The First World War put an end to 600 years of Ottoman rule. Buoyed by promises of self-determination on the part of the victorious powers, the region’s peoples prepared for a future free of imperial rule. They were to be bitterly disappointed. European rhetoric about self-rule had never been sincerely intended to apply to non-Europeans — which was made brut ... Show More
Nov 24
Why the Internet Got Bad, and How To Fix It
<p>On this week’s episode, bestselling author and tech blogger Cory Doctorow joins Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to discuss why the internet has steadily, but noticeably, become unusable, as he sets out in his new book “Enshittification.”</p>
<p>Produced by Finbar Anderson</p>
59m 38s
Oct 2022
Süleyman the Magnificent: longest-reigning Ottoman sultan
The 46-year reign of Süleyman the Magnificent across central Europe, the Mediterranean and the Middle East was defined by territorial expansion and economic growth, as well as a flowering of art, architecture and culture.The epithet ‘magnificent’ invites us to believe the Ottoman ... Show More
39m 26s
Jul 2025
M’hamed Oualdi, "A Slave between Empires: A Transimperial History of North Africa" (Columbia UP, 2020)
In light of the profound physical and mental traumas of colonization endured by North Africans, historians of recent decades have primarily concentrated their studies of North Africa on colonial violence, domination, and shock. The choice is an understandable one. But in his new ... Show More
41m 41s
Dec 2022
23. The First of the Ottomans
How did the Ottomans seize the Balkans? Who is their first leader? How did the fourth crusade pave the way for their rise to power? Join William and Anita as they, along with Peter Frankopan, detail the birth of the Ottoman Empire, discuss its founder, Osman I, and set the scene ... Show More
39m 28s
Jun 2021
The Three Pashas of the Ottoman Empire Pt. 1
After the Fall of Constantinople, the Ottomans became the most powerful dynasty in existence. But the great empire began to decline, and in the early 20th century, a leader named Talaat and a group of radical nationalists worked to remove the ineffectual sultan and restore the Ot ... Show More
49m 11s