How to Be an Anticapitalist Today
Anticapitalism isn't simply a moral stance against injustice — it's about building an alternative.
66 Search Results for: Erik Olin Wright
Post-Work Socialism Is a Tempting Illusion
Even if we were to free ourselves from the capitalist work ethic and provide everyone with a universal basic income, our society would still require some amount of socially necessary labor. Socialists should strive to reimagine work, not eliminate it.
Ellen Meiksins Wood Showed Us the Irrationality of the Capitalist Market
Ellen Meiksins Wood was one of the great Marxist thinkers of her age. One of Wood’s most important contributions was to show how the coercive pressure of markets is specific to capitalism and point us toward the necessary socialist alternative.
The Institute for Christian Socialism Wants to Bring Left Politics to American Christianity
The Institute for Christian Socialism is trying to build left-wing solidarity within religious communities. In their eyes, an awareness of and commitment to socialism is inherent to the Gospel.
China Miéville on The Communist Manifesto’s Enduring Power
In an interview, author China Miéville explains why Marx and Engels’s Communist Manifesto is such a remarkable work, defending the book against its detractors and arguing that it remains urgently inspiring and deeply relevant.
Labor and Climate Must Unite. That’s Easier Said Than Done.
The idea that the labor and climate movements must unite for a Green New Deal is more popular than ever. To get it done, we'll need to take the threat of job loss seriously, finding and uplifting commonalities between climate goals and worker self-interest.
The Art of Demanding
Of all the internal controversies Occupy generated, the one over whether the movement should adopt specific demands may have been the most significant.
Bringing the Socialism of the Gospels to America
The Institute for Christian Socialism is trying to build left-wing solidarity within religious communities. For these Christians, a commitment to socialism is inherent in the Gospel.
The Effect of Class Consciousness on Political Preferences
Political preferences are often discussed through a one-size-fits-all middle-class lens. But empirical data shows that class significantly influences voting patterns, with growing class consciousness driving dissatisfaction with established parties.
The Passions and the Interests
An effective left politics can’t just speak to workers’ material interests. It also has to construct myths that speak to people’s sense of dignity and humanity.
Four Futures
One thing we can be certain of is that capitalism will end.
The Anticapitalist Bodybuilder
This weekend's Arnold Sports Festival showed that many seek in bodybuilding what they can't find in their jobs.
Not Everyone Can Buck the Trend
The son of Nigerian immigrants, Giannis Antetokounmpo has won acclaim in Greece, being named the NBA’s most valuable player. But Giannis’s story doesn’t prove that anyone who works hard can make it — rather, it shows how insane it is to let our parents’ nationality determine our life chances.
Are Workers the “Gravediggers” of Capitalism?
Karl Marx didn't believe the working class would automatically end capitalism. He believed that actively engaging in class struggle can change workers' consciousness — and change the world.
Democratic Socialists Want to Fight for Minority Rights, Not Suppress Them
Defenders of capitalism say that socialism will squelch minority rights. But the only minority groups we seek to unseat are those who trample the rights of others.
Small Business Owners at the Barricades
Small business owners, who feature prominently in the anti-shutdown protests, occupy a unique place in capitalism’s class hierarchy — although many share the same kinds of struggles experienced by wage workers, as a class, they’re often drawn to the far right.
The Antinomies of Perry Anderson
Perry Anderson’s essays on the history of Marxism show his dazzling erudition and breadth of historical vision. But the British Marxist’s work has also been deeply shaped by his changing political outlook, as his 1960s hopes in socialist revolution have given way to a more sober reading of capitalism’s crises.
How William Morris Became a Socialist
The critique of capitalism was central to William Morris’s vision of an arts and crafts movement in the Victorian era. Against the alienation and exploitation of a rapacious industrialism, he advocated for a conception of art capable of restoring creativity to everyday life.
Forget Your Middle-Class Dreams
When it comes to workplace organizing, there's no such thing as a “privileged” worker. You’re either with your coworkers or you’re against them.
Municipal Socialism Is Working in Preston
In Britain, even as the Labour Party is in turmoil at the national level, left-wing city councils in places like Preston are bringing socialist policies to life at the local level.