Political theory

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• SOURCE: The Nation
  2/23/2021
  

  The Broken System: What Comes After Meritocracy?

  by Elizabeth Anderson

  Philosopher Elizabeth Anderson reviews Michael Sandel's critique of meritocracy, a book that locates an explanation for the Trumpian moment in the rise of competitive individualism in the platforms of both major parties. 

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• SOURCE: Just Security
  2/4/2021
  

  Movie at the Ellipse: A Study in Fascist Propaganda

  by Jason Stanley

  Not enough attention has been paid to the video shown to spectators at Donald Trump's January 6th "Save America" rally. A close look shows it to be a work of propaganda firmly in the tradition of fascism. 

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• SOURCE: Boston Review
  1/28/2021
  

  From Revolution to Reformism

  by Adam Przeworski

  A new book of political theory excerpted here locates the decline of the Left in its adoption of reformist rhetoric that accommodated capitalism's preferences for fiscal stability and austerity.

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• SOURCE: Boston Review
  2/1/2021
  

  Why Black Marxism, Why Now?

  by Robin D.G. Kelley

  Robin D.G. Kelley places the work of Cedric Robinson in the context of Black radical traditions that have challenged the use of Marxism as a critique of power and politics. 

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• 1/14/2021
  

  Donald Trump’s Situational Fascism

  by Gavriel Rosenfeld

  Rather than engage in an unproductive debate about whether Donald Trump is or is not a bona fide fascist, scholars should consider the events of January 6 (and Trump's role in inciting them) as emergent, contingent results of the interplay of factors latent in American liberal democracy.

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• SOURCE: New Statesman
  1/13/2021
  

  Why Trump Isn't a Fascist

  by Richard J. Evans

  Richard J. Evans argues that "fascism" arose in the specific context of states defeated in World War I and thus embraced military expansionism and a concurrent militarization of domestic life in addition to racial domination. While Trump is dangerous, labeling him a fascist doesn't explain his political movement. 

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• SOURCE: The Nation
  1/11/2021
  

  Ex-Friends: Anne Applebaum and the Crisis of Centrist Politics

  Critic David Klion considers the unexamined relationship between the late 20th Century rise of market-oriented liberalism and the 21st century rise of authoritarian nationalism (or, "why so many of her once-close friends have turned out to be fascists").

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• SOURCE: New York Times
  12/14/2020
  

  Just How Dangerous Was Donald Trump?

  Times columnist Michelle Goldberg checks on competing evaluations from scholars including Corey Robin, Roger Griffin and Robert O. Paxton – did Trump's lack of command of the machinery of government make him a play-acting authoritarian, or was his rhetoric of national regeneration through his personal leadership exemplary of fascist movements? 

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• SOURCE: New York Times
  12/13/2020
  

  Why Getting the Most Votes Matters

  Times Editor Jesse Wegman examines the unique absence of majoritarian principle in the election of the American president and argues it goes against the most basic understanding of political fairness. 

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• 12/13/2020
  

  A Lesson from "The Crown" for American Elections? Embrace Dignity, Demand Efficiency

  by Lolita Buckner-Inniss

  A fictionalized scene from the series "The Crown" illustrates the way that norms and good faith can overcome gaps in the letter of the law of government. The 2020 election shows that when norms and good faith approach failure, it's time to fill in those gaps.

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• SOURCE: The New Yorker
  11/12/2020
  

  The Professor and the Politician

  by Corey Robin

  A new book on Max Weber's political thought suggests that prior interpretations of Weber's lectures have dismissed the possibility of collective action. 

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• SOURCE: History.com
  11/9/2020
  

  The Native American Government That Inspired the US Constitution

  The government of the Iroquois Confederacy wasn't a template for the Constitution, but it was an example, visible to the framers, of concepts of federalism that were only abstractions in European political theory. 

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• 11/1/2020
  

  Alexis de Tocqueville on the Dangers of Presidential Elections

  by Kevin M. Cherry

  The degree of anger, anxiety and agitation accompanying the presidential campaigns are signs we've failed to heed some important insights from a key observer of American democracy.

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• 11/1/2020
  

  The Shine is off the City on the Hill: American Democracy Seen From Abroad

  by Niels Eichhorn

  Viewed from abroad, the American belief that their nation exemplifies democracy has always been viewed with skepticism. 

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• 9/20/2020
  

  “We Are Ourselves”: Review of For Workers’ Power: The Selected Writings of Maurice Brinton

  by Eric Laursen

  Maurice Brinton--the pseudonym of a British neurologist--authored an influential series of works of radical political thought that urged the British left to move away from rigid party structures and doctrinal disputes toward social movements. 

• 
• SOURCE: The New York Times
  6/22/2020
  

  Danielle Allen Wins Re-envisioned Kluge Humanities Prize

  Dr. Allen, a Harvard political theorist whose work has spanned the Declaration of Independence and the governmental response to Covid-19, will lead an effort to cultivate “civic strength.”