Protest
The Power of the Party
Founded a century ago, the Chinese Communist Party has repeatedly defied predictions of its demise.
Reclaiming the Power of Rebellion
Derecka Purnell interviews historian Elizabeth Hinton about her new book and how talk of “riots” discredits Black political demands.
Why Aren’t We Talking about Farmers in India?
They are fighting in a global war over the future of agriculture. Modi is chocking the debate.
How ACT UP Did It
Sarah Schulman’s history shows how AIDS activists forced the government to accept that they mattered.
The Law Ought to Be King
Thailand has been gripped by the largest wave of protest in years, forcing a reckoning between the country’s dual structures of democracy and monarchy.
What Can Elections Do?
Without pressure from social movements, they won’t produce meaningful and deeply needed reform.
Where Do We Go From Here: A Fundraiser for Black Lives
A transcript of our panel discussion on the Black Lives Matter movement.
A New Age of Protest Music
Through online fan communities and digital platforms like TikTok, popular music is finding powerful new ways to shape everyday activism, protest, and resistance.
Some Statues Are Like Barbed Wire
Activists fighting to remove statues of slavers and colonizers understand better than most how public memorials can be a form of violence.
Protest, Passion, Politics
The reissue of Vivian Gornick’s The Romance of American Communism invites a new generation to reflect on what it means to live a life of political commitment.
The Struggle to Abolish the Police Is Not New
Prison and police abolition were key to the thinking of many midcentury civil rights activists.
We Should Be Afraid, But Not of Protesters
The rage on display in Minneapolis is not only about police violence. It is also about the country’s utter disregard for the pain of black Americans.
The Minneapolis Uprising in Context
A proper understanding of urban rebellion depends on our ability to interpret it not as a wave of criminality, but as political violence.
Uncivil Disobedience in Hong Kong
The protests have been critiqued for their rejection of classic nonviolence—but that may help explain why they has been so successful.
The Radical Equality of Lives
Judith Butler talks with Brandon M. Terry about MLK, the grievability of black lives, and how to defend nonviolence today.
“Every Crucifixion Needs a Witness”
Rev. William J. Barber II on civil disobedience, the failures of electoral campaigns, and why the South is key to a political transformation of the country.
The Right to Boycott
Since 2014 twenty-seven states have adopted laws that aim to discourage boycotts of Israel. At stake is our First Amendment right to protest state policies.
MLK Now
Canonization has prevented a reckoning with the substance of King’s intellectual, ethical, and political commitments.
Be Realistic: Demand the Impossible
The revolutionaries of 1968 didn't succeed, but the world still needs turning upside down.
Get our newsletter
Vital reading on politics, ideas, and culture to your inbox
A political and literary forum, independent and nonprofit since 1975
Registered 501(c)(3) organization
Help Us Stay Paywall-Free
Become a Member