Podcast / American Prestige / Aug 5, 2025

How Land Determines Our Fate

On American Prestige: Michael Albertus on his new book, Land Power.

The Nation Podcasts
The Nation Podcasts

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.

How Land Determines Our Fate | American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

Michael Albertus, professor of political science at the University of Chicago, joins the program to talk about his bookLand Power: Who Has It, Who Doesn’t, and How That Determines the Fate of Societies. The group explores notions of land from archaeological evidence thousands of years ago, the enclosure movement of the medieval era, the European mindset vs those of indigenous peoples in the era of colonization, South Africa land redistribution, gender in Canadian homesteading, how changing notions of land play into larger histories of race, the postwar of concept of “land to the tiller,” and much more.

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- A worker stands inside the paw paw farm owned by Matsamo Community Property Association (Matsamo CPA) in the Kaalrug area near Malalane on March 12, 2025. The Matsamo Communal Property Association (CPA) now owns over 14,000 hectares which they farm in two joint ventures, as one of the rare models of successful land reform in South Africa.

– A worker stands inside the paw paw farm owned by Matsamo Community Property Association (Matsamo CPA) in the Kaalrug area near Malalane on March 12, 2025. The Matsamo Communal Property Association (CPA) now owns over 14,000 hectares which they farm in two joint ventures, as one of the rare models of successful land reform in South Africa.

(Phill Magakoe / AFP via Getty Images)

Michael Albertus, professor of political science at the University of Chicago, joins the program to talk about his book Land Power: Who Has It, Who Doesn’t, and How That Determines the Fate of Societies. The group explores notions of land from archaeological evidence thousands of years ago, the enclosure movement of the medieval era, the European mindset vs. those of indigenous peoples in the era of colonization, South Africa land redistribution, gender in Canadian homesteading, how changing notions of land play into larger histories of race, the postwar of concept of “land to the tiller,” and much more.

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The Nation Podcasts
The Nation Podcasts

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.

Israel’s War Consensus and Permanent Conflict w/ Udi Greenberg | American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

Danny and Derek welcome back to the show historian Udi Greenberg to talk about Israeli public opinion, politics, and its strategy vis-à-vis the war with Iran. They discuss the overwhelming public support for military operations, the underlying strategic consensus across Israeli politics prioritizing military dominance over negotiation, the absence of meaningful debate over a two-state solution or Palestinian sovereignty, the stability of Israeli domestic political divisions despite the war, how media and military messaging shapes public perception, and the relationship between Israeli strategy and continued U.S. support.

Don't forget to mark your calendars for our series Marx Prestige, coming March 31.

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