Oct 6

Yanis Varoufakis on Greece’s civil war

The economist Yanis Varoufakis found himself in the eye of the storm as Greece’s Minister of Finance in 2015, at the height of the country’s debt crisis. Now he reflects on his political awakenings and the women who influenced him in Raise Your Soul. It’s a family story that star ... Show More

41m 56s

Sep 29

Steven Pinker on common knowledge

The experimental cognitive psychologist and popular science writer, Steven Pinker delves into the intricacies of human interactions in his latest book, ‘When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows...: Common Knowledge and the Science of Harmony, Hypocrisy and Outrage’. From avoiding ... Show More

42m 15s

Sep 22

Contains Strong Language Festival, Bradford

At the Contains Strong Language Festival in Bradford, Tom Sutcliffe and guests explore the history and culture of the city, and nation, through its poetry and stories. From battlefields and royal courts, coalmines to curry houses Start the Week looks at the language and rhythms t ... Show More

42 m

May 2024

Yasmine Ramadan, "Space in Modern Egyptian Fiction" (Edinburgh UP, 2021)

In 1960s Egypt, a group of writers exploded onto the literary scene, transforming the aesthetic landscape. Yasmine Ramadan’s Space in Modern Egyptian Fiction (Edinburgh University Press, 2021) explores how this literary generation presents a marked shift in the representation of ... Show More

40m 50s

May 2024

Yasmine Ramadan, "Space in Modern Egyptian Fiction" (Edinburgh UP, 2021)

In 1960s Egypt, a group of writers exploded onto the literary scene, transforming the aesthetic landscape. Yasmine Ramadan’s Space in Modern Egyptian Fiction (Edinburgh University Press, 2021) explores how this literary generation presents a marked shift in the representation of ... Show More

40m 50s

Feb 2022

Alaa Al Aswany: The Republic of False Truths

Alaa Al Aswany is one of Egypt’s most important authors. While his work is banned in his country, including his latest novel about a fictionalized account of the failed Egyptian revolution of 2011, the writer believes it’s only a matter of time before the revolution prevails.

54m 7s

Feb 2023

From Tahrir to Tehran - The Arab Spring and Iran Uprisings

What can we learn about the current era of youth-led radical uprisings when we look across the Middle East? Massive protests—captured on social media—have spilled forth on the streets of major countries in the region for over a decade. Join us for a conversation with renowned soc ... Show More

1h 1m

Nov 2009

World Book Club: Alaa Al Aswany

Harriett Gilbert talks to acclaimed Egyptian writer Alaa Al-Aswany about his bestselling novel The Yacoubian Building. It was the Arab world’s number-one bestseller for five years running after it was published in 2002. The Yacoubian Building interweaves the stories of a group of ... Show More

53 m

Jun 2023

KHALED FAHMY | Mehmed Ali Part 1 | Conversations

Mehmed Ali is dubbed the ‘Father of Modern Egypt’, so who was he? And how did he rise through the ranks from soldier to Pasha? Mikey sits down with Professor Khaled Fahmy to discuss this enigmatic figure that shaped and formed Egypt into the nation-state we know today. In Part 1, ... Show More

58m 18s

Nov 2012

Green Shoots from the Arab Spring

With the downfall of the former Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, political change has already happened in Egypt. But how has such a revolution affected the mindset of ordinary people in the region?In this edition of Analysis, the writer, Christopher de Bellaigue, considers the ... Show More

28m 3s

Jun 2023

KHALED FAHMY | Mehmed Ali Part 2 | Conversations

Mehmed Ali is dubbed the ‘Father of Modern Egypt’, so who was he? And how did he rise through the ranks from soldier to Pasha? Mikey sits down with Professor Khaled Fahmy to discuss this enigmatic figure that shaped and formed Egypt into the nation-state we know today. In Part 2, ... Show More

49m 19s

Feb 2021

Sara Salem, "Anticolonial Afterlives in Egypt: The Politics of Hegemony" (Cambridge UP, 2020)

In this conversation, Sara Salem, author of Anticolonial Afterlives in Egypt: The Politics of Hegemony (Cambridge University Press, 2020), talks to host Yi Ning Chang about temporality, capitalism, and hegemony in her history of Egypt’s two revolutions. From Gamal Abdel Nasser to ... Show More

1h 2m

Alaa Al Aswany on Egypt