Capitalism appears to many to be a failed system, leading to extreme inequality and ecological devastation. We’re also told that the alternative posed by Karl Marx is similarly bankrupt, as proved by the failures of state socialism. But what if Marx’s vision for a postcapitalist future has little in common with the experience of the … Continued
Are the rich wealth creators, as we commonly hear? Should we be grateful to investors and entrepreneurs, as they like to be called, for generating jobs and greasing the wheels of the economy? Or is the source of their massive wealth the rest of us? Scholar Andrew Sayer discusses rentiers, capitalists, and why, for the … Continued
A flamboyant billionaire, who used the media as his vehicle, presenting himself as an outsider, who could clean up politics; a person known for his populist promises, along with his sexist insults and scapegoating of immigrants. Donald Trump? No, Silvio Berlusconi — the media tycoon who dominated Italian politics in the 1990s and 2000s. Scholar … Continued
Neoliberal globalization, the economic order which has reigned for the last forty years, has been premised on free trade, with the United States government playing a key role in managing global capitalism. Donald Trump has promised to bring a halt to the export of jobs and much of the free movement of labor in the … Continued
While much of the public is still reeling over the election of Donald Trump, the power of his appeal may be less surprising than we think, given America’s long history of right-wing populism and the contradictions of liberalism. Steve Fraser traces the history of the notion of the limousine liberal, central to right-wing populism and … Continued
The overtly racist politics of Donald Trump has been called unprecedented — a break from the Republican Party’s past rules of engagement. But a look backward, particularly at the GOP’s Southern Strategy to woo white voters based on segregationist or racist appeals, indicates how inaccurate that assumption is. Edward H. Miller discusses the origins of … Continued
Is the white working class a group of bigots? They’re the backbone of Donald Trump’s support, we’re told by the mainstream media, although it’s not clear if that’s actually true. Within the left, as well as the mainstream, there frequently is an assumption that white workers, particularly provincial white workers, are almost inherently reactionary—and that … Continued
What’s the point of education? The prevailing wisdom today is that children need to be prepared for eventually joining the job market, and that an investment in schools is an investment in the future productivity of the country. But what would schooling look like if the value of education was not monetary, but something deeper, … Continued
Soil is essential for terrestrial life on earth. And like so many other parts of the environment, it’s under threat, degraded in a world where it’s being built on, contaminated, and eroded. Geographer Salvatore Engel-DiMauro argues that soil also highlights the many problems that the left has with understanding both the social and scientific, or … Continued
It’s been called the greatest political film of all time. The Battle of Algiers, which was released fifty years ago, told the story of the Algerian people’s struggle against French colonialism. It became an instant classic and touchstone for radical movements in the Third World and the international left. And it became a tool for … Continued
