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Contemporary Pundits Need a Refresher on Populism’s History

Steve Babson History News Network
Elites who tar their critics in the U.S. with the sly pejorative of “populist” count on our collective amnesia. They’d rather the real Populists remained forgotten, along with the potential they represented.

A Labor Strategy Beyond Elections

Kriangsak Teerakowitkajorn Asian Labour Review
Elections rally
On May 14th, voters in Thailand voted in a new ruling coalition, against the ruling military dictatorship. This article, written by Kriangsak Teerakowitkajorn before the election, offers ideas for a potential labor movement revival.

Zulu vs Xhosa: How Colonialism Used Language To Divide South Africa’s Two Biggest Ethnic Groups

Jochen S. Arndt The Conversation
South Africa has 12 official languages. The two most dominant are isiZulu and isiXhosa. While the Zulu and Xhosa people share a rich common history, they have also found themselves engaged in ethnic conflict and division, notably during urban wars between 1990 and 1994. A new book, Divided by the Word, examines this history – and how colonisers and African interpreters created the two distinct languages, entrenched by apartheid education.

Chile Has Entered Its Thermidorian Period

Marcelo Casals, Translation by Nicolas Allen Jacobin
The far right’s victory in elections for the Constitutional Council may be the death knell for a progressive constitution in Chile. It’s also a needed wake-up call for the Chilean left.