In the last decade, there has been an international resurgence of interest in the philosophy of Louis Althusser. New essays, journalism, collections, secondary literature, and even manuscripts by Althusser himself are emerging, speaking in fresh ways to audiences of theorists and activists. Althusser is especially important in educational thought,…[Read more]

There are uses and abuses of class separatism. It draws clear lines of demarcation, helps sort the ideal from the material, and finds issues that cut across a lot of differences. But it gets abused, and the abuse is rooted in its mistake about relations of production. My contention, having done this assessment of class separatism, is that the…[Read more]

In a recent essay in Rethinking Marxism, as part of a special issue on the legacy of Louis Althusser’s thinking,
Tyson E. Lewis takes up Althusser’s thinking on schooling, trade unionism, and seminars to delimit the concepts of
interpellation, counterinterpellation, and disinterpellation respectively. While Lewis’s work is a crucial first step…[Read more]

In this chapter I detail two socialist grading practices, one for grading classroom discussion and the other for determining final grades. Throughout the descriptions I argue for why they are socialist and how I began using them.

The purpose of this essay is to demonstrate that discussion is distorted in the United States. By “distortion” I mean an inconsistency between the generally understood meaning of the word and the practices that go by it’s name. The meanings of ‘discussion’ range from turn-taking sequences to democratic ideals, as opposed to recitation, conversat…[Read more]

Racism is a tool the ruling class uses to make sure workers don’t get together and get rid of them. Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor has articulated the same insight in reference to the Black Lives Matter movement and the recent Women’s Marches. But that phenomenon–wrenching–can and does happen in many struggles, both between and within many social…[Read more]

It is difficult to guide the racially unknowing, ignorant, and fragile (read: most white people) to an understanding of these ideas, so explanations rejecting reverse racism fall short. I came up with a metaphor to do this. I call it the game metaphor. Its purpose is to show why there is no such thing as reverse racism without using any concepts…[Read more]

Intersectionality and marxism are not on great terms, supposedly.[1] While some thinkers and activists recognize the need for intersectional insights in research and organizing, others maintain more negative attitudes and analyses towards such insights. The negative attitudes and analyses combine a new resent with the old tension between feminist…[Read more]

Interview with me about my book ‘Elements of Discussion’.

Ideology is everywhere in political speaking, writing, and conversing. The sooner everyone in the debate about fake news gets comfortable with this basic concept, the better.

While co-operative schools are different, there are different kinds of different schools. This essay
examines the type of alternative co-operative schools are, using distinctions Philip A. Woods draws
from Maori philosophy of education. While some may believe that co-operative schools are a
challenge alternative — rather than a choice or a…[Read more]