The Rise of the Meritocratic Elite
Unlike in previous eras, elite reproduction today is now hidden under the veil of meritocracy — creating a need among the rich to present themselves as if they were just like us.
19884 Articles by: Benjamin Case
Benjamin Case is a researcher, educator, and organizer living in Pittsburgh.
G. E. M. de Ste Croix’s Marxist History of Greece and Rome
British historian G. E. M. de Ste Croix applied Marxist class theory to the history of the ancient world.
Ending Pandemic Assistance Caused a Homelessness Spike
A new report from the Department of Housing and Urban Development affirms the obvious: ripping away pandemic-era welfare amid inflation and a housing affordability crisis was a complete disaster. The result: homelessness in the US is at a record high.
Squid Game 2, an Allegory of Capitalism Versus Democracy
In the nail-biting new season of Netflix’s hit series Squid Game, players’ desperate circumstances push them to make fatally risky bets on individual success even when collective action might save them.
The Break-In at Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s House Is Disturbing
A break-in at the country home of Jean-Luc Mélenchon saw his house graffitied with far-right slogans and a swastika. The troubling attack followed past assassination plots against the French left-wing leader — but international media totally ignored it.
Good Riddance, Jean-Marie Le Pen
At his life’s end, Jean-Marie Le Pen had been expelled from the party that he helped found. Yet this Holocaust denier and former torturer left behind an important legacy: making the far right into a major force in French political life.
We Need an Honest Assessment of CAW and Unifor Strategy
The Canadian Auto Workers and its successor union, Unifor, shifted their political strategy dramatically in response to changing political-economic conditions. We need a clear-eyed assessment of this change in orientation and what it’s accomplished.
With Justin Trudeau Out, the Liberal Lame Duck Race Begins
After nine years in power, Canada’s Justin Trudeau leaves a faltering party to neoliberal entrenchment and surging Conservative polls. His resignation marks the growing crisis of centrist parties unable to adapt to mounting social and political pressures.
The Radical Egalitarianism of Catholic Social Teaching
In the 2024 election, US Catholics voted in large numbers for Donald Trump. It’s far from inevitable that Catholics find their home on the Right — the church has long promoted radically egalitarian ideas about wealth redistribution and empowering workers.
Assessing the Recent Strike at Amazon
In the days leading up to Christmas, Amazon workers organizing with the Teamsters at eight facilities across the US launched a coordinated strike against the logistics giant. Here’s a closer look at what the strike accomplished.
The Black Book of Communism Is a Shoddy Work of History
The Black Book of Communism has been hugely influential and sold millions of copies since its publication in 1997. Yet some of the dramatic claims made by its editor, Stéphane Courtois, were even rejected by his own contributors when the book came out.
The Center Cannot Hold, and It Doesn’t Seem to Care
Centrist politicians once based their whole pitch on the claim to possess “electability,” but now they can’t offer a sustainable formula for beating an increasingly militant right. They only develop a sense of urgency for the fight against the Left.
The Bill of Rights Was a Concession to Popular Struggles
Early US elites drafted the Constitution to check democratic uprisings that threatened the power of the ruling class. The Bill of Rights, a late addition to the Constitution that protected important freedoms, was a concession to these popular struggles.
Canada’s Unifor Has Won Major Gains on Shifting Terrain
A new work of labor history charges Unifor, Canada’s largest private sector union, with retreating from visionary class politics to narrow opportunism. The narrative rests on a simplistic view of labor strategy and omits the union’s major accomplishments.
Irving Howe’s Socialist Reflections on Jewish Life in the US
Irving Howe was the child of Jews who emigrated from Eastern Europe in the early 1900s. He helped to forge the democratic socialist tradition in the US and offered a defense of universalist politics.
Trump’s Bailout Philosophy: Too Loyal to Fail
Donald Trump’s second term won’t bring smaller government as promised. Instead, it will replace regulations with a system of executive grace and favor. The old bailout standard of “too big to fail” will be supplanted by a new one: only the loyal survive.
Rachel Kushner’s Stealth Hope
In a wide-ranging interview, novelist Rachel Kushner, author of Creation Lake, discusses the aftermath of the revolutionary ’60s, the allure and brutality of American individualism, and why liberals long for naively romantic depictions of radical politics.
Migrant Deaths Off Spain’s Coast Are Worse Than Ever
At least 10,457 migrants died trying to reach Spain’s territory in 2024. The European Union’s crackdown on Mediterranean crossings has diverted African migrants toward the even more perilous Atlantic route, turning the ocean into a mass grave.
Confronting Capitalism: Why Elites Love Identity Politics
In the latest episode of the Jacobin Radio podcast Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber discusses the Democrats’ long-standing attachment to identity politics and why this form of politics can’t meaningfully fight oppression.
Hating the Rich Is a Western Tradition
As far back as Aristotle, Western thinkers have been deeply critical of the power that the wealthy hold over society. Historian Guido Alfani sat down with Jacobin to discuss the long history of opposition to elite power in Western politics and religion.