EPISODE · Feb 27, 2026 · 51 MIN
S01e02 Chris Smaje with Finding Lights in a Dark Age
from Lifepod · host Adam Greenfield
I welcome Chris Smaje to Lifepod, to discuss his book Finding Lights in a Dark Age, an exploration of what he sees as the need for a transition from mostly urban to mostly rural “sustainable livelihood communities.” Chris shares his journey from academia to small farming in Somerset —highlighting the challenges involved in balancing high-complexity modern technology with local autonomy. We discuss the need for a practical, local politics of livelihood, and the potential for large-scale urban-to-rural movement to underwrite such a politics.Terms and topics mentioned:- David Graeber and David Wengrow, The Dawn of Everything- Nebelivka, a representative ”megasite” of Neolithic Ukraine- Colin Ward, Anarchy in Action- Murray Bookchin, Post-Scarcity Anarchism- Distributism- [Garrett] Hardin- [Elinor] Ostrom- Mark Vonnegut, The Eden Express- Simon Fairlie, Meat- [Gerrard] Winstanley, the Ranters and the DiggersMore ways to stay connected:- You can follow Lifepod on Instagram or Adam’s personal account on Mastodon, or support the podcast on Patreon. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Embed this episode
NOW PLAYING
S01e02 Chris Smaje with Finding Lights in a Dark Age
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
No similar episodes found.