KPFA - Against the Grain

KPFA
  • 4.8 (206)
  • Politics
  • Updated Daily

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.

  1. 7h ago

    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 addressing 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.

  2. 1d ago

    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.

  3. 2d ago

    Fund Drive Special: Unmasking the Far Right

    The post Fund Drive Special: Unmasking the Far Right appeared first on KPFA.

  4. Jul 22

    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.

  5. Jul 21

    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.

  6. Jul 20

    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.

  7. Jul 15

    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.

  8. Jul 14

    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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4.8
out of 5
206 Ratings

About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    KPFA
  • Years Active
    2005 - 2026
  • Episodes
    25
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026KPFA 312700
  • Show Website
    KPFA - Against the Grain

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