The global rise of the authoritarian right has confounded classification and led to contentious debates on the left. Do politicians like Modi, Bolsonaro, Orban, and Trump represent an extreme form of right-wing populism? Or are they fascists, as some claim? Historian and scholar of populism and fascism Federico Finchelstein argues that we’re seeing something new … Continued
In the decade of the 2010s, more people took to the streets than in any other time in history. And yet those horizontal protests, often spread through social media, were frequently co-opted by the right — and the decade ended with the rise of authoritarianism. Journalist Vincent Bevins spoke to activists around the world about … Continued
Utopias aren’t unique to the left. The right has labored in myriad ways for a world without fetters on private property. In one striking case, a character called Michael Oliver, with a motley group of associates ranging from English lords to soldiers of fortune, successively attempted to set up a capitalist paradise in the South … Continued
People of color — whether welfare recipients or immigrants — are routinely characterized in the United States as shiftless, even parasitic, and not deserving of the social supports of the state. Ethnic Studies scholar Daniel Martinez HoSang argues that in recent years, as the social safety net has been chopped away, the right has branded … Continued
The struggle for abortion rights has been foundering for decades and, with an anti-abortion majority on the Supreme Court, the future of abortion in the United States looks grim. Organizer Jenny Brown argues that the timidity of the abortion rights movement has patently failed to slow the anti-abortion assault. She argues that a bolder, unapologetic … Continued
Brazilians just elected a retired military officer who has praised dictatorship as their next president. In the U.S., Trump continues to inflame hatred against immigrants and others, while passing policies that benefit the wealthy. How should we understand the rise of figures around the world like Bolsonaro, Trump, Duterte in the Philippines, and Orban in … Continued
When you think of dictatorship, what comes to mind? Probably a repressive state controlling what we can say and do. But acclaimed political philosopher Elizabeth Anderson argues that the word describes the workplace. She discusses how we give up most of our rights when we take a job. Resources: Elizabeth Anderson, Private Government: How Employers … Continued
