Casement's Leftovers

During the middle of the 20th century, the Third World movement represented the desires of billions for agency and justice. As the old colonial empires collapsed and new power structures were emerging, there was a brief moment of hope for a world in which the Global South stood strong, united and liberated. This was until the collapse of the Soviet Union and the solidification of US-led liberal capitalist democracy as the dominant global system seemed to put an end to these hopes.
However, things are now changing again. At the same time as China and other large economies are helping to shift the global centre of gravity away from North America, a new global movement has sprung up in support for Palestine against the genocidal campaign being waged by Israel. We speak to Indian Marxist historian, author and public intellectual Vijay Prashad about the newfound confidence of the nations in the Global South, and the potential for a new Third World political project.
This is a wide-ranging conversation that touches on the history of colonialism, the politics of resistance and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Vijay also surprised us by having an extensive knowledge on the post-colonial history of Ireland, so we also speak about Ireland's role in the dynamics of this brave new world.
Make sure to check out Vijay's books and follow him on Instagram at @possiblehistory
The outro music is Ennio Morricone's 'Tema di Ali' from the 1966 film The Battle of Algiers.

Support the show

It's a new government in the 26 counties! And it's the same as before!

We unpack the 2024 elections, the new Dáil and we beg you for money for a sound mixer. Enjoy!

Help us buy a mixer: https://gofund.me/8597a85c

Support the show

The UK general election has everyone reeling. As centrists clamor to interpret Labour's historic loss as a rejection of all policy left of tax credits, Casement's Leftovers explores what the election means for Northern Ireland.

Joined by Ógra Shinn Féin public relations officer Kevin Burns, we get a snap shot of the political landscape in Northern Ireland as well as what the result might mean for the Union.

Support the show

So, when are we gonna start REALLY taxing fags?

Support the show

There's a reason we chose Roger Casement as the symbol for this podcast: a queer figure in Irish revolutionary history (queer here meaning gay, a failure and truly disruptive) and a genuine anti-imperialist who saw through a persuasive ideological hegemony in order to understand the brutality and illegitimacy of colonialism and dedicated his life to fighting it, he represents an active, civic republicanism that offers the contemporary Left so much.
It's about time we dedicated an episode to him, and so Helen and Glen are joined by Professor Gerry Kearns to discuss Casement's life and the lessons we can take from his actions and ideas. They examine his cruising and the intersectional spaces of encounter that this carved out for him, his ability to identify and articulate the problems of colonialism in an explicitly socialist, materialist way, the importance he placed on love and humanity and his haunting final speech before his execution.
They debate the limits of cultural nationalism, specifically with a 1916 framework, and look at how nationalism can be expanded through a re-imagining of the nation, an impetus on what kind of nation you want to build, and a centring of love, loyalty, legitimacy and humanity. As if this wasn't enough, they finally discuss contemporary colonialism and how unregulated late stage capitalism has led us into a world as confusing and inhospitable as the one Casement faced, and use Casement's many lessons to try to understand how to make our way into a future he would be proud of.
Prof Gerry Kearns has written a piece on Casement which can be read here: https://mural.maynoothuniversity.ie/11094/1/Kearns%2CNally%2CAn%20accumulated%20wrong.pdf
*Note: around 19 minutes in Gerry mentions Thomas Davitt, but this should actually be corrected to Michael Davitt.

Support the show