The Commonweal Podcast

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Ep. 28 - Why Hong Kong Matters Now Mar 13, 2020

Show notes

The spread of the coronavirus pandemic has upended daily life across the globe, with major outbreaks occurring in countries like China, South Korea, Italy, Iran, and now the United States.

But Hong Kong, an island close to mainland China, has managed to limit the spread of the disease, even as it experiences one of the largest and most sustained mass protest movements in history.

In this episode, China expert and social historian Jeffrey Wasserstrom, author of the new book Vigil: Hong Kong on the Brink, joins us for a discussion about what we can learn from the protests. And our spring intern Emily King, herself a Hong Kong native, gives us a feel for the city and explains what the protests mean for young people today.

For further reading:

Nicole Ann Lobo, Revolution of Our Times
Nicholas Haggerty, What I Saw During the Protests
The Editors, Desperate Times

Ep. 27 - The Democrats’ Dilemma Mar 02, 2020

Show notes

How should we understand the current split between so-called “progressives” and “moderates” in the Democratic Party? In the middle of an uncertain primary campaign, where can they find compromise and unity?

Longtime Commonweal columnist and political scientist E.J. Dionne, Jr. joins associate editor Matthew Sitman for a wide-ranging conversation about what it means to be a Democrat today. Pointing to Catholic social thought, and in particular the notion of human dignity, Dionne makes the case that there’s a lot both wings of the party can agree on for improving people’s lives.

Plus, Phil Klay, winner of the National Book Award for his collection ‘Redeployment’ and co-host of the podcast ‘Manifesto!’ sits down with senior editor Matthew Boudway to talk about the “enfant terrible” of the contemporary French literary scene, Michel Houellebecq.

Ep. 26 - Reporting Religion Feb 14, 2020

Show notes

Though we live in a secular age, we sure seem to like reading about faith.

Poet and reporter Eliza Griswold, winner of the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction for her book ‘Amity and Prosperity’ and author of the new poetry collection ‘If Men, Then,’ explains how both genres have helped her tell stories that transcend her ego. She talks with us about writing poetry, reporting from conflict zones, and what the secular media get wrong about religious belief today.

Plus, Dominic Preziosi and Matthew Sitman report on the state of the Democratic Primary so far, offering a few prognostications and underscoring the stakes of the 2020 presidential election.

Ep. 25 - Public Education in Crisis Jan 31, 2020

Show notes

What do billionaires like Betsy DeVos know about running schools?

Absolutely nothing, argues public education expert Diane Ravitch. Since the 1980s, wealthy privatizers have passed themselves off as education “reformers.” But the data reveal that they weaken outcomes for students and thrust public-school teachers into poverty.

Thankfully, there’s hope: in her new book Slaying Goliath Ravitch points to the growing resistance: parents, teachers’ unions, and progressive politicians working together to save the public sphere from the wealthy.

Plus, the editors discuss Terrence Malick’s A Hidden Life, a “simple” film that plumbs the depth of Austrian Catholic martyr Franz Jägerstätter’s decision to refuse to sign an oath of loyalty to Adolph Hitler in 1943.

Ep. 24 - God & Mammon Jan 17, 2020

Show notes

Does capitalism make us bad Christians?

Eugene McCarraher thinks so. His new book, The Enchantments of Mammon, explains how money came to replace God in the modern era, seducing us with false promises of profit maximization. But he hasn’t given up hope. We can reverse our “misenchantment” and return to real abundance: beloved community in a world charged with the glory of God.

Plus, the Commonweal staff gathers for a conversation about “popes on film,” weighing in on The Two Popes, The New Pope, and that infamous pontifical hand-slap.

Ep. 23 - Truth & Dignity Dec 20, 2019

Show notes

Proudly LGBT, and proudly Catholic? Many believers are both.

In this episode, journalist Michael O’Loughlin joins associate editor Matt Sitman for a behind-the-scenes conversation about his new podcast series “Plague: Untold Stories of AIDS & the Catholic Church,” out now from our friends at America Media.

They discuss the urgency of documenting an understudied period of church history, when priests, nuns, and cardinals in cities like New York and San Francisco responded to the AIDS crisis during the 1980s.

Plus, assistant editors Regina Munch and Griffin Oleynick preview the new “Comment” section of the January issue, praising the rise of “progressive DAs” and decrying the Trump administration’s recent cuts to food stamps.

Ep. 22 - Against the Machine Dec 06, 2019

Show notes

What is a home? And what happens when old patterns of life break down?

In his new book Savage Gods, British writer and former environmental activist Paul Kingsnorth wrestles with these questions. Contemporary threats to nature, he argues, are indicative of a deeper problem: the crisis of culture and language in the West. He joins Commonweal books columnist Anthony Domestico for a wide-ranging conversation on everything from the writings of Annie Dillard to the practice of Zen Buddhism.

Plus, December at Commonweal means one thing: the publication of our annual Christmas Critics feature. The staff joins Dominic to talk about their favorite books this year.

Ep. 21 - End Times Nov 22, 2019

Show notes

Native Californian (and Catholic writer) Kaya Oakes stopped by our offices a few weeks ago.

She spoke with associate editor Matt Sitman about what it’s like to live, think, and write from her perch at the other end of the country. Noting the utopian thrust of California culture, Oakes explains how religion and spirituality continue to lurk beneath the surface of her state’s supposedly laid-back, secular ethos.

Plus, Dominic talks with managing editor Kate Lucky about her new feature on the last living Shakers, now online (and forthcoming in the December issue).

Ep. 20 - Before & After Oct 31, 2019

Show notes

Conversion is never neat and tidy. We like to think of “the new life” as a radical break from the past. But in reality the threads of our prior lives—both good and bad—are woven into our present. Few know this as well as Megan Phelps-Roper, author of the new memoir Unfollow, and a former member of the now-infamous Westboro Baptist Church. She talks with us about her formative early years in that community, as well as her faith journey since, in which she’s discovered spiritual freedom and a growing comfort with uncertainty.

Plus, Dominic and the Commonweal staff chat about the new Fall Books issue, which features a profile of Catholic poet Fanny Howe.

Ep. 19 - Borderlands & Barrios Oct 18, 2019

Show notes

Political power doesn’t just “happen.” It has to be built.

In this episode we speak with Benjamin Francis-Fallon about his new book, The Rise of the Latino Vote. Tracing the decades-long process of organizing among hispanic immigrant communities in the U.S., Francis-Fallon rebuts the myth of Latino voters as the country’s “sleeping giant.” They constitute not a unified political bloc, but a variegated coalition with a diverse array of concrete interests. It’s the grassroots, not the top, that matters.

And members of the Commonweal staff speak about what they witnessed last weekend in El Paso, Texas. There, they participated in the Jornada por la Justicia, a national teach-in and binational action against racism and xenophobia, organized by the Catholic Latinx Leadership Coalition and Hope Border Institute.

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