In the Ruins of the Present: Neoliberalism and Cruel Populism Suffocate the Future

Presented by the UCSC Center for Emerging Worlds:

Vijay Prashad’s talk In the Ruins of the Present: Neoliberalism and Cruel Populism Suffocate the Future traces the rise of populism across the world, including the global South and North, in the present historical moment. This type of populism expresses itself in anti-immigrant politics and defines the nation in narrow terms – race, ethnicity, and religion. It seeks to exclude immigrants who do not fit within the narrow confines of these categories. This populism does not address the substantive issues of inequality and jobless even if some of its energy is derived from it.

Vijay Prashad is a charismatic speaker and writer who helps his audience find their political and ethical coordinates in a rapidly changing world. His accessible, jargon-free prose and clearly articulated ideas shed light on the workings of economic policy, race, and imperialism that shapes the lives of many people. He makes the obscure, fathomable and emphasizes the urgency of people’s engagement with ideas, institutions, and politics to bring about progressive transformation in the world. Many will also appreciate his commitment to optimism and refusal to be pessimistic despite the Ruins of the Present.