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.
Adam Smith is regarded as the father of the free market, based on the notion that if we follow our self-interest without the intervention of governments, it will lead to the best possible outcome. But his moral philosophy has been forgotten or discarded by his supposed disciples. A documentary series, which features the likes of … Continued
A radio and web media project whose aim is to provide in-depth analysis and commentary on a variety of matters — political, economic, social and cultural — important to progressive and radical thinking and activism.
Since its inception, one of the main preoccupations of the Federal Bureau of Investigation has been black rebellion. From the early days of the Harlem Renaissance until at least J. Edgar Hoover’s death in 1972, the FBI has had a fascinated fear of African American literature. William J. Maxwell discusses how the FBI extensively surveilled … Continued
Part Two of the interview with Fred Block about Malthusianism old and new (the first part is here), plus Nicolas Lampert discusses the intersection of art and social movement activism in the U.S. Fred Block and Margaret Somers, The Power of Market Fundamentalism: Karl Polanyi’s Critique Harvard University Press, 2016 Nicolas Lampert, A People’s Art … Continued
Is it true what many theorists are saying, that the line between work and the rest of life is blurring? Barbara Ellen Smith and Jamie Winders suggest that there’s a class bias to that claim; they contend, in the volume Precarious Worlds, that for millions of low-wage workers, the line is in fact getting more … Continued
He was a trailblazing critic of imperialism, but chances are you’ve never heard his name. The radical Japanese journalist Kotoku Shusui, who moved from socialism to anarchism, wrote a seminal critique of imperialism — before Hobson and Lenin — and led the movement against empire in Japan. Robert Tierney discusses Kotoku, his classic work Imperialism, … Continued
The idea that human society and markets are self-regulating, and that therefore political intervention to address poverty and equality is wrong-headed, has taken over the political landscape. Fred Block shows how that idea, advanced by T. R. Malthus and much later by Charles Murray, has pushed governments to abandon safety-net protections. Fred Block and Margaret … Continued
For Americans who are concerned about the ways that big agribusiness grows our food—whether it’s the pesticides in vegetables, the ecological impact of food being shipped around the country, or the tastelessness of much mass produced food—local food production on family farms seems like a holistic alternative. But, as political scientist Margaret Gray argues, there’s … Continued
What happened in Cuba after 1959 wasn’t only Fidel Castro’s rise and the political maneuverings of a revolutionary government. There was also a fundamental transformation in culture and cultural production. Rebecca Gordon-Nesbitt describes how cultural work was harnessed to the project of building a new society.
Children are being diagnosed with increasing rates of autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and bipolar disorder. Theories abound about the spike in these conditions. But what if the root problem is, in fact, a society that medicalizes normal childhood behavior? Clinical psychologist Enrico Gnaulati makes such a claim. He discusses kids, psychiatric diagnoses, and the … Continued
