Jacobin Radio

More than a century after her death in 1919, Rosa Luxemburg is unquestionably one of the most celebrated Marxist thinkers. But until very recently, most of her work had never appeared in English translation. Verso Books and the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation have set out to fill the gap by publishing her collected works. Peter Hudis, a professor of philosophy and humanities at Oakton Community College...

Lisa Corrigan , author of a recent Nation article , explains what the savage cuts at West Virginia University mean for higher ed. Taylor Lorenz, author of Extremely Online , discusses the social history of the internet. Behind the News , hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive online .

Featuring Amna Akbar, Gabriel Winant, and Thea Riofrancos on the emerging terrain of struggle. Is American liberalism exhausted or revitalized? What are the successes and limits of the new US left electoral strategy? Is there a new anti-electoral mood amongst socialists? Why don't we have a powerful climate movement? What forces are making and remaking the American working class today? The second...

We've been talking about a lot of soulless, big-budget IP movies that represent a rot in our culture... so how about a how about a hand-crafted, achingly personal movie that exists as a wart on the back of that rot? We discuss Kevin Smith's CLERKS III (2022), a harrowing vision of Gen X culture trapped in amber. "Awkward Americans see themselves in Ron DeSantis" by Ben Terris - https://www.washing...

Sohrab Ahmari , author of Tyranny, Inc. , talks about the dictatorship of capital. Erin Reed , aka Erin in the Morning , discusses the state of trans politics. Behind the News , hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive online .

After years of hearing from censors that violent media images cause harm, David Cronenberg made a movie... in which violent media images cause harm. We discuss VIDEODROME (1983) - its media satire, its sexual/gender politics, and its vision of how technology influences reality. PLUS: the Prime Minister enters the Barbieheimer discourse, and further thoughts on Sound of Freedom . Toronto listeners:...

Francisco Pérez of the University of Utah talks about the CFA franc. Caitlin Chandler , author of a 2022 Harper's article about "the next frontier in the war on terror," discusses US interests in Niger. Behind the News , hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive online .

Featuring Amna Akbar, Gabriel Winant, and Thea Riofrancos on the American conjuncture. Did an era that began with Occupy and Ferguson—marked by teachers strikes, two Bernie campaigns, the explosive growth of DSA, Standing Rock, and summer 2020 rebellions—just end? What social, political, and economic terrain is emerging in the wake of the pandemic, and how should the left navigate it? The first of...

When Simone de Beauvoir died in 1986, French TV news described her as a “symbol of women’s liberation,” but they couldn’t resist bracketing her name with that of Jean-Paul Sartre, her lifelong partner. Almost four decades later, Beauvoir’s reputation as a pioneering feminist thinker is well established. The main challenge she faces today is misunderstanding rather than neglect. Emma McNicol joins...

Unfortunately, there was no avoiding it. We finally went to see the right-wing human-trafficking blockbuster SOUND OF FREEDOM (2023) and had one of our more unpleasant viewing experiences. We discuss the film's astroturfed box office, as well as the reasons for its very real cultural resonance. "Tim Ballard Has ‘Stepped Away’ From Operation Underground Railroad, Org Says" by Anna Merlan - https://...

Sara Goldrick-Rab talks about rampant food and housing insecurity among undergrad and grad students. David Broder , author of Mussolini's Grandchildren and a recent article in the New York Times , discusses the whitewashing of far-right Italian PM Giorgia Meloni. Behind the News , hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to...

Barry Eidlin returns to guest host, talking to San Diego Teamster Justin Alo , Detroit Teamster Emily Butt, and San Francisco Teamster John Elward about the tentative agreement reached on July 25 between the Teamsters Union and the shipping giant UPS, one week before the contract covering 340,000 workers across the US was set to expire on July 31. Talks broke down on July 5, and practice pickets w...

Reporter Dharna Noor learns about the Tennessee Valley Authority: the good, the bad, the past, and the future. This is the 5th episode of The Dig Presents . Produced by Dharna Noor. Edited by Liza Yeager and Mitchell Johnson. Support The Dig at patreon.com/thedig All Haymarket books are 40% off! Shop at haymarketbooks.org

Tim Shorrock marks the 70th anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean war as tensions mount across the region. Christopher Morten discusses how the drug industry uses patents and secrecy to fatten its profits at the expense of patients and the broader public. Behind the News , hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the loca...

For almost fifty years, Portugal was ruled by a right-wing dictatorship. There was a military coup against Portuguese democracy in 1926. Antonio Salazar became the leader of the so-called Estado Novo in the same year Franklin Roosevelt entered the White House. His successor Marcelo Caetano was still in power when Richard Nixon was re-elected four decades later. Then, in April 1974, a group of juni...

So, why do they call it "the little death"? Will is joined by film critic Adam Nayman to discuss Claire Denis's transgressive masterpiece TROUBLE EVERY DAY (2001) and how it scandalized film culture circa 2001. PLUS: What is it like to teach the history of satire at a university? Follow Adam Nayman on Twitter and find his books here . Michael and Us is a podcast about political cinema and our crum...

Gabriel Hetland , author of Democracy on the Ground , talks about contrasts in popular participation between Bolivia and Venezuela. Then Doug speaks with Leigh Cowart, author of Hurts So Good , on seeking out pain for pleasure. Behind the News , hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive online...

Featuring Daniela Gabor, Ted Fertik, and Tim Sahay on Bidenomics. We define and debate the new American industrial policy, the energy transition, the New Cold War with China—and more. Support this podcast with a contribution at Patreon.com/TheDig Subscribe to The Polycrisis newsletter phenomenalworld.org/series/the-polycrisis Buy Travellers of the World Revolution versobooks.com/products/2938-trav...

Reports of God's death remain greatly exaggerated in GOD'S NOT DEAD 2 (2016), in which Evangelical Christianity is put literally on trial. We welcome back Alex Shephard (staff writer for The New Republic and expert in the blockbuster Christian film franchise), and discuss how this installment's relentless focus on Facts and Logic situates it in a recent but very different era of the culture war. P...

Barry Eidlin sits in for Suzi Weissman, talking to longtime UPS Teamsters Carlos Silva, Carthy Boston and Greg Kerwood , who are mobilizing around the UPS-Teamster contract fight. Talks broke down on July 5, and the UPS contract expires July 31. Teamsters President Sean O’Brien has vowed that UPS Teamsters will walk out on August 1st if there is no deal. This is one of the most important labor neg...

Harrison Stetler discusses recent riots in France. Peter Turchin , complexity theorist and author of End Times , explains why the US is heading for a smashup. Behind the News , hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive online .

We return to a TV show that is one of the prime relics of mid-2000s libertarian culture. We watch episodes of PENN & TELLER: BULLSHIT! on topics as disparate from handicapped parking to reparations, but find that for the libertarian funnymen, it all comes back to property rights. PLUS: thoughts on the QAnon human-trafficking thriller that's rocking the box office, and a shocking allegation tha...

Japan may be a powerhouse of global capitalism. But it also developed a powerful socialist movement in the twentieth century. During the Cold War, the Socialist Party led the opposition to the ruling Liberal Democrats. Japan today still has a Communist Party with a mass membership and a serious electoral base. Kenji Hasegawa joins Long Reads for a conversation about the Japanese left. He’s a profe...

Clara Mattei, author of The Capital Order , explores the links among neoclassical economics, austerity, and fascism. Edwin Ackerman, author of a recent article for the New Left Review blog , looks at AMLO’s presidency in Mexico. Behind the News , hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive online...

Featuring China Miéville on The Communist Manifesto . Miéville is the author of A Spectre, Haunting: On the Communist Manifesto . Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Register for Dan's event with Miéville eventbrite.com/e/digressions-china-mieville-on-the-communist-manifesto-tickets-674432434567 Subscribe to Jacobin bit.ly/digjacobin Buy A Different Trek: Radical Geographies of Deep Space Nine b...