Lost in Ideology

Interpreting Modern Political Life

Jason Blakely

Lost in Ideology sets out from the conviction that the current disorientation engulfing the world’s liberal democracies is in no small part ideological in origin. People feel confused because there are multiple ideological maps, so to speak, each marked by dramatically different points of interest. Ideology in the modern era has the paradoxical effect of orienting millions even as it disorients millions. This leads us to the present-day predicament in which individuals of every imaginable political stripe confidently declare: “I have a theory – but you? You have an ideology!” Thus, any reorientation within the political world will have to pass through ideology’s forbidding labyrinth of conflicting and overlapping maps.

By foregrounding a cultural and historical framework, Lost in Ideology maps the ideological terrain of the past 200 years or so with sophistication and a democratic sensibility. It offers both an invaluable guide for the uninitiated as well as a fresh and insightful analysis for readers more familiar with the fractured landscape of today’s ideologies.

Contents

Introduction: in search of ideology; 1. Liberal by nature: varieties of classical liberalism; 2. Other foundings: civic republicanism and white supremacy; 3. Evolving liberalism: progressives versus neoliberals; 4. In the name of the past: conservatives and neoconservatives; 5. There is no “fascist minimum”: fascistic bundles and hybridizations; 6. Is socialism still taboo? From Marxism to Bernie Sanders; 7. Hiding in plain sight: nationalism and multiculturalism; 8. There are many feminisms: the advent of sexual politics; 9. The meaning of the earth: the challenges of ecological politics; Conclusion: the age of ideologies

SEPTEMBER 2023

PB £18.99 978-1-78821-663-0

HB £75.00 978-1-78821-662-3 208 pages | 216 x 138 mm

OCTOBER 2023

PB £20.00 978-1-78821-659-3

HB £75.00 978-1-78821-658-6

320 pages | 234 x 156mm

Robert Barrington is Professor of Anti-Corruption Practice in the Centre for the Study of Corruption (CSC) at the University of Sussex.

Elizabeth David-Barrett is Professor of Governance and Integrity and Director of the CSC at the University of Sussex.

Rebecca Dobson Phillips is a Lecturer in Corruption Analysis in CSC at University of Sussex.