The Sobremesa Podcast

The Sobremesa Podcast
  • 4.7 (10)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED SEMIMONTHLY
The Sobremesa Podcast

The Sobremesa Podcast is about modern-day Spanish society, politics and history, without the stereotypes. Please donate at to make the podcast sustainable: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thesobremey

  1. Mass Deaths in Valencia after Flooding and Political Failure

    4 DAYS AGO

    Mass Deaths in Valencia after Flooding and Political Failure

    Last Tuesday evening as thousands of people were commuting home from work and many others continued at their jobs in supermarkets, cinemas, factories, beauty shops and restaurants, unprecedented flash floods hit the Valencia region. That morning at 8am the Spanish Met office issued its highest warning level of maximum red, warning of extreme danger. But the right-wing regional government of Carlos Mazon failed to issue a civil protection alert to residents’ mobile phones until 8.15 pm that evening (a full 12 hours later)- by which time the worst of the flooding had already hit. Serious questions are being raised about Mazon’s disastrous emergency management as rescue operations continue amid mass destruction and death. The death toll currently stands at 207 but is likely to rise substantially in the coming days while it remains far from clear when any degree of normal life can return to the region. Today on Sobremesa podcast we talk about the tragic events this week along Spain’s Eastern coast and the political failures and fallout from the floods.

    45 min
  2. Spanish Crowds - Carnaval, Fiestas and Protests

    OCT 25

    Spanish Crowds - Carnaval, Fiestas and Protests

    This week Eoghan talks to author and journalist Dan Hancox about his new book 'Multitudes: How Crowds Made The Modern World’. It is a fascinating exploration of the collective joy and emancipatory  potential of different forms of mass gatherings while also tracing the obsession of elites and the forces of law and order in policing, delegitimizing and suppressing crowds. Throughout Multitudes Dan returns to examples of the exuberance and potency of Spanish crowds - from Cadiz Carnaval to the 2012 general strike in Madrid. If you like what we are producing, please consider making a donation at our Buy Me a Coffee page here - ⁠⁠⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thesobremey

    1h 4m
  3. Inside Opus Dei - From Francoism to Trump

    OCT 17

    Inside Opus Dei - From Francoism to Trump

    This week Eoghan talks to financial journalist Gareth Gore. In his new book Opus: The Cult of Dark Money, Human Trafficking, and Right-Wing Conspiracy inside the Catholic Church Gore opens the lid on the extremist, reactionary sect Opus Dei. Opus was initially set up against the tumultuous backdrop of 1930s Spain and went to play a leading role in the Francoist dictatorship - both in education and then in 1957 with the appointment of three of its members to cabinet. Gore traces how Opus went from Francoist Spain to playing a vanguard role in reactionary movements globally in recent decades - with its network of influence and patronage in Washington reaching its peak during Trump's 2016 presidency.  If you like what we are producing, please consider making a donation at our Buy Me a Coffee page here - ⁠⁠⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thesobremey

    1h 8m
  4. Tragedy in the Canaries Amid Spain's Anti-Immigration Turn

    OCT 8

    Tragedy in the Canaries Amid Spain's Anti-Immigration Turn

    The island of El Hierro is at the centre of the Canary Islands’ current surge in irregular migration, receiving 13,000 refugees and immigrants this year – 2,000 more than its total residents. As hundreds die every month on the passage from West Africa to the popular tourist islands, the Spanish right are now weaponising the issue. Leader of the far-right Vox Santiago Abascal denounced what he characterised as the “mass-scale invasion” of El Hierro by “illegal migrants” while conservative media outlets dubbed it “the Lampedusa of the Atlantic”, in reference to the Italian migration hotspot where a state of emergency was declared last year. “The far-right want to turn El Hierro into a symbol of division but they won’t succeed,” insists Amado Carballo, head of social affairs in the island’s local administration. This week Eoghan and Catherine discuss the humanitarian tragedy on the Canaries and its politicization by the far-right. Please also see Eoghan's article: https://bylinetimes.com/2024/10/02/canary-islands-el-hierro-migrant-crossings/ If you like what we are producing, please consider making a donation at our Buy Me a Coffee page here - ⁠⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thesobremey

    58 min
  5. Poetry of the International Brigaders

    OCT 5

    Poetry of the International Brigaders

    Jim Jump, the editor of the poetry anthology "Poems from Spain: British and Irish International Brigaders on the Spanish Civil War", joins Alan to discuss the collection of poems that stretch the length Spanish Civil War and after. All poems were written by men and women participating in the International Brigades. They cover the lives of the poets themselves, recite poetry from the book and discuss why it was so prominent in the war. The collection can be brought from the publishers Lawrence and Wishart's website here If you like what we are producing, please consider making a donation at our Buy Me a Coffee page here - ⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thesobremey

    1 hr
  6. Anarchism and Sexuality in 1930s Spain

    AUG 23

    Anarchism and Sexuality in 1930s Spain

    This week Catherine talks to Sophie Turbutt about one of the most widely read anarchist magazines in 1930s Spain, La Revista Blanca, Founded by the Montseny family, this anarchist magazine featured a novelty for the time, an advice column that offered answers to questions about gender, women's bodies, sex and sexuality. - topics that were limited in their discussion and clouded by taboos, rumours and misinformed practices in a Spain still very much in the grip of Catholic morality. Catherine and Sophie discuss both the questions and answers of these advice columns, on topics such as free love, menstruation, bisexuality and abortion, and how, Federica Montseny, daughter of the magazine’s founders, would come to legalise abortion for the first time in 1936 as minister for health minister in Catalonia. If you like what we are producing, please consider making a donation at our Buy Me a Coffee page here - ⁠⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thesobremey

    52 min
  7. Barcelona and the 1936 Popular Olympics

    AUG 1

    Barcelona and the 1936 Popular Olympics

    On the eve of the Spanish Civil War in July 1936, Barcelona was set to host the Popular Olympic games. Bringing together athletes from around the world under the banner of anti-fascism, the event was meant to take place just weeks before the Nazi Olympics in Berlin. Yet as the athletes gathered for the opening ceremony, the military coup was launched, in turn, leading to revolution in the city's streets. In this podcast, Catherine talks to James Stout, author of 'The Popular Front'. Barcelona and the 1936 Popular Olympics', about the organisation of the event, the nature of popular sport in Catalonia, and how the Popular Olympics can be seen as both one of the first casualties of the Spanish Civil War and also one of the first great examples of international anti-fascist solidarity and cooperation. If you like what we are producing, please consider making a donation at our Buy Me a Coffee page here - ⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thesobremey

    52 min
  8. Inequalities in Contemporary Spain

    JUL 26

    Inequalities in Contemporary Spain

    Berna León, Javier Carbonell and Javier Soria join Alan to discuss to discuss the book La desigualdad en España (Inequalities in Spain) published by Lengua de Trapo. The book includes a prologue from Thomas Piketty and over 30 - international and national - experts examine inequalities in Spain, from the historical and ongoing causes to symptoms and possible cures. The three editors discuss how the book came about and some of the Spanish specifics when it comes to inequalities. You can get the book here If you like what we are producing, please consider making a donation at our Buy Me a Coffee page here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thesobremey

    57 min
See All (108)

4.7
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

The Sobremesa Podcast is about modern-day Spanish society, politics and history, without the stereotypes. Please donate at to make the podcast sustainable: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thesobremey

Information

  • Creator
    The Sobremesa Podcast
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2024
  • Episodes
    108
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The Sobremesa Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Sobremesa Podcast

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada