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The New Society | culture from the New Statesman

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Your weekly review of culture, life and society from the New Statesman, hosted by Tanjil Rashid.

Featuring interviews with literary and artistic greats, reviews of the latest cultural moments, and in-depth discussion to help you understand how culture shapes society – and our place in it.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes45Foundeda year ago
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ArtsSociety & Culture

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Artwork for The New Society

Latest Episodes

Four hundred years on, we still can’t stop reading about the Tudors, and nobody has fed that habit better than Philippa Gregory.

Often called the queen of British historical fiction, Gregory has sold millions of books by asking who history forgot an... more

In this week’s magazine, we published an open letter, signed by over 150 leading authors, artists and public figures, titled “Sally Rooney is a writer, not a terrorist”.

www.newstatesman.com/cover-story/2026/10/sally-rooney-is-a-writer-not-... more

Carlo Rovelli is a physicist. But he’s also so much more than that. Perennially on lists of the world’s top thinkers, Rovelli likes to think and think hard, about the big questions, where physics meets philosophy and art and literature.

Can we ever... more

You know what you know, and I know what I know, but only when we know what the other knows do we have common knowledge.

That’s the crux of cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker’s latest work, focusing on the shift from private to public knowledge, an... more

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Recent Guests

Megan Gibson
New Statesman journalist who has reported on Palestine activism
New Statesman
Episode: Sally Rooney is a writer, not a terrorist
Carlo Rovelli
Physicist and author of On the Equality of All Things: Physics and Philosophy
Episode: Carlo Rovelli: Can we know how it feels to be someone else?
Steven Pinker
Cognitive scientist and author of When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows, Common Knowledge and the Mysteries of Money, Power, and Everyday Life
Harvard University (implied by discussion)
Episode: Steven Pinker: Common knowledge can start revolutions
Amit Chaudhuri
Writer and critic discussed as guest in episode
Independent author; various novels including Chateau Rouge and Sojourn
Episode: How to write when everything’s in flux
Katherine Rundell
Author and writer of Napolean's Orangutang and Impossible Creatures
Author, Oxford University fellow (All Souls)
Episode: Katherine Rundell: In today's world, wonder is political
James Marriott
Author of The New Dark Ages
Author
Episode: James Marriott: what happens when we stop reading?
Salman Rushdie
Novelist, essayist, memoirist
Episode: Salman Rushdie: "I feel a line of connection with 9/11"
Rebecca Kuang
Author and novelist
Author
Episode: RF Kuang is back with her most personal story yet
Simon Sebag Montefiore
Historian and author of The Cauldron
Historian and Author
Episode: Simon Sebag Montefiore on Israel, Gaza and a Middle East in crisis

Host

Tanjil Rashid
Host of the show focusing on culture, society, and public discourse; frequent interviewer of literary and intellectual guests.

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 47 ratings
  • Brilliantly varied, always interesting.

    I really love this podcast - every episode has been fascinating; Tanjil Rashid is an astute and gentle interviewer and I’m looking forward to more!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    FraPo.
    United Kingdom4 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Thoughtful, wide-ranging conversations with top writers and thinkers.
High-quality, intellectual discourse that stays engaging across long episodes.
Guest diversity is strong, with a balance of literature, history, and philosophy.
The host asks precise, insightful questions that bring out nuanced views.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#40
United Kingdom/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#59
Germany/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#117
Italy/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#130
Australia/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#62
Denmark/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#64
Netherlands/Arts

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Sally Rooney is a writer, not a terrorist
Q: What do you make of the criticism that Sally Rooney is breaking the law? She knows she's breaking the law. Would we do an open letter for Sally Rooney if she had pledged to give her royalties from her books to ISIS or to al-Qaeda?
Rashid says the letter would not support royalties going to ISIS or Al Qaeda. He argues that Palestine Action does not belong in the same category as those organizations and that Rooney should not be treated as a terrorist for supporting it.
Sally Rooney is a writer, not a terrorist
Q: What caused Faber and Faber to make this decision? What did they say in their statement? And where did we get to?
Faber and Faber withdrew Rooney's books because it believed paying her royalties after her pledge to Palestine Action could expose the publisher to prosecution under the Terrorism Act.
Carlo Rovelli: Can we know how it feels to be someone else?
Q: How does this relational way of thinking work out the distinctions between what is conscious and what isn't conscious?
Rovelli says consciousness is a complex phenomenon, but not something metaphysically separate from the rest of nature. He sees the scientific questions about how brains work as difficult but open to investigation, and rejects a distinct hard problem that science could never address.
Carlo Rovelli: Can we know how it feels to be someone else?
Q: What is the equality of all things?
Rovelli says reality should not be divided into fundamentally distinct categories such as mind and body. They are different ways of describing one interconnected reality, with things defined by their relations and interactions.
Steven Pinker: Common knowledge can start revolutions
Q: For our listeners who haven't yet read your book, what is the main idea here? What is common knowledge?
Common knowledge is a state where everyone knows something, everyone knows that everyone knows it, and so on, which is necessary for coordination and shared action. This framework explains why people can act in concert and why large-scale social arrangements emerge.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About The New Society

What is The New Society about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The series centers conversations with writers, historians, philosophers, and artists who bring deep dives into culture, politics, and society. Episodes routinely explore literature, public memory, censorship, imperial and diaspora histories, and the role of art in public life, often linking personal narratives to broader social and political questions. A recurring strength is pairing intimate, character-driven discourse with sharp, historically informed analysis, producing thoughtful takes on democracy, inequality, and cultural memory. Notable is the breadth—from classical texts and modern novels to contemporary debates about race, gender, and globalization—delivering cross-disciplinary insights that are useful for audiences seeking context... more

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2. The Exchange | Long-form interviews from the New Statesman
3. The Exchange | Long-form interviews from the New Statesman
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The New Society launched a year ago and published 45 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on The New Society?

Recent guests on The New Society include:

1. Megan Gibson
2. Carlo Rovelli
3. Steven Pinker
4. Amit Chaudhuri
5. Katherine Rundell
6. James Marriott
7. Salman Rushdie
8. Rebecca Kuang

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