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In this week’s episode we hear from writer Toby Manning whose new book, Mixing Pop and Politics explores a Marxist history of popular music and examines the economic and social forces that make the phenomenon that is popular music and culture. In a wide ranging conversation that explores everything from Beyonce’s country album, John Lennon’s Working Class Hero, the intersection with queer culture and representation, Queen’s commercial suicide in USA following the video for I want to break free,
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Open up your Twitter feed or Facebook page and you’re one or two clicks away from a nostalgia meme, they grow like historically illiterate fungi, but nostalgia itself is a more complex and even sometimes problematic phenomenon. In this episode of the Explaining History podcast we hear from Dr Agnes Arnold-Forster, the author of a new history of Nostalgia itself. We explore the first recorded instances of nostalgia in the 17th Century through to its current usage and weaponisation in culture war
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In this wide ranging interview with Ewan Gibbs, lecturer in social and economic history at the University of Glasgow, we explore the themes in his forthcoming book, The Unmaking of the British Working Class, in which Ewan explores the changes in post war class consciousness, identity and culture. We discuss key transitional moments from post war affluence in the 1950s and 1960s, the assault on organised labour in the 1970s and the social transformations brought about by Margaret Thatcher in the
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In this gripping episode of *Explaining History*, we delve into the shadowy world of espionage, conflict, and moral ambiguity with intelligence writer Henry Hemming, author of the explosive new book on one of the most controversial figures of The Troubles, the IRA double agent known as Stakeknife.Henry Hemming takes us behind the veil of secrecy to reveal the complex life of Stakeknife, who, while deeply embedded within the IRA, passed critical intelligence to British security forces. This cland
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In this gripping episode of *Explaining History*, we delve into the shadowy world of espionage, conflict, and moral ambiguity with intelligence writer Henry Hemming, author of the explosive new book on one of the most controversial figures of The Troubles, the IRA double agent known as Stakeknife.Henry Hemming takes us behind the veil of secrecy to reveal the complex life of Stakeknife, who, while deeply embedded within the IRA, passed critical intelligence to British security forces. This cland
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In this episode of Explaining History, we sit down with the acclaimed writer Bruce Tapping, author of, “Bruce’s Complete Timeline of the World.” Join us as we embark on a fascinating journey through the timeline, unravelling the complexities of our past, from the agricultural revolutions that reshaped society to the intellectual awakening of the Renaissance.Bruce offers his unique insights into some of the most pivotal events in history, including the theories surrounding 9/11 and the transforma
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In this thought-provoking episode of the Explaining History podcast, we delve into the often overlooked conservative resistance on American college campuses during the height of the counter-culture movement. Join us as we sit down with Lauren Lassabe Shepherd, academic at the University of New Orleans and distinguished historian and author, who sheds light on the dynamic and complex interactions between conservative students and the liberal ideologies that defined much of the 1960s and 70s acade
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Description:In this insightful episode of the Explaining History Podcast, we delve into a pivotal period in British history – the years 1968-1970 under the leadership of Prime Minister Harold Wilson and his Chancellor of the Exchequer, Roy Jenkins. Drawing from Kenneth O. Morgan’s meticulously researched book “The People’s Peace,” we explore the significant economic challenges and austerity measures that defined this era.As Britain faced mounting economic pressures, Wilson and Jenkins’s policies
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In this episode of the Explaining History podcast, we turn our focus to the remarkable life and enduring legacy of Merze Tate, a groundbreaking intellectual whose contributions have left an indelible mark on the study of international relations, disarmament, colonialism and post colonialism, race, gender and injustice. Joining us for this exploration is esteemed Professor Barbara Savage, an expert in African American history and culture.Professor Savage guides us through the extraordinary journe
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In this episode of Explaining History, we delve deep into the origins and enduring impact of one of the world’s most powerful hymns: “Amazing Grace.” A song that has transcended boundaries of religion, race, and nation, it has served as an anthem for both the abolition of slavery and the civil rights movement in the United States.Joining us for this exploration is the esteemed Professor Emeritus James Walvin, an expert in the history of slavery and abolition. Professor Walvin traces the hymn’s b