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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.
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. Resources: Pratap Chatterjee and Khalil, Verax: The … Continued
Why was neoliberalism devised and introduced? What impact did the so-called Third World debt crisis have on poorer countries? Why have capitalists gone on what Vijay Prashad calls an investment strike? The historian, journalist, and author connects the dots in a new working document entitled “In the Ruins of the Present.” Resources: Tricontinental: Institute for … 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? Resources: David Correia and Tyler Wall, Police: A Field Guide Verso, 2018
Addressing mass incarceration and repressive policing in the U.S. is a daunting task. Jonathan Simon believes that invoking human dignity, and the need to respect dignity, can fuel efforts to change the direction of the carceral state. Sharon Dolovich and Alexandra Natapoff, eds., The New Criminal Justice Thinking NYU Press, 2017 Jonathan Simon, Mass Incarceration … Continued
What can Star Trek tell us about life after capitalism? Peter Frase discusses four possible futures in a world where workers are increasingly being replaced by machines — ranging from communist and socialist societies to ones in which workers are literally disposable. Resources: Peter Frase, Four Futures: Life After Capitalism Verso, 2014
Richard Lichtman (1931-2018) was a social theorist, philosopher, teacher, and writer. Based at the Wright Institute in Berkeley since the late 1970s, Lichtman spent many years studying and lecturing on Marxist theory. His book “The Production of Desire” was an effort to bring together the ideas of Marx and Freud. In “Dying in America,” Lichtman … Continued
Given the disparities between the lifespans of whites, African Americans, Native Americans and other groups, it might seem to be sensible to gear medicine along racial lines. But sociologist Leslie Hinkson argues that it represents a dangerous turn in science and healthcare. She discusses race, biology, and debt. Resources: Nadine Ehlers and Leslie R. Hinkson … Continued
Can we understand gender relations in today’s neoliberal world without understanding colonialism? As Raka Ray points out, colonialism put in place new understandings about gender and gender relations, many of which continue to affect how people in countries like India think and interact and are governed. Colonialism and its legacies have also influenced how feminists … Continued
The cowboy is a mythified character in American society, conjuring up rugged individualism and masculine brawn, values dear to American capitalism. But historian Mark Lause suggests that when we think of the cowboy, we should think of a precarious wage worker. Resources: Mark A. Lause, The Great Cowboy Strike: Bullets, Ballots and Class Conflicts in … Continued
Whether the U.S. is in or out of the Paris Climate Accord, woefully little has been done to stop global warming. Geoff Mann argues that the most serious effects from climate change won’t only be ecology, but also political. He discusses what possible political orders may take hold from the disruptions caused by a heating … Continued
