1869, Ep. 73 with James Bradford, author of Poppies, Politics, and Power

1869, the Cornell University Press Podcast

This episode we speak with James Bradford, author of the new book Poppies, Politics, and Power: Afghanistan and the Global History of Drugs and Diplomacy. James Bradford is Assistant Professor of History at Berklee College of Music, and Adjunct Lecturer at Babson College. He has published in the Journal of Iranian Studies, Oxford University Handbook of Drug History, and Illegal Cannabis Cultivation in the World. Follow James at We spoke to James about the long history of opium production in Afghanistan, how western tourists and hippies in the 1960s helped expand Afghanistan’s global trafficking networks, and why drug control has been fundamental in shaping the conditions of statelessness and lawlessness that we now see in Afghanistan today. As a loyal listener to the podcast we’d like to offer you a special 30% discount on James Bradford's new book. To receive your discount please go to cornellpress.cornell.edu and use the promo code 09POD. If you live in the UK use the discount code CSANNOUNCE and visit the website combinedacademic.co.uk.