Today's episode explores Star Wars, the role of the individual hero, the importance of community and belonging, and why everyone matters.

What is likely to be the first of many podcasts about food! Learn about cooking theory, the politics of treating food as a commodity, and why Israeli Cookbooks offer a lot more than recipes.

(I mentioned a couple of academic papers I wrote/co-wrote in this podcast. Here is the one about Israeli cookbooks, and here is a version of my article about the Jerusalem cookbook).

In today's podcast I talk about the April 28 2025 election result in Canada. But I focus on a puzzle. Why have right-wing populist parties managed to sway traditional Left wing voters to side with them....

How is pop culture political? And why is Rambo: First Blood a powerful example of popular culture's political relevance?

What is critique? And what does pizza have to do with critique? Listen and find out.

(And thank you to my students in SGIA 3801!)

These podcasts are intended to be an introduction to thinking as a theorist and to make the case for why theory is important. In the first podcast I talk about democracy, and recall a book I read as an undergraduate political science student, "Democracy on Trial."