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UFO Mythology, With David Halperin

On this episode of American Prestige, a discussion about the role of UFO sightings in politics and culture.

Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison

February 20, 2024

A digital composite of a UFO above an urban park.(Ray Massey / Getty Images)

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UFO Mythology with David Halperin | American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

On this episode of American Prestige, Danny and Derek speak with David Halperin, retired professor of Jewish studies at UNC Chapel Hill, about his book Intimate Alien: The Hidden Story of the UFO. The group looks at the phenomenon of UFO encounters as part of a longer tradition of mythology, examining their relationship to the historical epochs in which they occur, their place in politics and culture, and what ultimately the search for aliens says about our own views of humanity.

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On this episode of the American Prestige podcast, we speak with David Halperin, retired professor of Jewish studies at the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill, about his book, Intimate Alien: The Hidden Story of the UFO.

We examine the phenomenon of UFO encounters as part of a longer tradition of mythology, examining their relationship to the historical epochs in which they occur, their place in politics and culture, and what ultimately the search for aliens says about our own views of humanity.

The Nation Podcasts

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.

US-Ukraine Ceasefire Proposal, Duterte Arrested on ICC Warrant, Sea Ice at Lowest Recorded Level | American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

This week on the news roundup: the Copernicus Climate Change Service reports that global sea ice fell to the lowest level ever recorded in February (1:18); Alawites in northwestern Syria have been massacred over several days (3:19) while the government and SDF cut a deal (6:49); Israel intensifies its blockade of Gaza (9:38) as the US proposes a new compromise for the Strip (10:55); Armenia and Azerbaijan look to be on the cusp of a peace agreement (14:31); the Philippines arrests former president Rodrigo Duterte on an ICC warrant (16:30); Trump and China’s Xi Jinping might hold a summit in June (19:23); the crisis in South Sudan continues to worsen (21:03); the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and M23 armed group look to hold peace talks (23:31); in Russia-Ukraine, the US and Ukraine produce a ceasefire proposal (25:15) while Russia retakes most of Kursk Oblast (29:46); Trump might be preparing to invade Panama (31:45); Canada elects a new prime minister (33:37); Trump continues to escalate the trade war (37:01); and former US national security advisor Jake Sullivan will become Harvard’s inaugural Kissinger professor of the practice of statecraft and world order (39:26).

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Daniel BessnerTwitterDaniel Bessner is an historian of US foreign relations, and cohost of American Prestige, a podcast on international affairs.


Derek DavisonDerek Davison is a writer and analyst specializing in international affairs and US foreign policy. He is the publisher of the Foreign Exchanges newsletter, cohost of the American Prestige podcast, and former editor of LobeLog.


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