Critical Concepts

Across the world, authoritarian and fascist movements are gaining popularity. These movements often claim that external forces are trying to take away something they must defend against a specific enemy. Within these narratives, a particular notion of ownership emerges. Today’s guest, Eva von Redecker , calls this form of ownership “phantom possession.” She argues that to understand authoritarian...

The concept of alienation has a long tradition. Karl Marx famously introduced the concept during the rise of industrial capitalism to criticize the working conditions of industrial workers. Yet some might argue that alienation belongs to the 19th century and has little relevance for understanding contemporary society. Today’s guest, ⁠Rahel Jaeggi⁠ , disagrees and believes that the idea of alienati...

When we are born into a particular society, we quickly learn its norms and practices. As we internalize these patterns, we also begin to reproduce them in our everyday actions. Through this repetition, it becomes tempting to see these social arrangements as natural or inevitable. Today’s guest, MIT-professor Sally Haslanger , challenges this assumption. In her work, she examines the many ways in w...

Prisons are a central institution of modern society, yet their legitimacy is rarely questioned. Many people assume they prevent crime and justly punish wrongdoing. But what if these assumptions are mistaken? Today’s guest, Tommie Shelby, is the Lee Simpkins Family Professor of Arts and Sciences and the Caldwell Titcomb Professor in the ⁠Department of African and African American Studies ⁠ and the...