Against the Grain

Secularism’s False Promise?

If the problem is religious polarization and inequality, isn’t the solution secular governance? Secularism, after all, promises the equality of citizens regardless of religious affiliation. Saba Mahmood argues that modern secular governance, contrary to its grand claims, has in fact exacerbated religious inequalities. It has also, she says, constrained our political imagination to a significant … Continued


Art Sato sits in for Horace Mansfield Jr. and airs a 1988 interview with the late, great vibist Bobby Hutcherson. The interview was conducted by Art and Horace in Bobby’s Montara home and covers his Pasadena roots, the exciting New York years, and his collaborations with giants such as Jackie McLean and Eric Dolphy.


Pushing Limits is pleased to present an interview with cultural and visual anthropologist Karen Nakamura who recently accepted the position as Haas Distinguished  Chair of Disability Studies at UC Berkeley. She is a highly-educated, skilled woman who is deeply immersed in the disability community. Dr. Nakamura, who formerly taught at Yale, will be  working on … Continued


Wildfires, large and small, have been an essential part of Western landscapes for millennia. And now a growing body of research is showing how most of the traditional fire-control methods we have been employing for nearly a century — like logging dense forests to thin them and removing dead trees so that the fire can’t … Continued