Clarence Thomas is Donald Trump’s favorite Supreme Court justice, which might confirm the liberal view that Thomas is simply a toady of the right.  But scholar Corey Robin argues that Thomas is a complex thinker and skilled rhetorician, whose ideas originate in black nationalism.  Robin reflects on how Thomas’ pessimism about the intractability of racism … Continued


Helena Sheehan participated, as an activist, educator, and Marxist philosopher, in a great variety of radical movements and groupings, among them the New Left, the IRA, and the Communist Party of Ireland. She describes her engagements with many of the key ideas and debates around socialism and communism, both in the U.S. and abroad. Helena Sheehan, Navigating … Continued


What should socialists and other leftists do vis-a-vis the 2020 presidential elections? Should they stay on the sidelines, or throw themselves into the anti-Trump coalition? Max Elbaum contends that, given Trumpism’s relentless drive toward racist authoritarian rule, the left’s prospects would be significantly better if Biden prevails. Max Elbaum, “Socialist Strategy and the Biden Debate” … Continued


How does colorism differ from anti-Black racism? What happens when a person of color’s skin shade doesn’t match ethnic or racial stereotypes? In what ways do women experience skin-color bias differently than men? Nikki Khanna discusses the nature and impact of skin-color discrimination and privilege, both globally and as experienced by Asian American women. Nikki … Continued


What role did slavery play in the story of U.S. capitalism? Does the fact that slavery wasn’t rooted in wage labor mean that it wasn’t a form of capitalist practice? Caitlin Rosenthal offers a definition of capitalism and shares her understanding of how commodification, and the power to impose it, operated under slavery. (Encore presentation.) Caitlin … Continued