12:00 PM Pacific Time: Mondays to Wednesdays
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.
Inside the Maquiladoras. Workers at the assembly plants in Mexico known as maquiladoras face many challenges: low wages, monotonous tasks, management demands, and an unsolved crime wave known as the Maquiladora Murders. Anthropologist Devon Pena is interested in the murders’ social context; he’s also examined worker resistance within the maquilas. (Encore presentation.)
Chasing Che. He’s a revolutionary hero and a cultural icon, but who was Ernesto "Che" Guevara, really? His early travels have been chronicled in the film The Motorcycle Diaries; Che’s entire life is the subject of a book entitled The Che Handbook. Co-author Gareth Jenkins describes Che’s adventures, his ideas, and his enormous appeal.
The Road to Post Capitalism II. How should the left integrate immediate, daily struggles with the long term goal of systemic change? Can the left come up with a coherent understanding of electoral politics? How can we change the culture around us? These are some questions that Vijay Prashad and Robin D.G. Kelley addressed at … Continued
Resisting Colonization. The current occupation of Iraq is only the latest attempt by Western imperial powers to dominate the region, according to Tariq Ali. The acclaimed political analyst, novelist, film maker, and author of Bush in Babylon, spoke earlier this year about the history of colonization and resistance in Iraq.
Despair Not! Times are tough. There’s war and destruction all around us. Nonetheless, says activist and author Rebecca Solnit, the future is uncertain, and hope can get us through hard times and inspire us to struggle and persist. In Hope in the Dark, she also points to the dangers of perfectionism, rigid agendas, narrow definitions … Continued
The Road to Post-Capitalism What might life look like in a post-capitalist world? That was the subject of a conference held recently in New York. Michael Albert spoke about what the left should work towards, while Naomi Klein talked about death under capitalism — the US occupation of Iraq and what the anti-war movement in … Continued
Waking from a Dream. What if we are all living an illusion? What if the frenetic, anxious way we pass our days, grasping at things, pursuing this or that, is nothing more than a form of self-deception? In his book Reality, Peter Kingsley finds in the roots of Western civilization an invitation to participate in … Continued
The Politics of Self-Delusion. Why are so many working class and poor Americans on the right when it goes against their economic interests? Thomas Frank argues that blue collar people have been mobilized against abortion, gun control, prayer in school, and a number of other issues directed at the "liberal elite," while the pro-business agenda … Continued
Why is a discussion of race and race-related issues largely absent from this election year’s national dialogue? Political scientist Robert Smith, an expert on African American politics, shares his observations. And Jamala Rogers, national organizer for the Black Radical Congress, talks about the keys to advancing a progressive black agenda.
A conversation about misrepresentations of Arabs and Iranians in Western art and the alternative perspectives found in the work of contemporary Middle Eastern and North African arts.
