Film in the 20th century conjures up the glamor of the big screen, as well as the intimacy of family snapshots. According to film historian Alice Lovejoy, celluloid and its successors should also bring to mind war. She reflects on the history of film companies like Kodak in the making of the atom bomb, chemical … Continued
First, an interview with Maru Mora-Villalpando of La Resistencia about organizing against the privately owned immigration prison the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, WA. Then, Pittsburgh Fash Watch talks about documenting and challenging local fascists in western Pennsylvania. Finally, Sean Swain comments on the election results.
In 1936, Nazi Germany hosted the Summer Olympic Games in Berlin, amidst international calls to boycott. It was an enormously consequential event in the politics of the times, granting Hitler an international spotlight to promote the Third Reich. Much less known, as writer Michael Waters argues, is how Nazi eugenics and paranoia about transgender athletes … Continued
Following the mass George Floyd demonstrations, it appeared as if a racial reckoning was taking place in the United States, although of a puzzling nature. Amazon, Walmart, and other prominent corporations declared that Black Lives Mattered and dedicated funds to ostensibly address systemic racism. In cities across America, individuals denounced white silence and took on … Continued
Why has the term complicity become so ubiquitous in recent years? Are we all complicit in the system that we live under? What use, or uses, does the notion serve? These are questions that legal scholar Francine Banner poses. She makes the argument that the term bears different meanings, sometimes holding the powerful to account … Continued
The modern nation-state has been premised on the violent creation of permanent minorities ruled over by ethnic or religious majorities, argues Mahmood Mamdani. The acclaimed scholar of colonialism and anti-colonialism reflects on the United States, Nazi Germany, South Africa, and Israel — settler-colonial societies built on internment and ethnic cleansing. He calls for a decolonialism … Continued
Advancements in science are seen as symbols of human progress, but science has frequently served deadly ends. Historian Clifford Conner discusses how scientific research in the United States is deeply enmeshed with the military, and considers the purpose of trillions of dollars of spending on the military. Resources: Clifford D. Conner, The Tragedy of American … Continued
Michael Neufeld examines why scientists worked for the Nazis during WWII. Hosted by Dr. Michio Kaku.
Is Donald Trump a fascist? A rightwing populist? What about Marine Le Pen of the far right National Front, who received the support of a third of French voters in the last presidential election? Historian Federico Finchelstein discusses what the terms fascist and populist mean, not as abstractions, but looking at history. Resources: Federico Finchelstein, … Continued
Ralph talks to historian James Whitman about how the Nazis in the thirties modeled a lot of their racial policies on our very own Jim Crow laws and what that means for us today; and political economist Gar Alperovitz gives us an encouraging progress report on how the New Economy Movement is transforming the system.
