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.
In his book Promised Land: Thirteen Books That Changed America, Jay Parini describes and analyzes three iconic works of fiction. Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Parini writes, almost single-handedly created a mass audience for the antislavery movement. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn interrogated race in fundamental ways and introduced a distinctive vision of freedom. And On the Road inspired the Beat Generation and many subsequent … Continued
The signs of an accelerating climate emergency are everywhere. While the broad notion of a Green New Deal has caught fire, the details and political hurdles are formidable at best. Radical political economist Robert Pollin lays out what a just plan should include, why it is imperative, and how it might be financed. He also … Continued
What can we learn from Pierre Bourdieu’s critique of Marxism? Why did the influential French sociologist reject Marx’s emphasis on labor and class struggle? Michael Burawoy lays out Bourdieu’s famous troika of interrelated concepts: habitus, field, and capital. He also points out some of the key differences between how Bourdieu and Marx thought about politics, culture, … Continued
The resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline galvanized a generation of activists. It involved hundreds of tribes and thousands of people, standing up against not just the companies that would pollute the region’s water, but to the militarized forces of the state. As Native historian Nick Estes argues, the No DAPL efforts brought into sharp … Continued
What are the best means we have to affect lasting social change? Historian Kevin Young contends that even when progressive candidates are elected to positions of power, their achievements are constrained by the ability of the business class to disinvest in the economy in protest. He argues that, nonetheless, the Left has a powerful tool … Continued
The social historian Peter Linebaugh talks about the machine-breaking Luddites, the fencing off of the commons, and more.
Is there any doubt that we’re living through extremely strange times? It’s hard to quantify the impact of political turmoil and social stress on our collective psyche, but we all know it’s real. The acclaimed Canadian physician and Marxist Gabor Maté makes the compelling case that the psycho-social needs to be taken into account by … Continued
Chris Carlsson on some of the radical histories, unsung heroes, and lost landscapes that he brings to light in his new book Hidden San Francisco.
Crime is way down, and law and order advocates argue that’s the result of expanded policing and other punitive measures. But sociologist Alex Vitale says there’s no evidence that’s true. He discusses how expanded policing is the flip side of neoliberal economic austerity and the slashing of social services. PHOTO: Ari Spada on Unsplash.
Rebecca Solnit on hope in hard times; David Hawkes on money as symbol; Laura Kipnis on monogamy; and the late, great Eduardo Galeano. PHOTO: Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash.
