Radicals in Conversation

Mar 03 2025 100 ep. 50 mins 674
Radicals in Conversation Podcast artwork

Radicals in Conversation is a monthly podcast from Pluto Press, one of the world’s leading independent, radical publishers. Every month we sit down with leading campaigners, authors and academics to bring you in-depth conversations and radical perspectives on the issues that matter the most.

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Palestine and Visual Activism Since October 7

Mar 03 2025 66 mins  
With Nicholas Mirzoeff. Content Warning: Sexual abuse In this episode we discuss the new book, To See in the Dark: Palestine and Visual Activism Since October 7. Nicholas Mirzoeff shares how experiences of domestic, political and sexual violence - in both his family history and his own childhood - have shaped his understanding of events since October 7th. He talks about what it me

Eros and Alienation: Capitalism and the Making of Gendered Sexualities

Feb 04 2025 70 mins  
With Alan Sears. In this episode we discuss the new book, Eros and Alienation: Capitalism and the Making of Gendered Sexualities. Alan Sears lays out his expansive understanding of key ideas like labour, alienation, social reproduction, and eroticism. We discuss 'erotic enclosure' in 19th century industrial capitalism, bodily discipline and identity formation at work and in school;

Trans Femme Futures: Abolitionist Ethics for Transfeminist Worlds

Jan 15 2025 66 mins  
With Nat Raha and Mijke van der Drift. In our first episode of 2025, we discuss the themes of the new book, Trans Femme Futures: Abolitionist Ethics for Transfeminist Worlds. We talk about what is entailed by trans and femme practices, the value of critical theory, and how trans liberation moves beyond the liberal call for rights. We discuss solidarity, abolitionism, and why it’

Radicals in Conversation: 2024 Curated Highlights

Dec 12 2024 58 mins  
Our 2024 roundup features curated highlights from episodes released throughout the year: We speak to John Pring, about the British government’s Department for Work and Pensions, and its horrific work capability assessment. We speak to Robert Chapman, about why the neurodiversity movement emerged when it did, its successes, and the limitations of a liberal orientation under neolib

Beyond the Ballot Box: Pacification and Intergenerational Memory in Social Movements

Nov 28 2024 62 mins  
With Peter Gelderloos and Vicky Osterweil. Whether it is in the fight against police violence, ecological destruction, or any other manifestation of patriarchal white supremacy, time and again, the hard-earned lessons of past struggles seem to get forgotten. Our social movements are capable of generating significant momentum, moments of far-reaching revolt, but we suffer from a kin

Western Complicity and the Human Cost of the Arms Trade in Gaza

Oct 23 2024 49 mins  
With Ahmed Alnaouq, Andrew Feinstein and Anna Stavrianakis. It has now been over a year since Israel embarked on its genocidal campaign in Gaza. In that time, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been killed or injured. Furnishing Israel with more than just diplomatic cover, Western governments have kept up a steady supply of military aid and equipment, actively enabling the

Resisting Cop Cities and the Militarization of Policing

Oct 09 2024 56 mins  
What happens when the police become an army? Since 1997, the US Department of Defense has transferred more than $7.2bn in military equipment to law enforcement agencies. This militarization has, unsurprisingly, been shown to unjustly impact on Black communities and is associated with increased killings by police. The Police Public Safety Training Center in Atlanta - more commonly k

Beyond the Ballot Box: On the Far Right with Mike Wendling

Sep 20 2024 53 mins  
This is episode 1 of ‘Beyond the Ballot Box' - our new mini-series exploring some of the major political currents in US politics. With the presidential election just around the corner, American politics is increasingly a focus of international attention as well. Electoralism, reproductive justice, the climate crisis, Palestine, a resurgent far right, the criminalization of prote

The Department: How a Violent Government Bureaucracy Killed Hundreds and Hid the Evidence

Aug 20 2024 50 mins  
In the early 2010s, reports began to emerge of deaths linked to a government department. Suicide notes, coroners' reports, and research by disabled activists pointed to failings within the Department for Work and Pensions – the DWP – the government body responsible for the disability benefits system. As years passed, and austerity tightened its grip, the death toll mounted, and

Labour Movement Solidarity with Palestine

May 28 2024 54 mins  
At the time of recording, Israel’s relentless bombardment of Rafah continues. Around 1 million people have been forced to flee the city. Condemning the assault on Rafah, Spain, Ireland and Norway have joined 140 other countries in officially recognising a Palestinian state. It is a symbolic action that has undoubtedly damaged diplomatic relations between the three countries and I