The Worker's Cauldron

David Roddy& Ceddie
  • 5.0 (3)
  • POLITICS
  • MONTHLY

A podcast about the cultural politics of the paranormal. Where Karl Marx shakes his fist at the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot speaks to us about the legacies of colonialism. We discuss the contemporary obsession with all things supernatural through a socialist, feminist lens and ask what our strange experiences and beliefs tell us about the society we live in.

  1. 29/02/2024

    Witchcraft and Women's Liberation Part 3: Feminist Spirituality and Magical Politics

    In this episode of "The Workers Cauldron," we delve into the intersection of feminist paganism and direct action through the lens of Starhawk and her cohorts' activism against nuclear power in the 1980s. We navigate the rich history and dynamic landscape of the feminist pagan movement, exploring how spiritual practices intertwined with feminist ideals fuelled a potent form of activism. Drawing on the writings of Starhawk, a prominent figure in both feminist and pagan circles, the episode unpacks the significance of reclaiming feminine power in the face of environmental destruction and patriarchal oppression. Bonus features: Anarcha-Feminism, EcoFeminism, Spiritual Feminism, Socialist Feminism, all the feminisms. Sources: Barbara Epstein, Political Protest and Cultural Revolution: Nonviolent Direct Action in the 1970s and 1980s Starhawk, Dreaming the Dark: Magic, Sex, and Politics        The Spiral Dance: a Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess Cynthia Eller: Living in the Lap of the Goddess: The Feminist Spirituality Movement in America Margot Adler, Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today Merlin Stone: When God Was a Woman Carol Christ and Judith Plaskow (ed): Womanspirit Rising: A Feminist Reader in Religion Susan Griffin, Woman and Nature: The Roaring Inside Her Peggy Kornegger: Anarchism: The Feminist Connection Françoise d'Eaubonne, Le Féminisme ou la Mort Ynestra King: The Ecology of Feminism and the Feminism of Ecology Support the show

    53 min

  2. 25/01/2024

    Witchcraft and Women's Liberation Part 2: The Susan B. Anthony Coven no. 1

    On this episode of The Workers Cauldron, we discuss the schism between radical and cultural feminists in the 1970s. We focus on the life and works of Z Budapest, who founded the Susan B. Anthony Coven no. 1 in 1970, the first of many covens devoted to what she termed “Dianic Wicca.” This reformulation of Wicca was staunchly feminist and believed men could only be initiated into the craft when true gender equality was won. Sources: Cynthia Eller, Living in the Lap of the Goddess: The Feminist Spirituality Movement in America Alice Echols, Daring to Be Bad: Radical Feminism in America 1967-1975 Margot Adler, Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today Kristy S. Coleman, Re-riting Woman: Dianic Wicca and the Feminine Divine Julia Kubula, Teaching “Bad Feminism”: Mary Daly and the Legacy of ’70s Lesbian-Feminism Shai Feraro, “The Goddess is Alive. Magic is Afoot.”: Radical and Cultural Feminist Influences on Z Budapest’s Dianic Witchcraft During the 1970s–1980s Zsuzsanna E. Budapest, My Dark Sordid Past As A Heterosexual: First Destiny Deborah Netburn, This feminist witch introduced California to Goddess worship Roz Kaveney, Why won't pagans accept trans women? Support the show

    51 min

  3. 26/10/2023

    Witchcraft and Women's Liberation Part 1: The Story of the Women's International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell

    In this episode, we tackle the contentious Radical Feminist movement, particularly the actions of the Women's International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell, aka W.I.T.C.H. We discuss the shifting political ideas of W.I.T.C.H co-founder Robin Morgan and consider how the contradictions within radical feminism--a movement of women who criticized the root of patriarchal society-- gave way to cultural feminism, which held the seeds of a burgeoning feminist spirituality movement. Sources Jo Freeman, WITCH Redstockings, Miss America Protest WITCH Manifesto, Robin Morgan, Goodbye to All That Sisterhood is Powerful, An Anthology of Writings from the Womens Liberation Movement Elizabeth Gould Davis, The First Sex Matilda Joslyn Gage, Woman, Church and State Alice Echols, Daring to be Bad: Radical Feminism in America 1967-1975 Ronald Hutton, The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft Susan Brownmiller, In Our Time: Memoir of a Revolution Support the show

    43 min

  4. 28/09/2023

    A Brief Conversation with Brenda Salguero from Monstras

    We are publishing a more relaxed episode this month as we prepare for the next series. Brenda Salguera of the Monstras: Latinx Monsters and Folklore podcast joins us to discuss the strange case of flying humanoids(but maybe illegal gold miners with jetpacks) In Loreto, Peru that made headlines last month. Sources from Radio Programas del Perú: "They are aliens!": Loreto residents denounce the presence of strange beings that attack them at night Loreto: Police and Navy arrived at community where residents reported presence of aliens Prosecutor's Office believes it is likely that illegal miners are behind the appearance of "strange beings" in Loreto Support the show

    30 min

  5. 22/06/2023

    Teresa Urrea: Rebel and Saint

    This month, Dr. Jennifer Koshatka Seman joins us to talk about her book Borderlands Curanderos: The Worlds of Santa Teresa Urrea and Don Pedrito Jaramillo. We focus on the life of Teresa Urrea, a folk saint and spiritual healer in late 19th century Mexico that inspired indigenous and poor workers from the borderlands of Mexico to rise up against the Presidency of Porfirio Diaz. Jennifer Koshatka Seman, Borderlands Curanderos: The Worlds of Santa Teresa Urrea and Don Pedrito Jaramillo Charles Wollenberg, Working on El Traque: The Pacific Electric Strike of 1903 Brandon Bayne, From Saint to Seeker, Teresa Urrea's Search for a Place of Her Own Barbara June Macklin and N. Ross Crumrine, Three North Mexican Folk Saint Movements Gilbert M. Joseph and Jurgen Buchenau, Mexico's Once and Future Revolution, Social Upheaval and the Challenge of  Rule since the Late Nineteenth Century, Chapter Two, Porfirian Modernization and its Costs. Telegrams, Multiculturalism: Are We Celebrating or Appropriating? (Guest Post by Dr. Jennifer Koshatka Seman) David Dorado Romo, Ringside Seat to a Revolution: An Underground Cultural History of El Paso and Juarez, 1893-1923, Nicole M. Guidotti-Hernández, Unspeakable Violence: Remapping U.S. and Mexican National Imaginaries Paul Vanderwood, The Power of God Against the Guns of Government: Religious Upheaval in Mexico at the Turn of the Nineteenth Century  Support the show

    1 hr

  6. 27/05/2023

    Peru's Problem with Pishtacos

    There is a peculiar phantom rumored to haunt the rural roads of the South American Andes. The pishtaco takes the form of a tall, well-dressed white man who steals the fat from the bodies of the region's indigenous inhabitants. We explore how this monster was born out of the horrors of colonization and how it recreates itself throughout the history of Peru as the personification of oppression. Sources: Mary Weismantel, Cholas and Pishtacos: Stories of Race and Sex in the Andes Ernesto Vasquex Del Aguila, Pishtacos: Human Fat Murderers, Structural Inequalities and Resistances in Peru Anthony Oliver-Smith, The Pishtaco: Institutionalized Fear in Highland Peru Peter Gose, Sacrifice and the Commodity Form in the Andes  The Guardian: Gang 'killed victims to extract their fat' Time,  Peru's Fat-Stealing Gang: Crime or Cover-Up? Democracy Now: Peruvian Police Accused of Massacring Indigenous Protesters in Amazon Jungle Support the show

    44 min

  7. 10/04/2023

    Vodou Nationalism Part 2: The Truth About Papa Doc

    Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier's administration was portrayed as a "Voodoo Dictatorship" by the Western press due to his tense relationship with the Catholic Church and his conflicting approach to the nation's Vodou beliefs. However, the claims of his political use of the religion's spirits and beliefs are based on shaky foundations. On this episode of The Worker's Cauldron, we try to shift through competing claims in an attempt to uncover the true history Haiti's right-wing dictator. Sources: David Nicholls,  From Dessalines to Duvalier: Race, Colour and National Independence in Haiti John Cussans, Undead Uprising: Haiti, Horror and The Zombie Complex Michel-Rolph Trouillot, Haiti, State Against Nation: Origins and Legacy of Duvalierism Michel S. Laguerre, Voodoo and Politics in Haiti Robert Lawless, Haiti's Bad Press: Origins, Development, and Consequences Kate Ramsay, The Spirits and the Law: Vodou and Power in Haiti Tampa Bay Times: Haiti’s Recognition of Voodoo Brings New Freedom to Faithful Whicker’s World: Papa Doc: The Black Sheep Support the show

    40 min

  8. 08/03/2023

    Vodou Nationalism, Part 1: Between Occupation and Duvalier

    Focusing on the years between American military occupation and the dictatorship of Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier in Haiti, the Workers Cauldron Podcast examines the ways in which Haitian literary groups represented the African diaspora religion of Vodou. After being moved by indiginisme, an ethnological movement to ground Haitian identity in its African past,  future dictator Francois Duvalier helped to organize a group of black nationalist or noiriste writers called Les Griots who rebelled against the enlightenment principles of republican democracy. Sources: David Nicholls: Politics and Religion in Haiti  From Dessalines to Duvalier: Race, Colour and National Independence in Haiti   Ideology and Political Protest in Haiti, 1930-46 John Cussans: Undead Uprising: Haiti, Horror and The Zombie Complex Michel-Rolph Trouillot: Haiti, State Against Nation: Origins and Legacy of Duvalierism Michel S. Laguerre: Voodoo and Politics in Haiti Mathew J. Smith: Red and Black in Haiti: Radicalism, Conflict, and Political Change, 1934-1957 Support the show

    49 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

A podcast about the cultural politics of the paranormal. Where Karl Marx shakes his fist at the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot speaks to us about the legacies of colonialism. We discuss the contemporary obsession with all things supernatural through a socialist, feminist lens and ask what our strange experiences and beliefs tell us about the society we live in.

Information

  • Creator
    David Roddy& Ceddie
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2024
  • Episodes
    46
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 The Worker's Cauldron
  • Show Website
    The Worker's Cauldron