Teaser - Born in Flames w/ Bench Ansfield (11/03/25)

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4.8 • 588 Ratings

🗓️ 3 November 2025

⏱️ 19 minutes

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Summary

Subscribe on Patreon and hear this week's full patron-exclusive episode here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/142681697 Beatrice and Tracy speak with Bench Ansfield about their new book charting the rise of the FIRE economy (finance, insurance, real estate) in the 1970s and how this new evolution of racial capitalism led landlords to set fire to their own buildings in the Bronx and throughout the US, placing the blame on—and pathologizing—the very tenants they were dispossessing. Find Bench's book, Born in Flames: The Business of Arson and the Remaking of the American City, here: https://bookshop.org/a/118130/9781324093510 Runtime 1:22:49 After many, many requests we're testing out a new Bookshop.org page (still under construction), where you can find books by past guests and book recommendations from the hosts. Find it here: https://bookshop.org/shop/deathpanel Show links: Get Health Communism here: https://bookshop.org/a/118130/9781839765179 Find Tracy's book Abolish Rent here: https://bookshop.org/a/118130/9798888902523

Transcript

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0:00.0	To hear the full episode, become a patron at patrian.com slash death panel pod.
0:06.4	Welcome to the death panel.
0:08.1	Patrons, thank you so much for supporting the show.
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0:22.4	death panel pod.
0:23.8	And to help us out some more, share the show with your friends, post about your favorite
0:27.6	episodes, pick up copies of health communism, a short history of trans misogyny, and abolish
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0:37.2	Death Panel underscore.
0:39.0	I'm Beatrice Alder Bolton and today I'm here with my co-host, Tracy Rosenthal.
0:42.6	Hello.
0:43.5	And we're really excited and honored to be joined by our guest, Bench Ansfield, to talk about
0:47.8	their new book.
0:48.9	Bench is a historian of racial capitalism, the carceral state, and 20th century U.S. cities.
0:55.0	They are an assistant professor of history at Temple University, and their book, which we're talking about today,
0:59.0	is called Born in Flames, the Business of Arson, and the Remaking of the American City, and it was
1:03.8	published by W. W. W. Norton in August of 2025. Bench, welcome to the death panel. Thank you so much.
1:10.4	It's really good to be here. I'm such an
1:12.2	admirer of both of you. I'm really excited to get into it with you. I'm so excited to have you
1:18.4	here today, Bench. I've been eagerly anticipating reading this book for literally years now,
	...

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