Jacobin Radio

Before the Bernie Sanders presidential runs, the last big upsurge in radical US politics occurred in the 1960s. This moment is remembered for its civil rights activism and student anti-war protests, but how should we really understand the New Left’s rise and fall?

On this latest episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber and Melissa Naschek are joined by political scientist and longtime socialist organizer Adolph Reed Jr. for a wide-ranging conversation about the sixties radicals. They look at the rise of the student movement, the developments in post-war Marxism, and the birth of modern identity politics.

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Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy, and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey

David Griscom, author of The Myth of Red Texas, explains how Democrats took over Texas after 30 years of GOP rule. Djene Rhys Bajalan discusses Saudi Arabia’s troubles.

Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.

Ruth First is one of the most celebrated figures to have been involved in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa. She was a leading member of the ANC and the South African Communist Party who went into exile during the early 1960s. Her husband Joe Slovo was the leader of the ANC’s military wing. Along with her political activism, First left behind an important intellectual legacy as a creative Marxist writer.

Christopher Lee joins Long Reads to discuss the life and work of Ruth First. Christopher has written widely about questions of decolonization and the history of the South African left. He organized the republication this year of Ruth First’s book The Barrel of a Gun: Political Power in Africa and the Coup d'État, which she composed during her years in exile.

Read Christopher’s article for Jacobin, “Ruth First’s Legacy Has Outlived the Regime That Killed Her” here: https://jacobin.com/2026/09/ruth-first-south-africa-anti-apartheid-communism

Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine’s writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

Featuring Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor on this year’s historic US election cycle. A massive blue tsunami repudiated the MAGA right in the wake of a red primary wave from the socialist left that crashed into the Democratic Party establishment.

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The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

Alfredo Saad-Filho discusses Lula’s victory and the challenges facing him in his fourth term. Raj Patel looks at the malign influence of foundations on the food supply.

Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.