The great regression

We are living through a period of dramatic political change ' Brexit, the election of Trump, the rise of extreme right movements in Europe and elsewhere, the resurgence of nationalism and xenophobia and a concerted assault on the liberal values and ideals associated with cosmopolitanism and globalization. Suddenly we find ourselves in a world that few would have imagined possible just a few years ago, a world that seems to many to be a move backwards. How can we make sense of these dramatic developments and how should we respond to them' Are we witnessing a worldwide rejection of liberal democracy and its replacement by some kind of populist authoritarianism' This timely volume brings together some of the world's greatest minds to analyse and seek to understand the forces behind this 'great regression'. Writers from across disciplines and countries, including Paul Mason, Pankaj Mishra, Slavoj 'i'ek, Zygmunt Bauman, Arjun Appadurai, Wolfgang Streeck and Eva Illouz, grapple with our current predicament, framing it in a broader historical context, discussing possible future trajectories and considering ways that we might combat this reactionary turn. The Great Regression is a key intervention that will be of great value to all those concerned about recent developments and wondering how best to respond to this unprecedented challenge to the very core of liberal democracy and internationalism across the world today.

Table of Contents; Title page; Copyright page; Contributors; Preface; Notes; 1: Democracy fatigue; Leaders and followers; The message from above; Vox populi; Where is Europe headed?; Notes; 2: Symptoms in search of an object and a name; Notes; 3: Progressive and regressive politics in late neoliberalism; Neoliberal globalization as the challenge; Progressive movements against neoliberal globalization; Regressive movements?; On movements and counter-movements: some conclusions; Notes; 4: Progressive neoliberalism versus reactionary populism: a Hobson's choice.

5: From the paradox of liberation to the demise of liberal elites; Paradoxes of liberation; The Janus face of a secular culture and a religious state; The big bang of Israeli politics; A tragic end; The task of the left; Notes; 6: Majoritarian futures; The end of ...?; Normative threats; The migrants' revolution; The populist turn; Notes; 7: Europe as refuge; 8: Overcoming the fear of freedom; The neoliberal attack; The moral effects of structural transformation; The narrative failure of neoliberalism; How consent for migration disintegrated; The narrative struggle ahead; Notes.

9: Politics in the age of resentment: the dar…