Shows
Our Long WalkWhat did Mandela leave behind? with historian Jacob DlaminiWhat if history is not only what we are told, but also what we choose to remember? What if the stories of apartheid are not just tales of villainy and victimhood, but of complexity, contradiction and human agency? And what if loving a country – its landscapes, its memories – requires that we also confront its darkest truths?In this final interview of the first season of Our Long Walk, Jonathan Schoots and Johan Fourie sit down with Jacob Dlamini, Associate Professor of History at Princeton University, field guide, journalist, and one of South Africa’s most original historical thinke...2025-04-2346 min
Our Long WalkCan war be creative? with historian Richard ReidHow should we understand the era before Africa’s colonisation? Was it a period of stagnation or one of profound innovation and change? Why has the ‘Scramble for Africa’ dominated historical narratives, often overshadowing Africa’s own dynamic histories? Can warfare be understood not only as destructive but also as a creative and even culturally significant force?In this episode of the Our Long Walk podcast, Jonathan Schoots and Johan Fourie explore these critical questions with Richard Reid, Professor of African History at Oxford University and author of the recently published book, The African Revoluti...2025-04-0248 min
Our Long WalkWhat if borders were never meant to last? with economist Elias PapaioannouWhat determines opportunity in Africa? Does religion shape upward mobility? How do artificial borders, landmines, and weak states constrain economic development? And why has Africa largely resisted the global rise of populism?In this episode of the Our Long Walk podcast, Jonathan Schoots and I sit down with Elias Papaioannou, academic director of the Wheeler Institute for Business and Development and professor of economics at the London Business School. Elias is a leading researcher in international finance, political economy and economic history – especially of Africa. His work blends rich historical datasets with cutting-edge econometrics to reveal how in...2025-03-1255 min
Our Long WalkWhy did we stop roaming? with economist Ola OlssonHow far back should economic history go? Most textbooks start with agriculture, trade, and the emergence of states. But what if we looked further – beyond written records, beyond cities, beyond even the first farms? What if the deepest economic lessons come not from the past few thousand years, but from the hundreds of thousands before them? For most of history, when things got bad, people ran. But with farming came rulers, taxation, and the first states – and suddenly, leaving wasn’t so easy. As Ola Olsson puts it, understanding why we stopped roaming is key to making sense...2025-02-1950 min
Our Long WalkCan herding shape morals? with economist Nathan NunnWhat shapes the decisions we make each day, from the seemingly trivial to the transformative? Why do trust, honour or zero-sum thinking persist in some societies but not others? How does a legacy of past events influence not just institutions but the very beliefs we carry and pass on? These questions form the heart of cultural economics, a field that reminds us why culture – often dismissed as too abstract – is central to understanding the world.
In this episode of Our Long Walk, Johan Fourie and Jonathan Schoots interview Nathan Nunn, professor at the Vancouver Scho...2025-01-2950 min
Our Long WalkHow to build an African city? with sociologist Benjamin BradlowWhat makes a city thrive in the Global South? Why do some cities build stronger connections between their citizens, social movements, and governments while others remain fragmented? Can the lessons from São Paulo help
South Africa’s struggling urban centres? And what can a sociologist teach us about the future of African cities as urbanization accelerates?
In this episode of Our Long Walk, Johan Fourie and Jonathan Schoots speak with Benjamin Bradlow, assistant professor of sociology and international affairs at Princeton University. Ben’s work explores the complex relationships between
urban governance, inequality, and democracy, with a comp...2025-01-0848 min
Our Long WalkWhat is Africa's ideal development model? with Ewout FrankemaWhat does it mean for African economies to be dynamic? How did the Mineral Revolution reshape the continent's economic trajectories? Can Africa’s internal markets be the
foundation for future prosperity? And, crucially, why should Africa chart its own development path, distinct from Asia’s?
In this episode of the Our Long Walk podcast, Johan Fourie and Jonathan Schoots discuss these and many more questions with Ewout Frankema, chair of Economic and Environmental History at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. Ewout is
an economic historian who studies long-term economic development in Africa, Latin America, and Asia, focusing on the...2024-11-2744 min
Our Long WalkWhy should Washington care about Africa? with Belinda ArchibongWhat does it mean to say institutions are ‘inclusive’? What impact does coercive labour have on trust in society? Can technology disrupt entrenched gender inequalities in the workplace? And, crucially, why should policymakers in Washington care about Africa?
In this episode of the Our Long Walk podcast, Jonathan Schoots and Johan Fourie discuss these and many more questions with Belinda Archibong. Belinda is an Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). Her expertise lies in development economics, political economy and econo...2024-11-0653 min
Our Long WalkWhat can economists learn from ubuntu? with 2024 Nobel Prizewinner James RobinsonHow do historical insights inform modern governance? Can traditional institutions be as effective as modern bureaucracies in driving development? What can Africa’s diverse historical pathways teach us about building effective policies today?
In this episode, Jonathan Schoots and Johan Fourie
sit down with James Robinson, an economist and political scientist from the University of Chicago, to discuss how economic history can shape the decisions that policymakers make today. We recorded the episode before the happy news arrived on Monday that James had been awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics, together with Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson.
Su...2024-10-1849 min
Our Long WalkLeadership, legacies, and the politics of change with Ken OpaloWhat role do African parliaments play in shaping governance? How do historical legacies affect contemporary political systems, and why does foreign aid often fail to build stronger local institutions? Johan Fourie and Jonathan Schoots discuss these questions - and many more - with Ken Opalo, Associate Professor at Georgetown University and author of the popular blog, An Africanist Perspective.
Several of Ken’s academic papers and blog posts are mentioned in this episode: a chapter on the political economy of aid in Africa, a paper on clientalism in Kenya, and blog posts on two ideas...2024-10-1640 min
Our Long WalkAre good intentions bad? With historian Bronwen EverillWhy do good intentions by international aid workers often lead to unintended negative outcomes? How should African leaders grapple with the tension between embracing Western ideas without being dominated by them? Hosts Johan Fourie and Jonathan Schoots discuss these – and many more – questions in the first podcast interview with Princeton author and historian Bronwen Everill. Bronwen is the author of Africonomics: A History of Western Ignorance (pre-order here).
Mentions:
Profiting from Slavery and Emancipation: Compensation, Capital, and Collateral in Nineteenth-Century Senegal
Africa and the Early American Republic: Comments
Subscribe to Johan's newslette...2024-09-2547 min
Our Long WalkJohan and Jonathan Introduce the PodcastGet to know your hosts, economic historian Johan Fourie and historical sociologist Jonathan Schoots, as they introduce Our Long Walk, a new podcast
exploring the past, present, and future of South Africa and Africa.
This podcast is produced with the help of Voice Note Productions. Our producer is Vasti Calitz with editing done by Andri Burnett. Kelsey Lemon provided helpful research assistance. 2024-09-0230 minOur Long WalkTrailerWelcome to Our Long Walk, a podcast series about
South Africa’s past, present, and future. In this series, economic historian Johan Fourie and historical sociologist Jonathan Schoots interview social science scholars who ask fascinating questions about our country and continent to distil those lessons into practical policy suggestions today.
Subscribe now so you don’t miss the first episode.
Out on 3 September 2024 wherever you listen to your podcasts.
In the meantime, check out Johan's blog, ourlongwalk.com
This podcast is produced with the help of Voice
Note Productions. 2024-08-2602 min