The Great Recoil: Politics after Populism and Pandemic

(Hardback)

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In this era of economic crisis, social distress, and ecological threats, the term populism has come to sum up anxiety about our political future. While it is mostly associated with rightwing demagogues such as Donald Trump, Matteo Salvini and Jair Bolsonaro, various figures of the post-crash Left, such as Bernie Sanders, Jeremy Corbyn and Pablo Iglesias have also been branded populist, for the way they express that distrust of the elites and belief in ordinary people that have become key motifs of our zeitgeist. Protect and Control suggests that we have entered a post-neoliberal and populist era, in which the populist idiom of sovereignty, protection and control has become hegemonic on both the Left and the Right. Weaving concepts from classics such as Plato, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Gramsci, Polanyi and Schumpeter with commentaries on the words and deeds of contemporary populist leaders, the book argues that populism is successful because it captures widespread anger at the chaos unleashed by globalisation and a popular demand for community and security that is politically ambiguous. Rather, than casting itself as anti-populist, the Left needs to articulate this idiom towards progressive ends, developing a post-global socialism committed to protecting the people and controlling the markets while re-asserting the power of the state.

Reviews

Praise for The Digital Party;

A brilliant book. -- John Harris * Guardian *
Praise for The Digital Party:

In this refreshing, imaginative and conceptually sophisticated book, Paolo Gerbaudo takes us on a compelling journey across Europe to understand the digitally native political parties at the forefront of a profound process of organizational evolution. Gerbaudo convincingly explains the positive and negative implications of this process, and why it matters for the future of democracy. -- Andrew Chadwick, author of 'The Hybrid Media System: Politics and Power'
Praise for The Digital Party:

In a historic moment when political parties are losing their capacity to represent citizens, new party models have grown and often achieved unexpected success. This book is an important contribution to the conceptualization of digital parties and the understanding of their evolution. -- Donatella Della Porta, Dean of the Institute for Humanities and the Social Sciences, Scuola Normale Superiore and author of 'Movement Parties in Times of Austerity'
Praise for The Digital Party:

With a rare mix of narrative flair and analytical insight, Gerbaudo tells the riveting story of how tech-savvy leaders and 'connected outsiders' have reshaped politics in the digital era. -- John Postill, author of 'The Rise of Nerd Politics'
Praise for The Digital Party:


Paolo Gerbaudo shows how the internet shapes contemporary politics and vice versa. A must read for everyone interested in digital politics. -- Christian Fuchs, author of 'Digital Demagogues: Authoritarian Capitalism in the Age of Trump and Twitter'
Praise for The Digital Party:


Gerbaudo shows how technology-based "platform parties'"are designed, how they fit into the history of political parties, and how they reflect changes in politics, society, economics, and communication. This rich analysis looks at both the promise and the limitations of these fascinating political experiments. -- Lance Bennett, University of Washington
Praise for The Digital Party:

This book by Paolo Gerbaudo goes deep into the "morbid" crossroads of our present and offers us suggestive ideas on the key elements of its emerging political practice. A brilliant work. -- German Cano, University of Alcala de Henares, member of the founding group of Podemos
Praise for The Digital Party:

A wide-ranging, and international, survey of those parties that have gone furthest to embrace the organisational changes the new modes of communication demand of us all and as such is a compelling read for the future of politics. * Philosophy Football *
Praise for The Mask and the Flag:

Seminal. * New Internationalist *
Praise for The Mask and the Flag:

Faced with neoliberal austerity and increasingly authoritarian states from Egypt to America, a new generation has created a resistance movement that combines anarchist networking with the rich heritage of left-populism. As a lucid explanation of this phenomenon, The Mask and the Flag could not be more timely. -- Paul Mason, author of PostCapitalism and Why Its Kicking Off Everywhere
Praise for The Mask and the Flag:

The Mask and the Flag is one of the few studies of the "movements of the squares" that goes beyond the usual platitudes and wishful thinking and actually provides thought-provoking insights. It will hopefully inspire future studies of these movements, as well as of progressive politics in the early twenty-first century more generally. -- Cas Mudde, University of Georgia and University of Oslo, and author of Populism: A Very Short Introduction
Praise for The Mask and the Flag:

In a moment in which the term populism is being used and abused, this volume proposes an original theoretical framework and a thick empirical analysis of a broad range of protests against austerity, suggesting the emergence of a long-term wave of contentious politics characterized by new conceptions of citizenry and democracy. A stimulating read to provoke discussion on the successes, but also the challenges, for progressive politics. -- Donatella della Porta, Professor of Sociology at the European University Institute, author of Social Movements in Times of Austerity
Praise for The Mask and the Flag:

This book is essential reading in the time of Brexit and Trump because it reminds us that the upsurge of populism has a message of hope as well as one of shock. Drawing on the accounts of activists, Gerbaudo gets inside both the dreams and complexities of movements that form the basis for a democracy renewed. -- Tim Jordan, Professor of Digital Cultures, University of Sussex, and author of Information Politics
Praise for Tweets and the Streets:

Very timely, not just in terms of addressing the impact of Web 2.0 on social movements and activism, but also in that it addresses and soberly assesses the use of technology from recent protests in North Africa and elsewhere. -- Stephen Duncombe, Associate Professor at the Gallatin School and the Department of Media, Culture and Communications of New York University and author of Dream: Re-Imagining Progressive Politics in an Age of Fantasy
Praise for Tweets and the Streets:

Offers an incisive and challenging new direction in thinking about the context and possibilities for digital media and activism. -- Joss Hands, author of @ is for Activism
Praise for Tweets and the Streets:

Gerbaudo's insightful observations and detailed empirical research contribute greatly to our understanding of the uses of social media in such movements. -- John Sinha * International Socialism *
With remarkable intellectual reach, Paolo Gerbaudo draws on centuries of political thought to analyse and tackle big questions arising from society's 'recoil' from the failed project that was/is neoliberal globalisation. This is a vital and timely text for a fuller understanding of how the left should react to the pandemic in order to 'build back better'. -- Ann Pettifor, author of The Case for The Green New Deal
A fascinating journey from neoliberal hegemony, through anti-globalist populist backlash, to the neo-statism of the pandemic world; it is a critical text for progressives seeking to orient themselves in a world marked by both dirigisme and cultural reaction. Gerbaudo rightly argues that a left populism in the post-pandemic world must centre on the deepening of political and economic democracy in order to combat a right-wing politics of domination and control. -- Grace Blakeley, author of Stolen
In this intriguing book that weaves together the ideas of authors such as Hegel and Polanyi, Paolo Gerbaudo follows the swinging pendulum of global capitalism moving from its expansive form to the inwardness of statism. The global crisis of 2008 and the pandemic have ushered in a great recoil in which Western capitalism looks like a giant pulled down by its own strength, and the return of the interventionist state is viewed as a possible solution to its ills. -- Nadia Urbinati, author of Me, The People
Counter-movements against neoliberal globalisation have been gathering momentum for a number of years, but are now reaching a critical mass. The Great Recoil provides a definitive account of how the nation state has been revived and transformed, bringing much-needed clarity and critique to the vast political questions of our present moment. -- William Davies author of This is Not Normal
What will replace neo-liberalism Will it be a new big state capitalism overseen by a populist political right In this timely and important book, Paolo Gerbaudo shows how the left can contest the meaning of sovereignty, protection, and control, and put forward its own progressive populism founded on economic and social inclusion, environmental sustainability, and radical republican politics. -- Stuart White, Jesus College, Oxford
Persuasive ... [Gerbaudo's] historical analysis gives his prescriptions for the left heightened urgency. -- Jasmine Liu * Chicago Review of Books *
Gerbaudo avoids a simplistic account of neoliberalism ... [he] is an astute and rigorous analyst, and The Great Recoil is perhaps the most thorough yet compact synthesis of the crises and challenges that have reset the parameters for state action in the twenty-first century. -- Justin H. Vassallo * The Baffler *
Stimulating. -- Marco Bitschnau * LSE Review of Books *
Brilliant ... essential reading for those interested in the current state of European social democracy. -- Michael Burleigh * Literary Review *
Asks interesting questions for those looking to navigate a pathway between right-wing populism and liberal cosmopolitanism. -- Eoin Broin * Irish Times *

Author Bio

Paolo Gerbaudo is a sociologist and political theorist based at Kings College London where he acts as Director of the Centre for Digital Culture. He is the author of Tweets and the Streets, The Mask and the Flag and The Digital Party. He has written for The New Statesman, The Guardian, and others.