For decades, left-leaning political parties were defined by their advocacy for the working class. But in the 1990s that started to change, as left voters were asked to adapt to a more technocratic, market-driven world and parties themselves changed, becoming more technocratic. Parties changed internally with finance-friendly economists and political strategists taking over from trade union economists and party activists.
We’re living with the consequences of that transformation today, from the rise of inequality to the surge of anti-immigrant nationalist political parties. To better understand this strange new political world, Mark talks with Stephanie L. Mudge, Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Davis and author of ‘Leftism Reinvented: Western Parties’ from Socialism to Neoliberalism (Recorded on 3/5/2020).
You can watch Stephanie Mudge’s March 5th talk at Watson here:
You can learn more about and purchase ‘Leftism Reinvented’ here