The Control Zone

controlzoneseries

A podcast series exploring how modern occupations sustain colonial power under new names.

Episodes

  1. MAR 6

    The Occupation of Gaza (1900–1967)

    In this episode of The Control Zone, hosts Jessica Buxbaum and Kellie Kuenzle launch a four-part series exploring the history of military occupation in Gaza. Joined by historian Roberto Mazza, a visiting scholar at the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs at Northwestern University and host of the Jerusalem Unplugged podcast, the conversation traces the historical foundations that shaped Gaza long before what we see today. The episode begins in the final years of the Ottoman Empire, examining Gaza as a port city, agricultural center, and strategic crossroads between Egypt and the Eastern Mediterranean. The discussion explores how Ottoman land reforms, changing property laws, and regional politics laid foundations that still influence Gaza today. From there, the episode moves through the geopolitical transformations of the 20th century, including the collapse of Ottoman rule, the emergence of Zionist settlement in Palestine, and early military confrontations between Israel and its neighbors. The hosts and Mazza also unpack the often overlooked history of Gaza during the Suez Crisis in 1956, when Israel briefly occupied the Gaza Strip.  This historical perspective shows how themes of control, displacement, land ownership, and strategic geography have shaped Gaza for more than a century. Consider checking out Mazza's podcast here.  Find us at Instagram: @thecontrolzone Twitter: @ControlZonePod Have an idea or story tip? E-mail controlzoneseries@gmail.com or Signal +12037310505  This project is entirely self-funded. Please consider supporting us at https://buymeacoffee.com/thecontrolzone

    40 min
  2. FEB 27

    The Control Zone: The Origins of Occupation

    In the debut episode of The Control Zone, hosts Jessica Buxbaum and Kellie Kuenzle trace the long and contested history of military occupation, from its earliest legal foundations to the complex, technological systems of control we see today. Their first guest, occupation studies scholar Peter Stirk, former director of the Centre for the History of Political Thought at Durham University, unpacks the origins of military occupation as a legal and political concept. Beginning with the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, he explains how occupation emerged not simply as the presence of foreign troops, but as a distinct form of governance, one that claims authority without sovereignty. From Napoleon’s armies in Europe to U.S. interventions in Cuba and Iraq, Stirk highlights a recurring theme across centuries: frustration. Occupying powers, he argues, frequently fail to achieve their ambitions, whether political, ideological or economic, revealing patterns of continuity that stretch into the present day. The Control Zone is a podcast about occupation, its past, present and future, and the people resisting it.  Peter Stirk is part of the Occupation Studies Research Network. Learn more about their work here.  Find us at Instagram: @thecontrolzone Twitter: @ControlZonePod Have an idea or story tip? E-mail controlzoneseries@gmail.com or Signal +12037310505  This project is entirely self-funded. Please consider supporting us at https://buymeacoffee.com/thecontrolzone

    51 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

A podcast series exploring how modern occupations sustain colonial power under new names.

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