Perseverance in the midst of defeat: On Aijaz Ahmad’s political writings

Defeat shapes the subjectivity of the global Left in the contemporary era. The twin collapse of actually existing socialism and revolutionary nationalisms in the late twentieth century deprived the international communist movement of material support as well as ideological anchorage. A reactionary thesis stemming out of this defeat proclaimed the triumphant victory of global capitalism […]

Authoritarian and neoliberal attacks on higher education in Hungary

Dossier: Unmaking the university

In April 2017, a law adopted by the Hungarian authorities, and promptly nicknamed ‘Lex CEU’, made the operation of the Central European University (CEU) impossible. The CEU is an English language graduate university with accreditation both in Hungary and in the USA, which was based in Budapest from 1991. Following a long process of attempted […]
Colourful graphitti wall with messages involving discounts, Free Palestine, doodles. It has a prominent pink shelf in centre that reads CHALK. On it is a green sponge, but no chalk.

Wounds of Democracy: Adorno’s Aspects of the New Right-Wing Extremism and the German antisemitism debate

Scholars of European history and critical theory observing American politics in recent years have often found themselves experiencing déjà vu. History, the truism goes, does not repeat itself, but last summer, with calls for ‘law and order’ and armed right-wing militias clashing with anti-racist protestors across America, many asked, what more are you waiting for? […]
Outside of a UKIP MEP's office in the European Parliament, with flags of Israel, Tenessee and Gadsden tacked onto the wall.