Downstream: Europe’s Ancient Myths, Current Crises & Future Possibilities w/ Roderick Beaton

Downstream: Europe’s Ancient Myths, Current Crises & Future Possibilities w/ Roderick Beaton

From Novara Media by Novara Media

April 20, 2026 · 1h 19m

About this episode

Ash Sarkar speaks with Roderick Beaton about Europe's historical boundaries and contemporary political thought in the context of current global crises.

As the American empire teeters, China gains dominance, and war spreads across Eastern Europe and West Asia, questions arise as to Europe’s place in this rapidly changing world order. On Downstream this week, Ash Sarkar speaks to Roderick Beaton, former Koraes Professor of History at King’s College London, about his latest book Europe: A New History. How did the boundaries between Europe and Asia come to be drawn in the first place? How were immigration and borders managed by the ancients in Greece and Rome? How do the stories we tell about our collective history in Europe shape contemporary political thought? And in an age of mass migration, who gets to be European today – and why? Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support

People in this episode

Guest: Roderick Beaton

Topics covered

  • Europe
  • history
  • politics
  • migration
  • culture

Keywords

  • American empire
  • China dominance
  • Eastern Europe
  • West Asia
  • mass migration

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Europe: A New History

Books & works: Downstream: Europe’s Ancient, Downstream, Europe: A New History

Places: China, Eastern Europe, West Asia, Europe, Asia, Greece, Rome

More episodes of Novara Media

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Novara Media podcast page.