McCarthyism in the Ivory Tower
Whether the target was communists in the 1950s or pro-Palestine activists today, university administrators have always worked to keep academia in line.
19794 Articles by: Tanner Howard
Tanner Howard is a freelance journalist and In These Times editorial intern. They’re also a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.
The Momentous Class Struggle of the German Peasants’ War
This year marks the 500th anniversary of the German Peasants’ War, the largest European uprising before the French Revolution, in which peasants seized upon the radical implications of Martin Luther’s theology to challenge a hierarchical social order.
Silencing Rima Hassan
The pending deportation of Columbia activist Mahmoud Khalil has also had echoes in France. Both establishment and far-right politicians are calling for Rima Hassan, a French Palestinian member of the European Parliament, to be stripped of her citizenship.
A Marxist Theory of DOGE
Elon Musk is wrecking the government. If he read Marxist state theory, he’d at least understand how it works.
Israel’s Killing Machine Whirs Back Into Motion
Since Tuesday, Israeli forces have killed over 600 Palestinians and wounded more than 10,000 others, and Israeli politicians are crystal clear in their articulation of their plan to complete their ethnic cleansing in Gaza.
How Useful Is “Worker-to-Worker Unionism”?
In his new book, labor scholar Eric Blanc offers illuminating case studies of recent union victories. But it’s not clear that “worker-to-worker unionism” amounts to a widely applicable “emergent model” of unionism that can save the labor movement.
Trump’s Nominated Social Security Head Knows How to Cut
If you’re hoping Social Security will avoid devastating cuts with the confirmation of Donald Trump’s nominee for Social Security Administration head, Frank Bisignano, we have some bad news about his track record.
Rebuilding the Left in One of France’s Poorest Cities
Roubaix used to be home to France’s textile industry — but doesn’t have the same battalions of factory labor as it once did. For France Insoumise, the challenge is to rebuild the Left’s roots in working-class communities.
Bernie Is Right: 60% of Americans Live Paycheck to Paycheck
Bernie Sanders says it over and over again: 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. Centrist critics swear this is false. Once we sort through the noise, we see Bernie is right on the money.
Rising GDP Lifts Only the Boats of the Wealthy Few
Since the early 1980s, Canada’s economy has expanded significantly, with GDP per capita rising by 70% in real terms. But while the wealthiest Canadians’ incomes have increased fivefold, those of the bottom half have risen just 1.5 times.
In Praise of French Poetic Realism
In the 1930s, the French realist filmmakers found a way to speak to and fight against the rising authoritarianism in their country and the world.
Mahmoud Khalil’s Letter From an ICE Detention Center
Mahmoud Khalil, who has been detained and targeted for deportation by the Trump administration for speaking out about the atrocities in Gaza, dictated a letter to the public from his detention cell in Louisiana. Jacobin publishes the letter here in full.
Serbia’s Student Movement Offers Hope in Dark Times
Student protests in Serbia have challenged an authoritarian government and its sell-off of public assets to multinationals. Far from just a liberal or pro-European movement, it is challenging the ties between Serbian and international capital.
Trump’s Deportations Are a Throwback to Red Scare Politics
The detention and threatened deportation of Mahmoud Khalil stands in a long tradition of the US government using border policy as a tool for political control, stretching back to First and Second Red Scare efforts to crack down on left-wing dissent.
Michael Burawoy’s Marxism for Realists
What distinguished Michael Burawoy from other socialists was that he did not sidestep or ignore conservative criticisms of Marxism. Rather, he took them head-on and developed a sociology that could make sense of actually existing capitalism and socialism.
Berkshire Hathaway Wants to Stiff Makeup Poisoning Victims
Warren Buffett’s conglomerate, Berkshire Hathaway, profited off sale of a makeup ingredient that has been linked to cancer. The company is using fancy legal footwork to try to get out of paying remuneration to its victims.
The Global Reach of Colombia’s Private Security Firms
In response to violent drug gangs, Colombians have taken to employing private security who are trained to kill and outnumber the police and the army. But their close ties to the far right and the cartels means they often only make Colombians more unsafe.
Trump Helps Credit Card Companies Fight Interest Rate Caps
Although on the campaign trail Donald Trump proposed capping credit card interest rates, his administration is withdrawing support for a Colorado state law that would impose such caps.
How Many Americans Really Live Paycheck to Paycheck?
Centrist pundits take issue with Bernie Sanders’s frequent claim that 60% of Americans are living “paycheck to paycheck.” His critics’ attempts to debunk this statistic aren’t convincing.
Black Bag: Not Much to See Here
Black Bag is being hailed by critics as highly sophisticated cinematic fare — rather than an unambitious rush job by a talented director eager to move on to his next, similarly unsatisfying project.