What Is Democracy?
Filmmaker Astra Taylor on her latest documentary, the relationship between democracy and freedom, and why the latest round of books on the erosion of norms are “just not very good.”
87 Articles by: Micah Uetricht
Micah Uetricht is the editor of Jacobin. He is the author of Strike for America: Chicago Teachers Against Austerity and coauthor of Bigger than Bernie: How We Go from the Sanders Campaign to Democratic Socialism.
What a Socialist Society Could Actually Look Like
Socialists have to wrestle with the tricky questions about the nuts and bolts of socialism. We need to put forward a credible vision of a future socialist society. Here’s what that society could look like.
The Welfare State They Were In
Belle and Sebastian’s If You’re Feeling Sinister seems like a soundtrack of breezy lives of personal heartbreak and occasional triumph unencumbered by the larger troubles of the world. But the album is a direct product of Scotland’s welfare state.
“You Don’t Get This Perfect Storm of Class Struggle Very Often”
The teachers strike wave is the most important development in working-class politics in years. Combined with the rise of socialism, chances for a major transformation leftward in American politics are better than ever.
“Let’s Build a Fighting Force on the City Council”
Carlos Ramirez-Rosa was once the lone socialist on Chicago’s city council — now he’s joined by five members of the Democratic Socialists of America. In an interview with Jacobin, Rosa talks about the attacks from the city’s political and capitalist class that didn’t land and the agenda for the city’s newly elected socialists.
The Vast Majority, a Podcast from Jacobin
The Vast Majority is hosted by managing editor Micah Uetricht.
Chicago Teacher Militancy Is Up for Reelection
The Chicago Teachers Union is choosing its leadership this week. A reelection of the Caucus of Rank-and-File Educators would mean a commitment to more of the militant teacher unionism that has reshaped Chicago and inspired educators around the country.
Just How Precarious Is the US Economy?
Work in the twenty-first century sucks. But it’s not because of a new “gig economy” — it’s because work under capitalism always sucks.
A Good Night for Chicago Socialists
Chicago has long been dominated by a powerful Democratic machine and decades of austerity and gentrification. But the city’s left won victories across the board in Tuesday’s elections.
“I Love Chicago. I’m Gonna Fight to Stay Here.”
Jeanette Taylor is a community activist on Chicago’s South Side running for city council. In an interview, Taylor explains why she participated in a month-long hunger strike to reopen a school, how to fight inequality in the city, and her vision for a working-class Chicago.
The Beginning of the End of Capitalist Realism
Mark Fisher died two years ago this month. He helped us see the collective depression we have all lived in for decades. If only he could have seen that depression finally start to lift.
A Mighty Wind
Democrats are endorsing striking teachers. That doesn’t mean the party’s abandoning its education agenda, but it does mean that the working class is making itself harder to ignore.
Welcome Their Hatred
Democratic leaders are outraged at Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s actions in Congress and are trying to reel her in. It’s a clear sign she’s antagonizing all the right forces in the party.
Completing the Feminist Revolution
In the 1960s and ‘70s, feminists began to transform society. Today, we need to finish the job.
“We Have a Right to the Resources That We Create”
Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez is a democratic socialist running for Chicago city council. In this interview, she explains how austerity forced her to leave her native Puerto Rico, her vision for building working-class power in Chicago, and how to seize our “historic opportunity” to fight for socialism.
Sixteen Shots and a Conviction
Jason Van Dyke, the Chicago police officer who shot Laquan McDonald sixteen times, has been found guilty of murder. It’s a major victory for Chicago activists and the broader movement against police brutality.
Pointing the Finger at Jeff Bezos Worked
Jeff Bezos raised Amazon’s starting wage to $15 because of pressure from workers and Bernie Sanders — showing how, even when workers and socialists are weak, we can win against the most powerful people in the world.
Learning from the New Communist Movement
Socialists today don’t have to reinvent the wheel — we can learn from the successes and failures of past American radicals, including the New Communist Movement.
Chapo Trap House, Between Hope and Nihilism
Chapo Trap House’s Matt Christman on pulling angry young men away from the alt right, consumption choices as politics, the grotesqueries of American life, and his commitment to “optimism of the will and all that shit.”