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 produced and hosted by Sasha Lilley.
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
Diversity is measured in large part by the presence or absence of people belonging to one ethnoracial category (Black, Hispanic, etc.) or another. But do those long-standing categories still make sense, given intragroup differences, immigration to the U.S., and race-mixing? David Hollinger thinks that if the goal of anti-discrimination policy is to match reward conferred … Continued
What can Hinduism’s meditative traditions offer to movements for social change? In especially Tantric principles Farah Godrej finds resources for challenging gender, class/caste, and other hierarchies. Of particular significance, in Godrej’s view, is Tantra’s rejection of the matter/spirit dualism that pervades orthodox Hindu philosophical systems. (Encore presentation.) Farah Godrej, “Orthodoxy and Dissent in Hinduism’s Meditative … Continued
From at least the Haitian Revolution to the present, black and brown people in the Western Hemisphere have linked arms in solidarity with each other. Historian Paul Ortiz discusses how we can’t understand the United States and its past without looking beyond its borders. Resources: Paul Ortiz, An African American and Latinx History of the … 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
America’s unique place in the world, the dream of prosperity for the hardworking — these are some of the myths that the United States has told about itself, but which critic Eric Cheyfitz argues are now fraying. He discusses the role of ideology in the U.S., from the American Revolution to the present, and why … Continued
