The Caves of Altamira

28/05/2022

Hello Everyone,

I have been working over the last few months to get a new substack site off the gound. It features essays and commentary and will also have a podcast folded in with it. As such, the spirit of The Caves of Altamira shall endure but under this new banner. Please check out the site and subscribe! Thanks so much for your support.

theinterestingtimes.substack.com

Best,
Kevin

Essays, stories, and podcasts mapping the intersections of politics, economics, technology, and ethics. Click to read The Interesting Times, by Kevin Hockmuth, a Substack publication. Launched 5 months ago.

24/12/2021

For this episode we welcome the immanently estimable and multi-talented Dr. Miles White. Dr. White is both an accomplished jazz artist and a scholar of music and music culture. We use his exceptional book From Jim Crow to Jay-Z: Race, Rap, and the Performance of Masculinity (Univ. of Illinois Press)...

17/11/2021

Happy to announce the release of the latest junket into The Caves of Altamira, "Critical Woke Fury: The end of the beginning of the end?" with a couple of cagey cave vets, George Khoury and Chris Tharp. Please have a listen and share liberally, or illiberally...

https://thecavesofaltamira.podbean.com/e/critical-woke-fury-the-end-of-the-beginning-of-the-end/

We welcome George Khoury and Chris Tharp back down into the friendly confines of The Caves of Altamira. Beginning with a discussion of the recent elections we leave no stone unturned during our journey into the ever-widening chasm that is U.S. politics and society more generally. This one is a real....

20/09/2021

Happy to announce the release of The Caves of Altamira's latest excursion into the boundless...so fortunate to corral the singular intellectual specimen that is Dr. Jim Bat Cho back down into the caves for a sit down. Please have a listen and share liberally (a pun I promise you'll 'get' if you listen)!

https://thecavesofaltamira.podbean.com/e/the-ways-of-knowing-human-spirit-sauteed-in-social-media-with-a-side-of-science/

After a summer respite The Caves of Altamira is back. For this inaugural episode of what we are dubbing Season II, the good Dr. James Batcho once again drops into the caves. Fresh off completing the manuscript for his latest book James sketches out a set o...

18/07/2021

Happy to announce the release of the latest installment from The Caves of Altamira featuring Turkish political journalist Sevgi Akarcesme. Sevgi has been living in exile in the U.S. for nearly five years after having to flee the severe threats of authoritarian Erdogan regime. Her story is important as she offers a host of insights about the situation in Turkey and nature of the emergent authoritarian impulses across the globe. Please listen and share.

https://thecavesofaltamira.podbean.com/e/the-authoritarians-strike-back-a-cautionary-tale-from-turkey/

After a brief respite we are back in The Caves of Altamira with Turkish political journalist Sevgi Akarcesme. Due to the increasingly dangerous situation for independent journalists in Turkey, Sevgi has been living in exile in the U.S. for nearly 5 years. ...

17/07/2021

After a brief respite we are back in The Caves of Altamira with Turkish political journalist Sevgi Akarcesme. Due to the increasingly dangerous situation for independent journalists in Turkey, Sevgi has been living in exile in the U.S. for nearly 5 years. Her harrowing story tells us not only a grea...

14/06/2021

This is the second half of a wide-ranging discussion of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with Mike Hilkowitz. If you haven't listened to Part I yet it is highly recommended to check that out first.

14/06/2021

Happy to announce the release of the second half of my thoroughgoing dialogue with the esteemable Mike Hilkowitz. If by chance you haven't checked out Part I give that a listen first. Thanks as always for your support.

https://thecavesofaltamira.podbean.com/e/aaaaa-1623671055/

This is the second half of a wide-ranging discussion of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with Mike Hilkowitz. If you haven't listened to Part I yet it is highly recommended to check that out first....

02/06/2021

Happy to announce the release of The Caves of Altamira podcast Episode 9 looking at some of the important sources lurking behind the recent spate of violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Thanks so much to Mike Hilkowitz for dropping into the caves to share your insights on these vexing issues.

https://thecavesofaltamira.podbean.com/e/back-rent-sources-and-methods-in-the-ongoing-israeli-palestinian-hostilities-part-i/

This week we welcome Mike Hilkowitz to The Caves of Altamira. Our conversation takes a relatively deep dive into several significant historical undercurrents shaping the most recent wave of violence in this long-simmering dispute. Our conversation winds it...

02/06/2021

This week we welcome Mike Hilkowitz to The Caves of Altamira. Our conversation takes a relatively deep dive into several significant historical undercurrents shaping the most recent wave of violence in this long-simmering dispute. Our conversation winds its way from a property dispute surrounding tw...

09/05/2021

Happy to announce the release of The Caves of Altamira podcast Episode 8: The Good Life and Its Discontents: What are we trying to accomplish?
We are joined by the good Dr. Gene Healy for a discussion of the big questions that often get lost in the shuffle of the day to day political combat. Please have a listen and share.

https://thecavesofaltamira.podbean.com/e/the-good-life-and-its-discontents-what-are-we-trying-to-accomplish/

Amid the endless churning of outrage and mutual recriminations we often find ourselves drifting further and further from the underlying rationale or purpose that motivated our engagement with the political discourse in the first place. We tend to be motiva...

09/05/2021

Amid the endless churning of outrage and mutual recriminations we often find ourselves drifting further and further from the underlying rationale or purpose that motivated our engagement with the political discourse in the first place. We tend to be motivated by some notion of the good life and just...

09/04/2021

The force of nature that is Chris Tharp wafts into The Caves of Altamira as we traverse the ever-burgeoning frontlines of the woke wars. Join us for a spirited discussion and debate over what exactly it means to be cancelled, the fundamental nature of the issues at hand, and ultimately what is at stake.
https://thecavesofaltamira.podbean.com/e/fuzzy-lines-the-great-woke-wars-of-the-2020s/

The force of nature that is Chris Tharp wafts into The Caves of Altamira as we traverse the ever-burgeoning frontlines of the woke wars. Join us for a spirited discussion and debate over what exactly it means to be cancelled, the fundamental nature of the ...

08/04/2021

Happy to announce the release of The Caves of Altamira Episode 7: 'Fuzzy Lines: The Great Woke Wars of the 2020s' featuring the singularity of a human being that is Chris Tharp. Please have a listen and share. Thanks to all who have been supporting this nascent venture!

https://thecavesofaltamira.podbean.com/e/fuzzy-lines-the-great-woke-wars-of-the-2020s/

The force of nature that is Chris Tharp wafts into The Caves of Altamira as we traverse the ever-burgeoning frontlines of the woke wars. Join us for a spirited discussion and debate over what exactly it means to be cancelled, the fundamental nature of the ...

08/04/2021

The force of nature that is Chris Tharp wafts into The Caves of Altamira as we traverse the ever-burgeoning frontlines of the woke wars. Join us for a spirited discussion and debate over what exactly it means to be cancelled, the fundamental nature of the issues at hand, and what exactly is at stake...

20/03/2021

Happy to announce the release of The Caves of Altamira podcast Episode 6: 'To Be, That is the Question: Existentialism and Modern Living' featuring the one and only Simone Lee. Simone drops by to discuss what existentialism has to offer us as we try to navigate the ever growing morass of modern life. Please check it our and pass it on to all of your friends, and enemies.

https://thecavesofaltamira.podbean.com/e/to-be-that-is-the-question-existentialism-and-modern-life/

The intrepid Simone Lee drops into The Caves of Altamira to discuss existentialism and the pursuit of an authentic life amid a world of hyperized everything. Simone breaks down some of existentialism’s core insights and demonstrates the many ways they can ...

20/03/2021

The intrepid Simone Lee drops into The Caves of Altamira to discuss existentialism and the pursuit of an authentic life amid a world of hyperized everything. Simone breaks down some of existentialism’s core insights and demonstrates the many ways they can offer practical guidance for our everyday ...

27/02/2021

Excited to announce the release of Episode 5, 'Borders, Money, and Movement: The Politics of Migration in Asia' featuring Professor Thakur Subedi. Also, check out our dandy new theme music composed and produced by the one and only Jordan Lewis.

https://thecavesofaltamira.podbean.com/e/borders-money-and-movement-the-politics-of-migration-in-asia/

Professor Thakur Subedi drops by The Caves of Altamira for a fascinating discussion about both broad trends in Asian migration and some of the specific ways they have played out within the context of South Korea, Japan, and Nepal. Professor Subedi brings a...

27/02/2021

Professor Thakur Subedi drops by The Caves of Altamira for a fascinating discussion about both broad trends in Asian migration and some of the specific ways they have played out within the context of South Korea, Japan, and Nepal. Professor Subedi brings a host of academic knowledge and real-world e...

19/02/2021

Hello dedicated and not so dedicated listeners alike! Just a note saying that Episode 5 has been recorded and should be out within the next week so stay tuned for my discussion of the politics of migration in Asia with the brilliant Thakur Subedi from Hanam University is Daejeon, South Korea. Dr. Subedi has decades of academic and on the ground experience working these areas, please stay tuned.

31/01/2021

Excited to announce the release of Episode 4 of The Caves of Altamira podcast...In the Club: Student Politics and the Struggle for Democracy in South Korea featuring noted author and artist Ryan Estrada. Ryan was named one the Creators of the Year for 2020 by The Beat and is co-author of the critically acclaimed graphic novel, Banned Book Club which is the focus of our discussion. Please have a listen and share.

https://thecavesofaltamira.podbean.com/e/in-the-club-student-politics-and-the-struggle-for-democracy-in-south-korea/

Show Notes:
Please join me in welcoming noted author and artist Ryan Estrada to The Caves of Altamira for a discussion of his multi-award winning, highly acclaimed, graphic novel Banned Book Club. Listen to our real time reactions to an authoritarian plot in 2020s America as we prepare to discuss a book about combatting authoritarian plots in 1980s South Korea. Hear Ryan recount only learning after years of being together that his wife was once a person of interest to the military dictatorship of Chun Doo Hwan. Learn about the mechanics of disseminating subversive content before the days of ‘shares’, ‘likes’, and ‘retweets’, such as hiding underground newspapers in toilet stalls. Speaking of ‘retweets’, discover how Ryan’s For Exposure twitter feed has become a key protagonist in the struggle against the work for exposure racket. Lastly, Ryan nurtures a budding Caves tradition by announcing a forthcoming book, so stayed tuned to the end for that.

Please join me in welcoming noted author and artist Ryan Estrada to The Caves of Altamira for a discussion of his multi-award winning, highly acclaimed, graphic novel Banned Book Club. Listen to our real time reactions to an authoritarian plot in 2020s Ame...

31/01/2021

Please join me in welcoming noted author and artist Ryan Estrada to The Caves of Altamira for a discussion of his multi-award winning, highly acclaimed, graphic novel Banned Book Club. Listen to our real time reactions to an authoritarian plot in 2020s America as we prepare to discuss a book about c...

15/01/2021

Happy to announce that Episode 3 'A City Way to Live: Digging into Humanity’s Urbanization' is now available at the link below.

Show Notes:
Urban life has become so ubiquitous around the world that we may take for granted just how much is has shaped and continues to shape our lives from day-to-day travails to the increasingly fraught nature of politics to eroding social cohesion. Fortunately, two experts on urban life and the politics of cities drop by The Caves of Altamira to help us better understand the effects of living around a bunch of people. Hear our guest Dr. Josh Leon make the case that it was perhaps around 3,200 BCE when humanity took a significant wrong turn. Listen to Dr. Jeffrey Neil Carroll struggle to understand our arrival at a place where we have not only built a twenty-lane highway but that said highway is still unable to handle traffic flows. All this and more as we retreat to the caves and explore the modalities and discontents of urban existence.

https://thecavesofaltamira.podbean.com/e/a-city-way-to-live-digging-into-humanity-s-urbanization/

Urban life has become so ubiquitous around the world that we may take for granted just how much is has shaped and continues to shape our lives from day-to-day travails to the increasingly fraught nature of politics to eroding social cohesion. Fortunately, ...

15/01/2021

Urban life has become so ubiquitous around the world that we may take for granted just how much is has shaped and continues to shape our lives from day-to-day travails to the increasingly fraught nature of politics to eroding social cohesion. Fortunately, two experts on urban life and the politics o...

28/12/2020

A podcast exploring the undercurrents shaping the here and now.
https://thecavesofaltamira.podbean.com/

Welcome to The Caves of Altamira, a new podcast venture. The show engages a wide range of voices from across the globe to discuss the intersection of current affairs and their broad philosophical, historical, and ideological undercurrents. Kevin Hockmuth s...

27/12/2020

Welcome to Episode 2 of The Caves of Altamira. Please join me and the good Dr. James Batcho as we contemplate why we've all decided to become annoying second year grad students and obsess endlessly over matters of ontology. Hear James warn me about unwittingly obliterating my son's soul. Join us aga...

26/12/2020

Holiday Greetings to All. Episode 2 is now available, please check it out.
Homepage: https://thecavesofaltamira.podbean.com/
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-caves/id1543650339
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Rfrb1GjyRkdl9yit9Rwlq
Google Podcasts:
https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly90aGVjYXZlc29mYWx0YW1pcmEuYmx1YnJyeS5uZXQvZmVlZC9wb2RjYXN0Lw

Show Notes:
Welcome to Episode 2 of The Caves of Altamira. Please join me and the good Dr. James Batcho as we contemplate why we've all decided to become annoying second year grad students and obsess endlessly over matters of ontology. Hear James warn me about unwittingly obliterating my son's soul. Join us again in welcoming the tortured souls of Nietzsche and Marx to the caves as they as they encounter their ebullient predecessor Jean-Jacques Rousseau in our dissection of how things have gone so awry and some alternatives courses available. All this and more in our most recent junket into the Caves of Altamira.

24/12/2020

Hello Altamirans! We are putting the finishing touches on Episode 2 which will be available on Dec. 26. In advance of this we would be forever grateful if you were to bestow the gift of a rating or even a review upon us on Apple Podcasts or whatever podcast platform you use. Wishing you all the best for the holidays.

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../the-caves-of.../id1543650339
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Rfrb1GjyRkdl9yit9Rwlq
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly90aGVjYXZlc29mYWx0YW1pcmEuYmx1YnJyeS5uZXQvY2F0ZWdvcnkvbmV3cy9mZWVkLw

16/12/2020