Anti-Zionism, Explained (w/ Adam Louis-Klein)

About this episode

Anthropologist Adam Louis-Klein discusses the history and implications of anti-Zionism in contemporary discourse.

Anthropologist Adam Louis-Klein was in the Amazon on October 9th, when he went online and learned what had happened two days previously. Almost immediately, he also discovered something else: his left-wing colleagues in the academy were ready to ostracize him for his “ filthy Zionist ” views. Since then, Louis-Klein has turned his analytical eye toward anti-Zionism. In this conversation, he explains the ideology’s history and how it continues to perpetuate itself through cycles of libel . He also breaks down the other greatest hits of left-wing academic jargon — settler-colonialism, genocide, occupation, etc. — along the way. And we all try to break ourselves out of the language games that prevent us from having a real conversation about what’s happening, and not, in Gaza. On the agenda: -On Zohran Mamdani [00:00-12:40] -Libel cycles post-October 7th [12:41-29:12] -Defining terms: Zionism, Anti-Zionism, and more [29:13-57:00] -The left’s alliances [57:01-1:10:42] -On victimhood, violence, and self-reliance [1:10:43-1:27:36] -The reader’s/viewer’s responsibility [1:27:37-1:42:41] -Expanding the concept of genocide [1:42:42-2:01:31] -The future of Anti-Zionism [2:01:32-2:09:37]…

People in this episode

Host: Uncertain Things

Guest: Adam Louis-Klein

Topics covered

• anti-Zionism
• academic discourse
• libel cycles
• left-wing ideology
• Gaza conflict
• terminology in politics

Keywords

• anti-Zionism
• Zionism
• libel
• settler-colonialism
• genocide
• occupation
• left-wing jargon

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Ezra Klein Show, The New York Times, Uncertain Things

Books & works: How the World Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Butchery of Jews, The Apocalypse

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