Creative destruction is the hallmark of capitalism, as the economist Joseph Schumpeter argued. But the destructive side is often overlooked. Francesca Ammon discusses the enormous wave of demolition that accompanied the postwar boom — transforming the rural, urban and suburban landscape, and displacing the residents of scores of communities around the United States. Resources: Francesca … Continued
In the popular imagination, U.S. anarchism ended with the deportation of Emma Goldman in 1919, only to re-emerge recently with the masked Black Bloc. But according to scholar Andrew Cornell, anarchism survived and thrived in mid-century America, deeply influencing bohemia, Civil Rights, and the New Left. Resources: Andrew Cornell, Unruly Equality: U.S. Anarchism in … Continued
Are capitalism’s days numbered? Or are the crises of our time a transition to yet another form of capitalism? Jason W. Moore argues that we can’t separate the crises of what we usually term economics and the environment — and discusses why he thinks capitalism is running up against insurmountable limits.
The right is in great disarray these days, propelled by the unexpected popularity of Donald Trump. But its successes have been remarkable. As Doug Henwood points out, at mid-century the right was marginal in American politics — wildeyed Birchers wandering in the wilderness while the business class had firmly accommodated itself to the New Deal. … Continued
Iconoclastic comedian, talented actor, and gifted writer Richard Pryor pushed the boundaries of popular culture at a pivotal moment, laying bare uncomfortable truths about race and injustice in America. Scott Saul reflects on the comedian’s formative years in a segregated country and the fluorescence of his art during a time of urban unrest, Black Power, … Continued
Nonprofit organizations make up much of what we often think of as the left in this country — focusing on housing rights, the environment, and many other deserving issues. But is their influence benign? Could there be a connection between nonprofits and the neoliberal project of privatization and cutting back public services? Activist and sociologist … Continued
Cynthia Enloe and Joni Seager, authors of “The Real State of America Atlas,” talk about U.S. poverty, unemployment, homelessness, sexual violence, and military recruitment, among other topics, seen through a geographic lens.
Historian of technology Iain Boal speaks with Sasha Lilley about why the bicycle is not the green machine we all think it is. He also discusses the importance of the first public radio network in this country and what the anarchist founders of KPFA and Pacifica had in mind for the radio medium.
The diagnosis of mental illness has always been colored by societal assumptions and biases, but a striking shift occurred during the turmoil of civil rights movement. In this encore broadcast, Sasha Lilley speaks with Jonathan Metzl about how schizophrenia became a supposedly black disease.
Feminist historian Sheila Rowbotham talks to Sasha Lilley about the utopian socialists, free love advocates, birth control campaigners, and trade unionists who transformed the status of women at the turn of the last century.
