Danube Institute Podcast

Writer Paul Kingsnorth explains his concept of 'the machine' as a metaphor for what ails the contemporary west, and where the cure lies.

Historian and political philosopher, Ofir Haivry, joins the podcast to share his reflections on Christmas through the medium - naturally enough - of David Bowie's life and music.

Writer and psychiatrist Dr Iain McGilchrist discusses the problem with scientism, the need to pay attention, and the importance of beauty in our lives.

Prof David Martin Jones, the new head of research at the Danube Institute, and formerly of the University of Queensland, joins the podcast to discuss his book History's Fools: the pursuit of idealism and the revenge of politics, published by Hurst and Oxford. Is the West in the grip of foolish idealism? If so, who are the fools? What do they believe? And why does it matter?

The death of Mahsa Amini in police custody in September of 2022 set Iranian public opinion on fire, sparking mass unrest and civic protests on a scale unprecedented in the history of the Islamic Republic. Join us for a discussion about the movement that her tragic death inspired, and hear from experts Dr. Jeffrey Kaplan and Professor Rózsa Erzsébet about what this movement means for Iran, and for its geopolitical position in the region.

Writer and translator Pásztor Péter joins the podcast to discuss the work and legacy of the Canadian literary critic and theorist Northrop Frye, and particularly Frye's work on the biblical legacy in Western literature.

In the fifth episode of our new series, ’Judaism and Anti-Semitism in Hungary’, we are joined by Virág Gulyás, a non-Jewish Zionist activist and journalist who is well-known for her blog called the Almost Jewish. We talked about how she became a Hungarian non-Jewish activist who fights against anti-Semitism in the US. In our discussion, we covered topics related to anti-Semitism in Hungary, such as the misperception in the US and Western countries regarding the level of anti-Semitism in Hungary, the difference between anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism if there’s any, and the question of why it’s important to fight against anti-Semitism.

Sociologist and Sinologist Eric Hendricks-Kim joins the podcast to discuss China, the West, and the near future of geopolitics.

In the fourth episode of our new series ’Judaism and Anti-Semitism in Hungary’, we are joined by Rabbi Róbert Frölich, chief rabbi of Hungary and the chief rabbi of the Dohány Street Synagogue since 1993. In the second episode of our conversation with Rabbi Frölich, we talked about the reasons why the Hungarian Jewish community is so divided, and there is conflict between MAZSIHISZ and EMIH leaders. We concluded with a discussion about anti-Semitism in Hungary.

In the third episode of our new series ’Judaism and Anti-Semitism in Hungary’, we are joined by Rabbi Róbert Frölich, chief rabbi of Hungary and the chief rabbi of the Dohány Street Synagogue since 1993. In the first part of our discussion with Rabbi Frölich, we talked about the history of the neolog Jewish movement in Hungary, the MAZSIHISZ neolog Jewish organization, and the distinction between the Chabad/Lubovicher and the neolog Jewish movement in Hungary. We concluded with a discussion about secularization and assimilation of Judaism in Hungary. In the second part of our discussion, we will speak about anti-Semitism in Hungary from a neolog  perspctive.