Orientalistics: Podcast on Language, Religion and Culture

Farshid Delshad
  • 4.0 (4)
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I am a linguist and scholar of Middle Eastern studies by profession, and in this podcast I offer a wide range of topics with a particular focus and historical linguistics, culture, religion and languages of the Middle East and the world of Islam. However, you might find here also philological subjects on Indo-European linguistics and Caucasian studies.

  1. 4D AGO

    Are you pro-Israel or pro-Hamas?

    Are you pro-Israel or pro-Hamas?

    3 min
  2. Are you for Israelis or for Palestinians?

    OCT 6

    Are you for Israelis or for Palestinians?

    Are you for Israelis or for Palestinians?

    3 min

  3. OCT 3

    Does Hamas have any Military Basis in Gaza? A Fair Question!

    Does Hamas have any Military Basis in Gaza? A Fair Question!

    2 min

  4. SEP 25

    Does the Muslim World help Palestinians?

    Does the Muslim World help Palestinians?

    3 min
  5. Israel and the Colonial Question: Myths, History, and Reality

    SEP 22

    Israel and the Colonial Question: Myths, History, and Reality

    Israel and the Colonial Question: Myths, History, and Reality🔑 Hashtags / Keywords #IsraelHistory; #ZionismExplained; #NotColonial; #JewishIndigeneity; #MiddleEastHistory; #AntiSemitism; #WhiteSupremacyDebunked; #InternationalLaw; #LegalSystemIsrael; #PodcastAcademia; #Orientalistics; #JewishReturn; #ColonialismDebate; #CrusadesAndConquests; #OttomanEmpire; #MuslimConquests; #ChristianConquests; #IsraelPodcast; #AcademicPodcast; #MiddleEastPolitics 💬 Summary In this episode, we take a deep dive into one of the most hotly debated questions of our time: Is Israel a colonial state? Step by step, we examine the evidence — the Jewish people’s indigenous connection to the land, the nature of Zionism, Israel’s legal and political structures, and its diverse society. Along the way, we tackle the recurring accusations of colonialism, criminality, and white supremacy, and we place Israel’s story in the much broader context of Christian and Muslim empires that truly practised conquest and colonisation across the Middle East and Europe. The episode argues that Israel’s trajectory is unique — not a project of empire, but the revival of an indigenous people returning to their ancestral homeland.

    19 min
  6. From Persia to Israel: A Conversation with a Pro-Palestinian Part I گفتگو با یک طرفدار فلسطین

    SEP 12

    From Persia to Israel: A Conversation with a Pro-Palestinian Part I گفتگو با یک طرفدار فلسطین

    From Persia to Israel: A Conversation with a Pro-Palestinian گفتگو با یک طرفدار فلسطین، بخشی از این نامه نگاری به فارسی است Summary This episode of Orientalistics dives into a fiery exchange between two worlds: one voice speaking from lived experience as an Iranian-born Jew standing with Israel, and another, a Persian leftist intellectual deeply committed to the Palestinian cause. Sparked by a provocative video from a well-known Israeli critic, our debate unfolds across Persian and English, exposing the raw clash between ideology and reality, conviction and experience. No filters, no easy answers — just the unvarnished tension of a conflict that refuses to fade. Keywords #Israel; #Palestine; #Iran; #MiddleEast; #Democracy; #Occupation; #FreedomOfSpeech; #GideonLevy; #PersianIntellectual; #ProPalestinian; #ProIsrael; #Debate; #Podcast; #Orientalistics; #Dialogue; #PoliticalPhilosophy; #Justice; #Conflict; #Identity

    18 min
  7. IS ISRAEL A COLONIAL ENTITY?

    SEP 12

    IS ISRAEL A COLONIAL ENTITY?

    IS ISRAEL A COLONIAL ENTITY? 1. Is Israel truly a colonial state? Many argue that Zionism is just another form of colonialism. But does Israel’s history actually fit the definition of colonialism? 2. Are the Jewish people indigenous to the land of Israel, or not? The answer to this question lies at the heart of the debate over legitimacy. 3. Does Zionism amount to settler colonialism? Or is it something fundamentally different — a movement of national liberation? This claim appears often in activist circles. But does it survive contact with Israel’s demographics and history?

    7 min
  8. Judea, Samaria, West Bank: A Land of Many Names

    AUG 30

    Judea, Samaria, West Bank: A Land of Many Names

    Judea, Samaria, West Bank: A Land of Many Names In this episode of Orientalistics, we journey through the deep history of the land once called Judea and Samaria—today widely known as the West Bank. From Neanderthals and Canaanites to Israelites, Babylonians, Romans, Ottomans, and modern powers, this land has been a crossroads of civilizations. We explore how names like “Judea and Samaria” arose from ancient kingdoms, how the Romans renamed it “Syria Palaestina,” and how in the 20th century the geopolitical term “West Bank” emerged under Jordanian rule. We also discuss Israel’s reintroduction of the biblical names after 1967 and how each term reflects political, cultural, and historical identities. The episode highlights not just the shifting borders and rulers, but the layers of human life and meaning that give this land its unique resonance Keywords #JudeaAndSamaria; #WestBank; #HistoryOfPalestine; #BiblicalHistory; #Canaanites; #Israelites; #AncientNearEast; #BabylonianExile; #AssyrianEmpire; #RomanEmpire; #SyriaPalaestina; #OttomanEmpire; #BritishMandate; #JordanAnnexation; #SixDayWar; #OsloAccords; #MiddleEastHistory; #OrientalisticsPodcast; #IdentityAndNaming; #Archaeology

    19 min
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About

I am a linguist and scholar of Middle Eastern studies by profession, and in this podcast I offer a wide range of topics with a particular focus and historical linguistics, culture, religion and languages of the Middle East and the world of Islam. However, you might find here also philological subjects on Indo-European linguistics and Caucasian studies.

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