Feminism, Fascism, and the Future
by Laurie Essig
This podcast was born out of fear of the future and out of a deep and abiding belief that feminism can save us. We are hoping these episodes will motivate you to organize and fight back as feminists for all marginalized bodies, which is to say, the bodies targeted by fascism. By connecting the dots and seeing how this fascism operates by making us the enemy, but also by trying to get us to fight one another, we hope to change the future. One feminist episode at a time.Special thanks to the team, Laurie Essig, Harper Nichols, Alison Segar, and many more!
Episodes
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We Read a Book! Diary of a Mad Girl
In this episode of We Read a Book! we talk to Nicole Levin, author of Diary of a Mad Girl: Me vs. The Oil Industry vs. My Nonprofit Job. In the book and in our interview, Nicole gives us some insight into how to survive and perhaps even thrive in this moment with humor, dread, and the love of a...
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Bonus: Vote Please!
In this mini episode, one of our research assistants discusses the importance of voting. So make sure you're registered to vote (you can check your status and learn more at vote.gov) and get out there for the midterms! Every voice counts and remember, the lesser of two evils is better when the...
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We Talk to Really Smart People: Blair Imani
In this episode of We Talk to Really Smart People, viral influencer Blair Imani, otherwise known as the "Smarter in Seconds Lady" gives us a crash course in her amazing work - how she talks so fast, the importance of education and combatting disinformation, and the power in knowing your…
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We Read a Book! Reproductive Justice, Queerly
In this episode we speak with Dr. Carly Thomsen, author of Reproductive Justice, Queerly. In this book, Dr. Thomsen shows us just how productive queer and feminist theory can be in creating a more feminist future for all of us.
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We Read a Book! Women in Power
In this episode of We Read a Book! Bianca and Laurie speak with Linda Robinson about her new book, Women in Power: Fighting for Democracy in the Age of Authoritarianism. Linda, an award winning journalist and foreign policy expert, tells the depressing story of how authoritarian and deeply...
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We Talk to Really Smart People: Judith Levine
In this episode of "We Talk to Really Smart People" we speak with author, journalist and fierce feminist Judith Levine about what she's thinking about fascism and how we can resist it. Have a listen, get inspired, and READ Judith.
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We Talk to Really Smart People: Maya Rupert
In this episode of We Talk to Really Smart People, we talk with Maya Rupert, progressive political strategist, author and yes even occasional podcaster. Maya has the experience, the political imagination, and the can-do spirit we need right now. So have a listen, buy her book, and vote. It is not...
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14. Is Gender Studies F*d?
In this episode, we ask "Is Gender Studies F*d?" and the answers might surprise you. Yes, always, because of the neoliberal university ,because of the anti-gender movement and how much they hate feminism and women and truth, because they are shutting down departments all over the country. And no,...
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We Read a Book! The Nazi and the Psychiatrist
In this episode of We Read a Book! we talk to author Jack El Hai about his book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist. The book tells the story of Dr. Douglas Kelley, a US Army psychiatrist in charge of high level Nazis awaiting trial at Nuremberg at the close of WWII. If this sounds familiar it's…
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We Talk to Really Smart People: Becca Balint
Have you met Vermont's progressive Congresswoman yet? Becca Balint is committed, optimistic, and ready to remake this world with a can-do spirit and lots of clear-eyed strategy. Plus she is feisty AF. Have a listen, learn something, and then let's all roll up our sleeves and work with her to…
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We Read a Book! Killers of Roe
In this episode of We Read a Book! we talk to Amy Littlefield about her new book Killers of Roe. Part whodunnit, part social history, part blueprint for protecting reproductive rights in the future, this is a must read for anyone who cares about feminism in the US and what we need to do to create...
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We Read a Book! Motherhood Discounted
This is the first in our new series: We Read a Book! In an age of AI summaries, reading is a revolutionary act so we are reading books that can tell us something about this moment we are in and how to build the feminist future we want. In this episode, we talk to Carolyn McConnell, author of...
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We Talk to Really Smart People: Paisley Currah
We talked to another really smart person! In this episode, Professor Paisley Currah discusses why the current attack on trans rights is an unprecedented breach in the role of the administrative state's control of sex classification. Currah is the author of Sex is as Sex Does: Governing…
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13. Resistance Persistance
Are you losing your ability to resist fascism? Is the thought of making another phone call or showing up at another demonstration feeling more like obligation than inspiration? In this episode we speak with elders who are putting their bodies on the line resisting an ICE surveillance center in...
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12. No Fat Soldiers - The Fascist War on the Body
In this episode we dive into the aesthetics of fascism, Mar-a-Lago face, Hegseth’s “no fat generals” speech, and the racialized histories of fatphobia. We interviewed professors Caroline Heldman and Julie Cassiday to explore how fascist regimes past and present use the body as a site of control…
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Bonus: From Scratch - The Tradwife Pipeline
What starts with watching Nara Smith make bubblegum from scratch can lead you down a dangerous algorithmic rabbit hole. In this episode, we explore how tradwife influencers romanticize 1950s domesticity, why their content is so addictive, and how TikTok's algorithm connects tradwife videos to...
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We Talk to Really Smart People: Carol Anderson
In this episode of We Talk to Really Smart People, Carol Anderson, Prof. of African American Studies and author of White Rage explains what white supremacy has to do with the Trump movement and how to avoid believing that fascism is the same as politics as usual. Whether you voted in 2024 or...
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11. Elon Musk Wants You to Have Babies
We all know part of Project 2025 and the Trump regime is trying to increase the birth rate. But it’s not just the far right that wants you to have babies. It’s the tech brogeoisie who run this world. In this episode we talk to researchers who have been unraveling the bizarre connections between...
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10. Reproductive Genocide
In this episode we speak with Professors Isis Nusair and Bayan Abusneineh about reproductive justice in Gaza and learn that we can only have reproductive justice in Gaza if we acknowledge the reproductive genocide of the Israeli state, not just against Palestinian reproduction, but the…
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9. Repro Justice Confronts Fascism
In this episode, we talk to activists and academics working in the field of reproductive justice. We're trying to find out how to keep working for the feminist future we want even as the US is increasingly fascist when it comes to the basic right of being able to have- or not have- children.
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8. Creating a Feminist Future in Argentina
In this episode, we travel to Argentina to interview the feminist academics, activists, and artists who are fighting fascism and building a future for all of us. Having a fascist autocrat in power is not stopping people there from creating a better world for all of us. So if living in Trump's...
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We Talk to Really Smart People: Loretta Ross
Loretta Ross is an acclaimed professor, author, feminist, activist, and founding advocate of reproductive justice. In this interview we delve into Professor Ross’s new book, Calling In: How to Start Making Change with Those You’d Rather Cancel. Learn what it takes to build a better world… and how...
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Bonus: The Power of the Small Minority
Have you been out there protesting? Well...you should be! In this bonus episode, we explore the importance of protest. Participating in a protest isn't just a cute look - it's a statistically effective way to make change. So, let's get out there and fight fascism together!
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7.2. How They Come for the Professors (Part 2)
Tenure is supposed to protect professors to teach what they know. That stops political idealogues like Donald Trump or Joseph McCarthy from controlling knowledge. Unfortunately, it's no protection for professors in this political moment as Moira Finkelstein found out when she lost her tenured job...
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7.1. How They Come for the Professors (Part 1)
In this episode we talk about the BIG LIE: that any criticism of Israel is anti-semitism. The GoP and even some Dems have been using this lie to attack professors, often feminist scholars who are themselves Jewish. In this part of the episode, we talk to Nicole Morse, former head of gender…
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6. Mexico City (part 2)
This episode is the second part to Episode 4: The Anti-Gender Movement in Mexico City. This time though, we have a lot more hope to offer. Dive into these exciting interviews to learn about the feminist resistance happening in Mexico City and all the ways we can fight back! Note: the interviews…
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Bonus: Women Who Fight Fascists
In this bonus episode, we talk to Suzanne Cope about her new book, Women of War: The Italian Assassins, Spies, and Couriers who fought the Nazis. We get inspired to fight harder by looking back in time at the women who risked their lives to build a better world.
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Bonus: But is it Fascism?
In this episode, Daisy and El ask whether or not the Trump regime is fascism and the answer is... Well you have to listen to hear all the expertise they bring to the question. And in the end, it doesn't matter whether Trump is technically a fascist or fascist adjacent, our rights and our worlds…
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Bonus: A New(ish) Book and Other Cool Research
In this episode we talk about some new, important research, namely the book Transnational Anti-Gender Politics: Feminist Solidarity in Times of Global Attack featuring an interview with the authors, Tomás Ojeda, Billy Holzberg, and Aiko Holvikivi. Links from the show: Open access chapter:...
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We Talk to Really Smart People: Clare Hemmings
In this episode we talk to Prof. Clare Hemmings of the London School of Economics. Prof. Hemmings, who helped to start an international research group on the anti-gender movement. Prof. Hemmings puts a lot of what's going on into historical perspective for us by linking white supremacy…
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We Talk to Really Smart People: Judith Butler
As another term under Tr*mp looms before us, let us turn to a Really Smart Person - none other than Professor JUDITH BUTLER! In this episode we hear about Butler's new book, Who's Afraid of Gender? and all the ways they offer hope, inspiration, and wisdom during these hard times. As fire spreads,...
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5. We Might All Be Texas Now…
On this episode of FFF, we travel to see how the anti-gender movement has played out in post-Roe Texas and, of course, how people are resisting! After all, we might all be Texas now… As always, like, follow, and share, and most importantly, keeping living, loving, caring, and fighting! 💞
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Bonus: What tf is Going On???
By now we’ve all heard (cried, screamed, etc.) about the election. So now we ask… what tf is going on??? To some, this was a shock. How could so many people, people who are neighbors, peers. and family, vote for what is clearly a fascist trajectory? To us, however, it’s no surprise. Politicians...
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Bonus: Why are They So Weird??
By now you’ve heard that Trump and Vance are weird. But are they really? Are they weird or are they just part of the anti-gender movement? Listen to this short and sweet bonus episode to hear our take on it. As always, follow along for more episodes and check out our website and instagram for...
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Bonus: I Went to a Really Cool Conference in London with My Professor
Grab your passport and an oat milk latte and join us at the Transnational Anti-Gender Movements and Resistance Conference! This past February, Laurie and Harper travelled to the London School of Economics to engage with other thinkers, activists, academics, and feminists fighting the anti-gender...
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4. The Anti-Gender Movement in Mexico City (part 1)
In this episode we travel to Mexico City, exploring the anti-gender ideology movement on a local level. We encounter a lot hope and feminist joy along the way. Join us in exploring anti-gender politics and queer and feminist resistance in Mexico City. As always, follow along for more episodes...
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Bonus: My Students Made an Episode!
Laurie's Feminist Theory class made an episode for the podcast! The students conducted research and interviews to dive into the anti-gender ideology movement in Vermont, Florida, Mexico, and Germany. Hear from their friends, families, teachers, and community members to explore what's happening...
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3. We Gotta Talk About Sex
We have to talk about sex if we are going to talk about the anti-gender movement. You see, the anti-gender movement is rooted in the belief that sex is simple - boys and girls, penises and vaginas. But actually, sex has never been that simple and rather than assuming we know what sex and gender…
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2. How the Anti-Gender Movement Got Political
In this episode we talk to a variety of experts on the anti-gender ideology movement. They explain its history in the Catholic Church and how it slipped into far-right political movements starting in Russia, but spreading through Europe, Latin America, and the United States. Find out why Vladimir...
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1. Introduction
In this episode, we introduce what’s coming for us. It’s fascism, pure and simple and it’s spreading across the globe. But this time fascism is against “gender ideology” as well as the usual suspects (like Jews or migrants). This new fascism blames feminism, LGBTQ activism, and gender studies for...
About this show
This podcast was born out of fear of the future and out of a deep and abiding belief that feminism can save us. We are hoping these episodes will motivate you to organize and fight back as feminists for all marginalized bodies, which is to say, the bodies targeted by fascism. By connecting the dots and seeing how this fascism operates by making us the enemy, but also by trying to get us to fight one another, we hope to change the future. One feminist episode at a time.Special thanks to the team, Laurie Essig, Harper Nichols, Alison Segar, and many more!
Hosted by
Laurie Essig