How Progressive Civil Society Became Professional NGO Culture
The disintegration of working-class institutions and the rise of professionalized advocacy have severed the connections between progressive civil society and working-class communities.
20378 Article(s) by: Zola Carr
Zola Carr is a doctoral candidate at Columbia University, working on a dissertation on the development of experimental brain implants for psychiatric disorder.
Central America’s Last Comandante
Now in hiding, César Montes led rebel forces, including the Guerrilla Army of the Poor, against US-backed dictatorships across Central America. Jacobin visited him in the Guatemalan prison where he was serving a 175-year sentence prior to his October escape.
UnitedHealthcare’s Decades-Long Fight to Block Reform
UnitedHealthcare, the health insurer whose CEO was murdered earlier this month, has spent decades fighting and winning political battles to maintain the for-profit health system status quo and kill any attempts to reform it.
The Devastation in Mayotte Isn’t Just a Natural Disaster
After Cyclone Chido hit the Indian Ocean islands of Mayotte, Emmanuel Macron told locals that they would be “10,000 times more in the shit” if they weren’t French-ruled. The mass casualties show how little France has actually done to protect the islanders.
Striking Amazon for the Holidays
Amazon workers at seven warehouses walked off the job starting yesterday, in a major escalation of the Teamsters’ efforts to organize the company. In New York, the strikers faced repression from the police.
The Great Whitexican Novel
A scion of the Mexican right, Nicolás Medina Mora promises a window into the country’s elite in his autofiction debut, América del Norte. Had it actually offered that, the book could have been fascinating. Instead it gets mired in musings on whiteness.
Political Repression Isn’t What It Used to Be
Despite the efforts of Donald Trump and the Right to bend the state in a more repressive, less free direction, society seems more and more resistant to these efforts.
“Erdoğan Wants to Bring All of Syria Under Turkish Control”
The fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime has prompted a fresh power struggle in Syria. Îlham Ehmed, a foreign relations representative for the Kurdish-led autonomous region, spoke to Jacobin about Turkey’s bid to expand its control.
Elon Musk Is Inaugurating a New Era of Billionaire Rule
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, just used his political influence to shut down a bipartisan deal to keep the government open. It’s obscene — but it’s just one example of the ways billionaires dominate American democracy.
How Justin Trudeau Alienated Canada’s Working Class
Canada, like the US and other countries, is grappling with acute political dealignment. Plummeting working-class support for center-left parties highlights the failure of liberal policies and the appeal of Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s populism.
Will COP30 Deliver for the Amazon — and the Planet?
With the Amazon on the edge of collapse, climate pledges remain heavy on words and light on action. With progress stalling out on key issues like climate finance at COP29, delegates to COP30 in Brazil next fall have their work cut out for them.
Argentine Cinema Takes on the Dollar’s Strange Power
Award-winning filmmaker Francisco Lezama’s trilogy of short films captures how inflation and currency speculation have warped Argentine society, creating a dystopian split between those who can and can’t escape poverty using US dollars.
When Socialists Run for NYC Mayor, Good Things Can Happen
Socialist legislator Zohran Mamdani is running for New York City mayor against a corrupt, unpopular mayor. Morris Hillquit did the same thing a century ago.
“Buy Now, Pay Later” Companies Are an Unregulated Racket
“Buy now, pay later” companies like Klarna present themselves as friendly, interest-free alternatives to credit cards. Consumer advocates warn that the services don’t have proper guardrails, leading to potentially dangerous consequences for users.
How Labor Can Fight Trump’s Authoritarianism
Former United Teachers Los Angeles president Alex Caputo-Pearl lays out a “block and build” strategy for labor to defeat the rising right-wing attacks on workers and democracy in the coming Donald Trump administration.
How Austrian Liberals Silenced Pro-Palestinians
If German public debate is infamous for its pro-Israel dogmas, the situation is as bad in Austria. While the far-right Freedom Party is now normalized, pro-Palestinians are silenced in the name of “anti-fascist” solidarity with Israel.
How Left Economists Have Challenged Economic “Common Sense”
The US New Left spawned a generation of progressive economists who sought to challenge economic orthodoxy. For the “popular economics” movement, that has meant taking on pro-capitalist economics in academia as well as the public sphere.
Queer Asks You to Believe Daniel Craig Can’t Get Laid
Based on William S. Burroughs’s cult novel, Luca Guadagnino’s Queer finds an American expat looking for love among the men of 1950s Mexico. But a story about thwarted desires runs into problems when you cast a Hollywood hunk like Daniel Craig.
On-Demand Nursing Is Dangerous for Nurses and Patients
Big Tech and Wall Street are deploying an on-demand nursing model across America. Created to solve a nursing shortage that doesn’t exist, it creates unsafe conditions for both medical professionals and patients.
Voters Chose Economic Populism at the State Level
Even in states carried by Donald Trump, voters passed ballot measures supporting paid sick leave, higher minimum wages, and unionization rights while rejecting school privatization. Voters want progressive economic policies.