (April 18, 2018).
- Ronan Farrow, "Inside Rex Tillerson’s Ouster," The New Yorker (April 19, 2018).
- Mark Arax, "A Kingdom from Dust," California Sunday Magazine (January 31, 2018).
- "Drought by the Numbers," KCET.org .
- Map of the Central Valley.
The Public Sphere is a podcast from Contrivers' Review.
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