Dominic and Cymene eat crepes, share limericks and wonder whether dogs and rabbits might hold the secret to world peace on this week’s episode. Then (13:09) we welcome Ciruce Mohavedi-Lankarani to the pod to talk about his new book Accelerant: Energy Infrastructures and the Natural World in Making Modern Iran newly out from Stanford U Press. We begin with how natural gas overcame its second-class status among the hydrocarbons to become the central pillar of Iranian national development strategies in the middle of the 20th century. We talk about how the material density and volatility of gas impacted efforts at building infrastructure, how Iran had to navigate the imperial ambitions of Britain, the US and the Soviet Union to claim its gas for itself, and how Iran balanced industrial and environmental goals in its development process. Ciruce explains how gas seemed to offer Iran pathways to both a glorious future and a return to a cherished past. And he explains how the Islamic Republic continued to build upon the gas developmental visions of the Pahlavi era. We close by discussing the current conflict in Iran and what it reveals about deeply how Iranian nationalism is tied to petroleum. Hang in there, everyone, peace and love.
Cymene and Dominic talk about shrinky dinks, tiny sweaters, miniaturized submarines and elemental ethnography during this week’s intro segment. Then (12:12) we welcome Fernando Ortiz-Moya to the conversation to talk about his excellent new book We’re Still Here: Regenerating Shrinking Cities from the Ground Up (U California Press, 2026). Fernando explains his lifelong fascination with cities with dwindling populations and why urban shrinkage doesn’t always mean decline. We move from there to talking about the hegemony of growth thinking in urbanism and why top-down planning for urban renewal so often fails to produce the effects intended. We wonder about how climate change will find new ways to shrink cities and, finally, we discuss different bottom up strategies for urban regeneration and how and why informal practices usually produce better results. Hang in there, everyone, peace and love.