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Within Our Gates

Mtume Gant

Within Our Gates is a podcast on Cinema and the arts from a Marxist perspective. Hosted by Filmmaker and Professor Mtume Gant, bi-weekly he has guests where they cover cinematic works or scholarship on the arts and always from a perspective focused on revolutionary analysis and dialectical materialist principles.

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  • 20 episodes
  • Avg 1 hr 50 min
  • English

Episodes 20

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  • July 7 · 1 hr 11 min

    Materialist Dialectics and The Arts

    This episode I am once again solo style! Answering (great) questions from my Patreon listeners, and it all kind of ended up being under the hood of Materialist Dialectics and how it can help us look at the arts. Some of it explicit, some of it implicit. Thanks to all who submitted questions! Please send some more responses so we can keep the conversation going! To get a jump on the shows a few days early, bonus video episodes every month, deeper dives into text and works with revolutionary content and political art study groups check out Mtume's Patreon and become a subscriber! Additionally, check out my new colaboration The Imperial 80's, a series I co-hosted with Jared Ware of Millenials are Killing Capitalism. We take a dive into the wild world of 80's Hollywood and uncover what it has to say about this imperial project called The United States. You can find us on Patreon and make sure to follow the channel if you want to catch the livestreams Tumes

  • June 9 · 1 hr 24 min

    Tales of Militant Chemistry w/ Alice Lovejoy

    Peace Comrades! For this episode I have with me Alice Lovejoy to discuss her book Tales of Militant Chemistry: The Film Factory in a Century of War. The book is "the untold story of film as a chemical cousin to poison gas and nuclear weapons, shaped by centuries of violent extraction. Following scientists, soldiers, prisoners, and spies through Kodak's and Agfa's global empires, Alice Lovejoy links the golden age of cinema and photography to colonialism, the military-industrial complex, radioactive dust, and toxic waste. Revelatory and chilling,Tales of Militant Chemistry shows how film became a weapon whose chemistry irrevocably shaped the world we live in today." We have a great conversation getting into many of the details of her book, and how it helps aid in analysis on imperialism, the social totality and how cultural production can't be ignored when situating global capitalism and its destructive nature. Hope you enjoy! Alice Lovejoy is a film and media historian and critic. She is Professor of Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature and Moving Image, Media, and Sound at the University of Minnesota, where she also directs the Center for Austrian Studies. Born on the North Shore of Boston, she earned a B.A. in Documentary Studies from Brown University, and a Ph.D. in Film Studies and Comparative Literature from Yale University. To get a jump on the shows a few days early, bonus video episodes every month, deeper dives into text and works with revolutionary content and political art study groups check out Mtume's Patreon and become a subscriber! Additionally, check out my new colaboration The Imperial 80's, a series I co-hosted with Jared Ware of Millenials are Killing Capitalism. We take a dive into the wild world of 80's Hollywood and uncover what it has to say about this imperial project called The United States. You can find us on Patreon and make sure to follow the channel if you want to catch the livestreams Tumes

  • May 13 · 2 hr 19 min

    Memories of Underdevelopment w/ Steven Osuna

    For this episode happy to have with me Steven Osuna to talk about the legendary film Memories of Underdevelopment by late Cuban Filmmaker and theorist Tomas Tomás Gutiérrez Alea. Alea was a major figure in cinema, and in the development of Cuban cinema and culture in the early days of the revolution until his death in 1996. A prolific filmmaker, cinematic theorist and cultural leader who was one of the founders of the Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematográficos (ICAIC). While he made many incredible films, Memories of Underdevelopment is one that is most known, and often is misrepresented here in the imperial core, as a film critical Cuba's socialist revolution. Steven and I look at the film from the revolutionary socialist perspective it was made in and look to challenge the revision that has been attempted towards the film and Aleas legacy overall. Memories of Underdevelopment stands as one of the great analysis of the concept of underdevelopment that comes out of Marxist theory. Steven Osuna is an Associate Professor of Sociology at California State University, Long Beach. His research interests include racism and political economy; globalization and immigration, policing and criminalization; and social theory. Steven was born and raised in Echo Park, Los Angeles and is a son of Mexican and Salvadoran working-class migrants. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Homies Unidos-Los Angeles and a member of the Philippines US Solidarity Organization (PUSO). He holds a PhD in Sociology with an emphasis on Black Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara To get a jump on the shows a few days early, bonus video episodes every month, deeper dives into text and works with revolutionary content and political art study groups check out Mtume's Patreon and become a subscriber! Additionally, check out my new colaboration The Imperial 80's, a series I co-hosted with Jared Ware of Millenials are Killing Capitalism. We take a dive into the wild world of 80's Hollywood and uncover what it has to say about this imperial project called The United States. You can find us on Patreon and make sure to follow the channel if you want to catch the livestreams Tumes

  • April 7 · 2 hr 6 min

    Revolutionary Lucidity w/ Lara Sheehi

    For this episode I am joined by Lara Sheehi, someone if you have been paying attention to these anti-imperialist airwaves you have def seen, and if you aren't yet familiar with Lara's work you are def in for something truly substantial, and can't miss this episode. Lara, who is one the true counter hegemonic forces in the world of psychoanalysis helps me untangle questions around the ideas of narrative, and documentation within the imperial nexus and the pernicious liberal project of humanization. I also ask Lara to help me unpack a bit how and possibly why psychoanalysis is popular in Film Studies these days. Its a great convo and Im sure you will ALL enjoy! Lara Sheehi is a Research Fellow at the University of South Africa's Institute for Social and Health Sciences, a licensed clinical psychologist, and the host of the Psychic Militancy podcast. Lara's work focuses on psychoanalysis, the psychic refusals central to liberation struggles and life-making in the Global South, the psychic dimensions of resistance and revolution, and critical Zionism studies. She is co-author with Stephen Sheehi of Psychoanalysis Under Occupation: Practicing Resistance in Palestine (Routledge, 2022) which won the Middle East Monitor's 2022 Palestine Book Award for Best Academic Book. Lara is a member of the founding collective for the Institute for the Critical Study of Zionism and is on the advisory board for Forensic Architecture. Her new book, From the Clinic to the Streets: Psychoanalysis for Revolutionary Futures will be released by Pluto Press in May 2026.Relevant Episodes w/ Lara Sheehi A Call for Revolutionary Intellectual Alignment with Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah Colonial Psyops with Lara Sheehi in conversation with Nick Estes Chuck Norris Has Died. The Delta Force | Lara Sheehi & Stephen Sheehi | The Imperial '80s Episode 19 To get a jump on the shows a few days early, bonus video episodes every month, deeper dives into text and works with revolutionary content and political art study groups check out Mtume's Patreon and become a subscriber! Additionally, check out my new colaboration The Imperial 80's, a series I co-hosted with Jared Ware of Millenials are Killing Capitalism. We take a dive into the wild world of 80's Hollywood and uncover what it has to say about this imperial project called The United States. You can find us on Patreon and make sure to follow the channel if you want to catch the livestreams Tumes

  • March 24 · 1 hr 13 min

    Notes On Third Cinema

    For this episode I am solo! I dive into a Patreon members extended question on Third Cinema and how can we envision it for today. It was a rather capacious set of questions so I felt it would be good to set aside some time to jump into the topic more thoroughly as it connects to a lot my current theoretical work that I am developing. In general I plan on doing these solo episodes once a quarter (at least) and will do at least a section of it focused on listener questions! And don't worry, Ill be back with folks for guest episodes very soon. To get a jump on the shows a few days early, bonus video episodes every month, deeper dives into text and works with revolutionary content and political art study groups check out Mtume's Patreon and become a subscriber! Additionally, check out my new colaboration The Imperial 80's, a series I co-hosted with Jared Ware of Millenials are Killing Capitalism. We take a dive into the wild world of 80's Hollywood and uncover what it has to say about this imperial project called The United States. You can find us on Patreon and make sure to follow the channel if you want to catch the livestreams Tumes

  • March 10 · 2 hr 17 min

    The Aesthetic Character of Blackness w/ Jemma DeCristo

    For this episode I am joined by Jemma DeCristo to discuss her excellent new text The Aesthetic Character of Blackness: Sounds like Us. Its a powerful intervention into conversations around Blackness, Black art, and aesthetics which "critiques the exaltation of black culture and art's saving power by analyzing the violence underneath aesthetic production". Its a truly necessary work and our conversation while rich only scratches the surface of her wonderful text, so I encourage you all to get a copy! There is also a digital copy for folks if they want to check it out, but I highly encourage folks pick up the text Hope you all enjoy! Jemma DeCristo is a writer, scholar…and reluctant artist. She studies how sound, race-gender, and embodiment are realized in and as forms of mediation. Her recently published book now available on Duke University Press, The Aesthetic Character of Blackness, theorizes the means by which black art liberates the free world but does not and cannot liberate black people. She is also working on a co-written second book-length project focused on the language and structures of crisis management that encircle black trans/disabled women and the depths of internalization of those structures perpetuated by the non-profit industrial complex. Jemma is also a practicing filmmaker and artist working in video, sound, text, poetry, image, and movement. To get a jump on the shows a few days early, bonus video episodes every month, deeper dives into text and works with revolutionary content and political art study groups check out Mtume's Patreon and become a subscriber! Additionally, check out my new colaboration The Imperial 80's, a series I co-hosted with Jared Ware of Millenials are Killing Capitalism. We take a dive into the wild world of 80's Hollywood and uncover what it has to say about this imperial project called The United States. You can find us on Patreon and make sure to follow the channel if you want to catch the livestreams Tumes

  • February 24 · 2 hr 19 min

    The Crisis of the Bourgeois Intellectual w/ Sudip Bhattacharya

    Returning to the show we have Sudip Bhattacharya to have an in depth discussion about intellectuals, artists and their role in the current movement. We do a historical analysis, focusing on the work by Marx as well as Amilcar Cabral. We also talk about the bourgeois art cultures relationship to stifling movements and how the left must orient itself in relationship to the forces at hand. Its a fun convo, leave comments! To get a jump on the shows a few days early, bonus video episodes every month, deeper dives into text and works with revolutionary content and political art study groups check out Mtume's Patreon and become a subscriber! Additionally, check out my new colaboration The Imperial 80's, a series I co-hosted with Jared Ware of Millenials are Killing Capitalism. We take a dive into the wild world of 80's Hollywood and uncover what it has to say about this imperial project called The United States. You can find us on Patreon and make sure to follow the channel if you want to catch the livestreams Tumes

  • February 10 · 1 hr 52 min

    Latin America and The Three Cinema's w/ Alex Aviña

    For this episode I have Alex Aviña joining me. We discuss the convergence of Latin American politics, leftist anti-colonial revolution and cinema. Taking a cue from Third Cinema creators Fernando Solanas and Octavio Getino, we look at 3 films that represent each of the "Three" different worlds of cinema and use it as a bridge point to connect the actual material history that informed the films creation, but also how these works fed back into the living world. Its really a wide ranging convo, and frankly this caption doesn't do it justice. You will have to listen! Alexander Aviña is a historian and professor—and the son of undocumented migrants from Michoacán, Mexico whose sacrifices and love made these educational achievements possible. He is currently an Associate Professor of History in the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies at Arizona State University (ASU). He has taught previously at Florida State University and the University of Southern California. He holds a B.A. in History magna cum laude from Saint Mary's College of California and a Ph.D. in History from the University of Southern California. His research focuses on twentieth-century Mexico, with an emphasis on revolutionary movements, the Mexican Left, state violence and terrorism, immigration, and the history of narcotics production and trafficking To get a jump on the shows a few days early, bonus video episodes every month, deeper dives into text and works with revolutionary content and political art study groups check out Mtume's Patreon and become a subscriber! Additionally, check out my new colaboration The Imperial 80's, a series I co-hosted with Jared Ware of Millenials are Killing Capitalism. We take a dive into the wild world of 80's Hollywood and uncover what it has to say about this imperial project called The United States. You can find us on Patreon and make sure to follow the channel if you want to catch the livestreams Tumes

  • January 27 · 2 hr 4 min

    Camera Palaestina w/ Stephen Sheehi

    Stephen Sheehi joins me to talk about his text Camera Palaestina, a critical exploration of Jerusalemite chronicler Wasif Jawhariyyeh (1904–1972) and his seven photography albums entitled The Illustrated History of Palestine. We have an expansive conversation, talking not only about the collection but the historical context in which they were collected, and how these images and the history around them tell us about Palestine, and the struggle against colonial erasure and genocide. During our conversation we talk about a few images. You can click the link to images below and follow along! Pic 1 Pic 2 Pic 3 Pic 4 Stephen Sheehi is the Sultan Qaboos Professor of Middle East Studies at William & Mary in Arabic Studies, Asian and Middle East Studies and Asian and Pacific Islander American Studies. He is also Professor Extraordinarius at the Institute for Social and Health Sciences at the University of South Africa (UNISA). He has written a number of books, articles and book chapters around Arab photography and cultural history, Palestine and Palestinian studies, psychoanalysis and settler colonialism, race, anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia, and, more recently, gender and sexuality in Southwest Asia and the Global South. Most recently, he is co-author with Lara Sheehi, Psychoanalysis Under Occupation: Practicing Resistance in Palestine (Routledge, 2022), which was awarded the 2022 Palestine Book Award. He is also the author of Camera Palestina (University of California Press, 2022) with Salim Tamari and Issam Nassar. He current research project is entitled Intimacies of Guerillas: Queer Objects of Palestinian Liberation. To get a jump on the shows a few days early, bonus video episodes every month, deeper dives into text and works with revolutionary content and political art study groups check out Mtume's Patreon and become a subscriber! Additionally, check out my new colaboration The Imperial 80's, a series I co-hosted with Jared Ware of Millenials are Killing Capitalism. We take a dive into the wild world of 80's Hollywood and uncover what it has to say about this imperial project called The United States. You can find us on Patreon and make sure to follow the channel if you want to catch the livestreams Tumes

  • January 13 · 1 hr 47 min

    Towards a Dialectics of Aesthetics w/ Gabriel Rockhill

    For this episode I am joined by Gabriel Rockhill to further my discussions on arts, culture and aesthetics from a dialectical materialist framework. Rockhill is the author of the newly released "Who Paid the Pipers of Western Marxism?" on Monthly Review Press, a text which offers a crash course in the history of imperialist propaganda, as well as in the Marxist method for analyzing culture and ideology. In our discussion we cover many grounds, some related to his new book, but also other areas of scholarly interest concerning analysis of the failures of bourgeois cultural analysis and practice, and questions we must ask ourselves when looking towards developing revolutionary artistic pathways. Dr. Gabriel Rockhill is the Founding Director of the Critical Theory Workshop / Atelier de Théorie Critique, Professor of Philosophy and Global Interdisciplinary Studies at Villanova University, and the author or editor of twelve books, as well as numerous scholarly and general public articles. He is also the Director of Cultural Studies at Villanova University, Research Associate at the Laboratoire d'anthropologie politique – LAP (EHESS, Paris), one of the editors-in-chief of the World Marxist Review, and co-editor of the book series AIM–Anti-Imperialist Marxism. To get a jump on the shows a few days early, bonus video episodes every month, deeper dives into text and works with revolutionary content and political art study groups check out Mtume's Patreon and become a subscriber! Additionally, check out my new colaboration The Imperial 80's, a series I co-hosted with Jared Ware of Millenials are Killing Capitalism. We take a dive into the wild world of 80's Hollywood and uncover what it has to say about this imperial project called The United States. You can find us on Patreon and make sure to follow the channel if you want to catch the livestreams Tumes

  • Dec 29, 2025 · 1 hr 39 min

    The Bronx Needs Socialism. Talking w/ Congressional Candidate Andre Easton

    This week I have with me Andre Easton, a Bronx born native running for Congress in New York's District 15 in The Bronx. We dig in on Andre's platform which looks to spark radical reconstruction under a socialist vision. We talk about what this vision mean in terms education, arts and culture and how his campaign in The Bronx reflects the broader the struggle happenining not only here in the heart of global capitalism but the entire world. To find out more about Andre's campaign and how to be apart click here To donate to Andre's campaign click here To get a jump on the shows a few days early, bonus video episodes every month, deeper dives into text and works with revolutionary content and political art study groups check out Mtume's Patreon and become a subscriber! Additionally, check out my new colaboration The Imperial 80's, a series I co-hosted with Jared Ware of Millenials are Killing Capitalism. We take a dive into the wild world of 80's Hollywood and uncover what it has to say about this imperial project called The United States. You can find us on Patreon and make sure to follow the channel if you want to catch the livestreams Tumes

  • Dec 19, 2025 · 1 hr 57 min

    Beyond Blaxploitation - Discussing the Radical Outlier, Top of the Heap w/ Macedonia

    This episode I have a returning guest Macedonia to discuss one of the most unsung gems of the 1970's; Christopher St. John's Top of the Heap. A radical take down of the pangs of social mobility for the Black individual, Top of the Heap is an entry into Black Cinema that takes a hard look at Black existence in the imperial core through the experience of the Black Police Officer. Macedonia and I dissect this film that both hit us like a ton of bricks upon first viewing and we both believe it holds significant keys to discussions around Blackness within empire. If you want to watch Top of the Heap before the episode drops its free on Tubi To see more of Macedonia is doing you can check his work on these platforms: Radio BSOTS - http://bsots.com/ BSOTS blog - https://radiobsots.blogspot.com/ Mixcloud - https://www.mixcloud.com/macedonia/ Mastodon - https://mastodon.social/@bsots Threads - https://www.threads.com/@bsots IG - https://www.instagram.com/bsots/ To get a jump on the shows a few days early, bonus video episodes every month, deeper dives into text and works with revolutionary content and political art study groups check out Mtume's Patreon and become a subscriber! Additionally, check out my new colaboration The Imperial 80's, a series I co-hosted with Jared Ware of Millenials are Killing Capitalism. We take a dive into the wild world of 80's Hollywood and uncover what it has to say about this imperial project called The United States. You can find us on Patreon and make sure to follow the channel if you want to catch the livestreams Tumes

  • Nov 28, 2025 · 1 hr 18 min

    Socialist Education in the Imperial Core w/ Layan Fuleihan of The Peoples Forum

    Popular educator and organizer Layan Fuleihan joins me to discuss the current battle of ideas here in the Imperial Core of the U.S. and in the long struggle towards dismantling capitalism to build a socialist future what is the educators job and approach? I talk to Layan both philosophically and practically about the work she does at The People Forum in the belly of beast of New York City and the importance of spaces for political education that support active organizing in this current moment. Its a rich convo and the first of many of its type about education I plan to have on Within Our Gates. We also talk about The Peoples Forum current campaign to raise funds for the new space in NYC. For more info about the initiative on how to donate click here Layan Fuleihan is a popular educator, organizer, and lifelong student of historical and contemporary struggles of the oppressed. Layan developed her educational approach while working with youth and families in schools, libraries, and community and feminist organizations. In her role at The Peoples Forum, she is committed to developing political education programming and resources to support the building of working class, internationalist movements. Layan approaches her work with optimism and the conviction that a world free from the control of imperialism and capitalism is possible. When not studying or organizing, Layan cooks for friends, enjoys poetry, and dreams of returning to a liberated Palestine. Contact Layan at layan.f@peoplesforum.org To get a jump on the shows a few days early, bonus video episodes every month, deeper dives into text and works with revolutionary content and political art study groups check out Mtume's Patreon and become a subscriber! Additionally, check out my new colaboration The Imperial 80's, a series I co-hosted with Jared Ware of Millenials are Killing Capitalism. We take a dive into the wild world of 80's Hollywood and uncover what it has to say about this imperial project called The United States. You can find us on Patreon and make sure to follow the channel if you want to catch the livestreams Tumes

  • Nov 14, 2025 · 1 hr 48 min

    Hip Hop and Revolution? A Critical Balance Sheet w/Jared Ball

    For this episode of Within Our Gates I am joined by my comrade Jared Ball to do a long awaited talk on Hip Hop and its politics. We dig into some significant, yet under known projects that looked to deepen Hip hop's connection to the broader movement of Black revolutionary history such as the Black August Hip Hop project, and what this period history uncovered about the issues of the artist/celebrity in liberal capitalist culture in the context of wedding them with political movements. We dig into a rather unseen documentary on the project as well as some other sources. Its a dope episode and frankly one of the first in a series of episodes I plan on doing with Jared on this subject. Looking forward to hearing thoughts! Check out some of these links before the episode drops! Black August Hip Hop Project Documentary My 50th Anniversary Hip Hop Documentary by Jared Ball The Assimilation of Hip Hop, Hegemony, and the Empire State by Shellyne Rodriguez 50 Years, Is There Anything Left Of Hip Hop? Dr. Jared A. Ball is a Professor of Communications Studies and Black/Africana Studies at Morgan State University, author of I Mix What I Like!: A Mixtape Manifesto: https://imixwhatilike.org/2011/07/01/..., The Myth and Propaganda of Black Buying Power, host of iMiXWHATiLiKE!, co-founder of Black Liberation Media, and co-host of Saturdays with Renee: • Saturdays With Renee You can find his work on YouTube at / @imixwhatilikejaredball and / @blackliberationmedia To get a jump on the shows a few days early, bonus video episodes every month, deeper dives into text and works with revolutionary content and political art study groups check out Mtume's Patreon and become a subscriber! Additionally, check out my new colaboration The Imperial 80's, a series I co-hosted with Jared Ware of Millenials are Killing Capitalism. We take a dive into the wild world of 80's Hollywood and uncover what it has to say about this imperial project called The United States. You can find us on Patreon and make sure to follow the channel if you want to catch the livestreams Tumes

  • Nov 1, 2025 · 1 hr 56 min

    The Spook Who Sat By The Door w/Adam Thomas

    Peace Comrades! This episode is actually one I recorded October of last year, but was only exclusive on my Patreon, but it was too good of an episode and too important in terms of topic to NOT release to you all. So here it goes. I am joined once again by my friend Adam Thomas to talk about the then recent rerelease of The Spook Who Sat by Door, and how this film has a shaky reputation with the Black professional managerial class. We also dig into how Spook got made, the differences between the film and the book, how it existed in its time and even do some side convos on how cold war logic for Gen X audiences effect how the film is remembered. Hope you all enjoy! To get a jump on the shows a few days early, bonus video episodes every month, deeper dives into text and works with revolutionary content and political art study groups check out Mtume's Patreon and become a subscriber! Additionally, check out my new colaboration The Imperial 80's, a series I co-hosted with Jared Ware of Millenials are Killing Capitalism. We take a dive into the wild world of 80's Hollywood and uncover what it has to say about this imperial project called The United States. You can find us on Patreon and make sure to follow the channel if you want to catch the livestreams Tumes

  • Oct 18, 2025 · 1 hr 11 min

    Report From the Battlefront. Third Cinema in a Second Cinema World.

    Peace Everyone. Im back with another solo episode talking about the world premiere of my feature length film The Hand that Feeds, and my thoughts around the current state of independent cinema. I wrestle with the contradictions of Second Cinema and how under its heavy hand a truly radical cinema can never materialize. I also speak on what I believe is the need for a Revolutionary Arts International, and address some (unprincipled) criticism thrown my way. Looking forward to hearing comments on this one! To get a jump on the shows a few days early, bonus video episodes every month, deeper dives into text and works with revolutionary content and political art study groups check out Mtume's Patreon and become a subscriber! Additionally, check out my new colaboration The Imperial 80's, a series I co-hosted with Jared Ware of Millenials are Killing Capitalism. We take a dive into the wild world of 80's Hollywood and uncover what it has to say about this imperial project called The United States. You can find us on Patreon and make sure to follow the channel if you want to catch the livestreams Tumes

  • Oct 3, 2025 · 1 hr 28 min

    Listener Questions Answered! A Special Within Our Gates Episode!

    Peace Folks. For this episode I am doing something a bit different. I decided to solicit questions from my listeners and answer them! And boy did I get some fantastic questions and hopefully the answers I give are up to snuff. I tackle things from the Hollywood response to the genocide in Gaza, my opinion of Fourth Cinema, how art fits into the Marxist concept of the superstructure, the work of David Lynch and some other things. This is something Ill be looking to do at least a few times a year. I hope you all enjoy! Shout out to the Patrons who sent in these (great) questions! To get a jump on the shows a few days early, bonus video episodes every month, deeper dives into text and works with revolutionary content and political art study groups check out Mtume's Patreon and become a subscriber! Additionally, check out my new colaboration The Imperial 80's, a series I co-hosted with Jared Ware of Millenials are Killing Capitalism. We take a dive into the wild world of 80's Hollywood and uncover what it has to say about this imperial project called The United States. You can find us on Patreon and make sure to follow the channel if you want to catch the livestreams Tumes

  • Sep 11, 2025 · 2 hr 31 min

    Entertainments Imperial Training Grounds w/ Samantha Youssef

    Joining me on Within Our Gates is Animator and Scholar to Samantha Youssef to talk about the entertainment industry and how it uses often initially well meaning artists to uphold Hollywood's imperial messaging system. Samantha and I take a deep and personal dive into our experiences in the training grounds of arts/entertainment, we compare and contrast our similarities and differences but ultimately come to conclusions that all the methods point in the same pernicious direction. Its a great talk and look forward to more with Samantha on these topics. Here are some things to check out that feature Samantha speaking about her work and experiences. Is Superman Pro-Watermelon? True Hollywood Stories on the Military Industrial Complex "We See the Audience as Marks!" the Psychology of Manipulation in Film Encoding Empire: How Black Panther Manufactures Consent for Imperialism Among Oppressed Groups Donald Duck Does D.E.I. To get a jump on the shows a few days early, bonus video episodes every month, deeper dives into text and works with revolutionary content and political art study groups check out Mtume's Patreon and become a subscriber! Additionally, check out my new colaboration The Imperial 80's, a series I co-hosted with Jared Ware of Millenials are Killing Capitalism. We take a dive into the wild world of 80's Hollywood and uncover what it has to say about this imperial project called The United States. You can find us on Patreon and make sure to follow the channel if you want to catch the livestreams Tumes

  • Aug 29, 2025 · 2 hr 33 min

    Mississippi Masala and the Cross Cultural Conundrum w/ Sudip Bhattacharya

    Joining me for this episode is writer and political theorist Sudip Bhattacharya as we dig into Mira Nair's cult favorite film Mississippi Masala. We dig into its attempt to have commentary on the conundrums of cross cultural exchange and how the film fits into the trajectory of liberal diversity projects in American Cinema during the early 90's. We also fit this into work Sudip has done on the topic of culture from a socialist/Marxist perspective in order to deepen our convo on what was/is missing then and now in works like Masala and others. We also have some great digressions talking about Domenico Losurdo's work, the conservative nature of Spike Lee, the Birth of a Nation level racism of Indiana Jones Temple of Doom and the grave problem of socialist groups like Platypus Affiliated Society. Its a top notch convo and the first of many to come with Sudip. Enjoy and let me know what you think! The Hampton Reader To get a jump on the shows a few days early, bonus video episodes every month, deeper dives into text and works with revolutionary content and political art study groups check out Mtume's Patreon and become a subscriber! Currently we are hosting a asynchronous study group talking about Ariel Dorfman & Armand Mattelart's classic text How to Read Donald Duck. We will going for the rest of the month so join up now! Also check out my new colaboration The Imperial 80's co-hosted series beginning with Jared Ware of Millenials are Killing Capitalism. We will be posting the audio recordings of the episode here but make sure to follow the channel if you want to catch the livestreams

  • Aug 7, 2025 · 1 hr 55 min

    Within Our Gates - Capitalism, Tech and the Artists Tools w/ Dwayne Monroe

    How are the arts in the vaunted "age of tech" affected? And how do we study these effects with a materialist approach? To answer these questions I have with me Dwayne Monroe who is a technologist with decades of experience in the US and Europe. He intimately knows how technologies the media describes as ethereal really work, where they come from, and how they are used in the multinational corporations and governments dominating our lives. He applies what he calls a Noir Marxist lens (stylistically informed by the work of Raymond Chandler, analytically informed by Marxian materialism) to dissecting the tech industry. We have a fantastic conversation covering everything from so called Artificial Intelligence, how the creative class is a deployment zone for tech industry shenanigans, the sordid history of camera technology within the world atomic bomb testing and military projects and what radicals need to consider when integrating tech in their lives and organizations. Its really an important convo and one of the first of many I plan to have with Dwayne. For some links to Dwayne's work check it here: My main blog, 'Computational Impacts' - https://monroelab.com Verdigris (the literary journal I started with a few friends, I typed the wrong URL in the label I used for the show) - https://vdgasjournal.com The film podcast, Film Conversations (we talk about films and the industry overall from a grounded perspective) - https://open.spotify.com/show/3E5dPk4of0pFAVdcTjGbzy And here is a link to the film we discussed in the episode: https://youtu.be/XdrVWeXYUog?si=Kvh9ApjSzo90hSaw Also two of Dwayne's recent appearances on MAKC: https://www.youtube.com/live/TLue-ZDo04Y?si=vvF7gKK3NOjwOASN https://www.youtube.com/live/OxQ_EWinHtA?si=ns-6ZXUpyTKC2r-G To get a jump on the shows a few days early, bonus video episodes every month, deeper dives into text and works with revolutionary content and political art study groups check out Mtume's Patreon and become a subscriber! Currently we are hosting a asynchronous study group talking about Ariel Dorfman & Armand Mattelart's classic text How to Read Donald Duck. We will going for the rest of the month so join up now! Also check out my new colaboration The Imperial 80's co-hosted series beginning with Jared Ware of Millenials are Killing Capitalism. We will be posting the audio recordings of the episode here but make sure to follow the channel if you want to catch the livestreams

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