Fund Drive Special: The Doctrine of Discovery
A look at the doctrine of discovery, a set of concepts and principles used to justify the domination and dehumanization of indigenous people.
Against the Grain
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.
Fund Drive Special: Football, Militarism, and Dissent
Football is the most popular sport in the United States and the NFL its the most influential sports league. A documentary, featuring sports writer Dave Zirin, examines the ways that the NFL has used the cache of football and black culture to effectively sell support for U.S. militarism, reactionary notions of manhood, and to shore … Continued
Fund Drive Special: The Doctrine of Discovery
A documentary film called “The Doctrine of Discovery” sheds light on a set of concepts and principles used to justify the domination and dehumanization of indigenous people in the Americas.
How many thinkers come to mind who combine medical training, first-hand experience of dealing with some of society’s most abused members, such as drug addicts, and a deep familiarity with the ideas of Karl Marx? Gabor Mate draws from his remarkable background and radical commitments to provide us with tremendous insights into the maladies that … Continued
The fortunes of DDT, the synthetic pesticide which infamously devastated bird populations in the United States, rose and fell during the 20th century, and rose again in the 21st century, driven by a campaign by Big Tobacco to sew uncertainty about what can be known. Historian of medicine Elena Conis discusses the trajectory and afterlife … Continued
Part Two of our interview with Michael Burawoy about W. E. B. Du Bois’s political trajectory, and about Burawoy’s latest book. Also: a conversation with David Harris (1946-2023) from our archives about his legendary antiwar activism. Michael Burawoy, Public Sociology Polity, 2021 Aldon Morris et al., eds., The Oxford Handbook of W. E. B. Du … Continued
What stances did the renowned sociologist and historian W. E. B. Du Bois take toward race and class? And how and why did his convictions change over time? According to Michael Burawoy, Du Bois moved from a phenomenology of racism to a Black Marxism, a shift that culminated in Du Bois’s book on the Civil … Continued
The world seems in dismal shape and only set to get worse. And capitalism appears to be the only option, spinning us further and further out of control. But Danny Dorling argues that if you take the longer view, stepping back and looking at measures like the rate of economic growth, innovation, debt, population growth, … Continued
It’s been described at the most turbulent period of global class struggle in history — the turn of the 20th century when revolutionaries around the world found common cause against capital and empire. Christina Heatherton discusses the revolutionary internationalism swirling around the Mexican Revolution and the remarkable intersection of radicals at that time. (Encore presentation.) … Continued
Financialization & Student Anxiety
Various explanations have been offered for what’s been called an anxiety epidemic among university students, but Aris Komporozos-Athanasiou believes a crucial causal factor is financialization, the way the financial sector and its logic has permeated our social, economic, and individual lives. He sees signs of optimism in the proliferation of student mobilizations around the issue of … Continued