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.
Two historic global economic contractions almost within a decade of each other would have been hard to fathom, if we weren’t living through them. Marxist geographer Richard Walker examines the shape of the United States and world economies during the coronavirus. He also discusses the effects of the crisis on the fossil fuel industry and … Continued
A special presentation to commemorate National Poetry Month, featuring poetry readings and discussions by iconic poets, established ones, and up-and-comers. Archival recordings of Allen Ginsberg, June Jordan, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Jack Kerouac are part of the mix, as are suggestions for how to approach and enjoy poetry. Minal Hajratwala Mira Martin-Parker Craig Santos Perez Matthew … Continued
Now that Bernie Sanders is out of the race, and we’re faced with the choice between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, have the prospects for an electoral road to social democracy been dashed? Jacobin’s Meagan Day and Micah Uetricht discuss how Sanders changed the terrain of U.S. politics. They argue that his defeat — rather … Continued
We celebrate KPFA’s seventy-first birthday with special selections from the station’s archives, featuring Fannie Lou Hamer, Edward Said, Carlos Castaneda, and one of the founders of KPFA.
Many in the U.S. are despairing over the Trump administration’s inaction and fumbling in the face of the pandemic But political scientist Alex Gourevitch cautions that we should be careful what we wish for. He discusses the imposition of authoritarian measures around the world, treating democracy as a luxury in the time of coronavirus. Resources: … Continued
KPFA turns 71 this week. We commemorate that achievement by presenting some gems from the station’s archives, including commentary by the legendary film critic Pauline Kael, a speech by Coretta Scott King, and programs about labor militancy, genetics, and nuclear radiation.
There are many ways that the crisis brought about by the coronavirus is exceptional. But as Peter Linebaugh reminds us, pandemics throughout history have been met both by attempts by elites to extend their domination and the people’s attempts to resist while surviving. The noted historian weighs in plagues, from antiquity to Covid 19. Resources: … Continued
According to Udi Greenberg, many anti-Communist commentators in the early stages of the Cold War resurrected anti-Catholic tropes that had been deployed in the nineteenth century. Redirecting and adapting those tropes, Greenberg argues, played a crucial role in the effort to portray and vilify the Communist project. Udi Greenberg, The Weimar Century: German Émigrés and … Continued
How can we manage to think about, and move toward, a better world in the bleakest of times? Argentinean critical theorist Ana Cecelia Dinerstein talks about capitalism, the state, and our own collective power. She also discusses the tradition of Open Marxism and why we should be skeptical of a universal basic income, which has … Continued
Harriet Fraad spoke at Left Forum about trends in family, gender, and relationship dynamics under capitalism. And Paul Sweezy gave a talk in the early 1990s about the historical trajectory of the socialist project and the viability of socialism as idea and practice. Capitalism Hits Home, with Harriet Fraad John Bellamy Foster, “The Commitment of … Continued
