927 - Americas, The Beautiful feat. Greg Grandin (4/21/25)
Historian and author Greg Grandin joins us to discuss his new book America, América: A New History of the New World, which looks at the five century history of colonization & conquest of the New World, and how North & South America developed their distinct identities through a long history of mutual engagement and opposition. We also catch up with Greg for his takes on the death of Pope Francis, the state of American empire at the start of the second Trump term, the U.S.’s lack of a forward-looking political horizon, and what possibilities we might see in the future of Latin America.
Buy America, América: A New History of the New World online here, or wherever you get books: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/747326/america-america-by-greg-grandin/
Comments (137)
Incredible episode. This book seems phenomenal I need to read it asap
Oh shit i literally just finished reading Fordlandia on the 12th. I read Empire's Workshop in 2017 as part of a US/Latin America relations class. I own End of the Myth and plan on starting it up once I (begrudgingly) finish my essay/SoP for grad school.
Is that hitler youth pope still alive
Does this boomer actually still believe the Gulag Archipelago isn’t fiction?
This is stupid but this Irish song captured a lot of how I feel about the political situation and it made me hopeful for the first time in a while https://open.spotify.com/track/3axEGZqZ54eYrGIOnuYz0m?si=0dATg3cATKCk-uJFNbh0yg
I love this dudes energy, get him back soon
This is one of the best Chapo episodes you guys have done in years. Not a knock, epic content.
Living like we're under occupation in our own country - incredibly accurate way of describing what's going on
Yo make this guy a repeat guest. Its not every day someone comes up with original ideas about the contemporary moment that are informed and astute. Sometimes it feels like the more informed the opinion the original or pointed it is - this guy manages to bring in a wide and cultured knowledge to produce sharp assessments on our current world. Very very rare.
Like this guy is COOKIN and I can smell it
I'm only 35 mins in but this is an alltimer
I came to the comments just to say this, thinking I might be the only one. Glad to see we all agree this guy is FUCKIN COOKIN
We need more Greg
I sincerely hope chapo listeners will read his works, if they haven’t yet. Especially End of the Myth and Empires Workshop. I can honestly say that Grandin is the most impressive contemporary historian I’ve encountered. And he writes like Melville. If you ever enjoyed Matt Christman doing his thing, especially in Hell of presidents or a lot of the inebriated past eps, you’ll quickly realize that End of the Myth was the looming influence for all of it. I only encountered Grandin because Matt was kind enough to respond to DMs on Twitter in 2019 when I was asking him to expand on an incredible monologue he had about The Frontier. I got pretty emotional seeing Grandin’s name on the episode knowing that Matt would have had a blast on this if it were just a couple of short years ago. Great stuff.
Empire's Workshop is really really good. Really.
Really enjoyed how much fun Greg seems to be having here
Great interview, bought the book based on this. Love the eps with interesting historians!
Greg Grandin is a true GOAT. Love him
Greg was great! come back soon
I'm a retired High School teacher, History for several years, and also lived in Nicaragua in 83-84, took a summer semester at Universidad de Guadalajara in '85 and spent over a year living mainly in Mexico (short times in Costa Rica, Guatemala and Honduras on my first 6 month trip also) in the 80s and 90s. Grandin is really whip smart and deeply informed so I thank you for bringing him to my attention. Great episode though I agree it's a shame that Matt wasn't up for this episode. I will look into him, he reminds me of the late Evan S. Connell, a brilliant scholar who wrote a lot about Latin America as well as other places (Europe, etc.) in The Aztec Treasure House. Anyway, thanks again, I will stay a Gray Wolf as long as you keep putting out content like this.
Given your background, I sincerely hope you read his works. Especially End of the Myth and Empires Workshop. I can honestly say that Grandin is the most impressive contemporary historian I’ve encountered. And he writes like Melville. If you ever enjoyed Matt Christman doing his thing, especially in Hell of presidents or a lot of the inebriated past eps, you’ll quickly realize that End of the Myth was the looming influence for all of it. I only encountered Grandin because Matt was kind enough to respond to DMs on Twitter in 2019 when I was asking him to expand on an incredible monologue he had about The Frontier. Wonderful stuff.
One of the best Eps in recent memory. Really awesome
Love when you guys have authors on, Grandin one of my favorites. Matt got me hip to him on an inebriated past ep
Pretty nitpicky really but there were some historical issues in this one: namely that there were a pretty steady drip of war and border conflicts throughout Latin America in the 19th century, generally small-scale given the lack of state capacity in the newly-independent countries but at times causing major redrawing of borders (ie. creation of Uruguay as a buffer between Argentina and Brazil) and, most famously, the Paraguay War resulting in the death of ~60% of Paraguay's pre-war population. As far as regional nationalism goes, Dominican nationalism has always been defined in national and racial opposition to Haiti, not a new thing, while Brazilian Integralism fits the bill of a far-right (realistically fascist) political tendency that would heavily influence the cold war-era dictatorships and juntas in the country. The mention of the frontier is a lesser issue (and not entirely consistent across the region), but countries like Brazil and Argentina absolutely had frontiers, though this wasn't really a factor for central america or the caribbean
I mean I would say he is speaking in contrast describing a group of nations in stark contrast. Latin American compared to Africa Asia Europe and even North America doesn't even compare. In anglo America there isn't even a native population that can really be called a nation left over. Latin America is absolutely the least warlike out of the continents with a lot of people on them.
Fred Flinstone goes to Buenos Aires
What the fuck is this white man laughing about? Dr.Hibbert ass giggling through stories of atrocity and negro erasure. Great show, keep it up gang.
If you’re actually capable of engaging in anything that isn’t just hyper-online hot take drivel, go read one of his books. He doesn’t find these things funny.
@16:40 I think we on the Left have to shift gears a little in rhetoric. The stiuations surrounding Israel and El Salvador are rather proof that the Right is currently doing internationalism better than the Left. Leftist orgs in the US should just openly associate with other likeminded orgs abroad
excellent use of the song at the end
Fantastic ep
Have Greg Grandin and Richard Wolff ever been heard in the same room (podcast)??
Regarding the sort ofput a bow on it” moment zooming out to remind us all it is not just one guy fucking up our government: Will never forget Clinton allowing for Arizona civilian militias to conduct desert manhunts and shoot to kill anyone they believe is crossing the border illegally.
Iran war, west coast 9/11, COVID-27, new email from mohela your student loan payment has been auto deducted from your Wag walker account. Proceed to your nearest doodle.
At 1:06 the guest talks about the possibility of the dems defending political rights before social rights. I don’t really understand the distinction, he makes social rights sounds like they’re too far off for the dems to positively effect, and that political rights are a bare minimum sort of thing for dems to champion. I don’t really understand what the difference is? Does he mean political rights such as the right to vote, and social rights like health care? What the fuck is a social right? I thought broadly speaking this was all a discussion of politics rights, political opinions etc
maybe social rights = healthcare, trans rights, abortion? political rights = speech, assembly, due process?
Curious of his claim that Kamala couldn't "run to the left, due to Gaza" notice the dry boys didn't inquire more. Anyone any thoughts on what his rationale was
probably that running as centre left would require her to say something to placate pro Palestinian voters, and the depth of Zionism in the democratic party wouldn't allow anything of that nature
damn good fellas
GOAT Grandin
Love his voice
Why the fuck isn’t anyone more fucking angry about the U.S. bombing civilians in Yemen for no fucking reason ?
Homie the US is always bombing civilians for no good reason, we're aware it's an ongoing thing.
Phenomenal episode, really enlightening
Felix with the jet guy anecdote
Great interview, I'm about halfway through reading The Shock Doctrine for the first time so this meshed nicely into my headspace
A classic chapo “veggies” episode
I loved this episode, thanks Chapo
This dude sounds like JonTron’s Good Uncle
whattup it's me gay adam here to say fuck the pope man
heres the thing tho if you want people to have houses you're gonna have to unfuck the like 50s redlining era urbanism codes no matter if you want to build Red Vienna or the shiny future city from the society if meme. Nerds online are going to point that out because it's their job, why you gotta dunk on them constantly. It's so impossible to build anything in blue states that people are moving in droves to death worshipping slave states just because there are appartments there
allowing infill buildings is not "finding a new frontier" it's literally how you squre with the fact that you're INSIDE a frontier and need more houses HERE and not OVER THERE
I looked at Milei's Instagram story yesterday; most of it was the obligatory mourning of Pope Francis, but planted in the middle of it all was a repost of a wojack meme
Matt woulda gone crazy on this
If you know, you know.
Shame on Chris for not using Neil's Jamaican patois verse on that live Cortez outro
Listening to this dude reminds me of talking to a guy at the Italian deli and I fw it
Somebody needs to make a comedy skit where it’s a pov of a native on that island coughing and fading in confusion away while watching French people argue and then they just leave because the thought of that is unspeakably hilarious.
Felix begins speaking at 3 minutes and 33 seconds!
There's a lot of talk about Fracis/Bergoglio and the junta, and I don't know what's established and what's not, but I do know there was at least once case of him giving his own ID & documents to someone who was fleeing the Videla gov't. He was also, you know, the Pope, which by definition probably entails vileness of a degree that one Jesuit in Argentina could never hope to achieve
e.g., good as Francis was by papal standards, the Pope is, at any given moment, the most powerful and influential true anti-abortion ideologue – who knows what the proportions are between the opportunists and the true holy-war psychopaths, I daresay a lot more A than B, but category B looks to the Pope like a President (or hates him for not being insane enough)
We need a Pope who blasts cigs. We need a Pope who likes to get a little geeked off tobacco.
As an Argentine, I assume he was born with the gene that makes you start blowing darts at age 9
Oh Gawwwwd!!!
It is sad not to have Matt on this one
Listen to an inebriated past ep and all will be well.
Felix mentioning solid state videography becoming available due to producing tv guided bombs is pretty depressing. All these ideas and potential technologies are locked away until a situation is severe enough to warrant releasing the resources for their development. For a brief moment the theoretical wealth actually becomes realized, and it's horrible.
there's a really good Harun Farocki documentary called IMAGES OF THE WORLD AND THE INSCRIPTION OF WAR - possibly an unwieldy title but it's a lean 75 mins - that also explores the bedfellows of the movie camera and bombing campaigns. https://archive.org/details/Bilder-der-Welt-und-Inschrift-des-Krieges-1989
Love to hear insightful and knowledgeable discourse delivered in a thick NY accent. "Gazur"
“Pop-acy”
Let's go Grandin!
Is Milei's dog named Duncan Idaho?
This episode more than any other this past year really made me miss Matt
Great ep
That version of Cortez the Killer is so great. Makes me cry every time
Free Gozzer
top slop
Nice chess joke at 3:35 🔥♟️
Great ep but I feel like Argentina and Chile very much did have frontiers in their southern regions, considering the wars of extermination against the native people there and subsequent settlement of that land.
Yeah but there wasn't the same amount of limitless good farmland in the south: there wasn't an equivalent of the Ohio valley or California and it's central valley - Ushaia has a population of a couple of hundred thousand people. Most Argentines live in a belt of industrial cities in the north.
Best book by Gardin? Any recommendations?
All of them. But End of the Myth and Empires Workshop are the two most important History books I’ve read in my adult life. Grandin is an incomparable force.
Outro song?
Cortez the Killer by Crazy Horse and Neil Young :)
JD ‘solid shake’ Vance out here using the FOXDIE virus on pope, on behalf of the La Le Lu Le Gross
Findlanduzation nation jack. I can la le lu le lo. I'm sorry.
This is great. I might actually buy this one
This is good good
Bro sounds like gen z Richard wolf
Grandin better be citing Benedict Anderson.
The latter discussion on war makes me wanna punch on “war is my shepherd” by exodus
War is my Destiny
I mean… if Weimar Germany made Fire Protocol a top priority, maybe no Reichstag Fire & Decree??? Just saying…
Anyone know the name of the island that the French colonized? I wanna read more about it.
Guanábara bay I think
Greg Grandin for 3/4th mic please
Wait, so dr oz wants the annual west virginia tent doctor to be the national standard?
Grandin, what a get. Chapo scores huge. Just wish Matt was part of this... :(
I love how many great guests have been on lately
Cushheads eating good today
I think the greatest example of a positive nationalism is Indonesia after WW2 and Japanese/Dutch De-colonization, until Suharto and the CIA at least.
Is there any good thing that doesn't end that way? They even got to cocaine.
In weird synchronicity, 5 minutes after listening to this ep I was reading about who is defending Shannon Sharpe against his rape lawsuit and it's Lanny Davis
They haven’t taken responsibility for chattel slavery….theyre never owning up to anything. This country is destined to destroy itself (and deserve it)
Colin Woodward American nations is like this guys book too
Tariffs are the Yin to the globalist yang (sanctions) Kinda joking
The hearts are the yang to the minds yin.
I love woke richard kind
This guest won me over when he said "I've just been havin' this Twittah fight with people"
that time Pope Frankie Boy was hearing chatter about gay priests and cast his gaze upon a gaggle of cardinals decked out in elaborate robes and scarves and went "Smells like Frociaggine in here" was so fucking funny
Top-tier
The Dr Marvin Monroe of history 🙌
I’m probably the only listener who played sid Meier’s colonization as a kid and then got excited by the de las casas drop
greg could you say “manosphere” again please that was delightful
This guest rocks. I think if you like his stuff, you will fuck with Daniel Immerwahr. I know doing the press junket he was on democracy now and whatnot after writing "How to hide an Empire", I have a vague recollection he was on Chapo or discussed on Chapo. Can anyone remember?
Stop reminding people we can't remember things.
This guy took the social democrats pill. SAD!
End Of The Myth and Shadow Of Kissinger, both excellent books. So hype for the new one
Damn!! He also wrote The Empire of Necessity! Only bangers
Excellent get. I love this guy.
Pope Francis dies and now ChatGPT is apparently obsessed with the story of the Virgin Mary. Coincidence? Almost definitely.
I am an immediate fan of this guy. Wow.
ALL ROMULUS. NO REMUS.
Remus. Not a wolf. A DOG. He's a DOG.
S-Tier guest; Grandin was superb on Citations Needed ep 218 last week as well
This interview is fantastic. Greg Grandin is brilliant
Finally we can get Pope 2
felix begins talking at 00:00:33
Matt dapped up Greg Grandin every other Cushvlog, and End of the Myth is a truly reformative view on American possibility. Great guest.
Greg is a great writer, and a natural guest for these times. Thanks for having him on 👍
All my popes gone
You guys saved my ass! I needed some slop to listen to on my night shift! 😁
Get kneecap boys on
The Chris Wade Show!
Grandin is a national treasure
I really want to hear more from my favs (Chapo, TrueAnon, new top fav Doomscroll) about the lack of a forward looking political horizon and its consequences. I think this topic gets touched on a lot but I’d love some more in depth thoughts. Oh also I am gay, autistic and I’m so happy to lap up my slop yummy yum
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