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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.
The witch-hunts, for most of us, are a bizarre and irrational episode that took place in 16th and 17th century Europe and the so-called “New World”. They frequently leave us either scratching our heads in bewilderment or reminding ourselves of the dangers of unchecked religiosity. But for radical scholar Silvia Federici, the witch-hunts cannot be … Continued
Harriet Tubman and Andrew Jackson are seminal figures in U.S. history. But how accurate a picture have we been given of them, and what would it mean if Tubman were depicted on U.S. currency? Catherine Squires sees a controversy over a “pocket monument” as an opportunity to rethink conventional narratives and reframe U.S. history. Hughey … Continued
Are children inherently creative? What might be taken as a given is actually a relatively new notion. And, as Amy Ogata argues, it took hold in the United States under particular circumstances: driven in part by Cold War anxieties about the health of the nation, along with the desire by toy manufacturers to sell products … Continued
According to Margaret Hunter, growing numbers of white people are “shape shifting into Blackness”: they’re taking on or inhabiting aspects or characteristics of Blackness. Hunter discusses the emergence of three forms of Blackness tried on by whites in the post-civil rights era: cultural Blackness, political Blackness, and intellectual Blackness. Tamai, Dineen-Wimberly, and Spickard, eds., Shape Shifters: Journeys … Continued
Innovation, grit, creativity, flexibility, choice — these words are ubiquitous in US society and yet, according to John Patrick Leary, they’re not neutral. Leary weighs in on the language of 21st century capitalism and how certain keywords are a slippery way to avoid calling thing what they are. (Encore presentation.) Resources: John Patrick Leary, Keywords: … Continued
Is life worth living? Can believing in something help make it a reality? Do emotions generate actions, or is it the other way around? John Kaag describes how William James, the nineteenth-century philosopher and psychologist, approached and answered these questions. John Kaag, Sick Souls, Healthy Minds: How William James Can Save Your Life Princeton University … Continued
Is capitalism bad for your health? Gabor Maté thinks so. The acclaimed Canadian physician and Marxist discusses capitalism, stress, and chronic illness, inimitably combining profound humanism, dark wit, and extensive knowledge of science and social justice. He makes the compelling case that the psycho-social needs to be taken into account by both the medical establishment … Continued
In a wide-ranging talk, the U.C. Berkeley-based scholar john a. powell argued that all political institutions in the U.S. are grounded to a certain extent in racialized logic.
How should we understand the role that police play in maintaining the social order? Radical scholar Christina Heatherton discusses policing, neoliberal capitalism, and resistance. Cover photo via: AJ Colores
john a. powell on racialized logic and its impact over the course of U.S. history.
