New Books in Critical Theory

In this podcast, eminent Marxist historian Harry Harootunian discusses his book on Japan's capitalist development. He challenges the notion of linear progression and emphasizes the importance of incorporating practices from the past. They explore passive revolutions and the rise of fascism in Italy, Japan, and Germany. They also discuss Japan's managerial techniques and the global fascist imaginary.

Chris Cutrone investigates the failure of the Millennial Left to embrace socialism. He critiques the history of the Left and its absence of Marxism. Topics include the origins of the name 'Platypus,' encounters with the Spartacist League, controversies around the American Revolution and socialism, and the legacy of the American and French Revolutions. He also discusses upcoming projects, including a sequel to the book and a review of a biography of Milton Friedman.

This podcast explores the concept of the Plantationocene as a critical engagement with the Anthropocene, discussing its origins and implications. It also delves into the relationship between urbanization and agriculture, highlighting resistance from small-scale cultivators. The feasibility of transformative change in human-environment interaction is discussed, along with the disparity in wages and the potential for reform.

Charisse Burden-Stelly, researcher and author specializing in theorizing capitalist racism in the United States, discusses the conjoined nature of the Black Scare and Red Scare in the early 20th century. She explores how US capitalist racist society and Wall Street imperialism intertwine to maintain racial and economic order. The podcast also examines the intersection of black radicalism and state repression, and explores the parallels between the South African apartheid government and the American state in their fear of African Americans.

Brazilian poet, historian, artist, and political leader Beatriz Nascimento's radical thought on gender, space, politics, and spirituality across the Black diaspora is discussed. Topics include Black womanhood, race and Brazilian society, Black freedom, and Black aesthetics and spirituality. The podcast features Betânia Gomes, Archie Davies, and Christen A. Smith and offers personal insights from Betânia Gomes as Nascimento's daughter.

Elizabeth Anderson, author of 'Hijacked: How Neoliberalism Turned the Work Ethic against Workers and How Workers Can Take It Back,' explores the history of the work ethic and its impact on workers. The podcast discusses how neoliberalism has perverted the work ethic to benefit the One Percent, rather than ordinary people. It also delves into the consequences of negative attitudes towards the poor, the vision of the progressive work ethic, understanding neoliberalism, the burden of neoliberalism on society, and the controversial topics of participation trophies and the division of labor.

Musab Younis, author of a book about the formation of Black Anticolonial Thought, discusses the global resonance of Black intellectual contributions during the interwar years. They delve into reclaiming the global scale for anti-colonial thought, Marcus Garvey's ideology and the symbolism of the Garvey flag, the historical context and global impact of exploitation on Africa, and the exploration of time in racialization and anti-racism efforts.

David Myer Temin, author of Remapping Sovereignty: Decolonization and Self-Determination in North American Indigenous Political Thought, discusses the unique contributions of Indigenous societies to anticolonial thought and activism. Topics include Indigenous conceptual approaches to decolonization, self-determination against sovereign states, visionary politics of decolonization as care for the earth, and the interplay between anticolonial thought and practice. The podcast also explores Indigenous political thought during the 1960s, indigenous projects compared to nation states, and the connection between Indigenous decolonization efforts and decarbonizing the global political economy.

Cecilia Márquez, a historian studying the Latinx experience in the American South, discusses the racial logics that have shaped Latinx identity in the region. Topics include the racialization of non-black Latinos, the role of Pedro at South of the Border in asserting power and identity, the experiences of Latino civil rights activists, the connections between the carpet industry and Latino migration, and the shift in perception of Latinos and racial formation.

Caroline Levine, an activist humanist, discusses the form and method in the climate crisis. Topics include the potential impact of attention to social forms within aesthetic criticism, the inclusion of a workbook in the book on political action, the impact of climate change on water systems, designing social worlds for collective continuance, building political will and the role of routines, the depiction of healthcare infrastructure in 'The Midwife' TV series, movies as a model for political action, and the effects of divestment and the disconnect between economists and climate scientists.