The Iranian Ode to Joy
The Persian American poet Majid Naficy warns of celebrating a change of regimes too soon.
poetry
When I Learned Joe Biden Defeated Donald Trump
California poet John Field rejoices as the political seasons trade places.
books
Revolutions of the Past and Future
Radical Philosophy
Here is a study that seeks to offer insight into the writing of a great classic of revolutionary history.
books
John le Carré Told the Truth About Cold War Espionage When Few Others Would
Jacobin
John le Carré died Saturday at eighty-nine. His novels rejected the glamor and ritz of Cold War–era spy fiction. Instead, he portrayed espionage as a dreary, disturbing machine that ground up innocents for a goal that didn’t justify the human cost.
books
Caste Does Not Explain Race
Boston Review
The recent publication of Isabel Wilkerson’s widely acclaimed Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents returns to caste to explain U.S. racial hierarchy when wealth polarization, racial strife, and white supremacist revanchism are again on the rise.
food
Plant-based meats are on the rise. But are they sustainable?
National Observer
Because plants require far fewer resources — water, land, fossil fuels--eating lower down the food chain is more environmentally efficient. However despite the hype, plant-based meats might be less sustainable than they appear.
film
'Nomadland' Is A Tender, Unflinching Look At the People the America Dream Has Failed
NBC
Frances McDormand is naturally great in Chloé Zhao’s adaptation of a book about older Americans who give up the security of home for the hope of work.
tv
BoJack Horseman and A Teacher Opened Up A New Chapter of #MeToo Stories
AV Club
At a time when the desire for comfort drives viewing habits, BoJack Horseman and A Teacher urged audiences to sit with their discomfort over who we’re prepared to forgive and who we see as victims.
books
Friedrich Engels at 200: A Revolutionary Historian
History Workshop
November 28, 2020 marks the bicentenary of the birth of Friedrich Engels. The German revolutionary philosopher made pathbreaking and profound contributions to modern social and political theory, playing a critical role in developing classical Marxism
books
The World Henry Ford Made
Boston Review
A new global history of Fordism from the Great Depression to the postwar era.
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