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KPFA - Against the Grain

KPFA

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 produced and hosted by Sasha Lilley.

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22 episodes
Avg 59 min
English

Episodes 22

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Wednesday · 59 min
U.S. Capitalism, Empire, and Anti-Asian Violence
Recessions, trade wars, labor unrest — in moments of societal crisis in the United States, Asian-Americans have been perennially targeted, from the destruction of Chinatowns by white mobs, to the mass internment of Japanese-Americans during WW2, to attacks against Asians during Covid. Historian Scott Kurashige reflects on more than 175 years of anti-Asian violence and its connection to U.S. empire abroad and a divided working class at home. (Encore presentation.) Scott Kurashige, American Peril: The Violent History of Anti-Asian Racism UC Press, 2026 Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash The post U.S. Capitalism, Empire, and Anti-Asian Violence appeared first on KPFA.
Tuesday · 59 min
Beckert on Global Capitalism
Capitalism has transformed the world like no other force, which historian Sven Beckert calls a fundamental break in human history. Beckert traces the emergence and expansion of capitalism, arguing that we can best understand the present by coming to terms with its past. (Full-length presentation.) Sven Beckert, Capitalism: A Global History Penguin Press, 2025 The post Beckert on Global Capitalism appeared first on KPFA.
August 24 · 59 min
Immigrant Detention and the “Worst of the Worst”
The Trump administration has justified the mass incarceration and deportation of immigrants by asserting that it’s going after the most violent offenders. Scholars of law and punishment, Keramet Reiter and Joshua Page, delve into the designation of the worst of the worse — from Three Strikes laws to longterm solitary confinement to mass detention under inhumane conditions and the transfer of immigrants to foreign prisons like CECOT in El Salvador. Joshua Page and Keramet Reiter, The Uses and Abuses of the “Worst of the Worst” Dissent July 8, 2026 The post Immigrant Detention and the “Worst of the Worst” appeared first on KPFA.
August 19 · 59 min
Ancient Trees and Fossil Capitalism
For as long as we’ve known, humans have revered ancient trees. We’ve also destroyed them, especially since the advent of colonialism and fossil fuel capitalism. Environmental historian Jared Farmer reflects on what trees illuminate about our past and potential future. And forest activist and writer Greg King discusses the decimation of the California redwoods and the fight to preserve them. Jared Farmer, Elderflora: A Modern History of Ancient Trees Basic Books, 2022 Greg King, The Ghost Forest: Racists, Radicals, and Real Estate in the California Redwoods Public Affairs, 2023 Photo by Dan Meyers on Unsplash The post Ancient Trees and Fossil Capitalism appeared first on KPFA.
August 18 · 59 min
What’s Money For?
We all know that we need money to survive, but most of us don’t spend much time considering its form and uses. Debt, interest, GDP, and capital just seem to follow almost natural laws. But J.W. Mason argues that we misunderstand money, and its power over our lives, at our peril. J. W. Mason and Arjun Jayadev, Against Money University of Chicago Press, 2026 Photo by Alexander Schimmeck on Unsplash The post What’s Money For? appeared first on KPFA.
August 17 · 59 min
Images, UFOs, and Artificial Intelligence
What can the weird tell us about our world of computer vision and so-called Artificial Intelligence? Artist and geographer Trevor Paglen discusses the function of the image now, when the majority of images are made by computers for other computers, with the goal of manipulating our perceptions. Trevor Paglen, How to See Like a Machine: Images After AI Verso, 2026 Photo by Goost Eight on Unsplash The post Images, UFOs, and Artificial Intelligence appeared first on KPFA.
August 12 · 59 min
Counting Care Work
Many in our society are struggling to provide care for their families or communities. Often they don’t have time to do it and can’t afford to pay for it. The right realizes this and has tried to woo women with a glorified vision of domestic life. Economist Nancy Folbre discusses the early fight for the recognition of unpaid care work as real work, while the economics profession has mainly ignored it, despite its crucial importance for capitalism. (Encore presentation.) Nancy Folbre, Making Care Work: Why Our Economy Should Put People First UC Press, 2026 Photo by Jill Brand on Unsplash The post Counting Care Work appeared first on KPFA.
August 11 · 59 min
Organizing to Win
Workers want and deserve decent, dignified, and democratic workplaces. But better wages and working conditions can be elusive in the face of management inertia and intransigence. Veteran organizer and Labor Notes board chair Ellen David Friedman talks about how to win workplace demands while building workers’ collective power. Ellen David Friedman, Keep Going: A Guide to Organizing When It’s Hard (PM Press / Labor Notes) The post Organizing to Win appeared first on KPFA.
August 10 · 59 min
Criminalizing Dissent
The Trump administration has been unabashed in its intention to criminalize dissent, labeling protestors “domestic terrorists.” A recent verdict against anti-ICE protestors in Texas promises to be consequential in that effort. Scholar Thomas Zeitzoff reflects on the administration’s widespread attempts to quash opposition, from targeting fundraising by liberal nonprofits, knocking on the doors of former activists, or charging people with conspiracy for communicating on Signal about protests. (Encore presentation.) Thomas Zeitzoff, No Option But Sabotage: The Radical Environmental Movement and the Climate Crisis Oxford University Press, 2026 The post Criminalizing Dissent appeared first on KPFA.
August 5 · 59 min
Oil and Global Capitalism
The ramifications of the US attack on Iran have been a harsh reminder of the centrality of oil to the global economy – and not just for fuel and transport. Political economist Adam Hanieh reflects on the rise of crude oil in the 20th century. He argues that the blockage in the Gulf threatens to set off a more serious global crisis than seen in the 1970s. (Encore presentation.) Adam Hanieh, Crude Capitalism: Oil, Corporate Power, and the Making of the World Market Verso, 2025 The post Oil and Global Capitalism appeared first on KPFA.
August 4 · 59 min
Marion Nestle on Food Choices and Food Politics
Food affects all of us — but while it’s a necessity for our survival, it’s also a vast, sprawling industry spanning the globe, which generates enormous profits as well as significant damage to public health and the environment. Nutritionist and molecular biologist Marion Nestle sheds light on the choices we all must navigate when we enter the grocery store. (Encore presentation.) Marion Nestle, What to Eat Now: The Indispensable Guide to Good Food, How to Find It, and Why It Matters North Point Press, 2025 The post Marion Nestle on Food Choices and Food Politics appeared first on KPFA.
August 3 · 59 min
Trump and the Powers of the U.S. Presidency
The powers of the president of the United States have grown since the Cold War, expanding under both Republicans and Democrats. And many of these presidential powers – such as those laid out in the presidential emergency action documents — are unknown to the US public. Journalist Andrew Cockburn reflects on the imperial presidency, the domestic motivations of US foreign policy, and the US-Israeli war on Iran, as well as the role of money in the politics of the Democratic Party. (Encore presentation.) Andrew Cockburn, Washington Is Burning: Corruption and Lies in the Age of Trump Verso, 2025 Photo by Ana Lanza on Unsplash The post Trump and the Powers of the U.S. Presidency appeared first on KPFA.
July 29 · 59 min
Against Climate Doomism
As mega-fires rage around the world, why have so many people given up on the climate fight? Environmental sociologist Diana Stuart examines how fatalism about the climate emergency has been shaped by the erroneous assumption that, if we exceed 1.5C of global heating, we’ve passed the point of no return. Diana Stuart, Rejecting Climate Doomism University of Michigan Press, 2026 Photo credit: Matt Palmer The post Against Climate Doomism appeared first on KPFA.
July 28 · 59 min
Fund Drive Special: Unlikely World Makers
When we think of world makers, we’re unlikely to picture a flower. Yet flowers completely transformed our planet, giving us rain forests, altering coastlines, producing the food we eat, and enticing our pre-human ancestors to climb down from the trees. And they did that partially through reshaping the formerly adversarial relationship between plants and insects into one of mutual aid and cooperation most of the time. Biologist David George Haskell enumerates our debt to flowers. Photo by Drew Beamer on Unsplash The post Fund Drive Special: Unlikely World Makers appeared first on KPFA.
July 27 · 59 min
Fund Drive Special: Unmasking the Far Right
The post Fund Drive Special: Unmasking the Far Right appeared first on KPFA.
July 22 · 59 min
Muckraker Extraordinaire
Jessica Mitford revived muckraking journalism in the United States, shaping generations of investigative writers who followed her. She also lived an remarkable life on the left, despite her ultra-reactionary English upper class origins. Carla Kaplan argues that Mitford is woman for our times. Support Against the Grain and KPFA with your donation The post Muckraker Extraordinaire appeared first on KPFA.
July 21 · 59 min
Strength and Sex
Are women as strong as men? According to science writer Starre Vartan, in some cases, they are stronger. She argues that scientific research over the last several decades shows that culture shapes strength as much as hormones — and that much of what we presume about sex differences, strength, and athleticism harms all of us. Donate in support of Against the Grain and KPFA Photo by Peter Zhan on Unsplash The post Strength and Sex appeared first on KPFA.
July 20 · 59 min
Americans: Unequal and Sick
The United States spends as much on healthcare as almost half the world combined, yet so many Americans are unhealthy. Would universal healthcare be enough alone to rectify this costly state of ill health? Stephen Bezruchka posits that inequality is at the root of our affliction — and that taxing the rich is a necessity. Stephen Bezruchka, Born Sick in the USA: Improving the Health of a Nation Cambridge University Press, 2026 Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash The post Americans: Unequal and Sick appeared first on KPFA.
July 15 · 59 min
The Mass Revolts of the 2010s
In the decade of the 2010s, more people took to the streets than in any other time in history. And yet those horizontal protests, often spread through social media, were frequently co-opted by the right — and the decade ended with the rise of authoritarianism. Journalist Vincent Bevins spoke to activists around the world about the lessons they drew from the failed mass revolts, and discusses how democratic movements regained power in Brazil from the despotic Jair Bolsonaro. Vincent Bevins, If We Burn: The Mass Protest Decade and the Missing Revolution Public Affairs, 2023 Vincent Bevins, “This Land Is Our Land: How Brazil’s Landless Workers’ Movement Emerged from Right-wing Rule Stronger Than Ever” The Nation, April 8, 2025 Photo credit: Jonathan Rashad The post The Mass Revolts of the 2010s appeared first on KPFA.
July 14 · 59 min
Rolling Stone and the Limits of the Counterculture
It’s often argued that culture is the gateway to politics — that if you can influence cultural values, it will ultimately change society as whole. In the late Sixties, the counterculture was animated by that idea, including Rolling Stone Magazine, which began in the Bay Area. Peter Richardson reflects on Rolling Stone’s debt to the counterculture – and the limits to both endeavors. Peter Richardson, Brand New Beat: The Wild Rise of Rolling Stone Magazine UC Press, 2026 The post Rolling Stone and the Limits of the Counterculture appeared first on KPFA.

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