We moderns often tell ourselves a story that goes something like this: The past was barbaric, especially when it came to punishing criminals or persecuting minorities. Legal punishment used to include hanging, chopping off a head, burning at the stake, quartering, stoning, drowning, and crushing. Eventually, we tell ourselves, we learned to be more humane. B ... Show More
Oct 11
The French Médersa: Islamic Education and Empire in Northwest Africa with Samuel D. Anderson (Cornell UP, 2026)
The French Médersa: Islamic Education and Empire in Northwest Africa (Cornell UP, 2026) explores how the French state pursued a century-long project of bicultural Franco-Muslim education in its northwest African colonies, resulting in a new type of school, the médersa, that combi ... Show More
55m 48s
Oct 4
Ecotexts in the Postcolonial Francosphere with Nsah Mala, Richard Watts and Giulia Champion
Through a postcolonial lens, Ecotexts in the Postcolonial Francosphere (Liverpool, 2025) explores the various ways in which francophone writers, visual artists and activists are responding to the global climate and environmental crises threatening the Earth today.The volume cover ... Show More
48m 27s
Sep 26
Water Logics: Materialist Epistemologies for the Environmental Humanities with yasser elhariry and Edwige Tamalet Talbayev (U Virginia Press, 2026)
Water Logics: Materialist Epistemologies for the Environmental Humanities (U Virginia Press, 2026) examines the epistemological adjustments that take place when we make water the source and medium for thinking about the world. Eschewing metaphorical readings of rivers, seas, and ... Show More
46m 47s
Mar 2023
Michel Foucault’s ”The Punitive Society” (Part 1/4)
In this episode, I present the third series of lectures from Michel Foucault's time at the Collège de France titled, "The Punitive Society." This episode covers chapters 1, 2, and 3. If you want to support me, you can do that with these links: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/the ... Show More
46m 20s
Apr 2023
Michel Foucault’s ”The Punitive Society” (Part 2/4)
In this episode, I cover chapters 4,5,6 of Michel Foucault's "The Punitive Society." If you want to support me, you can do that with these links: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theoryandphilosophy paypal.me/theoryphilosophy TikTok: @theoryphilosophy Twitter: @DavidGuignion IG: ... Show More
42m 37s
Apr 2023
Michel Foucault’s ”The Punitive Society” (Part 4/4)
In this episode, I conclude my presentation of Michel Foucault's "The Punitive Society" covering chapters 10, 11, 12, 13, and the course summary. If you want to support me, you can do that with these links: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theoryandphilosophy paypal.me/theoryphil ... Show More
37m 31s
Aug 2023
CLASSIC: From the Past to the Modern Day: Does torture actually work?
It's one of the most ancient practices in human civilization, and one that continues in the modern day. In recent decades experts, military officials and activists alike have argued over the definitions of torture -- and, most importantly, whether it actually works. So how much t ... Show More
1 h
May 2018
From the Past to the Modern Day: Does torture actually work?
<p>It's one of the most ancient practices in human civilization, and one that continues in the modern day. In recent decades experts, military officials and activists alike have argued over the definitions of torture -- and, most importantly, whether it actually works. So how muc ... Show More
59m 41s