Dr. Ibram X. Kendi: The Rise of Great Replacement Theory | w/ Dr. Ed Hasan

In this episode of the Sumud Podcast, Dr. Ed Hasan sits down with renowned historian and antiracist scholar Dr. Ibram X. Kendi to discuss his latest book" Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age" and the dangerous ideologies shaping politics and conflict around the world. Dr. Kendi breaks down how Great Replacement Theory has evolved into a powerful global narrative used to justify racism, authoritarianism, and violence. The conversation explores how these ideas connect movements across countries and how similar narratives have been used to frame conflicts, including the ongoing tragedy in Palestine, revealing the ways propaganda and fear-based politics can dehumanize entire populations and rationalize oppression.

Dr. Ibram X. Kendi is one of the world’s foremost historians of racism and a leading antiracist scholar. He is the Carter G. Woodson Endowed Chair at Howard University and the founding director of the Howard University Institute for Advanced Study, an interdisciplinary research enterprise examining global racism. Dr. Kendi is the author of numerous critically acclaimed and bestselling books, including Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, which won the National Book Award for Nonfiction, and the international bestseller How to Be an Antiracist. His newest book, Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age, examines how modern authoritarian movements are connected through shared ideologies rooted in historical racism. His work has been translated across the Americas, Africa, Europe, and Asia, and Time Magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. He is also the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, widely known as the “Genius Grant.”

In this conversation, we explore:
-What Great Replacement Theory is and how it became a dominant political narrative
-How racist ideologies evolve and adapt across different countries and movements
-The concept of “genocide theory” and how it can be used to justify mass violence
-The connections between propaganda, politics, and global authoritarian movements
-How narratives of demographic fear are used to mobilize political power
-Why Palestine appears prominently in Dr. Kendi’s research on modern political propaganda
-The role of scholars and journalists in confronting misinformation and propaganda
-The global networks of politicians, financiers, and influencers spreading these ideas
-How solidarity across communities can challenge racism and authoritarianism

Director: Dr. Ed Hasan | 2026