British Election Nights, Despair, and Hope: A Personal HistoryDavid HesmondhalghBritish election nights have followed a certain pattern for decades. The polling stations close at 10 p.m. The ballot boxes are delivered to municipal sports halls across the country, where local government employees count the votes through the night, before … Continue reading "British Election Nights, Despair, and Hope: A Personal History"
A New Diagnosis for Capitalism: Tristam Vivian Adams’ The Psychopath FactoryLinnéa Hussein“What if we’re living in a world full of super-social psychopaths?” is the question posed by Tristam Vivian Adams early on in his book The Psychopath Factory: How Capitalism Organizes Empathy. Scary, as the term “psychopath” immediately triggers thoughts about … Continue reading "A New Diagnosis for Capitalism: Tristam Vivian Adams’ The Psychopath Factory"
Popular CultureWendy Trevino1. “No matter how much you feel it, you want To feel it even more.” That’s the feeling Tony Bennett says he sees in Amy Winehouse when they meet to record “Body & Soul” in March 2011 For Bennett’s album … Continue reading "Popular Culture"
What Does One Do In the Face of a Lawless Administration?Michael DenningNote: Since April 25, 2017, eight graduate teachers who are members of UNITE HERE Local 33 have engaged in The Fast Against the Slow, a fast to move the Yale administration to negotiate. For more details, see https://www.facebook.com/local33unitehere/ The global … Continue reading "What Does One Do In the Face of a Lawless Administration?"
French Elections: The Hour of DangerSylvie MikowskiAll journalists and commentators predicted that the first round of the French presidential elections could bring about real surprises; but, in fact, it didn’t. Well, at least not really. Of course, with the qualification of Macron and Le Pen, it … Continue reading "French Elections: The Hour of Danger"
“Original Sin,” Slavery, and American InnocenceJohn Patrick Leary“Slavery, America’s original sin” is one of the most common ways in which human bondage is invoked in journalism, punditry, and popular history today. What is suggested by this theological metaphor for a brutal history of exploitation—and where does it … Continue reading "“Original Sin,” Slavery, and American Innocence"
Nonknowledge as Capacity: Randy Martin’s Knowledge LTD and the Limits of Rationality in the Age of the DerivativeJohn AndrewsJournalist Farhad Manjoo describes the “post-fact society” as “a parallel universe of fact: a place at once part of the mainland but profoundly distant from it, a place where another truth—a truth pocked with holes, but one just true enough … Continue reading "Nonknowledge as Capacity: Randy Martin’s Knowledge LTD and the Limits of Rationality in the Age of the Derivative"
A Spillage of the Fugitive VarietyMarquis BeyMarquis Bey interviews Alexis Pauline Gumbs, author of the poetry collection Spill: Scenes of Black Feminist Fugitivity. Read an excerpt from book here. Marquis Bey: So I want to begin, if I may, expressing to you how utterly thankful I … Continue reading "A Spillage of the Fugitive Variety"