Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In this episode, we bring back political science professor Dr. Bikrum Gil to discuss the myth that Iran is an evil imperialist regime. The analysis goes beyond loving or hating Iran; instead, we ground the conversation in a material approach to understanding what constitutes an imperialist nation and where Iran fits within it.
We also explore a recent open letter published in The Guardian titled ‘To Iran’s political prisoners, trapped ‘between two blades of a scissors’. It was signed by several prominent academics and activists, including Angela Davis, Robyn Kelley, and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, among others. It also had political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal, but there is deep speculation whether he was aware his name would be used. The letter conflates the imperialist powers of the United States and Israel. Dr. Gill explains how this faulty logic is bigger than one letter but a consequence of Western knowledge production that fails to meet the moment. This leads to the broader discussion on what forms of knowledge help meet the moment, how we need to expand beyond our current canon, and what the resistance teaches us.
To Iran’s political prisoners, trapped ‘between two blades of a scissors’
theguardian.com/commentisfree/ng-interactive/2026/aug/20/iran-political-prisoners
The Ramadan War and the Changing World Order: Imperial Versus Sovereign Futures
tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19436149.2026.2688116#d1e164
The Force of Law and the Law of Force: Iran and the Making of a Post-Imperial Legal Order
tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/19436149.2026.2686515
Myth: “I Stand With the Iranian People…BUT" w/ Bikrum Gill
youtube.com/watch?v=hZB39oUID1M&t=2719s
Patreon
patreon.com/c/blackmyths
In this episode, we bring back political science professor Dr. Bikrum Gil to discuss the myth that Iran is an evil imperialist regime. The analysis goes beyond loving or hating Iran; instead, we ground the conversation in a material approach to understanding what constitutes an imperialist nation and where Iran fits within it.
We also explore a recent open letter published in The Guardian titled ‘To Iran’s political prisoners, trapped ‘between two blades of a scissors’. It was signed by several prominent academics and activists, including Angela Davis, Robyn Kelley, and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, among others. It also had political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal, but there is deep speculation whether he was aware his name would be used. The letter conflates the imperialist powers of the United States and Israel. Dr. Gill explains how this faulty logic is bigger than one letter but a consequence of Western knowledge production that fails to meet the moment. This leads to the broader discussion on what forms of knowledge help meet the moment, how we need to expand beyond our current canon, and what the resistance teaches us.
To Iran’s political prisoners, trapped ‘between two blades of a scissors’
theguardian.com/commentisfree/ng-interactive/2026/aug/20/iran-political-prisoners
The Ramadan War and the Changing World Order: Imperial Versus Sovereign Futures
tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19436149.2026.2688116#d1e164
The Force of Law and the Law of Force: Iran and the Making of a Post-Imperial Legal Order
tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/19436149.2026.2686515
Myth: “I Stand With the Iranian People…BUT" w/ Bikrum Gill
youtube.com/watch?v=hZB39oUID1M&t=2719s
Patreon
patreon.com/c/blackmyths
