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.
Our world is replete with problems, calling out for repair and change. Silicon Valley entrepreneurs have solutions at the ready – tech fixes and innovations that they claim will make a difference. Scholar Julie Guthman discusses the problem with such solutions, and the mindset that has permeated institutions of higher learning which reward the development … Continued
No one escapes trauma or avoids stress. But what happens to our ability to imagine and pursue justice when individual and collective trauma goes unaddressed? Hala Khouri lays out a framework for understanding trauma; she also points to the important role that embodied practices can play in processes of healing and self-care. Tessa Hicks Peterson … Continued
A large segment of Americans now find work via online labor market platforms — not just low-wage drivers for Uber, but highly educated lawyers and architects, software engineers and data scientists. Sociologist of work and technology Hatim Rahman discusses the ways that algorithms are used to control these workers, intentionally keeping them constantly off guard. … Continued
Of what use is utopian thinking? Is hope something we need to cultivate, or rediscover? Jon Greenaway looks at how the German philosopher Ernst Bloch (1885-1977) thought about history, human consciousness, revolution, Marxism, religion, and fascism. (Encore presentation.) Jon Greenaway, A Primer on Utopian Philosophy: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Ernst Bloch ZerO Books, 2024 Mat … Continued
The pandemic highlighted the vital importance of care work—whether childcare, nursing home care, medical care or schooling – and the struggles many people face to get sufficient care. Would more public investment solve the crisis? Historian Premilla Nadasen argues that the problem lies with contemporary capitalism itself, as care has become an enormous arena for … Continued
What happened to California’s prisons and jails when the Covid pandemic struck? Why did so many people die behind bars, and why were so many on the outside affected (and afflicted)? Hadar Aviram sheds light on multiple aspects of California’s Covid-19 correctional disaster, including activist efforts to prevent it. (Encore presentation.) Hadar Aviram and Chad Goerzen, Fester: … Continued
Economic inequality in the United States is vast and unyielding. Despite much fanfare about tight labor markets and wage growth, the top 1% own more wealth than the entire middle 60% of households by income. How did we get here? Historian Steve Fraser discusses capitalism, class, and our new gilded age.
How did residents of shack settlements in South African cities like Durban become a formidable political force? Yousuf Al-Bulushi lays out the operating principles, goals, and methods of Abahlali, one of the most well-known radical formations in all of Africa. Yousuf Al-Bulushi, Ruptures in the Afterlife of the Apartheid City Palgrave Macmillan, 2024 (Image on … Continued
While it would seem like the crisis of the political establishment would provide fertile ground for the left, instead we have seen the ascendancy of right-wing figures around the world, who denounce the establishment while shoring up the capitalist order. Often these figures are businessmen like Donald Trump and Silvio Berlusconi, who position themselves outside … Continued
Are countries like India and South Africa still committed to coal extraction? What plans are afoot to make a just transition to renewable power? Ashley Dawson describes and evaluates struggles against extractivism and for publicly owned and democratically managed renewable energy. (Encore presentation.) Ashley Dawson, Environmentalism from Below: How Global People’s Movements Are Leading the Fight for … Continued
