Lewis Hine, Photographer of the American Working Class
Few American photographers have captured the misery, dignity, and occasional bursts of solidarity within US working-class life as compellingly as Lewis Hine did in the early twentieth century.
19364 Articles by: Yi San
Yi San is a freelance writer based in New York.
How Entering Australia Has Become a Privilege, Not a Right
Australia has maintained one of the toughest border regimes in the world throughout the pandemic, helping it contain the virus and save lives. But with strict quotas on entry, flights into Australia are a privilege reserved only for the rich.
Acts of Desperation Is a Novel About How We’re Made to Feel Powerless
Megan Nolan’s debut novel, Acts of Desperation, centers on a young woman trapped in a toxic relationship with her violent boyfriend. It’s also a book deeply pervaded by class — and how a social order built on domination makes us feel we have no power to free ourselves.
The Billionaire Class Is a Threat to Democracy
Since the pandemic began, America’s billionaires have seen their wealth skyrocket to an amount almost equal to a fifth of US GDP. This concentration of wealth is morally unacceptable — but it also represents a mortal threat to democracy.
Capitalism Has a Compulsive Hoarding Problem
Pathological hoarding, now recognized as a mental disorder, is a fitting malady for an economic system predicated on the compulsive accumulation of profits — achieved, in practice, by flooding the world with stuff.
Labour’s Centrists Ignore What Working-Class Voters Want
After Labour’s setbacks in May’s local elections, moderates claim the party needs to tack to the center to win. But their economic ideas offer 1990s-style neoliberalism — not the jobs and investments working-class voters want.
Nobody Should Be Celebrating the Affordable Care Act
Presidents Obama and Biden yukked it up this weekend in a video celebrating the Affordable Care Act. But the real thrust of Obamacare was always finding ways to pretend to address the health care crisis while protecting the health insurers fueling it.
Will Neoliberalism Finally End in Chile?
Chile voted for sweeping structural reform and an end to neoliberalism. It’s a repudiation of Augusto Pinochet and the economic regime he cemented in the country.
Palestinian Workers Have a Long History of Resistance
The Palestinian general strike of May 18 fits into a much longer history of mobilization by Palestinian workers. From the British colonial years to the present, those struggles have faced harsh repression, but kept a spirit of resistance alive.
“We’re Seeing the Breakdown of Collective Responsibility”
Western states’ response to the coronavirus pandemic has been far inferior to East Asian countries’ — illustrating their inability to cope with major crises. China scholar Kenneth Pomeranz spoke to Jacobin about the decline of collective responsibility and the dangers of future pandemics.
Narendra Modi Turned COVID-19 Into a Catastrophe for India
India’s experience of COVID-19 has gone from crisis to catastrophe in recent months. Responsibility for the disaster lies squarely with Narendra Modi’s right-wing government, which has consistently prioritized its own political interests over public health.
TikTok and the Proletkult
TikTok is a corporate product generating multibillion-dollar revenues for its owners, but some of its users have carved out space within it for a new culture of youth militancy.
No, Small Isn’t Beautiful
The power of big business needs to be confronted. But the solution to big business isn’t small business — it’s democratic socialism.
There’s Less Than Two Years to Save American Democracy
The ongoing drive by Republicans to pass voter suppression laws presents the biggest challenge to democratic government since the establishment of Jim Crow. If Democrats in Congress fail to act by the 2022 midterms, it could be too late to stop it.
When Jewish Immigrant Workers Helped Elect a Socialist Congressman
Jewish garment workers in New York City’s Lower East Side were central to the Socialist Party. And in 1914, they formed the backbone of the successful Socialist congressional campaign of Meyer London, contributing whatever they could despite their desperate poverty.
Showcasing the Best of Working-Class Cinema
Movies are a uniquely powerful medium to depict working-class life in its full richness. The DC Labor Film Fest, which ends this weekend, has collected the best such worker films for streaming.
Despite Everything, Queer Leftists Survived
The history of queer liberation movements is often talked about as distinct from the history of the Left. But in the first half of the twentieth century, queer people were abundant among American radical leftists — decades before the rise of an organized mass movement for gay rights.
Atlassian’s Vision for the Future of Work Is a Cyber-Taylorist Nightmare
Australian tech company Atlassian — best known for its flagship product, Jira Software — presents itself as a humble innovator that wants to improve the world with technology. But its productivity-boosting tools are designed to maximize the exploitation of workers.
Jamaal Bowman Is Right — the Left Should Draw a Line in the Sand Over Infrastructure
On infrastructure, Joe Biden is sliding back into the disastrous “bipartisan” mode of negotiations that sank so may progressive initiatives in the Obama years. Jamaal Bowman has now drawn a line in the sand rejecting that approach — and others in Congress should join him.
Peru Has a Choice: Democracy or a Return to Dictatorship
Chicago city councilor and Democratic Socialists of America member Carlos Ramirez-Rosa writes from Peru that the country’s elections this weekend offer two stark choices: a deepening of democracy or a return to right-wing dictatorship.