XIX ISA World Congress of Sociology (July 15-21, 2018)

800

Future(s) of Democracy in the Post-Neoliberal Era: Problems, Protests, and Prospects

RC48 Social Movements, Collective Actions and Social Change (host committee)

Language: English

Globally, neoliberalism is no longer the mobilising tool it once was. The neoliberal mainstream has been displaced, initially from the radical Left, but increasingly, and simultaneously, from the far Right. From anti-austerity to left nationalism, from solidarity economy to the eco-social commons, democratic alternatives to market rule have gained considerable ground, but have faltered with the emergence of new forces for autocracy and ethno-populism. This panel addresses the major challenges faced by these post-neoliberal democratic movements, in the current context of authoritarian populist resurgence, rising ethno-nationalism and global geopolitical polarizations., How are these democratic alternatives emerging, surviving, or evolving through social movements, and where are they gaining ground or declining? How may they be converging? How may they respond to the authoritarian alternatives? Where are they marginalised, and why? In this spirit we seek new theory and reflection beyond the current political nexus.