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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.
The defeat of the US working class was the requisite condition for the renewal of US empire, which — as much as we keep willing it to decline — maintains its key role as the guardian of global capitalism. So claim Marxist political economists Sam Gindin and Leo Panitch, who in their magnum opus trace … Continued
According to Alex Khasnabish, we’re in the midst of a double crisis, one hammering the general population and the other affecting the work of radical activists. Khasnabish believes that the radical imagination, a collective process that animates social movements, must be nurtured and prioritized. He counterposes the radical imagination to capitalist imaginaries that are foisted … Continued
Testing, grades, homework, learning by rote: these are the foundations of our conventional educational system. Alfie Kohn argues that they are as good as worthless. The maverick education critic discusses the deep-seated problems with traditional schooling and explores the alternative approach of progressive education. He also talks about the pitfalls of competition and national rankings. … Continued
Frank Wilderson, III, believes that all Blacks are slaves, by which he means that every Black person is socially dead and continuously vulnerable to gratuitous (as opposed to reasoned) violence. Wilderson puts all non-Blacks into the category of the “master,” whose sense of human integrity and coherence is maintained precisely by the denigration and physical … Continued
Are we, as a species, at war with nature? We might think so, given the ways that our planet has been ecologically ravaged. But has it always been that way? Have we, since at least the dawn of settled agriculture, destroyed the natural world around us? Scholar James McGregor argues that the history of our … Continued
According to Theodore Brown, proletarian internationalism converged with social medicine in the early twentieth century; what emerged, he asserts, was a “health internationalism” rooted in the belief that factors shaping health are embedded in the social and political order. Brown’s narrative encompasses the efforts of iconic radicals like Marx and Engels as well as the … Continued
Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy have been recent reminders of the power of massive storms to not only inundate cities and change landscapes, but to reshape or reinforce existing class and racial divisions. Historian Stuart Schwartz reflects on five centuries of hurricanes and conflict in the greater Caribbean, including the Southern United States. For more … Continued
In Michael O’Hare‘s view, art museums should focus on one goal: putting more people, more effectively, in front of more art. O’Hare thinks admission should be free; educational programs should be expanded; and museums should display more of their art (most of which is held in storage). He also proposes a way to pay for … Continued
Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers may seem synonymous. The charismatic leader headed up the union through strikes and boycotts that garnered nationwide attention and made him a labor icon. Former farm worker Frank Bardacke argues, however, that the history of the UFW needs to be understood from the bottom up. He reveals the … Continued
Why do men commit rape, child sexual abuse, and other sex crimes? Does the answer lie in the way males are brought up, in the traits they’re encouraged and expected to develop? Alissa Ackerman contends that while certain aspects of masculinities — the socially constructed ways in which men perform their manhood — can be factors … Continued
