The Left Is Stepping Out of the Neoliberal Dark Age
Vivek Chibber describes how four decades of neoliberalism have distorted the radical left, but also how the Left is finally starting to rebuild a truly socialist politics — and what it will take to advance further.
The New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America holds a rally in Union Square marking the start of a campaign to tax the rich and win universal childcare on November 16, 2025, in New York City. (Selcuk Acar / Anadolu via Getty Images)
In this tumultuous political era, it’s common to hear that the Left needs to rebuild its historic sources of power. But it’s more accurate to say that the Left is essentially in the process of starting over again.
In this episode of Confronting Capitalism, we share Vivek Chibber’s keynote address at the Jacobin conference, “Socialism in Our Time,” which marked the fifteenth anniversary of the magazine. He discusses how capitalism has changed since the turn of the century, how the Left has been neoliberalized, and why Zohran Mamdani’s campaign may point in a new direction.
Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy, and published by Jacobin. You can listen to the full episode here. This transcript has been edited for clarity.
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