Episode 12: Royal Diamonds are Forever

This is Episode 12 of the State of the Theory Podcast. Politics. Power. Popular Culture. And other stuff, probably. In this series, we’re like super nerdy philosophical DJs: mashing up Serious Academic Questions with the most topical news and trends in pop culture. Each week, we’ll tackle a new topic and collide it with ‘critical theory’ (we’re pretty loose with our definitions, though, so expect the unexpected). Our aim is to destroy the stuff we know, explore the stuff we don’t and unsettle everything we think we know about the world. We take the obvious, the commonsensical, the certain, and then we rip it all to shreds. We are your theory doctors and we are always on call. In this episode, we examine the politics behind the British Royal family in terms of its relationship to the history and memory of the British Empire. Taking opportunity of William and Kate's recent visit to India, we think through the politics of the post-colonial world, and contextualise the demand for repatriation of colonial acquisitions such as the Koh-I-Noor Diamond or the Elgin Marbles. The texts we refer to are: "Dominance Without Hegemony: History and Power in Colonial India" by Ranajit Guha (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dominance-without-Hegemony-Convergences-Inventories-y/dp/0674214838?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0) "Kim" by Rudyard Kipling (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kim-Vintage-Classics-Rudyard-Kipling/dp/0099540789?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0) "Capital, Volume 1" by Karl Marx (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Capital-Critique-Political-Economy-Classics/dp/0140445684?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0) "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adventures-Huckleberry-Finn-Collins-Classics/dp/0007351038) "Give Back Kohinoor? Fat Chance" by Andrew Whitehead (http://www.ndtv.com/opinion/london-point-of-view-give-back-kohinoor-fat-chance-1397608) The photographs of William and Kate can be seen here: (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36060563) Our theme music is "The Face of God" by The Agrarians (freemusicarchive.org/music/The_Agra…he_Face_of_God) State of the Theory is brought to you by Hannah Fitzpatrick (@drhfitz) and Anindya Raychaudhuri (@DrAnindyaR) Find us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/stateofthetheorypodcast/?fref=ts) or Tweet us @TheoryDoctors