Dr. Roy Casagranda Podcast
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. Casagranda 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.
Dr. Roy Casagranda Podcast
Decoding Systems
Language isn’t just communication; it’s power. Drawing on insights from Malcolm X, George Orwell, and political history, Roy unpacks how misused words blur meaning and control our thinking. He then decodes the difference between countries, states, provinces, and nations, and why these distinctions matter for understanding politics, legitimacy, and sovereignty.
Takeaways:
- Why Malcolm X studied the dictionary in prison, and what it reveals about language and empowerment.
- George Orwell’s 1984 and the dangers of shrinking vocabulary.
- The difference between accuracy vs. precision, theory vs. hypothesis, and why the misuse of words weakens critical thinking.
- Clear definitions of country, state, province, nation, and nation-state with real-world historical examples.
- How legitimacy, revenue, and violence form the foundations of sovereignty.
- The role of identity in creating nations, from the Navajo to the Rohingya.
- Why states fail, how legitimacy erodes, and what history teaches about repeating cycles.
Resources & References:
- Malcolm X, The Autobiography of Malcolm X
- George Orwell, 1984
- Harvard Implicit Bias Test (IAT)
- Case studies: Punt, Burgundy, Navajo Nation, Brexit and the EU, the Rohingya people, failed states like Somalia
- U.S. Constitution and Articles of Confederation
Beyond the podcast:
- Want to watch this lecture? Check out the full video.
- Want to support the show? Buy Dr. Roy a coffee!
This lecture was originally recorded at the Museum of the Future for the series Lessons from the Past (2025).
