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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.
Global Justice Now. The global justice movement burst onto the radar screen of mainstream politicians and media with the protests against the WTO in 1999, but the networks of opposition to corporate capitalism were put in place long before Seattle — and continue to grow. The Notes from Nowhere collective has managed to give a … Continued
Life After Capitalism. We Leftists spend most of our time asserting what we’re against, but very little time thinking about what we’re for. At a World Social Forum panel last month, Michael Albert addressed the question: what might life look like after capitalism? He envisions a system of participatory economics, or parecon, in which workers … Continued
Philosophy teacher Gus Kostas Bagakis believes that an action-oriented class analysis should inform efforts to make the world a better place. Class-based structures and inequities are also important to speakers at the Marxism and the World Stage Conference, including Richard Wolff, Amitava Kumar and Joseph Buttigieg.
Sometimes it’s good to laugh. British satirist John O’Farrell has the talent of making us laugh, while exploring otherwise serious social and political issues. In his new book, O’Farrell takes aim at Dubya’s intelligence, corporate behavior, technology’s impact, US foreign policy, and much more.
Women and War. At a World Social Forum plenary titled "Wars Against Women, Women Against War," eminent feminists from the global South spoke out against the daily struggles that women face in times of both war and peace. Among them were Booker Prize-winning author Arundhati Roy and Egyptian writer and former political prisoner Nawal el- … Continued
The California energy crisis, which jacked up electricity prices and produced rolling blackouts, was blamed at the time on environmental standards and other red herrings. Resource economist Eugene Coyle argues that deregulation was the root cause of the debacle. He believes that it’s time to lay to rest the notion that the unfettered market benefits … Continued
A look at the impacts of urban development and environmental activism on urban creeks and watersheds in the Bay Area.
Speeches by Left luminaries at a World Social Forum panel on "Instruments of Imperialism: War, Finance, and Trade".
Same-Sex Partners Under Fire. Gay marriage may become an ugly wedge issue in this year’s elections. But GLBT activists aren’t just pushing for state-sanctioned weddings; many also want the gay- unfriendly US immigration laws changed. Scholar Ann Pellegrini, Immigration Equality’s Adam Francoeur, and immigrant Marta Donayre, now an activist, critique current policy.
At the World Social Forum in Mumbai, India, activists gathered to strategize about the relationship between war-mongering and the global expansion of capital. Walden Bello, Boris Kagarlitsky, Rania Masri and Ji Giles Ungpakorn spoke about the links between corporate power and the occupation of Iraq, the demise of the neoliberal project and the rise of … Continued
