ABSTRACT
Before the Trump presidency, according to Nancy Fraser, a hegemonic alliance was built between new social movements and the financial sectors of the U.S. economy: Wall Street, Silicon Valley and Hollywood. Mixing expropriative plutocracy with the politics of recognition, this “progressive neoliberalism” was consolidated by combining a regressive political economy with the progressive veneer of diversity and the “empowerment” of minority constituencies. To the right of this centrist politics is reactionary populism and hyper-reactionary neoliberalism. To the left of progressive neoliberalism is progressive populism, an inclusive politics of recognition combined with an agenda of reform and redistributive justice. Whereas hyper-reactionary neoliberals pose as populist, they carry on with the neoliberal agenda in most sectors and add to this a politics of discriminatory recognition. One difficulty with progressive populism is that the politics of recognition divides members between the progressive left and the neoliberal centre. Fraser advocates a combined critique of exploitation and oppression since neither can be overcome without the other. In order for this to be possible, however, she emphasizes the importance of class struggle, which tends to be ignored by the feminist and anti-racist politics of recognition.
