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.
Racial health disparities in the U.S. cry out for attention, but, according to Catherine Bliss, the root causes of such disparities are not being adequately investigated. Bliss contends that genetic science, although it has commandeered governmental efforts to address the racial health divide, is not committed to probing the social and structural factors that generate … Continued
Is Donald Trump a fascist? A rightwing populist? What about Marine Le Pen of the far right National Front, who received the support of a third of French voters in the last presidential election? Historian Federico Finchelstein discusses what the terms fascist and populist mean, not as abstractions, but looking at history. Resources: Federico Finchelstein, … Continued
There’s growing inequality and worker insecurity in the U.S., not to mention the escalating costs of health care as well as major threats to the environment. What should we make of these multiple, overlapping crises, and why hasn’t effective action been taken to address them? Anthony DiMaggio took up these questions and many others in … Continued
It was an epoch-making event, buoyed by hopes of human emancipation, that still shapes our notion of revolutionary change today. The Russian Revolution, which took place a hundred years ago, was born out of war and poverty, and profoundly altered the course of the 20th century. The writer China Miéville recreates those days of revolution, … Continued
When you think of dictatorship, what comes to mind? Probably a repressive state controlling what we can say and do. But acclaimed political philosopher Elizabeth Anderson argues that the word describes the workplace. She discusses how we give up most of our rights when we take a job. Resources: Elizabeth Anderson, Private Government: How Employers … Continued
Born a slave, Frederick Douglass became a leading figure in the abolitionist movement. Juliet Hooker recognizes Douglass as a democratic thinker, one who looked to Latin America for instruction and inspiration. Hooker discusses Douglass’s views toward African-American emigration, the contemplated U.S. annexation of Santo Domingo, and the Haitian Revolution. Juliet Hooker, Theorizing Race in the … Continued
What accounts for the dramatic rise of the financial sector in rich capitalist nations? How are lenders and associated institutions profiting off people’s use of credit cards, mortgages, and other forms of credit? Ivan Ascher sees certain parallels between the exploitation of workers in the era of factory production and the exploitation of people desperately … Continued
Did Lincoln free the slaves? Or did they just as much free themselves? And what were the ramifications of their seemingly impossible achievement — immediate and uncompensated emancipation — for other oppressed groups? Historian David Roediger discusses that revolutionary period in U.S. history — and the consequences of its failure today. Resources: David R. … Continued
You show up when you weren’t called. The call wasn’t meant for you, but you show up anyway, and you join with others to disrupt the status quo and even, perhaps, bring down a regime. James Martel calls this phenomenon “misinterpellation”; he contends that it’s a principal way that radical change happens in today’s world. … Continued
It’s stating the obvious to observe that vaccination in the United States is a highly charged subject. But the heat of the controversies, as historian Elena Conis argues, obscures how vaccination — which has saved many lives when used against deadly illnesses — became so widespread, including for milder diseases. Conis discusses the cultural, political, … Continued
