Welcome
I am a writer, scholar and political commentator interested in social justice and political judgment, the rise of new ideologies, and democracy's troubles with capitalism. I draw on history, philosophy, and sociology as I seek to produce politically salient and critical analyses of modern societies.
Capitalism is not on its deathbed, utopia is not in our future, and revolution is not in the cards. And yet, the time is ripe for radical progressive change.
My latest book
My latest book
"This is the big-think book of our time", James Galbraith, interview. Read his review "The Pandemic and Capitalism".
Read more AwardsUpcoming
2nd Leuven Critical Emancipations Conference: The Production of Difference Public Lecture
Keynote Address 'The Emancipation Paradox and the Production of Indifference'
Organized by KU Leuven, Institute of Philosophy
One of the paradoxes of our time is that advances in progressive politics aiming at fostering inclusive difference are paralleled by increased competition for victimhood among various protected minorities -- a dynamic that replaces solidarities with indifference. The keynote will address this paradox.
Latest
Why Is the Right Riding High on Social Discontent? Public Lecture
Organized by International Political Science Association, Research Committe "Socialism, Capitalism and Democracy"
The affluent Western societies are beset by impoverishment, inequality, and insecurity, and awash with massive discontent. The channels of electoral politics are translating this angst into support for far-right parties; autocracy thrives with the blessing of democratic publics. To make sense of this pathology, we need to shed some of the certitudes that have buttressed 'progressive' social criticism and intellectual critique.
Key Driver of Populism Is Insecurity Rather Than Inequality Interview
Organized by European Center for Populism Studies
The term "populism" is misleading; it is diverting attention from significant and lasting transformations in ideological orientations that are taking place in liberal democracies. The new parameters that orient voters' preferences transcend conventional left-right categories.
Le Social Dans Quel Etat? Public Lecture
Keynote Address at Autumn University, League of Human Rights
Organized by Ligue des droits de l’Homme
(1) Global income inequality between countries is at its lowest level for almost 150 years. (2) Inequality in rich countries persists. (3) Our governments are doubling down on their commitment to social justice. Should we be pleased about the first? Should we worry about the second and applaud the third? Three times No. Our policy matrix continues to produce ubiquitous precarity, which makes economic inequalities both irrelevant and highly significant. If we place social security and economic stability at the centre of policy, we might reconcile social and ecological justice.
The Politics of Precarity and Patterns of Autocracy in Europe Public Lecture
Organized by The Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice
Two dynamics have been making their imprint on the political landscape of Europe over the past decade: the rise of economic inequality and the rise of far-right parties. Are the two phenomena related? And why isn’t the rage of impoverished workers fueling support for the left?
Critical Theory Facing the Rise of Autocracy in Europe Public Lecture
Organized by The New School for Social Research
The rise of authoritarian populist parties has been correlated with the rising inequality in Western democracies. Is there a causal connection between the two? And why isn't the left managing to harvest the rage of impoverished workers?
'Democratisation': Fantasies of Empowerment and Realities of Entrapment Public Lecture
Organized by European Civic Forum
Democratisation is currently the highest and broadest banner of progressive politics. Why is the call for 'more democracy' so fashionable among political elites? Could this be yet another neoliberal strategy for dumping responsibility onto society while all effective power is retained at the top?
Precarity for All Commentary
An epidemic of precarity is engulfing our societies. Insecurity, instability, and uncertainty are hallmarks of modern life, inevitable consequences of humanity’s ambition to author its own destiny. In contrast, precarity – a peculiar form of politically generated and hence perfectly avoidable disempowerment – is the hallmark of the 21st century.
The emergence of a novel social pathology at the dawn of the new millennium was quietly signaled by the arrival of a new entry in the English-language dictionaries: precarity. The term first appeared in the Collins Dictionary in 2017, then in the Oxford English Dictionary in 2018, as a sign that the existing concept, precariousness, is somehow deficient in conveying the nature of the vulnerability that has beset societies. While most reference books tend to equate the two terms, the Oxford Dictionary has added, as a second connotation, "a state of not having a secure job or income, especially over a long period of time". Indeed, the insecurity of livelihoods is at the heart of precarity as a singular social pathology.