Left Anchor

Today we've got historian Chelsea Chamberlain on to talk about her recent paper "Challenging Custodialism," about the history of an institution for disabled folks called Elwyn (still in operation). The Nursing Clio article mentioned in the episode can be found here. Also reach out if you'd like to read a copy of the paper. Subscribe now to hear the whole thing!

Today we've got Astra Taylor on to talk about her new essay collection, Remake the World: Essays, Reflections, Rebellions. We talk about the student debt crisis, the politics of refugees, what she calls "fauxtomation," and more! Links to things we discussed: the Debt Collective (which has so far erased some $2 billion in student debt!), Astra's short documentary You Are Not a Loan, and her previous film What Is Democracy? (which she discussed on a previous episode). 

In this excerpt, we discuss the strange trajectory of The Intercept's co-founder. Subscribe now to listen to the rest of the episode! 

We've got some requests to unlock this episode, so here you go! It's a briefer discussion just from Ryan on two articles about the history and current state of the American semiconductor industry, why understanding the details of the production process matter for socialists, and then some talk about the bad state of diplomatic relations between China and the US. Enjoy!

Franklin D. Roosevelt: America's first social justice warrior?? Subscribe now to hear the full episode!

Pete Davis comes on the show to talk about his book Dedicated: The Case for Commitment in an Age of Infinite Browsing. We talk about the value of committing to social institutions, Pink Floyd, whether tradition is really conservative, the devious politics of the self-help industry, and more. Enjoy!

How did an English corset-maker end up writing the most powerful take of all time? Subscribe now to find out!

Austin has seen a major campaign away from the criminalization of homelessness over the last two years. But that effort is running into a backlash, and there will be a city referendum on May 1st to determine if the reforms will be overturned. We've got organizer Chris Harris on to talk about the fight for homeless justice, how the reform efforts have played out, and the state of the referendum campaign. The No on Prop B website can be found here. The story of Philly Mayor Jim Kenney's attempt to outlaw spitting is here. 

Today we've got historian Gabe Raeburn to discuss his recent article The Rise and Fall of Marxist Perspectives: Eugene Genovese and the Fight for Hegemony in Radical American Historiography. This was an ambitious left-wing historical journal that aimed to unite various warring factions on the left and push Marx-inflected history, but collapsed after just two years thanks to Genovese's compulsive feuding and domineering personality. We talk Eric Foner, Gramsci, Christopher Lasch, the importance of personality in politics, and more. Enjoy!

Friend of the pod David Kaib has been conducting multiple reading groups of the classic book Poor People's Movements: Why They Succeed and How They Fail, by Francis Fox Piven and Richard Cloward, over the past year. The book has perhaps never been more relevant given the the historic protests over police brutality, the coronavirus pandemic, and economic inequality of late. We talk about what lessons might be drawn from the successes and failures of these protests, and how we should think about movement strategy going forward. Enjoy!