12:00 PM Pacific Time: Mondays to 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.
What do neoliberal policies and institutions do to people’s ability to care well for others? According to Sarah Clark Miller, caregivers experience moral precarity and moral injury, brought on by the fact that they can’t care for loved ones in ways that are consistent with their ethical principles. (Encore presentation.) Maurice Hamington and Michael Flower, eds., Care … Continued
Insights from two scholars who had books published in 2023: Thomas Wheatland, discussing his rereleased book about the Frankfurt School, the influential grouping of radical thinkers that included Herbert Marcuse and Walter Benjamin, and Juliet Hooker, expounding on aspects of her new book about race relations and political loss that weren’t addressed in last month’s … Continued
Advancements in science are seen as symbols of human progress, but science has frequently served deadly ends. Historian Clifford Conner discusses how scientific research in the United States is deeply enmeshed with the military, and considers the purpose of trillions of dollars of spending on the military. (Encore presentation.) Resources: Clifford D. Conner, The Tragedy … Continued
Urban renewal processes and projects have wreaked havoc on many communities of color. Lindsey Dillon reveals how Black San Franciscans have responded to exclusionary forms of development and, more specifically, how Hunters Point residents worked to establish community control over how their neighborhood was redesigned and rebuilt. Camilla Hawthorne and Jovan Scott Lewis, eds., The … Continued
That these are intensely difficult times is stating the obvious. It’s hard to quantify the impact of social stress and political turmoil on our collective psyche, but we all know it’s real. The acclaimed Canadian physician and Marxist Gabor Maté illuminates how stress and trauma damage our lives and our bodies– making us alienated, sick, … Continued
A new interview with Sharon Salzberg about her new book “Finding Your Way: Meditations, Thoughts, and Wisdom for Living an Authentic Life.”
The rise of the far right has been one of the most alarming developments of the last few years, exercising a gravitational pull on much of American politics. Liberal critics often chalk up the appeal of the right to the irrationalism of the downtrodden. But writer Naomi Klein argues that the populist right is, in … Continued
World-renowned teacher Sharon Salzberg talks about her book “Real Happiness: A 28-Day Program to Realize the Power of Meditation.”
Frank Luntz thinks that Israel has a public relations problem in the United States, which may seem surprising given that until recently a majority of Americans have favored Israel’s actions against the Palestinians. The rightwing spin doctor, a longtime advisor to Israel on how to shape American public opinion, believes that such longstanding support is … Continued
How did the influential scholar Cedric Robinson understand black radicalism and global capitalism? Yousuf Al-Bulushi has written about what he sees as several constituent elements of the Robinsonian black radical tradition, including an appreciation of culture (which pushes back against Marxism’s materialism) and a critique of state-based models of self-determination. Al-Bulushi also considers Robinson’s engagement with … Continued
