From Progressive Neoliberalism to Trump – and Beyond

Before the Trump presidency, according to Nancy Fraser, a hegemonic alliance was built between new social movements and the financial sectors of the U.S. economy: Wall Street, Silicon Valley and Hollywood. Mixing expropriative plutocracy with the politics of recognition, this “progressive neoliberalism” was consolidated by combining a regressive political economy with the progressive veneer of diversity and the “empowerment” of minority constituencies. To the right of this centrist politics is reactionary populism and hyper-reactionary neoliberalism. To the left of progressive neoliberalism is progressive populism, an inclusive politics of recognition combined with an agenda of reform and redistributive…