Welcome to The Context

A podcast about how to get democracy to work for everyone—and why that’s so hard to do.

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Do you ever watch the news and wonder, “How did we get here?” Or think to yourself, “Things are bad . . . What can I do?”

The Context is here to help. Our show breaks down the ideas, history, and trends that are shaping democracy. And you don’t need to be an expert to follow along. Every other Tuesday, host Alex Lovit talks about timely topics with big-picture thinkers and hands-on practitioners, like activists, writers, historians, and community leaders.

The topics are heavy, but we try to have fun along the way. To build the future we want, we’ll need knowledge—but also camaraderie and joy.

We hope you’ll join us.

About the Host

Alex Lovit is a senior program officer and historian at the Charles F. Kettering Foundation.

Alex studies the political history of the United States and the virtues and flaws that have marked American democracy from the founding to the present. He holds a PhD in history from the University of Michigan.

Alex is a regular listener of many podcasts focused on democracy and American politics and represents Kettering’s perspective on The Context with a mixture of curiosity, care, and humor. He enjoys that working on The Context gives him the opportunity to read and talk about a wide variety of topics related to democracy in the United States and around the world.

More Episodes

  • The Country We Have, the Country We Want

    Published On: May 5, 2026

    The history of the United States is littered with injustices. What should patriotism look like when our country does wrong? And how...

  • The Unfinished Fight for Transgender Freedom

    Published On: April 21, 2026

    LGBTQ+ people have been part of the American story from the beginning, fighting for the right to pursue happiness long before Stonewall....

  • The 14th Amendment Redefined America

    Published On: April 7, 2026

    In this first episode of our series, “Democracy, Under Construction,” Sherrilyn Ifill joins host Alex Lovit to discuss the Second Founding, when...

  • Changing Minds Is Hard—Especially Your Own

    Published On: March 24, 2026

    Lewis Raven Wallace joins host Alex Lovit to discuss the conditions that make it possible for people to change their minds.   Children gradually learn about the...

  • Can the Courts Protect the Ballot?

    Published On: March 10, 2026

    The decisions judges make during the coming months in various active legal cases will affect who can vote, which districts they vote...

  • Saying No to Authority When Yes Is Easier

    Published On: February 24, 2026

    As the United States continues to experience democratic backsliding, people are looking for ways to rise to the moment. But what does...

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The Democracy Group

The Context is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.