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.
Racism is finally getting the attention it deserves, including the violence that people of color experience at the hands of the police. But can contemporary racism be understood outside of capitalism? Historian Touré Reed argues against artificially separating race from class — what he terms race reductionism. Resources: Touré F. Reed, Toward Freedom The Case … Continued
“Countering violent extremism” is a U.S. government program aimed at combatting homegrown terrorism. It enlists teachers, service providers, and religious leaders to monitor and report on young people deemed vulnerable to terrorist radicalization. But according to Nicole Nguyen, CVE asks teachers and others to take on policing functions and criminalizes Muslim youth. Nicole Nguyen, Suspect Communities: … Continued
Leo Panitch, the great Marxist political economist, was one of the many losses we have suffered from the coronavirus. His frequent collaborator and lifelong friend Sam Gindin reflects on the enormous contributions that Leo Panitch made to a radical understanding of the state and capitalism on a global scale, as well as the limits of … Continued
What stands in the way of the urgently needed transition to clean energy? What is energy democracy, and what role should it play in the struggle against fossil capitalism? According to Ashley Dawson, a decisive shift toward renewable energy is impossible without a collective struggle to take control of the grid. He says much can … Continued
Trusted, impartial and independent? Or largely unaccountable and part of the Establishment? Sociologist Tom Mills considers the evidence on the enormously influential British Broadcasting Corporation or BBC, which is much revered by progressives in the United States and elsewhere. Resources: Tom Mills, The BBC: Myth of a Public Service Verso, 2020
Healthcare under capitalism can involve expensive visits to trained professionals. What would a system of peer-to-peer caregiving outside the cash nexus look like? Inspired by models developed in Greek solidarity clinics, Cassie Thornton has devised a radical new approach, one that involves three people focusing on the physical, mental, and social health of a fourth … Continued
After the disaster of Donald Trump, many are hoping that Biden will usher in a new day. But when it comes to U.S. policy in Latin America, Biden represents more continuity than rupture. Historian Kevin Young discusses U.S. power and neoliberal capitalism south of the border. Resources: Kevin A. Young, “Smarter Empire” Sidecar, March 8, … Continued
How has capitalist power on the global scale evolved over the last several decades, and what are its contours today? How can forces from below challenge and overcome capitalist rule? Michael Hardt talks about what he calls Empire; he also articulates a theoretical passage from multitude to a more expansive notion of class. (Encore presentation.) Michael … Continued
White-collar professionals dominate the liberal left. They’re a convenient target of the right, which demonizes its opponents as privileged Prius-driving, latte-sipping coastal elites. But Catherine Liu argues that such professionals, as a class, impede genuinely radical social change. She posits that the class biases of the Professional Managerial Class often influence progressive politics away from … Continued
Two prominent currents within ecosocialism are ecomodernism and degrowth. David Ravensbergen, in this first-time presentation of the full-length interview, describes and assesses the ecomodernist and degrowth positions; he also weighs in on “doomer politics” and the Green New Deal. Latham, Kingsmith, von Bargen, and Block, Challenging the Right, Augmenting the Left: Recasting Leftist Imagination Fernwood … Continued
