Neoliberalism's Frankenstein: Authoritarian Freedom in Twenty-First Century “Democracies”

What peculiar form of freedom is cultivated and promised in right-wing political formations today? How does “illiberal democracy” sew together libertarianism and authoritarianism? How is the radical disinhibition and aggressiveness contained in these formations reconciled with their claim to cultiva...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Critical times (Berkeley, Calif.) Calif.), 2018-04, Vol.1 (1), p.60-79
Main Author:	Brown, Wendy
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Authoritarianism Democracy Disinhibition Freedoms Legitimacy Libertarianism Marcuse, Herbert (1898-1979) Neoliberalism Nihilism Right wing politics Theory and Philosophy
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	What peculiar form of freedom is cultivated and promised in right-wing political formations today? How does “illiberal democracy” sew together libertarianism and authoritarianism? How is the radical disinhibition and aggressiveness contained in these formations reconciled with their claim to cultivate traditional values and restore order? This paper reflects on the complex recent histories—of neoliberalism, of nihilism, and of what Marcuse termed “repressive desublimation”—that generate the force and legitimacy of this novel development in Euro-Atlantic political life.
ISSN:	2641-0478 2641-0478