Conflicted: A History Podcast
Untangling history’s greatest controversies. Every month, we take a hard look at the historical conflicts that raise difficult questions, stoke controversy, and send our moral compasses spinning.
Gore: The Brutal History of Bullfighting
Some revere it as an art form, others revile it as a blood sport, but no matter where you stand, few traditions stir up strong emotions quite like the centuries-old ritual of bullfighting. Born in the villages of rural Spain, refined in the crowded arenas of Seville, and fetishized by wandering aficionados like Ernest Hemingway, the “corrida de toros” holds a special place not only in Spanish cultural life but in human history. Beneath the pomp and pageantry, will we find senseless animal cruelty? Or a transcendent reflection on the human condition?
SOURCES:
Bailey, C. (2007). “Africa Begins at the Pyrenees”: Moral Outrage, Hypocrisy, and the Spanish Bullfight. Ethics and the Environment.
Bentley, Logan. (1962). “What The Horns Couldn’t Do”. Sports Illustrated.
Colenutt, Mark. Spanish Bull: A Provocative Guide to Bullfighting. 2014.
Conrad, Barnaby. The Death of Manolete. 1958.
Dozier, Thomas. (1955) “The One Who Lived”. Sports Illustrated.
Gamado, Ignacio. Discovering the World of Bullfighting. 2021.
Hardouin-Fugier, Elisabeth. Bullfighting: A Troubled History. 2010.
Hemingway, Ernest. Death in the Afternoon. 1932
Kennedy, A.L.: On Bullfighting. 1999.
McCormick, John. Bullfighting: Art, Technique & Spanish Society. 1998
Mitchell, Timothy. Blood Sport: A Social History of Spanish Bullfighting. 1991.
Ribezzo, Viviana. Adresi, Marta. The Corrida: The History of Bullfighting from its Origins to Present Day. 2018.
Tauromaquia. Jaime Alekos. 2017.
Tynan, Kenneth. (1955) “The Death of Manolete”. The Paris Review
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Podcast Episodes
The Partition of India – Part 3: A Tryst With Destiny
It’s 1947. After many long years of struggle, India is about to gain its independence from the British Empire. But freedom will come at a cost. To facilitate the handover of power, the Crown sends Lord Louis Mountbatten…
The Partition of India – Part 2: Two Blind Eyes
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The Partition of India – Part 1: End of Empire
In the summer of 1947, the British Raj relinquished its hold over the Indian subcontinent. In its wake, two new nations were created: India and Pakistan. The hastily-drawn border between the countries slashed through com…
Human Error: The Destruction of KAL Flight 007
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Ghosts in the Mountains: The Mujahideen Civil War (Part 4)
It’s 1992. The 40th Army is long gone and the Soviet Union has collapsed, but war still rages across Afghanistan. As the Afghan communist regime crumbles, Ahmed Shah Massoud and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar’s forces clash in Kabu…
Ghosts in the Mountains: The Soviet-Afghan War – Part 3
As the CIA wages a covert proxy war against the Soviet 40th Army, the Mujahideen are showered with billions of dollars and cutting-edge weaponry. An old animosity between two prominent Mujahideen commanders – Ahmed Shah…
