A New History of Catalonia with Andrew Dowling

The Sobremesa Podcast

#Society #Alan McGuire #Politics #Spain #Europe #Culture #Society & Culture

1:14:43

Artificial intelligence is evolving at an unprecedented pace—what does that mean for the future of technology, venture capital, business, and even our understanding of ourselves? Award-winning journalist and writer Anil Ananthaswamy joins us for our latest episode to discuss his latest book Why Machines Learn: The Elegant Math Behind Modern AI . Anil helps us explore the journey and many breakthroughs that have propelled machine learning from simple perceptrons to the sophisticated algorithms shaping today’s AI revolution, powering GPT and other models. The discussion aims to demystify some of the underlying math that powers modern machine learning to help everyone grasp this technology impacting our lives, even if your last math class was in high school. Anil walks us through the power of scaling laws, the shift from training to inference optimization, and the debate among AI’s pioneers about the road to AGI—should we be concerned, or are we still missing key pieces of the puzzle? The conversation also delves into AI’s philosophical implications—could understanding how machines learn help us better understand ourselves? And what challenges remain before AI systems can truly operate with agency? If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform. Sign up for our newsletter at techsurgepodcast.com for exclusive insights and updates on upcoming TechSurge Live Summits. Links: Read Why Machines Learn, Anil’s latest book on the math behind AI https://www.amazon.com/Why-Machines-Learn-Elegant-Behind/dp/0593185749 Learn more about Anil Ananthaswamy’s work and writing https://anilananthaswamy.com/ Watch Anil Ananthaswamy’s TED Talk on AI and intelligence https://www.ted.com/speakers/anil_ananthaswamy Discover the MIT Knight Science Journalism Fellowship that shaped Anil’s AI research https://ksj.mit.edu/ Understand the Perceptron, the foundation of neural networks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perceptron Read about the Perceptron Convergence Theorem and its significance https://www.nature.com/articles/323533a0…

2 года назад 35:16

MP3•Главная эпизода

Andrew Dowling joins Alan to discuss his latest book A New History Of Catalonia (2022, Routledge)

Andrew Dowling is Reader in Spanish History at Cardiff University and researches the history and politics of Catalonia. He has previously published The Rise of Catalan Independence: Spain’s Territorial Crisis with Routledge in 2018 and Catalonia since the Spanish Civil War: Reconstructing the Nation (Sussex Academic Press, 2012).

Catalonia: A New History revises many traditional and romantic conceptions in the historiography of a small nation. This book engages with the scholarship of the past decade and separates nationalist myth-history from real historical processes. It is thus able to provide the reader with an analytical account, situating each historical period within its temporal context. Catalonia emerges as a territory where complex social forces interact, where revolts and rebellions are frequent. This is a contested terrain where political ideologies have sought to impose their interpretation of Catalan reality.

This book situates Catalonia within the wider currents of European and Spanish history, from pre-history to the contemporary independence movement, and makes an important contribution to our understanding of nation-making.

Get it here from the publisher's website.

116 эпизодов

A New History of Catalonia with Andrew Dowling

The Sobremesa Podcast

21 subscribers

published 2 года назад

MP3•Главная эпизода

Andrew Dowling joins Alan to discuss his latest book A New History Of Catalonia (2022, Routledge)

Get it here from the publisher's website.

116 эпизодов

#Society #Alan McGuire #Politics #Spain #Europe #Culture #Society & Culture

Все серии

1
Spain's Housing Crisis 2025 with Koldo Casla 1:10:10

9 дней назад1:10:10

1:10:10

Spain’s housing crisis has returned, but unlike 2008, there’s no financial collapse—just rising rents, increasing evictions, and a housing market that feels out of reach for many. What’s driving this crisis, and what can be done to address it? In this episode of The Sobremesa Podcast , Alan speaks with Dr. Koldo Casla, a Senior Lecturer in International Human Rights Law at Essex Law School, to explore the roots of Spain’s housing problems. They discuss how the current crisis differs from 2008, the impact of policy and speculation, and whether housing should be recognised as a fundamental social right. A crucial conversation on one of Spain’s most urgent issues. If you enjoy the podcast and want to help cover production costs, consider buying us a coffee. Your support helps keep these conversations going. Every contribution makes a difference! Donate here ⬇️https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thesobremey Image used under Creative Commons, author Barcex…

1
Vox, Musk and the Reactionary International 1:02:16

22 дня назад1:02:16

1:02:16

Last weekend saw the European far-right once again converge on Madrid as Vox hosted a summit of party leaders from the European Patriots group. Already acting as an active lobby for Musk in the EU parliament to ensure there is no regulation of social media, the far-right grouping are jubilant at their prospects for the next 4 years after the election of Trump. That Vox’s Santiago Abascal was named president of the Patriots’ grouping last year was further evidence of how the Spanish far-right tend to punch above their electoral weight on the international stage. To discuss last Saturday’s event and Vox’s place within the global far-right, I am joined by Connor Mulhern. Connor is a campaign strategist and the lead researcher at the ‘Reactionary International’ investigative project - an initiative from the Progressive International to map out how the far-right operates globally. You can find the project's published work here: https://reactionary.international/ And join its Telegram group here: https://t.me/reactionaryinternational Please also consider donating to our Buy Me a Coffee Page here: https://buymeacoffee.com/thesobremey…

1
Barcelona's Hidden Civil War Monuments 35:41

6 weeks назад35:41

35:41

This week writer and tour guide Nick Lloyd brings Catherine on a a more atypical historical route of Barcelona to uncover the lesser known layers to the city’s history. They start at Estació de França, a historic train station not far from the city’s port where the International Brigades arrived to Spain. They then walk down to Ciutadella Park, where Barcelona’s zoo is located to discuss the haunting effects the war had on the animals and the origins of the park. They finish at Pompeu Fabra University, a building that still bears the scars of fascist bombings and which was known during the Civil War as the Karl Marx Barracks. As always, if you like what we are producing, please consider making a donation to our buy me a coffee page or leave a review where you listen to your podcasts. https://buymeacoffee.com/thesobremey…

1
Spanish Crowds - Carnaval, Fiestas and Protests 1:03:53

7 weeks назад1:03:53

1:03:53

This week Eoghan talks to author and journalist Dan Hancox about his new book 'Multitudes: How Crowds Made The Modern World’. It is a fascinating exploration of the collective joy and emancipatory potential of different forms of mass gatherings while also tracing the obsession of elites and the forces of law and order in policing, delegitimizing and suppressing crowds. Throughout Multitudes Dan returns to examples of the exuberance and potency of Spanish crowds - from Cadiz Carnaval to the 2012 general strike in Madrid. If you like what we are producing, please consider making a donation at our Buy Me a Coffee page here - ⁠⁠⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thesobremey…

1
Spanish Politics: The Year in Review 2024 1:15:32

9 weeks назад1:15:32

1:15:32

It has been a year of near constant parliamentary deadlock for Spain's left-leaning government but also one of strong economic growth in comparison to other eurozone economies. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's Socialist Party won the Catalan elections in May and were once again the largest social democratic force in Europe after June's European parliament elections. Yet Sanchez and PSOE have also be subject to a long string of judicial investigations - most of which seem politically motivated. Yet beyond the headlines of these cases, and with the government’s legislative agenda largely blocked, the country’s acute housing crisis and the difficult clean up operation after the floods in Valencia are both ongoing in the background. To discuss the year’s political event Alan and Eoghan are joined by Laura Seoane and Joe Haslam, a professor at IE University. I hope you enjoy our discussion. Please consider supporting the podcast during our end of year fundraising drive at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thesobremey…

1
Michael Eaude on Spain's Reckoning with Its Past 1:04:38

12 weeks назад1:04:38

1:04:38

This week Eoghan talks to the author and journalist Michael Eaude. Michael is the author nine books, including ‘Catalonia, a Cultural History’, ‘Triumph at Midnight of the Century - A Critical Biography of Arturo Barea’ and ‘Sails and Winds - A Cultural History of Valencia’. And during the last 25 years he has also worked as a self-described "necrologist", writing some 70 obituaries for The Guardian on leading cultural and political figures from Spain’s 20th century. He as now just published his first novel - ‘The Bones in the Forest’ - available from Clapton Press. As with his celebrated non-fiction work, the novel deals with Spain’s reckoning with its recent past and the country’s cultural and historic fault lines as the action jumps back and forth between the revolutionary 1930s and then the early 2000s. If you like what we are producing, please consider making a donation at our Buy Me a Coffee page here - ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠ https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thesobremey ⁠…

1
Stories Left in Stone: Tales from Cáceres Extremadura 58:51

15 weeks назад58:51

58:51

Writer and musician, Troy Nahumko, joins Alan to discuss his new book Stories Left in Stone, Trails and Traces in Cáceres, Spain. They discuss the old town of Cáceres, a UNESCO world heritage site, Game of Thrones, the world's oldest handprint, cave art and regional politics. You can buy Troy's book here If you like what we are producing, please consider making a donation at our Buy Me a Coffee page here - ⁠⁠⁠ https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thesobremey Troy Nahumko (1973, Edmonton, Canada) left Canada at an early age. First as a traveling musician around the United States and Europe, then as a writer and teacher in countries as diverse as Yemen, Azerbaijan, Libya and Laos. He has published travel pieces in newspapers and magazines around the world and was awarded the Mercedes Calles y Carlos Ballestero prize for an article that was published both in Toronto and London. His most recent work includes his bi-weekly opinion column in the HOY, the Mid-Spain section of the recent Lonely Planet guide and he has just published his first book, Stories Left in Stone, Trails and Traces in Cáceres, Spain.…

1
Anger and Rage in Valencia after the Floods 39:56

16 weeks назад39:56

39:56

130,000 people protested in Valencia last Saturday demanding regional premier Carlos Mazón resign from his post for his disastrous management of the floods which devastated the area two weeks ago. The death toll stands at 223 people while hundreds of thousands of others have had their homes and places of work gutted. Eoghan spoke to journalist Leah Pattem about the protests and the ongoing recovery and clean up operations in Valencia. Leah is the founder of https://madridnofrills.com/…

1
Mass Deaths in Valencia after Flooding and Political Failure 45:17

17 weeks назад45:17

45:17

Last Tuesday evening as thousands of people were commuting home from work and many others continued at their jobs in supermarkets, cinemas, factories, beauty shops and restaurants, unprecedented flash floods hit the Valencia region. That morning at 8am the Spanish Met office issued its highest warning level of maximum red, warning of extreme danger. But the right-wing regional government of Carlos Mazon failed to issue a civil protection alert to residents’ mobile phones until 8.15 pm that evening (a full 12 hours later)- by which time the worst of the flooding had already hit. Serious questions are being raised about Mazon’s disastrous emergency management as rescue operations continue amid mass destruction and death. The death toll currently stands at 207 but is likely to rise substantially in the coming days while it remains far from clear when any degree of normal life can return to the region. Today on Sobremesa podcast we talk about the tragic events this week along Spain’s Eastern coast and the political failures and fallout from the floods.…

1
Inside Opus Dei - From Francoism to Trump 1:07:53

20 weeks назад1:07:53

1:07:53

This week Eoghan talks to financial journalist Gareth Gore. In his new book Opus: The Cult of Dark Money, Human Trafficking, and Right-Wing Conspiracy inside the Catholic Church Gore opens the lid on the extremist, reactionary sect Opus Dei. Opus was initially set up against the tumultuous backdrop of 1930s Spain and went to play a leading role in the Francoist dictatorship - both in education and then in 1957 with the appointment of three of its members to cabinet. Gore traces how Opus went from Francoist Spain to playing a vanguard role in reactionary movements globally in recent decades - with its network of influence and patronage in Washington reaching its peak during Trump's 2016 presidency. If you like what we are producing, please consider making a donation at our Buy Me a Coffee page here - ⁠⁠⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thesobremey…

1
Tragedy in the Canaries Amid Spain's Anti-Immigration Turn 57:33

21 weeks назад57:33

57:33

The island of El Hierro is at the centre of the Canary Islands’ current surge in irregular migration, receiving 13,000 refugees and immigrants this year – 2,000 more than its total residents. As hundreds die every month on the passage from West Africa to the popular tourist islands, the Spanish right are now weaponising the issue. Leader of the far-right Vox Santiago Abascal denounced what he characterised as the “mass-scale invasion” of El Hierro by “illegal migrants” while conservative media outlets dubbed it “the Lampedusa of the Atlantic”, in reference to the Italian migration hotspot where a state of emergency was declared last year. “The far-right want to turn El Hierro into a symbol of division but they won’t succeed,” insists Amado Carballo, head of social affairs in the island’s local administration. This week Eoghan and Catherine discuss the humanitarian tragedy on the Canaries and its politicization by the far-right. Please also see Eoghan's article: https://bylinetimes.com/2024/10/02/canary-islands-el-hierro-migrant-crossings/ If you like what we are producing, please consider making a donation at our Buy Me a Coffee page here - ⁠ ⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thesobremey…

1
Poetry of the International Brigaders 1:00:07

21 weeks назад1:00:07

1:00:07

Jim Jump, the editor of the poetry anthology " Poems from Spain: British and Irish International Brigaders on the Spanish Civil War", joins Alan to discuss the collection of poems that stretch the length Spanish Civil War and after. All poems were written by men and women participating in the International Brigades. They cover the lives of the poets themselves, recite poetry from the book and discuss why it was so prominent in the war. The collection can be brought from the publishers Lawrence and Wishart's website here If you like what we are producing, please consider making a donation at our Buy Me a Coffee page here - ⁠ https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thesobremey…

1
Anarchism and Sexuality in 1930s Spain 52:25

28 weeks назад52:25

52:25

This week Catherine talks to Sophie Turbutt about one of the most widely read anarchist magazines in 1930s Spain, La Revista Blanca, Founded by the Montseny family, this anarchist magazine featured a novelty for the time, an advice column that offered answers to questions about gender, women's bodies, sex and sexuality. - topics that were limited in their discussion and clouded by taboos, rumours and misinformed practices in a Spain still very much in the grip of Catholic morality. Catherine and Sophie discuss both the questions and answers of these advice columns, on topics such as free love, menstruation, bisexuality and abortion, and how, Federica Montseny, daughter of the magazine’s founders, would come to legalise abortion for the first time in 1936 as minister for health minister in Catalonia. If you like what we are producing, please consider making a donation at our Buy Me a Coffee page here - ⁠ ⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thesobremey…

1
Barcelona and the 1936 Popular Olympics 52:16

31 weeks назад52:16

52:16

On the eve of the Spanish Civil War in July 1936, Barcelona was set to host the Popular Olympic games. Bringing together athletes from around the world under the banner of anti-fascism, the event was meant to take place just weeks before the Nazi Olympics in Berlin. Yet as the athletes gathered for the opening ceremony, the military coup was launched, in turn, leading to revolution in the city's streets. In this podcast, Catherine talks to James Stout, author of 'The Popular Front'. Barcelona and the 1936 Popular Olympics', about the organisation of the event, the nature of popular sport in Catalonia, and how the Popular Olympics can be seen as both one of the first casualties of the Spanish Civil War and also one of the first great examples of international anti-fascist solidarity and cooperation. If you like what we are producing, please consider making a donation at our Buy Me a Coffee page here - ⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thesobremey…

1
Inequalities in Contemporary Spain 57:22

32 weeks назад57:22