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Ghosts, Slavoj Žižek, Miliband, Melissa Benn

Anne McElvoy discusses Ibsen's Ghosts, dissects the ideology of Hollywood with Slavoj Žižek and discusses the problems facing young women with writer Melissa Benn.

Anne McElvoy discusses Ibsen's Ghosts with directors Richard Eyre and Stephen Unwin, whose respective productions of the play have just opened. The drama provoked outrage when it was published in 1881 with its attack on religion, defence of free love, and subject matter of inherited syphilis. But does it speak to us now?

The Labour Party has been dealing with the ghosts of its intellectual past recently. But how would the left wing politics of Ralph Miliband's generation fare in the climate of current political debate? And how do the politics of today's Shadow Cabinet compare to the thinking of the post-war New Left? Managing editor of Prospect magazine Jonathan Derbyshire and Observer columnist Nick Cohen join Anne to discuss the genealogy of left wing politics in Britain

In his new film, The Pervert's guide to Ideology, the thinker and psychoanalyst Slavoj Žižek takes on the ideology machine of Hollywood and argues that we need to break away from it. He explains that for this to happen we first of all need to change the way we dream.

Melissa Benn asks what messages we are conveying to young women today and considers what advice we should be giving our daughters to empower them for the future.

Available now

45 minutes

Chapters

  • The politics of the Left

    A discussion on the genealogy of left wing politics in Britain

    Duration: 11:48

  • Slavoj Žižek

    The thinker and psychoanalyst Slavoj Žižek on his new film The Pervert's Guide to Ideology

    Duration: 11:11

  • Ghosts

    Directors Richard Eyre and Stephen Unwin discuss their two productions of Ibsen's Ghosts

    Duration: 12:31

  • What Should We Tell Our Daughters?

    Melissa Benn asks what messages we are conveying to young women today

    Duration: 08:47

Rose Theatre Kingston, Ghosts

Ghosts, translated and directed by Stephen Unwin, is currently on tour with the English Touring Theatre as co-producer with Rose Theatre Kingston.

Click here for further details

Almeida Theatre, Ghosts

adapted and directed by Richard Eyre is on at the Almeida Theatre, LondonÌýuntil Saturday 23 November 2013.

The Pervert's Guide to Ideology

The Pervert's Guide to Ideology
Ìýfrom director Sophie Fiennes and philosopher Slavoj Žižek is released in UK cinemas on Friday 4 October 2013, certificate 15.

What Should We Tell Our Daughters?

What Should We Tell Our Daughters?

What Should We Tell Our Daughters?: The Pleasures and Pressures of Growing Up Female written by is published by Hodder & Stoughton.

Ìý

Image Credit: Hannah Benn

Credit

Role Contributor
Presenter Anne McElvoy

Broadcast

  • Thu 3 Oct 2013 22:00

Free Thinking

Free Thinking

Radio 3’s new home for arts and ideas.