The Last Best Hope podcast returns for its tenth series

The RAI is pleased to launch the tenth series of its podcast, The Last Best Hope? A trailer is available here.

Each episode asks how history has shaped America. Where is it going and why is it so divided? Why have so many people believed America to be “the last best hope of earth” and what does this mean for us all?

In this series, we explore the idea of the ‘paranoid style’ in American politics, 60 years after the lecture of that title was given here in Oxford by Richard Hofstadter. We ask whether the US has ever had a ‘colorblind’ constitution, and discuss six decades of reverberations from the Kennedy assassination. And, 250 years after the Boston Tea Party, we explore the consequences for the United States of having been born in an act of civil resistance to an illegitimate tax and an overbearing central government. Guests include Liz Varon, Emily Bazelon, Phil Tinline, Steve Gillon, Benjamin Carp, Nick Witham, and Stacy Schiff.

There are also nearly fifty past episodes to download, with topics ranging from the memory of Gettysburg to fake news, gun control, and the presidential pardon power. The podcast is an important part of the RAI’s effort to reach as broad an audience as possible with discussions of high-quality research. Thanks to producer Emily Williams, each episode is story-filled and fast-paced—half-way between a radio documentary and a traditional discussion-based podcast.

There have been more than 100,000 downloads so far, but the podcast is always looking to expand its audience and range. The Last Best Hope? is available on all podcasting platforms (including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify). Follow the podcast on Twitter for regular updates on new episodes: @TLBHpodcast. Thoughts and suggestions from listeners are welcomed.