IDEAS IN MOTION

Dr S A Hamed Hosseini

Podcasting personal ideas and speeches as an expert in global social studies, from a commonist point of view. Most episodes are produced out of my extra-teaching and extra-research projects.

  1. Jun 5

    The Quranic Blueprint for Global Commons

    In this episode, we sit down with Dr. S.A. Hamed Hosseini to discuss his work, "The Quranic Blueprint for a Global Commons." We explore how ancient theological principles offer a radical alternative to the enclosures of late-stage capitalism, reimagining everything from digital platforms to ecological governance as a shared sacred trust. Episode Highlights: Beyond Physical Resources: Dr Hosseini explains that the "commons" must expand beyond forests and water to include social institutions, digital knowledge, and infrastructure currently being marketised by global capital.The End of Absolute Ownership: We delve into the doctrine of Al-Mulk—the principle that absolute ownership belongs only to God—positioning human "ownership" as a temporary tenancy or Amanah (trust).From Autocracy to Cooperation: The discussion covers how enterprises must transition into multi-stakeholder cooperatives as they scale, ensuring that decision-making and profits are not monopolized by the few but shared among workers and communities.Modern "Pastures" and "Fire": Dr Hosseini reinterprets prophetic traditions for the 21st century, arguing that modern factories, healthcare systems, and digital platforms are the new "shared pastures" that must be managed as public goods.Council-Based Stewardship (Shura): We explore a macro-model of governance where the state and market are replaced by representative councils obligated to prioritize the vulnerable and the collective well-being over capital interest.The More-than-Human Collective: A central theme is the legal protection of non-human species, which the Quran recognizes as "communities like you," granting them baseline rights to sustenance and protection from ecological harm.A Systemic Alternative: Finally, we discuss how this blueprint provides a "third way" that transcends the failures of both state-socialism and corporate capitalism through mutual responsibility and balanced growth.This episode is a call to restructure our global systems into humble guardians of a world where all creation—human and non-human—has a right to flourish.----------------------------------------------------------------Keywords #DrSAHamedHosseini #GlobalCommons #QuranicEconomics #AlMulk #Amanah #Shura #EcoJustice #PostCapitalism #DigitalCommons #Stewardship #SocialJustice

    32 min

  2. Jun 3

    Quranic Archaeology of Modern Power and Ruin (S A Hamed Hosseini)

    In this episode, we dive into "The Ruins of Hubris," by Dr. S.A. Hamed Hosseini, a profound exploration of what the source calls a "Quranic archaeology of power." Rather than viewing the stories of lost empires like ‘Ad, Thamud, and the Pharaonic state as mere historical footnotes, we unearth them as diagnostic tools for our modern global crises—from ecological collapse to the rise of "techno-feudalism." Key Discussion Points: The Architecture of Tyranny (Istikbar): We examine the concept of Istikbar—systemic pride—through the lens of Pharaoh’s "vertical infrastructure." We draw a chilling parallel between ancient towers of surveillance and today’s "digital towers," where monopolistic algorithms and total surveillance networks are used to fragment and manipulate the public.Eco-Imperialism and the "She-Camel": The episode explores the tragedy of Thamud, who were destroyed after "hamstringing" a she-camel that represented the shared commons of nature. This serves as a warning for our current era: when we treat the Earth’s resources as obstacles to profit, we trigger the Sayhah—a systemic backlash or ecological collapse.The invisible Violence of Markets (Bakhas): Drawing from the ruins of Madyan, we define Bakhas as the systemic undervaluation of labor and nature. We discuss how late-stage capitalism relies on this "financial trickery" to siphon wealth from the vulnerable while externalizing the true cost of environmental destruction.The Myth of Infinite Growth (Istikthar): We tackle the Quranic critique of Istikthar—the pathological drive to accumulate for the sake of accumulation. We even offer a "materialist" interpretation of the "Jinn" as the hidden, systemic elite forces and dark money pools that extract surplus value from humanity behind closed doors.The Radical Path Forward: Finally, we move from diagnosis to praxis. We discuss shifting from hierarchy to Shura (democratic councils), protecting the "She-Camel" (the rights of nature), and replacing hoarding with Infaq—the mandatory circulation of surplus wealth back into the collective.This archaeology reminds us that injustice is inherently unsustainable, and the ruins of the past are mirrors reflecting the choices we must make today to ensure a shared future. Keywords#QuranicArchaeology #EcoJustice #TechnoFeudalism #Istikbar #Degrowth #SocialJustice #SystemicCollapse #Amanah #EconomicJustice #RightsOfNature

    49 min
  3. Sustaining the Unsustainable: Why Corporate "Green" Programs are Stealing our Commons

    May 22

    Sustaining the Unsustainable: Why Corporate "Green" Programs are Stealing our Commons

    Episode Description: In this episode, we explore the striking paradox of the modern food system: why are emissions, hunger, and land concentration intensifying even as multi-billion-dollar "sustainability" programs from global giants like Nestlé and PepsiCo expand at record rates?. We take a deep dive into the groundbreaking paper by S. A. Hamed Hosseini, titled "Sustaining What? From Corporate Sustainability to Agri-Food Transformation Through Commonist Value Theory." Using the lens of Commonist Value Theory (CVT), we uncover how corporate sustainability functions not as a solution, but as a "civilizing meta-mechanism"—a structural feedback loop designed to stabilize the current system by absorbing critique and neutralizing radical alternatives. Hosseini argues that these programs engage in "decommonization," the systematic enclosure and perversion of the shared life-supporting relations that sustain our planet. We break down the four pillars of the "commons" being targeted: Creativity: How digital farming platforms like John Deere and Bayer "scrape" experiential farmer knowledge and turn it into proprietary algorithmic data.Liveability: How complex ecosystems are reduced to tradeable metrics like carbon credits and biodiversity offsets.Conviviality: How genuine community cooperation is replaced by corporate "farmer networks" and contractual compliance.Alterity: How the radical language of "food sovereignty" is captured and redirected into supply chain optimization.Join us as we discuss why "green capitalism" may be an oxymoron and how we can reclaim "True Value" through authentic, commons-based alternatives from the ground up. Keywords: #CommonistValueTheory #SustainingTheUnsustainable #HamedHosseini #CorporateSustainability #AgriFoodTransformation #Decommonization #TrueValue #FoodSovereignty #RegenerativeAgriculture #DigitalFarming #MetaMechanisms #Greenwashing #AgTech

    40 min
  4. The Reconciliation Trap: Why Management is Offloading Market Chaos to You

    May 22

    The Reconciliation Trap: Why Management is Offloading Market Chaos to You

    Episode Description: In this episode, we investigate a fundamental shift in how we work and how we are managed. We take a deep dive into the insightful article "The dual economics in the labor process: managerial contradictions and indirect control" by researchers Wolfgang Menz and Sarah Nies. The authors challenge the popular idea of "Digital Taylorism"—the belief that technology is simply being used to turn us back into mindless cogs in a machine. Instead, they reveal a more complex "reconciliation problem" that modern managers face: trying to balance the stable, efficient "economics of production" with the volatile, unpredictable "economics of the market." We discuss how this has led to the "inner marketization" of companies, where internal departments are turned into profit centres forced to compete with each other. Under this new regime of "indirect control," management no longer just tells you exactly what to do; instead, they give you impossible market targets and make it your responsibility to figure out how to meet them. We explore how digital tools are used to create "activating transparency," utilizing your own flexibility and self-organization to solve the company's market problems while simultaneously restricting your freedom. Join us as we unpack why modern workplace pressure feels so different today—and why your boss might be using software to make their own market headaches your personal problem. Keywords: #IndirectControl #DigitalCapitalism #WolfgangMenz #SarahNies #LabourProcessTheory #InnerMarketization #TheReconciliationProblem #ManagementContradictions #FutureOfWork #EmployeeResponsibilisation #DualEconomics #WorkplaceControl #DigitalSociology

    19 min
  5. The Invisible Foreman: Digital Domination and the Myth of Worker Autonomy

    May 22

    The Invisible Foreman: Digital Domination and the Myth of Worker Autonomy

    Episode Description: In this episode, we explore the subtle and pervasive ways digital tools have shifted from being mere instruments to becoming independent forces of control. We take a deep dive into the provocative article "Governed by digital technology? Self-perpetuation and social domination in digital capitalism" by researchers Konstantin Klur and Sarah Nies. Moving beyond the common fear of "Digital Taylorism"—the idea that technology is simply used to deskill and automate tasks—Klur and Nies reveal a more complex reality: digital technology often "activates" human flexibility rather than suppressing it. We discuss how modern companies use real-time transparency and digital dashboards to confront workers directly with volatile market targets. This creates a paradox where workers feel they have more "autonomy" and "self-organisation," yet they are actually being squeezed by the "mute compulsion" of algorithmic targets that appear as neutral, objective, and inescapable technical necessities. Join us as we unpack the concept of "self-perpetuation" (Verselbständigung) and examine the dual process of activation and containment. We ask the hard questions: When the dashboard turns red, is the pressure coming from your boss, the market, or the software itself? And in this new age of digital capitalism, is your flexibility actually your own, or is it just another gear in a machine-driven system of domination? Keywords: #DigitalCapitalism #RealSubsumption #WorkplaceControl #AlgorithmicManagement #KonstantinKlur #SarahNies #SelfPerpetuation #LabourProcess #DigitalTaylorism #WorkerAutonomy #RealTimeTransparency #SocialDomination #IndustrialSociology

    25 min
  6. Meta-modernism: A New Operating System for Your Mind in 21st Century

    Apr 28

    Meta-modernism: A New Operating System for Your Mind in 21st Century

    What is meta-modernism, its key ideas, and their applications and practical implications for today's world? a conversation based on the following resources: Andersen, L. R. (2019). Metamodernity: Meaning and hope in a complex world. Nordic Bildung. Dempsey, B. G. (2022). Emergentism: A religion of complexity for the metamodern world. Palimpsest Press. Dempsey, B. G. (2023). Metamodernism: Or, the cultural logic of cultural logics. ARC. Freinacht, H. (2017). The listening society: A metamodern guide to politics (Book One). Metamoderna ApS. Pipere, A., & Mārtinsone, K. (2022). Metamodernism and social sciences: Scoping the future. Social Sciences, 11(10), 457. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci11100457. Rowson, J., & Pascal, L. (Eds.). (2021). Dispatches from a time between worlds: Crisis and emergence in metamodernity. Perspectiva Press. Storm, J. Ā. J. (2021). Metamodernism: The future of theory. University of Chicago Press. van den Akker, R., Gibbons, A., & Vermeulen, T. (Eds.). (2017). Metamodernism: Historicity, affect, and depth after postmodernism. Rowman & Littlefield International.

    53 min
  7. With or without U? Assemblage Theory and (De)Territorialising the Universit

    Mar 30

    With or without U? Assemblage Theory and (De)Territorialising the Universit

    The University as Assemblage Is the "ivory tower" truly crumbling, or is it just being rearranged? In this episode, we dive into Jana Bacevic’s insightful paper, "With or without U? Assemblage theory and (de)territorializing the university," to challenge everything you thought you knew about higher education. We move beyond the headlines of "dying" universities to explore the institution as a complex assemblage—a living network where digital platforms, global capital, and human actors collide. We’ll break down the technical concepts of territorialization and unbundling to see how modern campuses are stretching their borders across the globe through franchise sites and digital MOOCs. But what happens when those borders get blurry? We’ll discuss the "boundary disputes" that happen when an academic’s tweet goes viral, using the controversial cases of Steven Salaita and George Ciccariello-Maher to illustrate how universities "reterritorialize" to protect their brand. Join us as we ask: what is a university in the 21st century, and where does the institution end and the rest of the world begin #AssemblageTheory #HigherEducation #Territorialisation #Unbundling #SocialMedia #AcademicFreedom #JanaBacevic

    27 min
  8. Theories of Race and Colonialism (Ritzer and Stepnisky)

    Mar 15

    Theories of Race and Colonialism (Ritzer and Stepnisky)

    In this episode, we investigate how race functions as a primary organizing feature of the modern world, drawing on Chapter 9 of George Ritzer’s Contemporary Sociological Theory and Its Classical Roots (2022). We move beyond biological myths to explore race as a social construction forged through the history of European colonialism and the "primitive accumulation" that fueled early capitalism. Our discussion traces the evolution of racial theory, from Frantz Fanon’s analysis of the psychological dehumanization of the colonial subject to Edward Said’s critique of Orientalism as a tool of Western power. We also tackle contemporary frameworks, including Critical Race Theory’s focus on systemic law, the persistent myth of a "postracial" society, and the subtle frames of color-blind racism. Finally, we look toward global alternatives through Southern and Indigenous theories, highlighting the concept of resurgence and the profound connection between land and social thought. ----------------- #Sociology #RaceTheory #Colonialism #FrantzFanon #CriticalRaceTheory #IndigenousResurgence #Orientalism #SocialJustice #RacialFormation #Postcolonialism #GeorgeRitzer

    1h 18m
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About

Podcasting personal ideas and speeches as an expert in global social studies, from a commonist point of view. Most episodes are produced out of my extra-teaching and extra-research projects.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr S A Hamed Hosseini
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    183
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Dr S A Hamed Hosseini
  • Show Website
    IDEAS IN MOTION