The Indonesian Counter-Revolution
The Indonesian genocide was one of the great crimes of the twentieth century. Its victims were leftists who struggled against colonialism and fought for Indonesian self-determination.
20389 Article(s) by: Yi San
Yi San is a freelance writer based in New York.
There Could Be Power in a Union
The gilets jaunes’ street demonstrations arose outside of trade-union structures. Yet their mobilization offers a historic opportunity to renew the labor movement.
How Federal Workers Could Fight the Shutdown
Federal workers have dealt with low pay, degraded working conditions, and repeated employer lockouts. If they want to improve their conditions, they’ll have to organize.
Why the Alt-Right Loves Nietzsche
Nietzsche’s critique of modernity has fascinated thinkers on the Right and Left — but in its essence, it belongs to the Right. The Left must advance an alternative modernity.
Completing the Feminist Revolution
In the 1960s and ‘70s, feminists began to transform society. Today, we need to finish the job.
Disco and Communism
The Italian Communist Party saw culture as a key political battleground. But the arrival of disco challenged its assumptions about what music should be.
Who Wants Bernie to Run?
Pundits claim that Bernie has a “problem” with minority voters. But the polling is clear — Sanders is advancing a vision of politics that challenges injustice in a way that black voters broadly support.
We Have a Right to Boycott Israel
A bipartisan group of lawmakers is trying to criminalize boycotts of Israel — an appalling, McCarthyite attack on free speech.
Beale Street’s Tragedy Made Gorgeous
In If Beale Street Could Talk, the ugliness of oppression and persecution stand in tense contrast with Barry Jenkins’ lush, color-drenched cinematography.
The 2018 Jacobin Mixtape
Don’t cry in your champagne. Here’s the best of Jacobin from a remarkable year.
The Carceral Problem Is Getting Worse
Despite new legislation, American hyper-punishment is not slowing. It’s even accelerating.
The King Stands Naked
The gilets jaunes movement has discredited not just Macron, but the entire French elite.
The Attack on Palestinian Universities
The brutality of Israeli occupation isn’t limited to wars. It also includes constant assault on Palestinians’ access to basic necessities like higher education.
The Left Side of the Church
The church is responsible for a litany of injustices — and today Christian rhetoric is used to defend a violent neoliberal capitalism. But the glorious tradition of liberation theology can’t be forgotten.
Why I Can’t Celebrate Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is now far bigger than its founder. But I can’t forget that Ron Karenga helped murder Black Panther militants and his other heinous crimes.
The Attack on Public Housing
Public housing should embody a promise: free housing for all, free of segregation. Reserving it only for the poorest undermines that promise.
The Death of the German Dream
Angela Merkel has resigned as CDU leader. Her failed promises of “prosperity for all” are leading to the disintegration of the traditional mass parties.
You Don’t Want Hygge. You Want Social Democracy.
Hygge has exploded as a cozy, comforting interior design trend. But the security and intimacy it evokes can’t be achieved by scented candles alone — that requires social democracy.
How Workers Win and Lose
In 2018, workers started getting restless. Some unions took advantage of that restlessness — and won big. Others rolled over to management without a fight.
Laboring Under an Illusion
“Post-work” Marxism aims to liberate us from the coercion of wage labor. But without a program for reorganizing production, it can only return us to the tyranny of the market.