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.
Frida Kahlo’s life and work are world famous — yet what has become of the Mexican artist’s radical politics? Art historian Margaret A. Lindauer argues that Kahlo’s artistic legacy has been done a disservice by those who would read the painter’s works off her personal life, instead of looking at the complex intellectual and political … Continued
Giving primacy to Reason often reflects a belief that discursive thought and scientific knowledge put humans on a trajectory of progress and improvement. Friedrich Nietzsche and Max Stirner called all of that into question. According to Joaquin Pedroso, the two iconoclasts pointed toward an anti-authoritarianism of the intellect that anarchists and others should take seriously. … Continued
It seems logical: if you don’t have enough education your economic prospects will be diminished, while those who have a lot are able to succeed in our purportedly knowledge-based economy. But what if that’s only partially accurate? John Marsh posits that economic inequality and poverty are not causally connected to differing levels of education. He … Continued
How foundational are violence and coercion to Western sovereign authority? According to Giorgio Agamben, states of emergency have become not the exception but the rule, and the individual has been reduced by state power to “bare life” to an alarming degree. Adam Kotsko explains and interprets the Italian theorist’s influential ideas. For more details and … Continued
Peter Linebaugh, best known for tracing the history of the commons and of commoning practices, calls Thomas Paine “a planetary revolutionary.” He has found in Paine’s lesser-known works radical critiques of inequality and authoritarianism and even the system of money wages. Many lessons for our time, Linebaugh argues, can be drawn from Paine’s writings and … 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.
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.
A. Philip Randolph famously led the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, but he did much more than that. Eric Arnesen traces Randolph’s emergence as a militant socialist at a time when few Blacks were attracted to the Socialist Party and its emphasis on class. Arnesen also discusses Randolph’s relationship with Eugene Debs and W. E. B. … Continued
The effects of human-generated climate change have become ever more visible, from droughts to raging wildfires to floods and superstorms. So are we now living in a new geological epoch? Jason W. Moore argues against the notion of the Anthropocene — or the age of humans — in understanding global warming. He posits that we should instead … Continued
People with criminal records are, too often, written off by society. Is that fair, asks Emily Baxter, given that we’ve all violated the law at one time or another? Baxter’s project collects and disseminates the stories of crimes people got away with, often because of their class or race privilege. For more details and higher-quality … Continued
