Return to Bandung

Pranay Somayajula

Return to Bandung is a podcast that explores questions of imperialism, resistance, and internationalist solidarity throughout history and into the present day. Through historical analysis, interviews with expert guests, and deep dives into classic works of anticolonial theory, Return to Bandung seeks to make the case for why anti-imperialist politics are as important in our current moment as ever before.

  1. 2 Sept

    Capitalist Racism and State Repression with Charisse Burden-Stelly

    In this episode, I’m joined by Charisse Burden-Stelly, associate professor of African American Studies at Wayne State University and author of Black Scare/Red Scare: Theorizing Capitalist Racism in the United States (University of Chicago Press, 2023)—to discuss the connections between capitalism and racism and how the intertwined relationship between anti-Blackness and anti-communism has shaped the history of state repression in the United States. In particular, we situate the current moment of escalating state repression against activists and social movements within this longer history of what Dr. Burden-Stelly calls “the Black Scare/Red Scare longue durée.” About the show: Return to Bandung is hosted by Pranay Somayajula, an Indian-American writer, researcher, and organizer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His work explores themes of diaspora, (inter)nationalism, anticolonial politics, and the many lives and afterlives of empire. You can learn more about Pranay and read his writing on his website, as well as on his Substack blog, culture shock. Support Return to Bandung: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to leave a review or rating, and subscribe to the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts! If you’re able, please also consider supporting my work—which encompasses both my writing and this podcast, as well as various other political education projects by signing up as a paid subscriber to my Substack or making a one-off contribution: Become a paid Substack subscriber Buy Me a Coffee Sources and helpful links: Charisse Burden-Stelly — ⁠Black Scare/Red Scare: Theorizing Capitalist Racism in the United States (University of Chicago Press, 2023) Return to Bandung episode with Nick Estes on the federal occupation of Minneapolis (August 2026) Erik S. McDuffie — Sojourning for Freedom: Black Women, American Communism, and the Making of Black Left Feminism (Duke University Press, 2011) Carol Boyce Davies — Left of Karl Marx: The Political Life of Black Communist Claudia Jones (Duke University Press, 2008) U.S. Department of State — Cuba: The Capital of 21st Century Communism (July 2026) Upstream episode with Charisse Burden-Stelly on the State Department Cuba report (August 2026) Charisse Burden-Stelly — Reading "Cuba: The Capital of 21st Century Communism" through Black Scare/Red Scare, Part I (Substack, July 2026) Robin D.G. Kelley — What Did Cedric Robinson Mean by Racial Capitalism? (Boston Review, January 2017) Peter James Hudson — Racial Capitalism and the Dark Proletariat (Boston Review, February 2018) William Z. Foster — The Negro People in American History (International Publishers, 1954 Peter James Hudson — Bankers and Empire: How Wall Street Colonized the Caribbean (University of Chicago Press, 2017) Return to Bandung episode with Sam Klug on internal colonialism in the United States (November 2025) Lara Sheehi — From the Clinic to the Streets: Psychoanalysis for Revolutionary Futures (Pluto Press, 2026) Minnesota 15 Anti-Repression Committee website George Jackson — Blood in My Eye (Black Classic Press, 1990) Social links: Return to Bandung: Twitter: ⁠twitter.com/returntobandung⁠ Instagram: instagram.com/returntobandung/⁠ Pranay Somayajula: Twitter: ⁠twitter.com/p_somayajula⁠ Instagram: ⁠instagram.com/pranay.somayajula/⁠ Website: pranaysomayajula.com/⁠ Substack: ⁠culture-shock.xyz/⁠ Charisse Burden-Stelly: Twitter: https://twitter.com/drcbs_ Substack: https://drcbs.substack.com/ Website: https://www.charisseburdenstelly.com/

  2. 5 Aug

    From Minneapolis to Iran with Nick Estes

    In this episode, I’m joined by returning guest Nick Estes—associate professor of American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota, cofounder of The Red Nation, and author of Our History Is the Future: Standing Rock Versus the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Long Tradition of Indigenous Resistance (Verso Books, 2019)—to discuss last winter’s federal occupation of Minnesota during the Trump Administration’s ‘Operation Metro Surge.’ In this wide-ranging conversation, we attempt to complicate the artificial distinction between the ‘domestic’ and ‘foreign’ spheres, instead situating the fascist violence of Metro Surge within a larger context of both settler-colonial violence in the United States and escalating global aggression by the decaying American empire. About the show: Return to Bandung is hosted by Pranay Somayajula, an Indian-American writer, researcher, and organizer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His work explores themes of diaspora, (inter)nationalism, anticolonial politics, and the many lives and afterlives of empire. You can learn more about Pranay and read his writing on his website, as well as on his Substack blog, culture shock. Support Return to Bandung: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to leave a review or rating, and subscribe to the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts! If you’re able, please also consider supporting my work—which encompasses both my writing and this podcast, as well as various other political education projects by signing up as a paid subscriber to my Substack or making a one-off contribution: Become a paid Substack subscriber Buy Me a Coffee Sources and helpful links: Nick Estes — ⁠Our History Is the Future:Standing Rock Versus the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Long Tradition of Indigenous Resistance⁠ (Verso Books, 2019) Pranay Somayajula — Fighting for the future in occupied Minneapolis (The Drift newsletter, January 2026) Return to Bandung episode with Nick Estes on Indigenous resistance in North America (February 2025)⁠⁠Minnesota 15 Anti-Repression Committee website⁠⁠Adam Serwer — Minnesota Proved MAGA Wrong (The Atlantic, January 2026) The Red Nation Podcast episode with Nick Estes and Jimmy Patiño on Red, Black, and Brown Power in the Twin Cities (August 2024) Benjamin Prostine — “‘Communal Sensibility’: the Minneapolis Mass Strikes of 1934 and Today” (Labor and Working-Class History Association, March 2026) Nick Estes — Transcript of remarks at January 23 ‘ICE Out of Minnesota’ rally (January 2026) Amelia Schafer — Former Native American concentration camp lies beneath current immigration detention center (ICT News, January 2026) Nick Estes — US Imperialism is an Indian War (Middle East Critique, October 2025) Return to Bandung episode with Guillaume Long on Trump’s revival of the Monroe Doctrine (January 2026)  Return to Bandung episode with Julian Go on the imperial boomerang (February 2025) The Red Nation Podcast episode with Charisse Burden-Stelly on the imperial slingshot (February 2026) Ken Klippenstein — ICE Unloads (Substack post, January 2026) George Jackson — Blood in My Eye (Black Classic Press, 1990) Social links: Return to Bandung: Twitter: ⁠twitter.com/returntobandung⁠ Instagram: instagram.com/returntobandung/⁠ Pranay Somayajula: Twitter: ⁠twitter.com/p_somayajula⁠ Instagram: ⁠instagram.com/pranay.somayajula/⁠ Website: pranaysomayajula.com/⁠ Substack: ⁠culture-shock.xyz/⁠ Nick Estes: Twitter: twitter.com/nickwestes Substack: nickestes.substack.com/ The Red Nation Website: www.therednation.org/ Twitter: twitter.com/The_Red_Nation Instagram: www.instagram.com/therednationmovement YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/TheRedNation

  3. 1 Jul

    Venezuela After Maduro with Cira Pascual Marquina and Chris Gilbert

    In this episode, I’m joined by returning guests Cira Pascual Marquina and Chris Gilbert, both Venezuela-based scholars and Chavista activists, to provide an update from on the ground six months after the United States’ illegal invasion and kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro in January. We discuss the current state of the Bolivarian Revolution, the challenges facing Acting President Delcy Rodríguez, and why it’s more important than ever for the Western left to stand in solidarity with Venezuela’s socialist project in the face of escalating U.S. imperialism. About the show: Return to Bandung is hosted by Pranay Somayajula, an Indian-American writer, researcher, and organizer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His work explores themes of diaspora, (inter)nationalism, anticolonial politics, and the many lives and afterlives of empire. You can learn more about Pranay and read his writing on his website, as well as on his Substack blog, culture shock. Support Return to Bandung: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to leave a review or rating, and subscribe to the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts! If you’re able, please also consider supporting my work—which encompasses both my writing and this podcast, as well as various other political education projects by signing up as a paid subscriber to my Substack or making a one-off contribution: Become a paid Substack subscriber Buy Me a Coffee Sources and helpful links: CODEPINK solidarity fundraiser for Venezuela earthquake relief Return to Bandung episode with Chris Gilbert and Cira Pascual Marquina on defending Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolution (October 2025)  Return to Bandung episode with David Ramírez Álvarez on defending the Cuban Revolution (May 2026) Chris Gilbert — Mészáros and Chávez: The Philosopher and the Llanero (Monthly Review, June 2022) Mark Weisbrot and Jeffrey Sachs — Economic Sanctions as Collective Punishment: The Case of Venezuela (Center for Economic and Policy Research, April 2019) Celina Della Croce — Communal Consults and Venezuela’s Fight for the Future (Counterpunch, May 2026) Acting President Delcy Rodríguez Calls for Wide Participation in March 8 Communal Popular Consultation (Orinoco Tribune, February 2026) Chris Gilbert and Cira Pascual Marquina — A Great Leap into Reality: Venezuela Today (Counterpunch, June 2026) Domenico Losurdo — Western Marxism: How it was Born, How it Died, How it can be Reborn (Monthly Review Press, 2024) Return to Bandung episode with Ashwin Shantha on Chinese socialism and green development (June 2026) Return to Bandung episode with Guillaume Long on Trump’s revival of the Monroe Doctrine (January 2026) Hyper-Imperialism: A Dangerous Decadent New Stage (Tricontinental: Institute for Global Research, January 2024) Hugo Chávez — Speech to the UN (September 2011) Social links: Return to Bandung: Twitter: ⁠twitter.com/returntobandung⁠ Instagram: instagram.com/returntobandung/⁠ Pranay Somayajula: Twitter: ⁠twitter.com/p_somayajula⁠ Instagram: ⁠instagram.com/pranay.somayajula/⁠ Website: pranaysomayajula.com/⁠ Substack: ⁠culture-shock.xyz/⁠ Escuela de Cuadros: Twitter: twitter.com/escuela_cuadros Blog: escuelacuadros.blogspot.com/ YouTube: youtube.com/escuelacuadros

  4. 3 Jun

    Chinese Socialism and Green Development with Ashwin Shantha

    In this episode, I’m joined by Ashwin Shantha, PhD student in politics at York University and host of the International Solidarity Podcast, to discuss their recent article “China’s Green Development is Both Anti-Imperialist and Socialist.” We explore the history and current state of China’s green industrialization, its implications for energy sovereignty in China and across the Global South, and why such a development path is only possible because of the socialist nature of China’s political and economic system. About the show: Return to Bandung is hosted by Pranay Somayajula, an Indian-American writer, researcher, and organizer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His work explores themes of diaspora, (inter)nationalism, anticolonial politics, and the many lives and afterlives of empire. You can learn more about Pranay and read his writing on his website, as well as on his Substack blog, culture shock. Support Return to Bandung: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to leave a review or rating, and subscribe to the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts! If you’re able, please also consider supporting my work—which encompasses both my writing and this podcast, as well as various other political education projects by signing up as a paid subscriber to my Substack or making a one-off contribution: Become a paid Substack subscriber Buy Me a Coffee Sources and helpful links: Ashwin Shantha — China’s Green Development is Both Anti-Imperialist and Socialist (Journal of International Solidarity, February 2026) International Solidarity Podcast episode on ecological civilization in China (May 2026) International Solidarity Podcast episode with India and Global Left on China and India’s development paths (April 2025) Return to Bandung episode with Tings Chak on China’s role in the global order (March 2025) International Solidarity Podcast episode with Ken Hammond on culture and politics in the Chinese Revolution (November 2025) Torkil Lauesen — The Long Transition Towards Socialism and the End of Capitalism (Iskra Books, 2024) International Solidarity Podcast episode with Torkil Lauesen on The Long Transition (August 2025) Return to Bandung episode with David Ramírez Álvarez on defending the Cuban Revolution (May 2026) Chen Yiwen — Marxist Ecology in China: From Marx’s Ecology to Socialist Eco-Civilization Theory (Monthly Review, October 2024) State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China — China’s Green Development in the New Era (January 2023) Xi Jinping — Speech at the Leaders’ Summit of the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (October 2021) Social links: Return to Bandung: Twitter: ⁠twitter.com/returntobandung⁠ Instagram: instagram.com/returntobandung/⁠ Pranay Somayajula: Twitter: ⁠twitter.com/p_somayajula⁠ Instagram: ⁠instagram.com/pranay.somayajula/⁠ Website: pranaysomayajula.com/⁠ Substack: ⁠culture-shock.xyz/⁠ Journal of International Solidarity: Substack: intlsolidarity.substack.com/ Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/6pbGw76EukzP0xPisBS9Sj YouTube: youtube.com/@JournalofIntlSolidarity Instagram: instagram.com/journalofintlsolidarity Twitter: twitter.com/revintlist

  5. 6 May

    Defending the Cuban Revolution with David Ramírez Álvarez

    In this episode, I’m joined by David Ramírez Álvarez, Second Secretary and cultural attaché at the Embassy of Cuba to the United States in Washington, D.C., to talk about the history of Cuba’s socialist revolution and the ongoing fight to defend it in the face of escalating imperialist aggression from the United States. We discuss the history and effects of the blockade, the current situation on the ground in Cuba, and the successes and challenges of building a revolutionary society under siege, as well as the importance of international solidarity from those of us who are located in the belly of the beast. About the show: Return to Bandung is hosted by Pranay Somayajula, an Indian-American writer, researcher, and organizer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His work explores themes of diaspora, (inter)nationalism, anticolonial politics, and the many lives and afterlives of empire. You can learn more about Pranay and read his writing on his website, as well as on his Substack blog, culture shock. Support Return to Bandung: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to leave a review or rating, and subscribe to the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts! If you’re able, please also consider supporting my work—which encompasses both my writing and this podcast, as well as various other political education projects by signing up as a paid subscriber to my Substack or making a one-off contribution: Become a paid Substack subscriber Buy Me a Coffee Sources and helpful links: Mallory Memorandum (April 1960) Anna Heikkinen — US sanctions, power cuts, climate crisis: why Cuba is betting on renewables (The Guardian, February 2026) Nicole Acevedo, Carmen Sesin and Orlando Matos — Cuba’s president says ‘we would die’ to defend against U.S. invasion (NBC News, April 2026) Cheyanne M. Daniels — Cuban military is ‘prepared’ for potential US aggression, deputy foreign minister says (Politico, March 2026) Fidel Castro — speech to the Cultural Congress of Havana (January 1968) Social links: Return to Bandung: Twitter: ⁠twitter.com/returntobandung⁠ Instagram: ⁠instagram.com/returntobandung Pranay Somayajula: Twitter: ⁠twitter.com/p_somayajula⁠ Instagram: ⁠instagram.com/pranay.somayajula Website: ⁠pranaysomayajula.com Substack: ⁠culture-shock.xyz David Ramírez Álvarez: Twitter: twitter.com/DvidTwit Embassy of Cuba in the United States: Twitter: twitter.com/EmbaCubaUS Instagram: instagram.com/embacubaee.uu/

  6. 1 Apr

    Reviving the European Left with Peter Mertens

    In this episode, I’m joined by Peter Mertens, general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Belgium (PTB), to discuss the current situation and future outlook of the European left. We discuss the PTB’s meteoric rise as one of the most prominent and fastest-growing left-wing parties in Europe today, the fight against a rising tide of militarism and far-right nationalism, and the role of parliamentary politics in revolutionary struggle, and discuss what role Europe—and in particular, the European left—has to play in a shifting international order. About the show: Return to Bandung is hosted by Pranay Somayajula, an Indian-American writer, researcher, and organizer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His work explores themes of diaspora, (inter)nationalism, anticolonial politics, and the many lives and afterlives of empire. You can learn more about Pranay and read his writing on his website, as well as on his Substack blog, culture shock. Support Return to Bandung: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to leave a review or rating, and subscribe to the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts! If you’re able, please also consider supporting my work—which encompasses both my writing and this podcast, as well as various other political education projects by signing up as a paid subscriber to my Substack or making a one-off contribution: Become a paid Substack subscriber Buy Me a Coffee Sources and helpful links: Workers’ Party of Belgium website Joe Todd — Between Autonomy and Control (The Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, March 2026) Marc Botenga — A Marxist in the European Parliament (interview in Jacobin, May 2019) Rosa Luxemburg — The Junius Pamphlet (1915) Grace Blakeley — Inside Die Linke’s Resurgence (Jacobin, March 2025) David Pestieau — Facing a Tilting World and the Rise of European Militarism: Why Peace and Socialism Matter Now (speech at the 2025 European Forum in Vienna) Peter Mertens — Mutiny: How Our World is Tilting (LeftWord Books, 2024) Peter Mertens — A Mutiny Against the West’s Order (interview in Jacobin, October 2024) Johan Grimonprez — Soundtrack to a Coup D’État (documentary, 2024) Rosa Luxemburg — Peace Utopias (1911) Social links: Return to Bandung: Twitter: ⁠twitter.com/returntobandung⁠ Instagram: ⁠instagram.com/returntobandung Pranay Somayajula: Twitter: ⁠twitter.com/p_somayajula⁠ Instagram: ⁠instagram.com/pranay.somayajula Website: ⁠pranaysomayajula.com Substack: ⁠culture-shock.xyz Peter Mertens: Twitter: twitter.com/peter_mertens Instagram: www.instagram.com/mertens.p Workers’ Party of Belgium: Twitter: twitter.com/pvdabelgie Instagram: instagram.com/pvdabelgie Website: https://international.pvda-ptb.be/

  7. 4 Mar

    Resisting Empire From Within with Torkil Lauesen

    In this episode, I’m joined by Marxist theorist and anti-imperialist revolutionary Torkil Lauesen, author of numerous books including The Principal Contradiction (Kersplebedeb, 2020) and Unequal Exchange: Past, Present, and Future (Iskra Books, 2025), to discuss the challenges and contradictions of anti-imperialist resistance in the imperial core. We explore key concepts such as the labor aristocracy and unequal exchange and their relationship to the prospects of resistance within imperialist countries, and discuss how revolutionaries located in the heart of empire can overcome these challenges to weaken empire from within. About the show: Return to Bandung is hosted by Pranay Somayajula, an Indian-American writer, researcher, and organizer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His work explores themes of diaspora, (inter)nationalism, anticolonial politics, and the many lives and afterlives of empire. You can learn more about Pranay and read his writing on his website, as well as on his Substack blog, culture shock. Support Return to Bandung: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to leave a review or rating, and subscribe to the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts! If you’re able, please also consider supporting my work—which encompasses both my writing and this podcast, as well as various other political education projects by signing up as a paid subscriber to my Substack or making a one-off contribution: Become a paid Substack subscriber Buy Me a Coffee Sources and helpful links: Arghiri Emmanuel Association Website Torkil Lauesen — Unequal Exchange: Past, Present and Future (Iskra Books, 2025) Vladimir Lenin — Imperialism, The Highest Stage of Capitalism (1917) Hodee W. Edwards — Labor Aristocracy, Mass Base of Social Democracy (1978) Arghiri Emmanuel — Unequal Exchange: A Study of the Imperialism of Trade (Monthly Review Press, 1972) Jason Hickel, Morena Hanbury Lemos, and Felix Barbour — Unequal exchange of labour in the world economy (Nature Communications, 2024) Return to Bandung episode with Jason Hickel Jason Hickel — The Divide: Global Inequality from Conquest to Free Markets (W.W. Norton, 2018) Katharina Buchholz — How Many Hours Of Work Pay For An iPhone 17? (Forbes, September 2025) Torkil Lauesen — The Global Perspective: Reflections on Imperialism and Resistance (Kersplebedeb, 2018) Torkil Lauesen — Anti-imperialist comeback: an interview with Torkil Lauesen (Left Wing Books, July 2018) Ulrich Brand and Markus Wissen — The Imperial Mode of Living: Everyday Life and the Ecological Crisis of Capitalism (Verso Books, 2021) Social links: Return to Bandung: Twitter: ⁠twitter.com/returntobandung⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/returntobandung/⁠ Pranay Somayajula: Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/p_somayajula⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/pranay.somayajula/⁠ Website: ⁠https://www.pranaysomayajula.com/⁠ Substack: ⁠https://www.culture-shock.xyz/⁠

  8. 18 Feb

    Imperialism and Resistance in Mexico with Alex Aviña

    In this episode, I’m joined by Alexander Aviña, historian of Mexico and associate professor of Latin American history at Arizona State University, to discuss imperialism and anti-imperialist resistance in Mexico. We discuss the long history of revolutionary struggles in Mexico, the imperial origins and present-day violence of the U.S.-Mexico border, and how Mexico’s relationship with the United States has shaped the last century of American imperialism in the Western Hemisphere—as well as how all of this has been affected by recent developments in the last decade of Mexican politics. About the show: Return to Bandung is hosted by Pranay Somayajula, an Indian-American writer, researcher, and organizer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His work explores themes of diaspora, (inter)nationalism, anticolonial politics, and the many lives and afterlives of empire. You can learn more about Pranay and read his writing on his website, as well as on his Substack blog, culture shock. Support Return to Bandung: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to leave a review or rating, and subscribe to the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts! If you’re able, please also consider supporting my work—which encompasses both my writing and this podcast, as well as various other political education projects by signing up as a paid subscriber to my Substack or making a one-off contribution: Become a paid Substack subscriber Buy Me a Coffee Sources and helpful links: Anti-Imperialist Scholars Collective Website The Sun Never Sets: Making Sense of Modern Empire book announcement Pranay Somayajula — Reviving the Bandung Spirit (Socialism 2025 conference lecture) Alexander Aviña — Specters of Revolution: Peasant Guerrillas in the Cold War Mexican Countryside (Oxford University Press, 2014) Greg Grandin — America, América: A New History of the New World (Penguin, 2025) Kelly Lytle Hernández — Bad Mexicans: Race, Empire, and Revolution in the Borderlands (W.W. Norton, 2023) Alexander Aviña — Mexico’s Long Dirty War (NACLA Report on the Americas, July 2016) Chris Gilbert — Commune Or Nothing! Venezuela’s Communal Movement and Its Socialist Project (Monthly Review Press, 2023) Christina Heatherton — Arise!: Global Radicalism in the Era of the Mexican Revolution (University of California Press, 2024) José Marti — Nuestra América (El Partido Liberal, January 1891) Social links: Return to Bandung: Twitter: ⁠twitter.com/returntobandung⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/returntobandung/⁠ Pranay Somayajula: Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/p_somayajula⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/pranay.somayajula/⁠ Website: ⁠https://www.pranaysomayajula.com/⁠ Substack: ⁠https://www.culture-shock.xyz/⁠ Alex Aviña: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Alexander_Avina Website: https://alexanderavina.com/ Substack: https://substack.com/profile/43151775-alex-avina/

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Return to Bandung is a podcast that explores questions of imperialism, resistance, and internationalist solidarity throughout history and into the present day. Through historical analysis, interviews with expert guests, and deep dives into classic works of anticolonial theory, Return to Bandung seeks to make the case for why anti-imperialist politics are as important in our current moment as ever before.

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