Deconstructing Racism and Sexism in the Envisagement of Western Civilization
Racism and sexism didn’t emerge naturally or accidentally. In this episode, Dr. Roy explains how Western societies constructed rigid hierarchies of gender and race, often in contrast to more egalitarian cultures in the ancient world. He examines how Greek philosophers like Aristotle shaped Western ideas about rationality and superiority, how the Roman Empire institutionalised patriarchy, how Christianity encoded obedience into gender norms, and how modern nationalism fused racism into the fabric of political identity. This lecture offers a clear historical roadmap showing how present-day discrimination evolved over thousands of years.Takeaways:How ancient Mesopotamian and Egyptian societies often included women as leaders, property owners, and warriors.Why ancient Greece marked a dramatic shift toward rigid patriarchy and exclusion of women from public life.How Aristotle’s ideas on rationality, “natural slaves,” and female inferiority shaped centuries of Western thought.The Roman Empire’s adoption of Greek patriarchal norms and the legal structures that cemented male dominance.How early Christianity fused obedience, hierarchy, and gender roles into doctrine and social life.Why Western Europe associated whiteness with purity and superiority, laying the groundwork for racial hierarchy.How the Enlightenment, despite its ideals, linked reason with whiteness and expanded scientific racism.The role of nationalism in transforming racism from a prejudice into a political identity.How sexism and racism were essential tools for controlling labor, land, and social order across empires.Why understanding these origins is essential for dismantling the systems still shaping inequality today.Resources & ReferencesThe Code of HammurabiThe Book of the DeadThe PoliticsThe RepublicThe Allegory of the CavePaul’s LettersBeyond the podcast: Want to watch this lecture? Check out the full video.Want to support the show? Buy Dr. Roy a coffee!
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1:46:08
Masculinity
What does it mean to be a man? Dr. Roy takes listeners on a journey from the evolution of early humans to the social expectations placed on men today. Along the way, he explains how sexual reproduction shaped our species, why diverse personalities are essential, and how patriarchal systems emerged from warfare and historical accident, not biological destiny. He contrasts ancient egalitarian societies with patriarchal civilizations like Greece and Rome, highlights the intelligence and emotional depth of animals like killer whales and elephants, and debunks ideas like “alpha males” and the myth of male rationality versus female emotion. This episode reframes masculinity as compassion, stewardship, and community strength rather than dominance or suppression.Takeaways:Why sexual reproduction evolved and how genetic diversity shaped human personalities and community survival.How the biology of pregnancy, birth, and menopause reveals the evolutionary importance of women as educators and wisdom-keepers.Why humans evolved pair bonding and how bipedalism and big brains influenced gender dynamics.The emotional and cognitive roles of the rational mind versus the subconscious mind.How patriarchal societies emerged through warfare rather than natural biological hierarchy.Examples of matrilineal and matrilocal societies, including the Apache and the Ura Sioux, that challenge modern assumptions about gender roles.Why many ancient societies, including parts of Egypt and Persia, embraced women warriors and rulers.The distortion of love and emotional intelligence in Western philosophy from Plato, Aristotle, and later thinkers.The myth of the “alpha male” and how wolf research reveals a radically different model of leadership based on care, not dominance.How kindness, compassion, and community uplift—not aggression—are the truest expressions of human strength.Resources & ReferencesThe Discovery of DNARosalind Franklin and DNA ImagingThe Antikythera MechanismThinking, Fast and SlowBeyond the podcast: Want to watch this lecture? Check out the full video.Want to support the show? Buy Dr. Roy a coffee!
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1:57:30
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1:57:30
The Arab Spring and Its Long Shadow
Note: This is a visual-heavy episode. You can watch the lecture here.The Arab Spring began in December 2010 when Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi’s desperate protest against corruption sparked uprisings that swept across North Africa and the Middle East. Dr. Roy explores how these revolts evolved from Egypt’s mass protests to Syria’s devastating civil war, and why many of the revolutions failed to produce lasting democracy. Blending historical context, firsthand experience, and deep analysis, Dr. Roy examines how colonial borders, foreign interference, economic despair, and authoritarian endurance all contributed to the Arab Spring’s rise and collapse.Takeaways:How the Arab world’s diversity, language, and shared identity connect back to ancient civilizations, often written out of Western history.Why the fall of the Ottoman Empire and European imperialism set the foundation for modern unrest.How Egypt’s revolutionary history shaped the 2011 uprising and why the country’s workers, youth, and “Ultras” became key forces of change.The role of digital media and grassroots organizations in spreading revolt, and why the “Facebook Revolution” narrative oversimplified the truth.The rise and fall of Egypt’s short-lived democracy under Hosni Mubarak, Mohamed Morsi, and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.How the Arab Spring spread beyond the Arab world to Europe, Asia, and the United States through movements like Occupy Wall Street.The collapse of Libya, Yemen, and Syria, and how global powers, including the U.S. and Russia, deepened regional chaos.Why Tunisia stands as the lone partial success story and what its fragile democracy reveals about the long shadow of revolution.Resources & References: The Sykes-Picot Agreement The Egyptian Constitution of 1956Tunisia: Mohamed Bouazizi and the Jasmine RevolutionThe Six-Day War The Green Movement in Iran The United Arab Republic The Syrian Civil War and the Fall of AleppoOccupy Wall Street Manifesto Beyond the podcast: Want to watch this lecture? Check out the full video.Want to support the show? Buy Dr. Roy a coffee!
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1:47:13
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1:47:13
The Origins of the Syrian Crisis
The Syrian Civil War didn’t begin in 2011; it began centuries earlier. Dr. Roy explores how the legacy of empire, the carving up of the Middle East after World War I, and repeated Western interference destabilized Syria and Iraq long before the Arab Spring. Along the way, Dr. Roy connects the dots between the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the Sykes-Picot Agreement, the CIA’s 1949 coup in Damascus, the rise of pan-Arabism, and the creation of ISIS. Takeaways:Why the Arab Empire’s collapse and the rise of the Ottoman Empire set the stage for modern fragmentation.How the 1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement divided the Middle East into artificial borders serving European interests.The British and French betrayal of Arab independence after World War I - and the creation of Iraq, Syria, and Jordan as “made-up” states.How the CIA’s 1949 assassination of Syria’s democratically elected leader shattered the country’s early democracy.The rise and fall of pan-Arabism and the short-lived United Arab Republic (1958-1961).U.S. and Soviet competition for influence in the region during the Cold War, including coups and proxy wars. How the 2003 Iraq War, U.S. sanctions, and failed interventions paved the way for ISIS’s emergence.The Syrian Civil War, the refugee crisis, and how global powers continue to fuel instability today.Resources & References:The Sykes-Picot Agreement Treaty of Versailles The Balfour DeclarationCIA Coup in Syria United Arab Republic Constitution Eisenhower Doctrine The Six-Day WarIran-Iraq War (1980-1988)Iraq War (2003-2011)Arab Spring (2010-2011)Beyond the podcast: Want to watch this lecture? Check out the full video.Want to support the show? Buy Dr. Roy a coffee!
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1:50:41
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1:50:41
How Islam Saved Western Civilization
Western civilization didn’t vanish when Rome fell - it moved east. Dr. Roy explores how the libraries of Persia, Egypt, and Baghdad became the true heirs of the ancient world. From the Great Library of Alexandria to the Academy of Gundishapur, from Persian mathematicians to Arab engineers, this episode traces how Islamic civilization safeguarded humanity’s collective knowledge through centuries of turmoil. Dr. Roy connects forgotten innovations, the scientific method, algebra, optics, medicine, philosophy, and shows how the Islamic Golden Age laid the groundwork for modern science, governance, and thought.Takeaways:The myth of Rome’s “fall” in 476 AD, and why civilization actually shifted, not collapsed.How the Great Library of Alexandria inspired centuries of learning that continued under Persian and Islamic rule.The creation of the world’s first Bill of Rights by Cyrus the Great, predating the Magna Carta by two millennia.How the Academy of Gundishapur became a bridge between Greek, Indian, Persian, and Chinese knowledge.Why Arab scholars like Alhazen, Al-Khwarizmi, and Avicenna revolutionized optics, mathematics, and medicine.How Islamic thinkers preserved Aristotle and Plato, and later reintroduced them to Europe through Spain and Sicily.The invention of algebra, algorithms, and the scientific method centuries before the Renaissance.Why Western history omits the Islamic Golden Age, and how recognizing it changes our understanding of progress.Resources & References:The Book of OpticsThe Canon of MedicineThe Bill of Rights of Cyrus the GreatThe Great Library of AlexandriaThe Antikythera MechanismThe Philosophy of Al-Farabi and Ibn SinaBeyond the podcast: Want to watch this lecture? Check out the full video.Want to support the show? Buy Dr. Roy a coffee!
The Dr. Roy Casagranda Podcast is dedicated to unerasing the erased peoples of the world. Too often, history is written by the powerful, leaving entire communities, cultures, and truths out of the dominant narrative. This show seeks to tell those stories.Through these conversations, Dr. Roy digs for the truth, weeds out misinformation, and challenges conventional wisdom. The conversations span politics, world history, philosophy, and culture, always with an eye toward justice and a deeper understanding of where we've been, where we are, and where we are heading. This is the official podcast of Dr. Roy Casagranda and Sekhmet Liminal Productions, FZCO.
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