Materialism Is Essential for Socialist Politics
The socialist tradition was long associated with materialism, a view that has come under fire in recent decades. But materialism is both a legitimate and necessary foundation for left-wing politics.
32 Articles by: Vivek Chibber
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Vivek Chibber is a professor of sociology at New York University. He is the editor of Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy.
The Democrats Actively Expedited Class Dealignment
In the 1990s, Democrats adopted a neoliberal program to suit the needs of capital, driving many workers out. The party then adopted a political strategy meant to replace working-class voters with professionals — with disastrous consequences.
Not the Fall of Saigon — Its Liberation
Fifty years since the triumph of national liberation forces, Catalyst editor Vivek Chibber explores the true story of the Vietnam War — not as a tragedy of American overreach but as a triumph of Vietnamese resistance.
Capitalist Disorganization Has Enabled Trump’s Dominance
The GOP is now a hegemonic force in US politics. But much of that dominance is predicated on Donald Trump’s personal rule, itself made possible by internal GOP weakness and business elites’ political disorganization.
Trump’s Tariffs Are a Gift to Capital, Not Workers
Donald Trump has championed tariffs as a way to revive American manufacturing. But without a real industrial strategy, Catalyst editor Vivek Chibber argues, they’re little more than a handout to capital.
Why Elites Love Identity Politics
The Democratic Party at every level spent years embracing identity politics that mostly served the interests of professionals, argues Catalyst editor Vivek Chibber. We need a return to class.
Requiem for the Obama Coalition
The data is clear: the Democratic Party’s alienation from the working class extends across racial lines.
No, Liberalism Hasn’t Buried Marxism
As liberal thought has evolved to address capitalism’s flaws, some argue it has caught up with Marxism, rendering it irrelevant. Vivek Chibber argues that liberalism may diagnose capitalism’s injustices, but Marxism gives us the tools to overcome them.
Let’s Celebrate Noam Chomsky, the Intellectual and Moral Giant
More than any other thinker in the postwar era, Noam Chomsky has embodied Karl Marx’s favorite dictum: “nothing human is alien to me.”
The Iraq Invasion 20 Years Later
How the American political class brought a disaster to the Middle East.
To Fight Imperialism Abroad, Build Class Struggle at Home
The idea that workers in wealthy countries like the United States are part of a “labor aristocracy” bought off with the fruits of imperialism is nonsense. The best way to build a movement against US imperialism is to build the labor movement domestically.
You Can’t Have Socialism Without the Working Class
The task of socialists in 2022 is the same as it’s always been, says sociologist Vivek Chibber: to build working-class organization. That requires clarity about the central political role of the working class.
Vivek Chibber: “Bad Ideas” Aren’t Keeping Workers From Fighting Back
Critics often say the working class doesn’t fight back against exploitation because it’s confused about its real interests. But this ignores how capitalism itself leads workers to resign themselves to their situation — and how we can overcome that resignation.
Edward Said’s Orientalism and Its Afterlives
Edward Said’s Orientalism instilled an anti-imperial sensibility into an entire generation of Western scholars. But even while it castigated the imperial project, its actual analysis didn’t give us the intellectual resources to overturn it.
Labor’s Long March
The question is no longer whether the working class matters, but how it can fight back.
Conservatism Is Morally Bankrupt
Conservatives claim to defend tradition. The truth is, they actually defend domination and illegitimate power over others.
Leo Panitch (1945–2020)
We’ve suffered an irreparable loss with the passing of our friend and comrade Leo Panitch.
Leo Panitch (1945–2020)
The global left has suffered an irreparable loss with the passing of Leo Panitch this weekend. He was incredibly warm, inviting, and generous to others. And he remained committed to the end to the cause of socialism and human emancipation.
Celebrating Ten Years of Jacobin
And our decades to come.