12:00 PM Pacific Time: Mondays - Wednesdays
Acclaimed program of ideas, 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.
I.F. Stone was one of the greatest American journalists of the 20th century. His newsletter I. F. Stone’s Weekly, which he published from 1953 to 1971, was guided by the idea that journalists must defend the weak against the strong and always challenge authority. And while Stone’s legacy has largely been ignored by the mainstream, … Continued
What did anarchism and Marxism look like in the nineteenth century, and in the years leading up to the Russian Revolution? Were Marxists and anarchists always at loggerheads? And how did the Bolshevik Revolution affect the dynamics and development of these two great idea systems? Anthony D’Agostino weighs in on these and other questions. Anthony … Continued
Fear is a central part of American life — and has been so at least since the early Cold War, according to historian Elaine Tyler May. She argues that while there are many things that Americans should be deeply concerned about, including climate change and vast wealth inequality, we are obsessed with threats like crime, … Continued
What did the CIA do in the arena of literature? What did literary modernism have to do with colonialism? And how and why have foundations actively collaborated with U.S. intelligence agencies? Juliana Spahr considers the impact of politics and cultural diplomacy on literary production and on the ability of certain writers to achieve canonical status. … Continued
Half a century ago, revolt broke out around the world, making the year 1968 synonymous with left-wing rebellion. In France, students and workers paralyzed the country during a heady month of massive wildcat strikes and factory occupations, during which the government feared it would be toppled. Donald Nicholson-Smith discusses May ’68 and the Situationist ideas … Continued
Open any world history book and you’ll read that the Neolithic Revolution was the key turning point in human history, when hunter gatherers gave up roaming in small egalitarian tribes and settled down to farm. Out of that, civilization was born, with all the benefits and ills connected to it: the rise of cities, the … Continued
What happens when financial markets take over, when Uberization replaces traditional employment, and when credit ratings become crucial to the well-being of people and governments? According to Michel Feher, these transformations have affected labor markets, the promises governments make to their citizens, and opportunities and arenas for social struggle. Michel Feher, Rated Agency: Investee Politics … Continued
In 2013, Edward Snowden’s revelations of mass surveillance by the National Security Agency pointed to spying on a mind-bending scale. Journalist Pratap Chatterjee weights in on the connection between that mass data collection and drone warfare – and the state of surveillance and drone attacks five years on. (Encore presentation.) Resources: Pratap Chatterjee and Khalil, … Continued
“Revolution in the Air” author Max Elbaum gave a talk about radical left organizing in the 1960s and ’70s and lessons for today. Rachel Herzing and Isaac Ontiveros co-direct the Center for Political Education, which works, via the dissemination of theoretical and historical insights, to inform and inspire people and organizations on the left. CPE’s … Continued
Was the post-9/11 use of torture by U.S. personnel unprecedented, as many have claimed? Alexa Koenig reveals that in the early decades of the twentieth century, police in the U.S. routinely employed torture during interrogations. Koenig draws parallels between those abuses, which were part of a cluster of practices known as “the third degree,” and … Continued
