Astra Taylor

Astra Taylor is  cofounder of the Debt Collective and the director of the documentary films What Is Democracy?  Zizek! and Examined Life. She has written for The New York Times, The L.A. Times, The Baffler, n+1 and other outlets. She is the author of The People’s Platform: Taking Back Power and Culture in the Digital Age and Democracy May Not Exist, but We'll Miss It When It's Gone (Metropolitan Books)

A crowd outside Minneapolis’s Farmers and Mechanics Savings Bank during an economic crisis in May 1893.

The Radical Past and Future of Debt Resistance The Radical Past and Future of Debt Resistance

The deep roots of debt relief activism in the United States.

Sep 25, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Astra Taylor

Protester holding a sign that reads

A Strategic Blueprint to Give Student Debt Relief a Fighting Chance A Strategic Blueprint to Give Student Debt Relief a Fighting Chance

The administration needs to go bold and swift to bring broad relief.

Jul 11, 2023 / Astra Taylor

The Case for Wide-Scale Debt Relief

The Case for Wide-Scale Debt Relief The Case for Wide-Scale Debt Relief

Student loans, medical debt, mortgage payments, rent, and municipal debt should all be reduced or eliminated outright.

Jan 4, 2021 / Feature / Astra Taylor

Time’s Up for Capitalism. But What Comes Next?

Time’s Up for Capitalism. But What Comes Next? Time’s Up for Capitalism. But What Comes Next?

Every day, we help decide how the future will unfold. But how do we cast ballots for a democracy that doesn’t yet exist?

May 6, 2019 / Astra Taylor

When Growing Old Means Living in Your Car, Working in an Amazon Warehouse

When Growing Old Means Living in Your Car, Working in an Amazon Warehouse When Growing Old Means Living in Your Car, Working in an Amazon Warehouse

An interview with Nomadland author Jessica Bruder on America’s new, precarious old age.

Sep 29, 2017 / Q&A / Astra Taylor

womens march signs

How to Turn an Outpouring of Progressive Activism Into a Winning Social Movement How to Turn an Outpouring of Progressive Activism Into a Winning Social Movement

Why the left needs to build power, now.

Mar 23, 2017 / Astra Taylor

From Black Lives Matter to the Fight for $15: Why Americans Are in Revolt

From Black Lives Matter to the Fight for $15: Why Americans Are in Revolt From Black Lives Matter to the Fight for $15: Why Americans Are in Revolt

Journalist Sarah Jaffe celebrates the social movements that are rocking the country.

Oct 21, 2016 / Q&A / Astra Taylor

Harvard University

Universities Are Becoming Billion-Dollar Hedge Funds With Schools Attached Universities Are Becoming Billion-Dollar Hedge Funds With Schools Attached

Students are beginning to urge divestment.

Mar 8, 2016 / StudentNation / Astra Taylor

How Companies Turn Your Facebook Activity Into a Credit Score

How Companies Turn Your Facebook Activity Into a Credit Score How Companies Turn Your Facebook Activity Into a Credit Score

Welcome to the new Wild West of data collection without regulation.

May 27, 2015 / Feature / Astra Taylor and Jathan Sadowski

‘Tech’ Is Political—How We Respond to It Needs to Be Just as Political

‘Tech’ Is Political—How We Respond to It Needs to Be Just as Political ‘Tech’ Is Political—How We Respond to It Needs to Be Just as Political

New technologies will not solve our problems: People acting collectively will.

May 27, 2015 / Leah Hunt-Hendrix and Astra Taylor

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