Ideas

CBC

IDEAS is a place for people who like to think. If you value deep conversation and unexpected reveals, this show is for you. From the roots and rise of authoritarianism to near-death experiences to the history of toilets, no topic is off-limits. Hosted by Nahlah Ayed, we’re home to immersive documentaries and fascinating interviews with some of the most consequential thinkers of our time.

With an award-winning team, our podcast has proud roots in its 60-year history with CBC Radio, exploring the IDEAS that make us who we are.

New episodes drop Monday through Friday at 5pm ET.

Radio: CBLA-FM CBC Radio One Toronto

Categories: Society & Culture

Listen to the last episode:

The potato and the Irish Famine of 1845 will forever be linked. But what's often overlooked is how deeply connected the potato was to British colonial policies during that time. To Britain it was a symbol of Irish backwardness. In the book Rot, a new history of Ireland's Great Famine is revealed, showing how the British Empire caused the infamous disaster. Author and historian Padraic X Scanlan paints a complex and compelling picture of the Irish Famine of 1845, in which the potato — and the blight — played but a part in a broader story of colonialism, capitalism, and collapse.