Best Converging Dialogues Podcasts (2025)

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#431 - Western Meddling and Betrayal in the Middle East: A Dialogue with Fawaz Gerges 1:05:41

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4h ago1:05:41

1:05:41

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Fawaz Gerges about continuous Western involvement in the Middle East. They discuss misconceptions of the Middle East, role of colonialism, Iran and Turkey being exceptions to foreign colonial involvement, Arab Nationalism, Civilizations and colonialism, political Islam, and many more topics. Fawaz…

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#430 - The Rise and Spread of Mass Education: A Dialogue with Agustina Paglayan 1:44:28

7d ago1:44:28

1:44:28

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Agustina Paglayan about mass education around the world. They discuss education as a tool for political and social order, theories of education, and explicit aims of government education. They also talk about early critical thinking, nationalism, and education worldwide. They discuss mass educatio…

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#429 - Translation Multiples: A Dialogue with Kasia Szymanska 1:16:12

11d ago1:16:12

1:16:12

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Kasia Szymanska about translation of texts. They discuss how many translations can diverge from one source, translating into English, post-1989 Poland and translation, ethics of translation, the poem VIA, A Clockwork Orange translations, and many more topics. Kasia Szymanska is Lecturer in transla…

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#428 - Iran's Grand Political Strategy: A Dialogue with Vali Nasr 1:43:55

16d ago1:43:55

1:43:55

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Vali Nasr about the recent political history of Iran. They give an overview of Iran’s political motives and strategy, impact of the Persian empire and Shia Islam, and Reza Khan and Iranian nationalism. They talk about the impact of “Kemalism,” the 1979 Iranian revolution, the Iran-Iraq war, rise o…

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#427 - A History of the Irish Famine: A Dialogue with Padraic Scanlan 1:12:32

18d ago1:12:32

1:12:32

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Padraic Scanlan about the Irish famine. They provide an overview of the Irish famine, discuss the relationship between Ireland and Britain and how British colonialism impacted the Irish famine. They talk about potatoes in Ireland, formation of the United Kingdom, variables leading up to the Irish …

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#426 - A History of Free Speech: A Dialogue with Jacob Mchangama 1:42:19

22d ago1:42:19

1:42:19

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Jacob Mchangama about the history of free speech. They discuss free speech in Europe, defining free speech, limits of free speech and ethics of free speech. They also talk about the free speech recession, origins of free speech, Athenian and Roman empires, Abbasid Caliphate, ancient India, printin…

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#425 - What Russians Believe About Russia: A Dialogue with Paul Chaisty & Stephen Whitefield 1:30:35

27d ago1:30:35

1:30:35

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Paul Chaisty and Stephen Whitefield about public opinion in Russia. They discuss Russia’s transformation since the fall of the Soviet Union, Consolidation and contestation within Russia’s hybrid political economy, and generational changes under Putin. They talk about authoritarianism, collecting p…

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#424 - Reforming Our Institutions: A Dialogue with Yuval Levin 1:10:13

28d ago1:10:13

1:10:13

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Yuval Levin about the importance of reforming our institutions. They discuss why institutions are important, individuals and institutions, slow change with institutions, and the mistrust and dislike of institutions. They also make the case for elites, building broad political coalitions, Trump’s 2…

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#423 - Changing Personality: A Dialogue with Olga Khazan 59:46

1M ago59:46

59:46

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Olga Khazan on whether one could change their personality. They discuss why someone would want to change their personality, constancy over the lifespan, and why she used the BIG-5. They talk about extroversion and connection, neuroticism and mindfulness, openness to experience, conscientiousness, …

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#422 - The Power of Behavioral Genetics: A Dialogue with Robert Plomin 1:45:08

1M ago1:45:08

1:45:08

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Robert Plomin on behavioral genetics. They discuss why behavioral genetics has explanatory power, heritability, genetics and psychological research, SNPs, GWAS, and epigenetics. They also talk about shared and non-shared environments, twin models and adoption models, heritability and cognitive abi…

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#421 - Beauty and the gods: A Dialogue with Hugo Shakeshaft 1:04:36

1M ago1:04:36

1:04:36

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Hugo Shakeshaft about ancient greeks ideas about beauty and the gods. They discuss beauty in ancient Greece and its impact on modern times, architecture and beauty, beauty and aesthetics, and the gods and beauty. They talk about the relationship between humans and the gods, superficial and deeper …

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#420 - Translating Homer's The Odyssey: A Dialogue with Daniel Mendelsohn 1:20:52

1M ago1:20:52

1:20:52

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Daniel Mendelsohn on his new English translation of Homer’s The Odyssey. They discuss the massive impact of The Odyssey, major themes in the Odyssey, authorship, and translation for our time. They talk about the lines and meter of the Odyssey in English, oral to written form, adapting the Odyssey,…

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#419 - Resisting Groupthink, Embracing Nuance: A Dialogue with Jenara Nerenberg 1:23:04

2M ago1:23:04

1:23:04

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Jenara Nerenberg about the importance of nuance thinking and healthy dialogue with others. They discuss self-censoring, groupthink, rise of gurus, podcasters, and influencer culture. They also talk about heterodox thinking, ethics of speaking to a larger audience, healthy dialogue with others, and…

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#418 - Sex Is A Spectrum: A Dialogue with Agustín Fuentes 1:26:36

2M ago1:26:36

1:26:36

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Agustín Fuentes about biological sex. They talk about the history of sex evolution, the importance of gametes, intersex individuals, and history of sex binary. They talk about gonads and hormones, sex variation in the animal kingdom, spectrum question, gender, gender and sports, gender and bathroo…

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#417 - The Golden Road: Ancient India and the World: A Dialogue with William Dalrymple 58:56

2M ago58:56

58:56

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with William Dalrymple about India and the Golden Road. They define the Golden Road of ancient India, discuss evidence other cultures interacted with India, and discuss the spread of Buddhism out of India. They talk about similarities and differences with the Silk Road, Kushans and Scythians, Hinduism,…

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#416 - A New History of the Americas: A Dialogue with Greg Grandin 1:20:49

2M ago1:20:49

1:20:49

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Greg Grandin about a new history of the Americas. They discuss the term “American,” landscape of the Americas in pre-colonial years, Spanish colonialism, British colonialism, and the American and French Revolutions. They talk about Bolívar and Gran Colombia, the Monroe Doctrine, FDR’s new deal in …

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#415 - Off The Spectrum: Autism and Females: A Dialogue with Gina Rippon 1:30:47

2M ago1:30:47

1:30:47

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Gina Rippon about autism in females. They discuss the increase in autism cases, defining autism, and origins of autism. They also talk about the history of the autism diagnosis, identity, current diagnostic criteria, specific presentations in females, neurological features, eating disorders, futur…

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#414 - Death and the Afterlife in the Ancient World: A Dialogue with Robert Garland 1:25:13

2M ago1:25:13

1:25:13

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Robert Garland about death in the ancient world. They talk about how ancient cultures considered death, beginnings of understanding death, process of dying, funerals, different cultural beliefs about the afterlife, caring for the bodies of the deceased, afterlife for non-believers, and many more t…

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#413 - Single Motherhood Since 1980: A Dialogue with Nicholas Wolfinger & Matthew McKeever 1:26:43

2M ago1:26:43

1:26:43

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Nicholas Wolfinger and Matthew McKeever about single motherhood since 1980. They discuss major causes of single motherhood, income, workforce change, teenage mothers, and low fertility rates. They also talk about the differences between divorced vs. non-married mothers, income and family size, rac…

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#412 - The Neuroscience of Choice and Change: A Dialogue with Emily Falk 58:06

3M ago58:06

58:06

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Emily Falk about the neuroscience of choice and change. They discuss studying values, strengths and limits of fMRIs, value system in the brain, reward system, making choices, the self, making future choices, values with others, and many more topics. Emily Falk is professor of Communication, Psycho…

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#411 - A History of the Female Body: A Dialogue with Helen King 1:16:05

3M ago1:16:05

1:16:05

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Helen King about the history of the female body. The give an overview of the four parts (breasts, clitoris, hymen, womb) of the female body and discuss how medicine shaped positive and negative ideas about the female body. They talk about breasts, clitoris, female genital mutilation, hymen, womb, …

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#410 - The Social Genome: A Dialogue with Dalton Conley 1:24:58

3M ago1:24:58

1:24:58

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Dalton Conley about the social genome. They discuss the nature/nurture debate, polygenic index (PGI), and ethics of PGI and Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS) studies. They give some critiques of The Bell Curve, three major Gene-Environmental interactions (active, passive, reactive), epigeneti…

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#409 - Animals as Doctors of Nature: A Dialogue with Jaap de Roode 1:15:16

3M ago1:15:16

1:15:16

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Jaap de Roode about how animals heal themselves. They discuss whether animals intentionally or unintentionally seek out medicinal plants, four ways animals fight infection, Monarch butterflies and treating against parasites, chimps and their gut health. They also talk about birds using cigarettes …

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#408 - The Decline and Fall of the Human Empire: A Dialogue with Henry Gee 1:57:05

3M ago1:57:05

1:57:05

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Henry Gee about the decline and fall of the human species. They discuss the lifetime and decline of a species, when humans began to decline, what does it mean to be human, bipedalism, Homo Erectus, and slow human growth. They also talk about domestication and disease impacting humans, overpopulati…

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#407 - Baddeley's Model of Working Memory: A Dialogue with Alan Baddeley 1:48:56

3M ago1:48:56

1:48:56

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Alan Baddeley about his model of working memory. They define short-term memory, metacognition, overview of memory, memory loss and self-identity, and chunking in working memory. They talk about the levels of processing model, attention and working memory, overview of his multi-component model of w…

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#406 - Polar Science in the Arctic and Antarctica: A Dialogue with Neil Shubin 58:59

4M ago58:59

58:59

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Neil Shubin about polar science in the arctic and Antarctica. They discuss polar science, Arctic and Antarctica, hot ice, blue ice, life under the Antarctic ice, fossil discoveries, meteorites, climate change, and many other topics. Neil Shubin is a Paleontologist and Evolutionary Biologist. He is…

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#405 - The Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis: A Dialogue with C. Daniel Batson 1:00:34

4M ago1:00:34

1:00:34

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with C. Daniel Batson about his work on empathy and altruism. They discuss the empathy-altruism hypothesis, Bloom’s work on empathy, empathic concern, egoistic and altruistic motives, cooperation, future of altruism/empathy research, and many more topics. C. Daniel Batson is a social psychologist and E…

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#404 - Socrates and Living A Philosophical Life: A Dialogue with Agnes Callard 1:16:29

4M ago1:16:29

1:16:29

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Agnes Callard about Socrates and living a philosophical life. They discuss untimely questions, intellectual intimacy, savage commands, socratic ethics, truth inquiries, living a philosophical life, and many more topics. Agnes Callard is a philosopher and Associate Professor of philosophy and Direc…

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#403 - Land Power: A Dialogue with Michael Albertus 1:23:48

4M ago1:23:48

1:23:48

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Michael Albertus about land power. They define land power, land sovereignty, and discuss land ownership. They talk about the great reshuffle, settler reforms, collective reforms, land-to-tiller reforms, and cooperative reforms. They discuss federal vs. private lands, 1860 Homestead Act, land and r…

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#402 - The Age Of Choice: A Dialogue with Sophia Rosenfeld 1:17:07

4M ago1:17:07

1:17:07

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Sophia Rosenfeld about the modern history of choice. They discuss the concept of choice in different domains of society, choice and freedom in liberalism and neoliberalism, choice in shopping, choice in religion, choosing romantic partners, choice in politics, choice in reproductive rights, and ma…

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#401 - Intent to Destroy: The Ukraine-Russian War: A Dialogue with Eugene Finkel 1:20:42

4M ago1:20:42

1:20:42

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Eugene Finkel about the Ukraine-Russian War. They discuss Russia’s 200 year crusade to end Ukraine, identity, shared histories, and impact of Mongol and Ottoman empires. They talk about the Donbas and Crimea regions, Putin’s version of history, Galicia and Eastern Front in WWI, Ukraine independenc…

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#400 - The Extinction of Experience: A Dialogue with Christine Rosen 1:14:56

4M ago1:14:56

1:14:56

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Christine Rosen about changes in our experiences within today’s society. They talk about the value of human experience, speed of change with technology, becoming users not individuals, embodied experience, and spatiality. They also discuss audience capture, institutional reform, our future experie…

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#399 - A Christian Democracy?: A Dialogue with Jonathan Rauch 1:15:26

5M ago1:15:26

1:15:26

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Jonathan Rauch about the impact of Christianity on democracy in the United States. They discuss Christianity without dogma, why secular America should care about Christianity, and if a secular religion is possible. They talk about why people are less religious, evangelical Christians aligned with …

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#398 - The New India: A Dialogue with Rahul Bhatia 1:40:08

5M ago1:40:08

1:40:08

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Rahul Bhatia about the many recent changes in India. They provide an overview of the recent social changes in India, the Citizenship Act and National Register, Citizenship based on religion, protests against the Citizenship Act, history of the RSS, Infosys, Modi, and many more topics. Rahul Bhatia…

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#397 - The Life and Presidency of Martin Van Buren: A Dialogue with James M. Bradley 1:25:32

5M ago1:25:32

1:25:32

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with James M. Bradley about the life and president of Martin Van Buren. They discuss how Van Buren built the modern political party system, background and upbringing of Van Buren, influence of Aaron Burr, Van Buren’s temperament, his time as New York State Senator, Attorney General, U.S. Senator, and G…

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#396 - Woodrow Wilson and Women's Rights: A Dialogue with Christopher Cox 1:18:16

5M ago1:18:16

1:18:16

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Christopher Cox about Woodrow Wilson and his interactions with women’s rights. They discuss the complicated history and legacy of Woodrow Wilson, landscape of the women’s Suffrage movement, and the origins of Wilson’s racist and sexist ideas. They talk about his time at Bryn Mawr College, ignoring…

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#395 - A Jewish Tragedy in 1929 Hebron: A Dialogue with Yardena Schwartz 1:17:13

5M ago1:17:13

1:17:13

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Yardena Schwartz about the 1929 Jewish Massacre in Hebron. They give an overview of the 1929 Hebron massacre, review of Ottoman and British rule of Palestine, and talk about Hebron and holy sites in Palestine. They also discuss an independent Palestine, motivations and propoganda before the 1929 m…

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#394 - A Palestinian Tragedy in Jerusalem: A Dialogue with Nathan Thrall 1:17:33

6M ago1:17:33

1:17:33

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Nathan Thrall about Palestinians living in Jerusalem. They discuss using narrative to discuss the Palestinian experience in Jerusalem, provide an overview of the geography, wall, and West Bank. They talk about sovereign rights, home, color ID cards for Palestinians in the West Bank, 1st intifada o…

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#393 - The Race for A Forested Future: A Dialogue with Lauren E. Oakes 1:18:56

6M ago1:18:56

1:18:56

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Lauren Oakes about forest and trees and the impact of climate change. They talk about the Global Tree Restoration study of 2019, impact of forests on the planet, and how we obtain data on forests. They talk about what is a forest, reforestation and afforestation, forest transition, and the Carboni…

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#392 - The Power of Prions: A Dialogue with Michel Brahic 1:13:28

6M ago1:13:28

1:13:28

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Michel Brahic about prions. They provide an overview of proteins, prion proteins, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, and importance of cells and ribosomes. They also talk about neuroanatomical regions relevant for prions, Lewy Body, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, memory, future of medical research, and many mo…

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#391 - The Evolutionary Story of Fathers: A Dialogue with Sarah B. Hrdy 1:15:37

7M ago1:15:37

1:15:37

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Sarah B. Hrdy about a natural history of fathers. They discuss fathers as caregivers, different roles, role of prolactin with male care, decrease of testosterone in new fathers, alloparenting, grandmother hypothesis, attachment in fathers, fatherhood in the 21st century, and many more topics. Sara…

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#390 - A Military History of the Vietnam War: A Dialogue with Geoffrey Wawro 1:39:55

7M ago1:39:55

1:39:55

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Geoffrey Wawro about the Vietnam War. They discuss why the U.S. chose to get involved in Vietnam, Eisenhower’s approach, JFK’s approach, and the attempted coups in Vietnam. They talk about the domino theory, McNamara, U.S. involvement in Vietnam in 1964/1965, the draft, high casualties of 1967/196…

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#389 - The Eastern Front of World War I: A Dialogue with Nick Lloyd 46:17

7M ago46:17

46:17

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Nick Lloyd about the Eastern Front of World War I. They discuss the Eastern Front and why it has been neglected in popular understanding, major players and landscape of the Eastern Front, and the role of Galicia. They discuss 1915 and fall of Serbia, impact of the Russian Revolution, final years o…

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#388 - Aesop's Fables: A Dialogue with Robin Waterfield 50:07

7M ago50:07

50:07

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Robin Waterfield about his new English translation of Aesop’s Fables. They discuss the timeless nature of Aesop’s fables, translating the fables, selecting the 400 fables, and authorship of the fables. They also discuss categorizing the fables, their structure, morals and ethics in the fables, com…

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#387 - Ancient Christianities: A Dialogue with Paula Fredriksen 56:43

7M ago56:43

56:43

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Paula Fredriksen about the various Christianities in the early 1st and 2nd centuries. They discuss how there are many Christianities, contradictions within the New Testament, integration of Jews and pagans in the Mediterranean in the 1st century, and Jewish diaspora. They also talk about the cruci…

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#386 - Road Ecology: A Dialogue with Ben Goldfarb 52:43

7M ago52:43

52:43

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Ben Goldfarb about road ecology. They define road ecology, discuss current landscape of roadways in the U.S., and discuss road crossings. They talk about the human impact of animal roadkill, Banff National park, current state of road crossings, Federal and State involvement, road crossings in citi…

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#385 - A History of Cyprus: A Dialogue with Alex Christofi 1:23:57

7M ago1:23:57

1:23:57

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Alex Christofi about the history of Cyprus. They discuss Cypriot identity, Greek and Turkish involvement, and the origins and mythology of Cyprus. They talk about olive culture and royal purple, Cyprus in the Bible, Islam, the Ottomans, British involvement, independence, the 1974 coup d’etat, pres…

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#384 - The MAGA Red Wave: Thoughts on the 2024 U.S. Elections: A Dialogue with Ben Winegard 3:01:15

7M ago3:01:15

3:01:15

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Benjamin Winegard about the 2024 U.S. Elections. They discuss their overall thoughts, examine the results and the county shifts nationwide, and talk about Trump and Trump-lite candidates. They talk about split-ticket voting, current state of MAGA, Latinos, gender, ballot measures, Trump’s 2nd term…

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#383 - Shame and Pride In Appalachia: A Dialogue with Arlie Hochschild 1:08:39

8M ago1:08:39

1:08:39

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Arlie Hochschild about pride and shame in Appalachia. They discuss the political Right in Appalachia and framework of pride and shame, demographic makeup of the population in Appalachia, current challenges in Appalachia, and the emotions of pride, shame, and guilt. They talk about the appeal of th…

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#382 - Erasing History: A Dialogue with Jason Stanley 36:51

8M ago36:51

36:51

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Jason Stanley about the importance of preserving history. They talked about why authoritarians attempt to erase history, fascist ideas, nationalism, immigration, book burning, classical education, how to defend history, and many other topics. Jason Stanley is the Jacob Urowsky Professor of Philoso…