Culture and media
Taking our cue from Raymond Williams’ ‘culture is ordinary’, we explore how politics works through old and new media, books, film, stage and screen, music and sport.
We cover a breadth of themes, from representations of class, race and gender in the arts, to progressive and reactionary uses of nostalgia, to the grassroots voices democratising the channels of communication.
Taking our cue from Raymond Williams’ ‘culture is ordinary’, we explore how politics works through old and new media, books, film, stage and screen, music and sport.
We cover a breadth of themes, from representations of class, race and gender in the arts, to progressive and reactionary uses of nostalgia, to the grassroots voices democratising the channels of communication.
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Hold the press: the rise, fall and rise again of left media
In the ever-shifting landscape and viability of print media, left-wing publications can take many forms and directions. Paula Lacey spotlights a selection of trajectories taken in the UK and beyond
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Transition time for Red Pepper
After 31 years, Red Pepper is ceasing print production. Editors Hilary Wainwright and Siobhán McGuirk explain why – and invite readers to shape what comes next
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What’s left online? Content vs clickbait
Media producers on the left must work both in and against the online content economy, argues Gerry Hart
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Life in print: a history of socialist publishing
Former Red Pepper editor K Biswas reflects on the ebb and flow of media fortunes and how a drive to print continues to galvanise the left
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Blurred Lines: A view from the comment section
From clickbait to culture wars, Rhian E. Jones laments the debasement of reader engagement in media comment sections – and its impact on journalism itself
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Enemy Feminisms – review
Sophie Lewis sets out how to build a liberated, feminist world without ignoring feminism’s uglier side, writes Leah Cowen
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From the Ashes – review
Grief and loss are inescapable parts of the fight for a better world, but Sarah Jaffe demonstrates that they are compatible with resilience and determination, writes Joana Ramiro