JACOBIN

AUGUST 17. 2025

Indonesia’s Rulers Are Whitewashing the Crimes of Suharto

In the 1960s, the Indonesian dictator Suharto was responsible for one of the twentieth century’s bloodiest political massacres. Under the rule of Prabowo, the country’s government is suppressing the memory of Suharto’s crimes while vilifying the Left.

The Many Lives of James Baldwin

James Baldwin shaped a generation of American writers, many of whom later dismissed his humanistic outlook as naive. Today he is once again celebrated, but a new biography shows that his life was more complex than his viral fame suggests.

Growing Old in a Time of Neoliberalism

In The Life, Old Age, and Death of a Working-Class Woman, French writer Didier Eribon sees his mother’s passing as symbolic of the disappearance of the mass culture and politics that once gave workers of her generation identity and social standing.

AUGUST 16. 2025

Want to End the EV Culture Wars? Make EVs Affordable.

Culture warriors and industry lobbyists have turned electric vehicles into a proxy battle for deeper anxieties about class, control, and who might be left behind in a green economy. But most people just want a car they can afford.

Brutalism Is Back

Not everyone is excited about the resurgence of brutalism. But the rise of neobrutalist projects shows how the polarizing architectural style can also be a pragmatic use of scarce resources.

When Genocide Denial Is the Norm

Genocide scholar Martin Shaw argues that ending Israel’s genocide in Gaza and isolating Israel on the international stage must become the cause of every country that claims to represent human values.

Is This the End of MAS?

Bolivians head to the polls on Sunday amid a spiraling economic crisis and the total collapse of the Movement Toward Socialism. A right-wing victory could bring neoliberal austerity back to Bolivia, unleashing a new cycle of social unrest.

Steven Rose Brought His Science and Socialism Together

Steven Rose, who died last month, was a major figure in the field of neuroscience and a brilliant scientific popularizer. Rose was also a committed socialist who challenged the misuse of science to legitimate racism, sexism, and class inequality.

AUGUST 15. 2025

Using Protected Identity to Suppress History

Legislation on protected identities is supposed to foster good intercommunal relations. When it’s used to protect Zionism, it means shielding a 19th-century nationalist ideology from criticism as if it were an innate characteristic of all Jews.

The Trump-Era Gender Wars, Brought to You By Neoliberalism

We’re seeing an alarming revival of archaic gender role ideas, from the manosphere’s remasculinization crusade to trad wives’ rejection of public life. Veteran historian of gender roles Stephanie Coontz explains the moment’s deep economic undercurrents.

Why Gen Z Loves to Invest

Raised amid wage stagnation and soaring markets, Gen Z invests more than prior generations. Yet rising inequality means that, despite their efforts, most are unlikely to close the wealth gap with their more affluent peers.

Is Cormac McCarthy “Based”?

Legendary novelist Cormac McCarthy is often hailed by the Right as one of its own. The truth is more complicated.

Colonialization Through Dehydration in Palestine

Israel’s extreme rationing of water to the Palestinian people is central to its larger project of control, domination, and ethnic cleansing.

Nicola Sturgeon’s Memoir Mainly Reveals Her Own Emptiness

Frankly, the memoir of Scotland’s former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, presents itself as a brave, plain-speaking account of her career. But this uninspiring book inadvertently reveals the blandness and conformism of Sturgeon’s political outlook.