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Raut: Without the Witch and Caliban, Capitalism Would Not Exist

With artist Alex Sihelsk* and philosopher Ľubica Kobová on Silvia Federici’s groundbreaking book

© Viktorie Macánová

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“The figure of the witch reappears periodically whenever there is a need to resist patriarchy,” says educator and philosopher Ľubica Kobová, who focuses on labor theory and, together with artist and magic practitioner Alex Sihelsk*, is a guest of the 8th episode of the Raut podcast. When Karl Marx formulated the theory of primitive accumulation that accompanied the rise of capitalism, he failed to mention the massacre of hundreds of thousands of women, the takeover of their bodies, and the consolidation of patriarchal power. In her book Caliban and the Witch, Silvia Federici rewrites the history of capitalism’s dawn from a feminist perspective. Listen to a discussion dedicated to this book, as well as to contemporary forms of witchcraft and their connections to artistic practice. The book will be published in Czech, translated by Sylva Ficová, by tranzit in December 2025. It is now available for pre-order on Donio.

Raut is an intersectional discussion podcast about contemporary art and culture produced by the tranzit.cz publishing house and initiative for contemporary art in collaboration with the online daily Alarm. The new series is moderated by Ester Grohová and Nela Pietrová and continues the debate on contemporary art from perspectives that might at first glance be unrelated to art or are on the margins of social discussion. The first series was released in 2021/22 and was moderated by Agáta Hrnčířová and Max Dvořák.

More episodes

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Raut: Inconvenient Partisans: Interview with artists and researchers Erika Meszárosová and Martin Pfann

28. 05. 2025

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Raut: Sex, Art and Late Capitalism: An interview with artists and sex workers Julia Rot and Martina Šikulová

20. 06. 2025

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17. 07. 2025

Potvory Table top games D&D Dungeons and Dragons Role-play

Raut: Inside the Magic Circle: Interview with anto_nie and Orin Rodriguez about games that teach us how to be together

21. 08. 2025

Raut: From Elites to Inclusion. Babysitting as the Key to Cultural Participation – Interview with Bára Šimková and Petr Dlouhý

21. 08. 2025

Performance posthumanism autofiction trauma

Raut: Monsters in Art Show How to Escape Societal Expectations – Interview with Miriama Kardošová and Tina Hrevušová

21. 08. 2025

Silvia Federici witch hunt

Raut: Without the Witch and Caliban, Capitalism Would Not Exist. Interview with Alex Sihelsk* and Ľubica Kobová

14. 11. 2025

Credits

Hosts: Ester Grohová & Nela Pietrová
Dramaturgy & Production: Max Dvořák
Sound Design: Ester Grohová
Mastering: Ondřej Holý
Visual Identity: Day Shift Office & Viktorie Macánová
Food Design: Bláznivé bruschetty (Anna Kameníková, Natálie Košťálová, Františka Malasková) & Barbora Gábová
Publisher: tranzit.cz in cooperation with Alarm