Off the Shelf: Revolutionary Readings in Times of Crisis
"Off the Shelf: Revolutionary Readings in Times of Crisis" is a podcast series featuring in-depth conversations with Black scholars on the University of Illinois campus and beyond. Each episode explores books and scholars they recommend we take “off the shelf” to help us understand these revolutionary times and creative agendas for the here and now. Hosted by Dr. Augustus Wood, a scholar of political economy and gentrification, labor, and social movements in late 20th and early 21st century African American urban history.
Podcasting since 2021 • 15 episodes
Off the Shelf: Revolutionary Readings in Times of Crisis
Latest Episodes
S4, Episode 2: David Walton on the Past, Present, and Future of Black Studies
In this episode, we hear from guest David Walton, history professor and founding director of the Global Black Studies program at Western Carolina University. Walton takes the listener back to his childhood, when he developed...
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Season 4
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Episode 2
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1:20:58
S4, Episode 1: A Conversation with Historian of the Working People Naomi R Williams
“Centering the voice of working people is so important to the work that I do.” -Dr. WilliamsIn this episode, host Augustus Wood talks to Labor Studies professor—and self-described “historian of the working people”...
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Season 4
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Episode 1
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51:28
S3, Episode 2: Bill Fletcher Jr. on Strategies for Successful Organizing
In the this episode, host Augustus Wood talks to legendary writer, scholar, and trade unionist Bill Fletcher Jr. They cover Fletcher’s storied life from his early years as a teen activist and then college, labor organizing, and le...
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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1:03:01
S3, Episode 1: Joe William Trotter Jr. on the Story of Black Labor in Building Industrial America
In this season opener, host Augustus Wood and guest Joe William Trotter Jr. (history and social justice, Carnegie Mellon University) engage in a deep discussion of Black working class history, grounded in Trotter's pathbreaking re...
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Season 3
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Episode 1
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58:28
S2, Episode 5: Alonzo Ward on the Hidden History of Black Labor in Illinois
In Episode 5, guest Alonzo Ward (history, Eastern Illinois University) and host Augustus Wood explore the less well known threads of American labor history, specifically Black labor in Illinois. Beyond any easy, simplified r...
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44:16