liberalism Archivi

liberalism

Rethinking the Liberal Tradition
Lea Ypi 31 October 2025

A key concept on which our understanding of democracy relies is freedom. Yet freedom has recently also become something of an embarrassment to the global Left, a notion more easily appropriated by the Right, in its defense of individual rights in contrast to shared social norms. I would like to reflect on what a robust idea of freedom for the Left might look like, and why it is necessary to recover it, rather than trying to do away with it. And I want to raise that question in a way that urges us to reflect on both micro-history and macro-history: how world historical events shape and constrain the lives of individuals who happen to be caught up in them, and how existing political institutions try and fail to promote certain moral ideals.
Political Theory
Postliberalism(s): A Brief History of a Resurgent Ideology – With Chris Wright
Fulvia Giachetti 19 February 2025

Like any “ism,” liberalism is many things, but its diverse conceptual and political values are undeniably in crisis. From Viktor Orbán’s embrace of “illiberal democracy” and Donald Trump’s incendiary rhetoric to the British Blue Labour’s pro-worker yet anti-woke stance, reactions to liberalism’s decline vary widely. Yet, they share a common thread: postliberalism. Postliberalism itself is complex. To unpack its nuances, Reset DOC spoke with Chris Wright, history professor at the City University of New York and author of Popular Radicalism and the Unemployed in Chicago during the Great Depression.
Political Theory, Society
Indian Americans, Christian Nationalists, and Post-Liberal America
Chandra Mallampalli 12 February 2025

At the confirmation hearing of Kash Patel for the position of FBI Director, Senator Thom Tillis introduced him as the son of Indian immigrants from their home state of Gujarat, which he described as a “melting pot” of religions. Patel’s father had fled Uganda during Idi Amin’s expulsion of Indians before ultimately settling the family in New York. Patel displayed his religion and ethnicity alongside his belief in the U.S. Constitution. He saluted his parents by declaring “Jai Sri Krishna,” a greeting that literally means glory or victory to Lord Krishna. If we set aside the grave concerns Democrats raised about Patel’s conspiracy mongering and his ambitions to dismantle the “deep state” by exacting revenge on Trump’s enemies, Patel’s nomination appears to reflect values Democrats would embrace: a commitment to pluralistic democracy, an embrace of racial and cultural differences, and an affirmation of America as a haven for immigrants. But are these the values that drew him to the Trump administration?
Philosophy, Religion
Mustafa Akyol: «It is Time for a New Islamic Enlightenment»
Giancarlo Bosetti , Simone Disegni 29 June 2021

The author of “Reopening Muslim Minds” discusses his call to fellow Mulsims across the world to rediscover that distinctive cosmopolitan approach which once made Islam great.
Media and Communication
«Leave Culture Room for Risk and Mistakes». 150 American Authors Against the Cancel Culture
9 July 2020

An appeal signed by over 150 leading liberal writers and scholars against the threat of “censoriousness” and intolerance in the cultural sphere.
International Affairs
When Authoritarian Regimes are Mis-labelled as Democracies: Lessons from Turkey’s Experience
Dilek Kurban 10 March 2020

Turkey is one of the drafters of the Conventions which has helped shape the European liberal legal order. Ironically Turkey was and is an authoritarian state, treated as a liberal democracy by the European institutions.
Political Theory, Sociology
Is There Really a Threat for Majorities and Not Only for Minorities?
Alan Patten 5 February 2020

Populist claim that traditional cultures today are under threat. There are three cases were majority rights claims are plausible as a principle of liberal democracy, says Alan Patten.
Political Theory, Society
«Forget Populism. The Real Threat is Social Disintegration»
Simone Disegni 31 January 2020

One of the most renowned American social scientists, Craig Calhoun discusses lessons learnt from the Brexit saga, and the challenges ahead to save democracy.
Political Theory, Society, Sociology
Liberals need to Engage in the Nationalism of the Vulnerable
Yael Tamir 3 December 2019

The reemergence of nationalism is a sensible response to the changing social, political and economic circumstances rather than an uncontrolled outburst of destructive human qualities. The less well-off revoke national feelings in order to convince the elites to come back home from their global voyage and put their nation first. How can we progressive liberals combine national and liberal ideas able to give answers to those vulnerable left behind by globalization?
Political Theory, Society, Sociology
The Rise of Populism Comes from the Failure and Success of Liberalism
Patrick Deneen 18 November 2019

For all its benefits, why is liberalism failing, and making so many people unhappy, asks Patrick Deneen? Liberalism failed because it has succeeded. Its liberation of the individual coincides with a sense of political and economic powerlessness for ordinary citizens.