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In-depth analysis and commentary on a variety of matters — political, economic, social, and cultural — important to progressive and radical thinking and activism. Against the Grain is co-produced and co-hosted by Sasha Lilley and C.S. Soong.
Anti-union activists of the Progressive Era propagated a number of arguments that still resonate around the U.S. today. In his book Reform or Repression, Chad Pearson describes this influential group of employers, activists, and their allies. The story of one Southern activist, N.F. Thompson, reveals connections between racial violence and anti-union activism.
Bernie Sanders, the self-styled democratic socialist from Vermont, catalyzed the discontent of many Americans with economic inequality and injustice — and with the mainstream of the Democratic Party, which has presided over neoliberalism. However, Jeffrey St. Clair argues, Sanders not only butted up against the formidable Clinton machine, but was hobbled by his own political … Continued
At this year’s annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, three prominent scholar-activists spoke about power and resistance. Walden Bello addressed the structural power of banks and, more generally, finance capital. Kimberlé Crenshaw pointed to the targeting by police of Black women. And Mariame Kaba described police torture in Chicago, and a successful push for … Continued
Political decolonization was one of the signal events of the twentieth century, but according to Michael Denning, it was prefigured by the decolonization of the ear. The cultural historian discusses the moment in the late 1920s when insurgent sounds swept the globe, spurring resistance to empire, and shaping the place of music in our lives … Continued
Excerpts of the Pacifica Radio Archives’ Allan Watts Collection and the documentary “Why Not Now?”
A radio and web media project whose aim is to provide in-depth analysis and commentary on a variety of matters — political, economic, social and cultural — important to progressive and radical thinking and activism.
Marshall Rosenberg lays out the basics of Nonviolent Communication, the method he developed for connecting compassionately with others.
The U.S. is living through another Gilded Age, characterized by extreme social inequality and very few protections for workers. But the Gilded Age of the late 19th century was marked by intense class struggle from below, whereas until recently, there has been little in the way of organized opposition to the forces of wealth and … Continued
Psychologist Marshall Rosenberg pioneered a process of connecting with others called Nonviolent Communication.
In 1871, the lower classes of the city of Paris rose up and established a worker-run government. They flew the red flag, championed the rights of women, and separated church and state. The Paris Commune had little time to put into place many of the Communards’ ideals before it was violently crushed by the French … Continued
What stage of capitalism are we in, and what processes of commodification are associated with it? Michael Burawoy isn’t fond of the term “neoliberalism”; he thinks we’re experiencing the third wave of marketization. Burawoy draws upon the ideas of Karl Polanyi and others to examine the past and evaluate the present. American Sociological Association