12:00 PM Pacific Time: Mondays to Wednesdays
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.
How is radical memory transmitted from generation to generation? How does that transmission frequently fail — and how might it better succeed? Anthropologist and veteran radical Phil Cohen discusses the politics of remembrance and archiving, from the Sixties to the present. (Encore presentation.) Resources: Livingmaps May Day Rooms Phil Cohen, Archive That, Comrade! Left Legacies …
In the two decades following the end of the bracero program in 1964, the number of Mexicans who migrated to the U.S. without papers rose dramatically. Who were these people, why did they cross the border, and who did they leave behind in Mexico? Did migrants tend to stay permanently in the U.S., or did … Continued
We’re told that the police are imperfect, but if we make the right reforms, the bad apples will be weeded out and aggressive behavior no longer tolerated. But, as David Correia argues, what if the police are not reformable? (Encore presentation.) Resources: David Correia and Tyler Wall, Police: A Field Guide Verso, 2018
What drove the Industrial Revolution? According to conventional wisdom, it was individual innovation and unfettered private enterprise. According to Priya Satia, it was war-making, the production of firearms, and massive state intervention. The central figure in her new book is a Quaker gunmaker immersed in the rapidly transforming economy of eighteenth-century England. Priya Satia, Empire … Continued
Consumer capitalism and the focus group appear to go hand in hand. But Liza Featherstone argues that the focus group has radical origins and, in convoluted ways, points to the potential for collective input in an egalitarian society. She discusses the history of focus groups for consumer goods and electoral politics. (Encore presentation.) Resources: Liza … Continued
Half a century has elapsed since 1968, a year of globe-spanning revolt and rebellion. What ideas and principles animated the various struggles waged by students, workers, artists, and others? And in what ways can 1968 – and more generally what’s called the global 1960s – inform and inspire current struggles for social and economic justice? … Continued
The banana is a ubiquitous and comforting staple of the American kitchen, yet its history is anything but benign. And, as a documentary film illustrates, one simple fruit illuminates so much about the history of capitalism and imperialism in the Western hemisphere. We feature highlights from the film “When Banana Ruled”.
The spiritual pioneer, writer, and teacher Ram Dass on how to embrace aging, changing, and dying.
Civil rights, women’s liberation, the labor movement, battles over the environment: those struggles were fought and won by millions of people, inspired by the ideas of iconoclasts and visionaries. And KPFA was there to capture and record those struggles and the ideas that nurtured them. We’ll feature some highlights from that inspiring history, including from … Continued
The spiritual pioneer, writer, and teacher Ram Dass on how to embrace aging, changing, and dying.
There’s no question that the internet has transformed our societies in enormous ways — but sorting through how and why is much more contentious. Media expert Robert McChesney discusses the crucial element missing from our discussions of the internet: capitalism.
