Culture
Degenerates remembered January 2013Ian Hunter looks at an exhibition and project remembering persecuted artist Kurt Schwitters
A class act January 2013Nicholas Beuret looks at E P Thompson's classic The Making of the English Working Class
A flame of butterflies January 2013Flight Behaviour, by Barbara Kingsolver, reviewed by Kitty Webster
Athenian nights January 2013Discordia: Six nights in crisis Athens, by Laurie Penny and Molly Crabapple, reviewed by Mel Evans
Economic odysseys January 2013Scattered Sand: the story of China’s rural migrants, by Hsiao-Hung Pai, reviewed by Greg Fay
Lively London January 2013London’s Overthrow by China Miéville, reviewed by Frank Carney
We won’t be told – Argentina’s horizontalism December 2012Everyday Revolutions: horizontalism and autonomy in Argentina, by Marina A Sitrin, reviewed by Isabelle Koksal
Books in red wrapping paper December 2012Philosophy Football's Mark Perryman introduces his best left-wing books of 2012 for a hopeful materialist's seasonal gift list
No better model December 2012The Making of Global Capitalism: the political economy of American empire, by Leo Panitch and Sam Gindin, reviewed by Patrick Bond
Call this art? December 2012The Artist Placement Group brought artistic practice to British workplaces in the 1960s and 1970s. Janna Graham reviews a new exhibition of their work
The M word December 2012Are You My Mother? by Alison Bechdel, reviewed by Mel Evans
Back to the shop floor December 2012Edward Webster looks at Working for Ford, by Huw Beynon (1974)
Untouchables: a different way to make sense of Leveson December 2012Untouchables: dirty cops, bent justice and racism in Scotland Yard, by Michael Gillard and Laurie Flynn, reviewed by Kevin Blowe
Palestine: Learning from the rabbi December 2012Wrestling in the Daylight: a rabbi’s path to Palestinian solidarity, by Brant Rosen, reviewed by Richard Kuper
Riot from Wrong: An example of what journalism could look like November 2012Koos Couvée reviews a film about the riots that gives a different point of view
2012’s literary Christmas tree formation November 2012Philosophy Football’s Mark Perryman reveals the football books any fan would welcome as an addition to their bookshelf this Christmas
Wages without work November 2012Revolution at Point Zero by Silvia Federici and The Problem with Work by Kathi Weeks, reviewed by Nicholas Beuret
The people of the pipeline October 2012The Oil Road, by James Marriott and Mika Minio-Paluello, reviewed by Andy Rowell
Chumbawamba: One last time October 2012Chumbawamba, the anarchist band that topped the charts and tipped an ice bucket over John Prescott, have decided to call it a day. Founder member Boff Whalley explains why
Live art: In here or out there? October 2012From oil tanks to magic forests, Andy Field considers some of the unlikely homes offered to live art
Film: Who Polices the Police? October 2012Ken Fero, director of 'Who Policies The Police?' writes about the making of the film which examines the complicity of the IPCC in deaths in custody and the struggle of one family for justice
Manifesta 9: Genk October 2012Jane Shallice reports from Manifesta in Genk, a biennial Europe-wide contemporary art exhibition which this year had a coal mining theme
Bring on your wrecking ball: the politics of Bruce Springsteen September 2012Huw Beynon and Steve Davies consider the significance of an artist whose new album targets the bankers’ crisis
Classic book: Frankenstein September 2012Mads Ryle looks at the continuing relevance of Mary Shelley's classic to debates about science, technology and nature today
Shedcasting in Surbiton September 2012Michael Calderbank visits the suburban garden of radio broadcaster and DJ Mark Coles, an unlikely location for an internet-based radio show
Knowing Too Much: A new view of Jerusalem September 2012Knowing Too Much: why the American Jewish romance with Israel is coming to an end, by Norman Finkelstein, reviewed by Richard Kuper
Leila Khaled: The woman behind the symbol September 2012Leila Khaled: Icon of Palestinian Liberation, by Sarah Irving, reviewed by Hilary Aked
Practical action: Beautiful Trouble September 2012Beautiful Trouble: A Toolbox for Revolution, eds Andrew Boyd and Dave Oswald Mitchell, reviewed by Justin Jacoby Smith
Northern soul: Socialism with a Northern Accent September 2012Socialism with a Northern Accent, by Paul Salveson. reviewed by Michael Calderbank
Alternative Olympianism September 2012Why The Olympics Aren’t Good For Us, And How They Can Be, by Mark Perryman, reviewed by Kevin Blowe
Arab streetwise: the counter-culture of the revolutions August 2012The uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt have been sustained by an active countercultural scene, discovers Lorenzo Fe
Classic book: Let Me Speak! August 2012Nick Caistor takes another look at Domitila Barrios de Chungara's story of life in Bolivia's mining villages
Multiple perspectives August 2012Marine Ices, by Tony Garnett, reviewed by Sheila Rowbotham
A different solution August 2012To Cook a Continent: destructive extraction and the climate crisis in Africa, by Nnimmo Bassey, reviewed by Tim Gee
Alan Morrison: A polemical poet August 2012Jan Goodey meets poet Alan Morrison and explores his latest work on mental illness
In a sniper’s sights August 2012The Only House Left Standing: the Middle East journals of Tom Hurndall, reviewed by Ewa Jasiewicz
Cities of struggle August 2012Rebel Cities: from the right to the city to the urban revolution, by David Harvey, reviewed by Andre Pusey
Ill Manors, reductionist politics? June 2012Plan B's debut film portrays extreme anti-social behaviour in working-class and ethnic minority communities. The film could prove to be Conservative propaganda for Broken Britain, argues Clive Nwonka
Review: The Missing Billions June 2012As UK Uncut win their case at the high court to challenge the Goldman Sachs tax deal, Kitty Webster reviews the new documentary 'The Missing Billions'
Review: The Palestine Nakba June 2012Bernard Regan reviews Nur Masalha’s account of Palestinian history and the significance of the Nakba in the Israel-Palestine conflict
Fence Records: ‘We’re not trendy, we’re not competing, we just do our thing’ June 2012Johnny Lynch (aka The Pictish Trail) tells Emma Hughes that artist-run record label Fence is staying true to its roots
The Courageous State: Rethinking economics, society and the role of government June 2012By Richard Murphy, reviewed by Heather Blakey
Palestinians in Israel: Ethnocracy, not democracy May 2012Palestinians in Israel: Segregation, Discrimination and Democracy, by Ben White, reviewed by Richard Kuper
Riding the pink tide May 2012Social Movements and Leftist Governments in Latin America: Confrontation or Co-option? by Gary Prevost et al (eds), reviewed by Federico Fuentes
Ghosts of Afghanistan: A realistic prospect for peace May 2012Ghosts of Afghanistan: The Haunted Battleground, by Jonathan Steele, reviewed by Gabriel Carlyle
Debt: The First 5,000 Years – Money, myth and morality May 2012Debt: The First 5,000 Years, by David Graeber, reviewed by Nick Dearden
Classic book: Woman on the Edge of Time – A utopia of resistance May 2012Mel Evans looks at Woman on the Edge of Time, by Marge Piercy, first published 1979
Rare Earth: Revolutionary sci fi April 2012Rare Earth, by Paul Mason, reviewed by Amanda Sebestyen
Review: La Grande Illusion April 2012As a digitally restored version is released, Michael Pooler revisits Jean Renoir's anti-war masterpiece
Classic book: The Wretched of the Earth April 2012Richard Pithouse on The Wretched of the Earth, by Frantz Fanon
Counterpower: A reservoir of hope April 2012Counterpower: Making Change Happen, by Tim Gee, reviewed by Ed Lewis
Don’t Take No for an Answer: How not to run a referendum campaign April 2012Don’t Take No for an Answer: The 2011 Referendum and the Future of Electoral Reform, by Lewis Baston and Ken Ritchie, reviewed by Callum Michaels
Review: Revolutionary Communist at Work April 2012Revolutionary Communist at Work: A Political Biography of Bert Ramelson, by Roger Seifert and Tom Sibley, reviewed by Mary Davis
The Shadow World: Backstabbing, ego and disregard April 2012The Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade, by Andrew Feinstein, reviewed by Chris Browne
The Cost of Inequality: A chronicle of capitalist catastrophe April 2012The Cost of Inequality: Three Decades of the Super-Rich and the Economy, by Stewart Lansley, reviewed by Christopher Hird
The Assault on Universities: An education in democracy April 2012The Assault on Universities: A Manifesto for Resistance, by Michael Bailey and Des Freedman (eds), reviewed by Hilary Aked
Venezuela’s hip-hop revolutionaries March 2012Jody McIntyre and Pablo Navarrete report on Venezuela’s Hip Hop Revolución movement
A cagey business March 2012 Richard Kuper reads two books which consider the grotesque realities of industrial meat production and the wilful 'forgetting' needed to accept them.
Epitaph to a generation: John Akomfrah interview March 2012Siobhan McGuirk speaks to John Akomfrah about his new film – and the 2011 riots
Contradictory Dickens February 2012On the bicentenary of Charles Dickens' birth, Terry Eagleton looks at the contradictions of the man and his work
Tweetin’ ’bout a revolution: Paul Mason interview February 2012Newsnight’s Paul Mason, author of a new book on the revolts sweeping the world, speaks to Red Pepper
Blockbusters only please, we’re British! January 2012Filmmaker Clive Nwonka responds to the recently published UK Film Policy Review paper, and David Cameron’s questionable stance on film funding.
Catch 22: war satire still bites in the age of Fallujah and Helmand January 2012Catch 22, by Joseph Heller, reviewed by Matt Owen
Review: No Land! No House! No Vote! Voices from Symphony Way January 2012No Land! No House! No Vote! Voices from Symphony Way, reviewed by Martin Legassick
The White Van Papers: fiction that tells the truth January 2012The White Van Papers by Roland Muldoon, reviewed by Jane Shallice
More Bad News from Israel: how the media tell it like it isn’t January 2012More Bad News from Israel, by Greg Philo and Mike Berry, reviewed by Miri Weingarten
Britain’s Empire: ripping up the comfortable myths January 2012Britain’s Empire: Resistance, Repression and Revolt by Richard Gott, reviewed by Jonathan Steele
From Dictatorship to Democracy: a manual for revolution? December 2011From Dictatorship to Democracy: a conceptual framework for liberation, by Gene Sharp, reviewed by Alex Nunns
A night at the multiplex: an interview with Mark Kermode December 2011Sean Gittins talks to Mark Kermode about modern cinema and the role of the film critic
The Olympics site: ‘a ticking-clock assault on the residue of industrial history’ December 2011In this extract from his latest book, Ghost Milk, Iain Sinclair looks at the toxicity of the soil under the Olympics
Off with their heads! An interview with Martin Rowson December 2011Red Pepper speaks to Martin Rowson about his 30-plus years as a scourge of the political establishment
Review: Black Power Mixtape December 2011Selina Nwulu reviews new civil rights movement documentary Black Power Mixtape
Beyond bling-bling: rap in Cuba December 2011Cuba’s isolation has seen hip hop develop in a different direction, discovers Sujatha Fernandes
Castro: Beautiful brushwork, imperfect picture December 2011Leigh Philips reviews Castro by Reinhard Kleist
Not just a knee-jerk November 2011Richard Seymour reviews The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Sarah Palin by Corey Robin
Sex-positive feminism November 2011Jennie O’Hara reviews Meat Market: Female Flesh under Capitalism, by Laurie Penny
Fox among the paintings November 2011Daisy Jones takes aim at BBC4’s quixotic attempt to wrap modernist art in a union jack
Review: The Fear Factory November 2011Polemic documentary challenges sensationalist media portrayal of youth crime, but suffers from staid approach and lack of young voices, says Georgia Rooney
All the news that fits, they print October 2011Emma Hughes looks at Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media by Edward S Herman and Noam Chomsky (1988)
Unwatchable October 2011Amy Hall reviews the film 'Unwatchable' but finds real life even more disturbing
It’s possible, it’s necessary October 2011Antonio David Cattani reviews Ours to Master and to Own by Immanuel Ness and Dario Azzellini (eds)
The pursuit of the good September 2011Peter McMylor considers Alasdair MacIntyre's classic After Virtue: a study in moral theory, first published in 1981
In the revolutionary warm-stream September 2011Michael Calderbank reviews Magical Marxism: subversive politics and the Imagination, by Andy Merrifield
Flower power September 2011Jan Goodey reviews Seedbombs: going wild with flowers, by Josie Jeffery
Crude politics August 2011Sami Ramadani reviews Fuel on the Fire: oil and politics in occupied Iraq, by Greg Muttitt
Unruly protest August 2011Ashok Kumar reviews Fight Back! A reader on the winter of protest, ed. Dan Hancox
Gil Scott-Heron: Speakin’ for a whole generation August 2011Steve Pretty looks at the musical and political life of the poet
Pure class August 2011Kevin Blowe reviews Chavs: the demonisation of the working class, by Owen Jones
Crowd allowed August 2011Siobhan McGuirk on the way inspiring new documentary Just Do It was made
Soundtrack of dissent July 2011Alex Nunns reviews 33 Revolutions Per Minute: a history of protest songs by Dorian Lynskey
Reconstructing Marx July 2011Michael Calderbank reviews Why Marx was Right by Terry Eagleton
The greatest injustice July 2011Leigh Phillips reviews Treasure Islands by Nicholas Shaxson
School without walls July 2011Isabel Parrott revisits Colin Ward's classic The Child in the City
Film review: Unwrapping the drugs debate July 2011Siobhan McGuirk reviews ‘Cocaine Unwrapped’, a documentary that asks good questions but avoids too many answers
High hopes July 2011High-rise homes are derided, but some show that a progressive architecture is possible argues Owen Hatherley
Talking the talk June 2011Chris Browne goes to Mutiny’s latest ‘On Trial’ event
From kitchen sink to fish tank June 2011Siobhan McGuirk traces the history of social realism in British cinema as the genre starts to make a comeback
Empty tank June 2011Social realism was a strong tradition in British cinema. Clive James Nwonka argues that we need it as much as ever
Soaked in blood June 2011Lorna Stephenson reviews The Devil’s Milk: a social history of rubber by John Tully
The ladder of escape June 2011Michael Calderbank considers utopian dreaming and political engagement in the Joan Miró exhibition at Tate Modern
Maria and her mangoes June 2011Christine Haigh reviews The Fair Trade Revolution by John Bowes (ed)
Poster people May 2011James O'Nions reviews Celebrate People’s History: the poster book of resistance and revolution
Web freedom May 2011Tim Hunt reviews An Open Web
Branding the revolution May 2011Ross Eventon reviews A Poetics of Resistance: the revolutionary public relations of the Zapatista insurgency
Mass movements and Morales May 2011David Broder reviews From Rebellion to Reform in Bolivia
Salvaging the socialist cause May 2011Richard Seymour reviews Eric Hobsbawm's latest book, and a new biography of this influential historian
Capital ideas May 2011Ingo Scmidt discusses the relevance of Rosa Luxemburg's Accumulation of Capital
Reading Rosa April 2011Peter Hudis, editor of the newly published Letters of Rosa Luxemburg, speaks to Red Pepper
Palestine’s wandering poet April 2011Mike Marqusee on Mahmoud Darwish, the poet of the Palestinian people
Theatre Uncut: Art attack April 2011Red Pepper investigates a theatre project dramatising the cuts
Moving to the Latin beat March 2011Dancing with Dynamite: Social movements and states in Latin America, by Benjamin Dangl (AK Press), reviewed by Mike Geddes
Joining the dots March 2011Whose Crisis, Whose Future? Towards A Greener, Fairer, Richer World, by Susan George (Polity Press), reviewed by Sylvie Wynn
Birthday verse March 2011The Verso Book of Dissent: From Spartacus to the Shoe Thrower of Baghdad, edited by Andrew Hsiao and Audrea Lim, reviewed by Jennie Bailey
A timely jolt March 2011Jilted Generation, by Ed Howker and Shiv Malik (Icon Books), reviewed by Adam Ramsay
Unabashed history March 2011Beating the Fascists: The untold story of Anti-Fascist Action, by Sean Birchall (Freedom Press), reviewed by Ben Aylott
Countering capitalism March 2011The Great Transformation, by Karl Polanyi, reviewed by Tom Malleson
AgiTate February 2011The performances of art activists Liberate Tate are celebrated in a new postcard collection.
Machete: The action hero gets political February 2011Severed limbs and a splatter of anti-capitalism. Raph Schlembach watches Machete
Illegal Art: Recreating records February 2011Red Pepper talks to Illegal Art founder Philo T Farnsworth
The ninth art meets the fourth estate January 2011Leigh Phillips traces the emergence of comic-book journalism
Review: The war you don’t see December 2010J. Sadie Clifford on John Pilger's latest documentary.
The media war you don’t see December 2010Red Pepper's Latin America editor Pablo Navarrete interviews John Pilger ahead of the release of his new film, 'The War You Don't See.'
Have your steak and eat it November 2010Meat: a benign extravagance, by Simon Fairlie (Permanent Publications), reviewed by Christine Haigh
The case of the state November 2010Isabel Parrot assesses the continuing relevance of In and Against the State
Turbulent tome November 2010What Would it Mean to Win? by Turbulence Collective (PM Press), reviewed by James O’Nions
A need to go further November 2010The Rise of the Green Left, by Derek Wall (Pluto Press), reviewed by Peter McColl
Braver together November 2010The Language of Silence, by Merilyn Moos (Cressida Press/Writersworld), reviewed by Amanda Sebestyen
Absent voices November 2010Pornland: How porn has hijacked our sexuality, by Gail Dines (Beacon Press), reviewed by Jennie O’Hara
Banners high November 2010Peter Lazenby reviews an exhibition of the work of Britain’s most important trade union banner maker
Media empowerment September 2010Siobhan McGuirk talks to the Adbusters Media Foundation
The art of protest September 2010Gavin Grindon looks at convergences of the political and the aesthetic
An idealist and a sceptic September 2010In his best work, director John Ford depicted a complex world through the lens of an understated but powerful critique says Mike Marqusee
From Barking to Venice September 2010Siobhan McGuirk meets collaborative art and architecture practice muf
The construction of (un)reality September 2010James O'Nions reviews a compelling piece of invented history at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Trotsky faction September 2010Barbara Kingsolver's The Lacuna (Faber and Faber), reviewed by James O'Nions
Dark urban fantasies September 2010Stephen Graham's Cities Under Siege: the new military urbanism (Verso), reviewed by Matthew Carr
Time to be communists again September 2010Alain Badiou's The Communist Hypothesis (Verso), reviewed by Bertie Russell
No easy answers September 2010Kolya Abramsky's Sparking a Worldwide Energy Revolution (AK Press), reviewed by Kevin Blowe
Optimism of the will September 2010Noam Chomsky's Hopes and Prospects (Hamish Hamilton), reviewed by Nick Dearden
Demanding the impossible September 2010Alastair Hemmens celebrates a book that had a major influence on 'les événements' of 1968
South of the Border July 2010Oliver Stone's new documentary chronicles the emergence of progressive governments in Latin America. Roberto Navarrete talks to him and Tariq Ali, one of the film's scriptwriters.
Fierce urgency July 2010Beyond the Tipping Point? Director: Stefan Skrimshire ‘That it goes on like this is the catastrophe,’ the German critic Walter Benjamin once wrote, a comment all the more prescient given that our present lifestyles threaten to change the climate beyond the point of reversability. This film is not about the climate science behind the suggestion [...]
Left tide July 2010Samuel Grove reviews South of the Border, directed by Oliver Stone
Craft work July 2010Music producer Matthew Herbert's inventive methods are informed by a critical perspective on the wider politics of production and consumption under contemporary capitalism, finds Brendan Montague
Determined to do it July 2010Dreamers of a New Day: Women Who Invented the 20th Century by Sheila Rowbotham (Verso), reviewed by Andrea D'Cruz
A living gallery of resistance July 2010Against the Wall: The Art of Resistance in Palestine by William Parry (Pluto), reviewed by Mike Marqusee
Making noise for Africa July 2010Speaking Truth to Power by Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem (Fahamu Books & Pambazuka Press), reviewed by Fatima Mujtaba
Italia ’76 July 2010More Work! Less Pay! Rebellion and Repression in Italy 1972-77 by
Phil Edwards (Manchester University Press), reviewed by Paul Anderson
Illusory ethics July 2010Secret Affairs: Britain's Collusion with Radical Islam by Mark Curtis (Serpent's Tail), reviewed by Jonathan Steele
Second coming July 2010Simone de Beauvoir's seminal work The Second Sex laid the foundations for the second wave of feminism and is essential reading for the feminist resurgence today, writes Rosie Germain
Journal de combat June 2010Emilie Bickerton celebrates Cahiers du cinéma, the French film journal that insisted on seeing film as an art form
Rhyme and reason June 2010Pablo Navarrete meets the British-Iraqi rapper Lowkey, a rising star whose growing popularity is tapping into a mood of rebellion
On the side of the slaves June 2010The Black Jacobins by CLR James (Penguin, new edition 2001), reviewed by Selma James
Fill in the adjectives June 2010Gaza: Beneath the Bombs by Sharyn Lock with Sarah Irving (Pluto Press), reviewed by Andrea D'Cruz
Confused protest June 2010The Protestor's Handbook by Bibi van der Zee (Guardian Books), reviewed by Tom Walker
Opening a crack in history June 2010Zapatistas: rebellion from the grassroots to the global by Alex Khasnabish (Zed Books), reviewed by Duncan Smith
Fearless satire June 2010Disgusting Bliss: the brass eye of Chris Morris by Lucian Randall (Simon and Schuster), reviewed by Kevin Blowe
Going against the flow June 2010The Enigma of Capital and the crises of Capitalism by David Harvey (Profile Books), reviewed by Alexander Gallas
A brick of a book May 2010Commonwealth by Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri Scathingly described by the Wall Street Journal as ‘a witches’ brew of contemporary radicalism’, Hardt and Negri’s most recent book Commonwealth is a timely contribution to our understanding of contemporary capitalist relations and the potential revolutionary conditions they create. Michael Hardt is a professor of literature at Duke [...]
One night in the north April 2010John Robb celebrates the 20th anniversary of an event that captured the cultural and political moment, and a band whose anthemic, euphoric music for a brief time perfectly matched the sense of possibility and change
Zizek waits April 2010Violence by Slavoj Zizek (London, Profile Books 2009), reviewed by Clare Woodford
An alien gaze February 2010Lyn Marven considers Nobel Prize-winner Herta Müller's compelling fictional exploration of state oppression
Objective fiction February 2010Nathaniel Mehr reviews Newspeak in the 21st Century by David Edwards and David Cromwell (Pluto Press, 2009)
Book reviews February 2010Public cost and private benefit Global Auction of Public Assets Dexter Whitfield Spokesman, £18 Dexter Whitfield has been one of the most well-informed and effective critics of the whole programme of privatisation of Britain’s public services, begun by Margaret Thatcher and continued by New Labour. He is the director of the European Services Strategy Unit, [...]
Anything but background music January 2010It's often said that flamenco is not political because it dwells exclusively on the individual. That seems to imply a narrow definition of both the political and the personal, writes Mike Marqusee
A friend in court December 2009Liz Davies reviews Memoirs of a Radical Lawyer by Michael Mansfield QC
(Bloomsbury, 2009)
The critical struggle of our time December 2009Maddy Power reviews (People First Economics) by David Ransom and Vanessa Baird (eds) New Internationalist, 2009
Everyone does everything December 2009James O'Nions meets two members of the Italian novel-writing collective Wu Ming as they publish Manituana, their 'story from the wrong side of history'
Epic drama December 2009With a new adaptation of Bertolt Brecht's Mother Courage and Her Children at the National Theatre, Steve Platt assesses the legacy of one of the 20th century's greatest dramatists
An ecological manifesto November 2009The Ecological Revolution by John Bellamy Foster (Monthly Review Press, 2009), reviewed by Derek Wall
Feeding the world November 2009Instead of GM crops and a new 'green revolution for Africa', the answer to the food crisis and climate change lies in smaller-scale, local 'agroecology'. Reviews by James O'Nions
The other India October 2009Mike Marqusee reviews Listening to Grasshoppers: Field Notes on Democracy by Arundhati Roy
Enlightened fundamentalism October 2009Liberal and conservative Europe alike are guilty of a new 'xeno-racism' against Muslims, according to veteran anti-racism campaigner Liz Fekete. Review by Matt Carr
Just say yes October 2009As the anti-corporate pranksters the Yes Men launched their new film, {Red Pepper} dispatched Brendan Montague to meet them and get the lowdown on their unusual form of activism
Inside the Revolution: A Journey into the Heart of Venezuela August 2009Derek Wall reviews Pablo Navarrete's new documentary
Singing to a different tune August 2009Pop stars are swapping guitars for banners to take the power back from the record companies, writes Paul Campbell
Inspirational history, practical handbook August 2009Ireland's Hidden Diaspora by Ann Rossiter (Irish Abortion Solidarity Campaign), reviewed by Laurie Penny
Grievable and ungrievable lives June 2009Nathaniel Mehr reviews Judith Butler's Frames of War: When is Life Grievable?
Che Guevara: The Economics of Revolution June 2009Helen Yaffe explores impact of Che Guevara as an economist and politician
Playing the Great Game June 2009The Tricycle Theatre's production of The Great Game - 12 plays on the history and contemporary realities of the struggle for control over Afghanistan - brings to the fore what will be one of the central political issues in the coming years. Co-director Indhu Rubasingham reflects on the project
It was 40 years ago today, John and Yoko taught the world to play May 2009John Lennon and Yoko Ono's 'Bed-In' at the Amsterdam Hilton in 1969 was only a part of their broad-ranging commitment to peace campaigning. Colin Robinson looks back at one of the most famous - and media-savvy - protests of all time
A tale of three Michaels May 2009He was a pimp, pusher and political activist, with a penchant for the outlandish and an ability to attract support from the rich and famous. Until his murder conviction and hanging in Trinidad in 1975, Michael X was one of the best-known figures of 1960s radicalism. Michael Horovitz reviews a new account of the life of this self-styled black Muslim revolutionary
The message is not the medium May 2009Radical poetry just sloganises, argues BRIGG57. Good poetry is about much more than its politics
Comrade or brother? April 2009Comrade or Brother? A History of the British Labour Movement by Mary Davis (Pluto Press, second edition 2009, reviewed by Nathaniel Mehr
Free as in freedom April 2009Are people freely swapping music, films and other files over the internet undermining corporate control of entertainment and creating a revolutionary culture of sharing and universal access to knowledge? Nick Buxton explores the political edge of the digital piracy and 'free culture' movements
Viva Siva April 2009Now in his eighties, A Sivanandan remains an important figure
in the politics of race and class, maintaining his long-held
insistence that only in the symbiosis of the two struggles can a
genuinely radical politics be found. By Arun Kundnani
This artist blows March 2009The young British Muslim artist Sarah Maple has been at the centre of controversy since first bursting onto the art scene at the end of 2007. Interview by Anikka Weerasinghe
Art, truth and politics March 2009Hilary Wainwright and Ian Rickson pay tribute to the politics, plays and life of Harold Pinter, who died on Christmas Eve 2008
Feminism and war: confronting US imperialism March 2009Nathaniel Mehr reviews (Feminism and War) and writes that it is essential reading for anyone who is remotely convinced by the feminist pretensions of the US-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq
No redemption March 2009Mike Marqusee talks to 'Red Riding' quartet author David Peace about 'GB84', his dark novel on the 1984 miners' strike
Waltz with Bashir is nothing but charade February 2009The Israeli film considered favorite to win an Oscar for best foreign language film lost out, but Gideon Levy, for one, was not disappointed by this decision
Pitmen painters February 2009
Six days a week they toiled down the mine, making art in their spare time after attending a Workers Education Association art appreciation class. The Ashington Group of miner-artists is the subject of a witty and wise play by Billy Elliot writer Lee Hall, currently showing at the National Theatre, that has much to tell us about art, culture and the working class, writes Steve Platt
Something special February 2009Laurie Penny speaks to Mary Wilson, the longest-standing member of Motown's most successful group, the Supremes
Radical Motown February 2009The pioneering black music label, Tamla Motown, marks its 50th anniversary in 2009. Fiona Osler assesses its impact
Impartial or Cowardly? February 2009Keith Somerville gives a journalist's view of the BBC's rejection of the DEC Gaza aid plea
Pitmen painters January 2009Six days a week they toiled down the mine, making art in their spare time after attending a Workers Education Association art appreciation class. The Ashington Group of miner-artists is the subject of a witty and wise play by Billy Elliot writer Lee Hall, currently showing at the National Theatre, that has much to tell us about art, culture and the working class, writes Steve Platt
Led Zeppelin needs to come back in black January 2009Mark LeVine says at their core Led Zeppelin were a black band and need to look outside the 'white rock 'n' roll box' if they change their mind about not reforming
Thank you, Harold December 2008Hilary Wainwright wrote the following note about Harold Pinter's involvement with Red Pepper for a collection published by Faber to celebrate his 70th birthday
In words and silences December 2008Hilary Wainwright reflects on Harold Pinter and Red Pepper
On Adrian Mitchell’s Answerphone December 2008On Adrian Mitchell’s answerphone - bells ring, birds sing, saxophones swing! On Adrian Mitchell’s answerphone - Blake works a miracle, Big Ben sounds hysterical, the world waxes lyrical! On Adrian Mitchell’s answerphone - the passwords sigh, the terrorists cry, the children fly! On Adrian Mitchell’s answerphone - leave plenty of love - after the tone! [...]
The patron saint of sandal-wearers December 2008Matthew Beaumont welcomes Sheila Rowbotham's biography of Edward Carpenter
Well versed December 2008From publishing translations of the only known female poet whose work has survived from Roman times to editing a successful poetry column in the Morning Star, the anarchist-communist John Rety is well respected in the poetry world. Here he describes his long involvement with poetry and chooses four poems from his new book Well Versed, an anthology of his Morning Star column, to share with Red Pepper readers
At the crossroads December 2008I built the best of England With my brain and with my hands. Liberty Equality Fraternity – That’s where I took my stand, And the people called me Old Labour The brave heart of this land I walked out of the smoky streets To enjoy some country air, But when I came to the crossroads, [...]
Inside December 2008Day breaks, at a pace that makes the face ache and just for his faith’s sake, he tries to stay calm he looks down at his young man’s hands and at his arms and remembers a time when they seemed so much smaller outside it’s grey and as the rain beats a rhythm on the [...]
The lamplighter (extract) December 2008Scene 1: Interior fort The noise of the sea slapping against the walls of Cape Coast Castle. The sound of many different African languages, talking fast, scared. ANNIWAA: I am a girl. I am in the dark. I don’t know how long I’ve been kept in the dark. High above me, there is a tiny [...]
Something worth fighting for November 2008A poem by Carol Ann Duffy has been removed by a school exam board. Michael Rosen thinks poets may have a battle on their hands
A cultural revolution November 2008Poet and writer Andy Croft talks to Neil Astley, the founder and editor of Britain's most important poetry publisher, Bloodaxe Books, about putting the politics into poetry
The generation gap November 2008Extracts of What's Going On by Mark Steel (Simon and Schuster)
Drawing back the curtain October 2008Wherever he has found himself - with the freedom fighters in the mountains of northern Iraq, as a prisoner in an Iranian jail, and now filling a whole room at the Imperial War Museum - Osman Ahmed has always gone on drawing. He spoke to Amanda Sebestyen about his passionate journey to make his art bear witness for the hidden people of Kurdistan
Carrying on from the Chartists October 2008Can poetry provide a means for change? Dave Toomer, Christina McAlpine and John G Hall, the editors of Citizen 32 magazine, believe it can. Here they explain the importance of combining poetry and activism The contemporary black American poet Amiri Baraka declared that ‘art should be used as a weapon of revolution’, and indeed poetry [...]
Grist to the radical Mill September 2008John Stuart Mill: Victorian firebrand by Richard Reeves (Atlantic Books), reviewed by Anthony Arblaster
Big art and Perspex panels August 2008From graffiti and street art to massive corporate-funded structures such as the Ebbsfleet Landmark (the size of the Statue of Liberty, twice as tall as Antony Gormley's Angel of the North), public art has never been more in vogue. Steve Platt, a reformed 'graffitist', surveys the artistic landscape
Manu Chao, the neighbourhood singer August 2008Manu Chao could be the most famous singer that many English speakers have never heard of. Yet he is to the alter-globalisation movement what Bob Dylan was to peace and civil rights in the 1960s. Oscar Reyes caught up with him by a campfire at Glastonbury, where he created a little 'neighbourhood of hope'
Three poems on peace and war July 2008Poems by Adrian Mitchell
Commie Girl in the OC July 2008Laurie Penny interviews Rebecca Schoenkopf about politics, life, feminism and getting 'finger-fucked' by Hillary Clinton
Making music matter June 2008The organisers claimed it as a huge success. But the BNP continued its advance in local elections and won a seat on the London Assembly a few days later anyway. So what did the Love Music Hate Racism carnival in east London in April achieve, and what is the importance of such events for the left in the future? Lena De Casparis and Alex Nunns report
Selfish capitalism is making us ill June 2008Mat Little interviews psychologist and writer Oliver James about his book, The Selfish Capitalist
The power to prevail June 2008The annual Human Rights Watch film festival promises to highlight the power of the human spirit - and it doesn't disappoint, writes Angela Saini
This is what you do June 2008Hollow Land by Eyal Weizman, reviewed by Michael Kustow
Racism today May 2008Hostility towards migrants is on the increase. David Renton reviews a new book by Arun Kundani which puts contemporary racism in perspective
Waiting for the barbarians April 2008The so-called War on Terror has created a global bonanza for the world of commercial military suppliers, writes Solomon Hughes in this exclusive extract from his new book War on Terror, Inc
Anti-semitism and the Israel lobby April 2008In this extract from his book, If I Am Not for Myself: Journey of an Anti-Zionist Jew, Mike Marqusee says that no one should be deterred from criticising the Israel lobby by charges of anti-semitism
When the enemy is at the door March 2008Will Atkinson talked to Ken Loach
Letting people speak March 2008Siobhan McGuirk talks to Kim Longinotto about the growing interest in documentaries, their potential power to move and stir people and explores what kind of documentaries give people a sense of agency
The films we miss and why March 2008There are some really interesting Italian films coming out – probably Hungarian, French and Polish ones too – but you’d never know it. We are still suffering the results of post-war agreements that gave the US film industry the power to dominate our culture as if films were like motor cars. The Italian champion of [...]
Planetary mythology February 2008Soundbite science and self-help manuals would have you believe that men and women can't communicate. Deborah Cameron's new book shows that the real issues are to do with power, writes Romy Clark
Poetic charge sheet January 2008Tony Benn reviews Michael Horovitz's powerful new anti-war polemic
American interest December 2007The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy by John Mearsheimer and Stephen M Walt (Allen Lane 2007), reviewed by Richard Kuper
Keep throwing stones December 2007From the CAST theatre company to New Variety and the Hackney Empire, Roland and Claire Muldoon have been at the heart of cultural dissent for the past four decades. By Jane Shallice
Babes without spice December 2007Laurie Penny explains what it means to have hopes dashed twice, first by the Spice Girls and second by Blair's Babes
You’re booked December 2007Sports books fill the bestseller lists every Christmas. Anne Coddington and Mark Perryman examine the rise and rise of the new sports writing
Booktopia December 2007Comedian Mark Thomas on his top books
War on Words August 2000The triumph of the free market after the end of the Cold War doesn't mean a free market in ideas. Tariq Ali discusses the way literature can still be a crime against the state
Who takes the rap? January 1998Hip-hop star Chuck D says black artists must fight for control of their own music and the money it earns. Donald Harding talked to him