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Destroying Democracy: Neoliberal Capitalism and the Rise Of Across the world, democracy is under threat from the wealth and power that is ever more concen- trated in the hands of the few. But the rule of the few over the many rests on very shaky ground. When we have both the ideas and the power, and when we unite, we can overcome these crises and build a world of peace and justice. This volume provides a space for campaigners from different places and different traditions to discuss, refine and share ideas, which is essential to building movements that can provide hope and real change. Jeremy Corbyn, former leader of the UK Labour Party, Member of Parliament and founder of the Peace and Justice Project The democratic rights won under capitalism have always been limited yet crucial to gaining some control over our lives and allowing vital space for challenging capitalism itself. The volume poses neoliberalism’s polarisation of this dichotomy. On the one hand, the various authors agree, neo- liberalism represents an authoritarian turn; on the other, they argue, that threat poses the neces- sity and promise of deepening substantive democracy. Sam Gindin, former Research Director of the Canadian Auto Workers Contributors draw on Marxist theoretical tools to expose deep tensions between neoliberal cap- italism and democracy while determinedly refusing repressive alternatives inspired by orthodox Marxism. Their project is one of democratic and ecological socialism. This book will constitute a stimulating and valuable resource to the many who are committed to that project. Daryl Glaser, Professor of Political Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg This volume makes a compelling case for why fascist populist movements are manifestations of broad crises at the heart of modern globalising capitalism. Williams and Satgar have assembled an impressive range of scholars who have spent years reflecting on these issues. The book is timely and deserves to be read widely. Gilbert M. Khadiagala, Professor of International Relations, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg A significant volume of wide-ranging scholarship that unpacks the two key phenomena that democracy faces today – fascism and neoliberal capitalism. With experiences from South Africa, India, the USA and Latin America, the authors address the paradox posed by the fact that insti- tutionalised democracy now produces outcomes that run counter to the interests of the people. Nivedita Menon, Professor in the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi DEMOCRATIC MARXISM DEMOCRATIC MARXISM SERIES Series Editor: Vishwas Satgar The crisis of Marxism in the late twentieth century was the crisis of orthodox and vanguardist Marxism associated mainly with hierarchical communist parties, and imposed, even as state ide- ology, as the ‘correct’ Marxism. The Stalinisation of the Soviet Union and its eventual collapse exposed the inherent weaknesses and authoritarian mould of vanguardist Marxism. More funda- mentally vanguardist Marxism was rendered obsolete but for its residual existence in a few parts of the world, including within authoritarian national liberation movements in Africa and in China. With the deepening crises of capitalism, a new democratic Marxism (or democratic historical materialism) is coming to the fore. Such a democratic Marxism is characterised by the following: • Its sources span non-vanguardist grassroots movements, unions, political fronts, mass parties, radical intellectuals, transnational activist networks and parts of the progressive academy; • It seeks to ensure that the inherent categories of Marxism are theorised within con- stantly changing historical conditions to find meaning; • Marxism is understood as a body of social thought that is unfinished and hence challenged by the need to explain the dynamics of a globalising capitalism and the futures of social change; • It is open to other forms of anti-capitalist thought and practice, including currents within radical ecology, feminism, emancipatory utopianism and indigenous thought; • It does not seek to be a monolithic and singular school of thought but engenders contending perspectives; • Democracy, as part of the history of people’s struggles, is understood as the basis for articulating alternatives to capitalism and as the primary means for constituting a transformative subject of historical change. This series seeks to elaborate the social theorising and politics of democratic Marxism. Published in the series and available: Michelle Williams and Vishwas Satgar (eds). 2013. Marxisms in the 21st Century: Crisis, Critique and Struggle. Johannesburg: Wits University Press. Vishwas Satgar (ed.). 2015. Capitalism’s Crises: Class Struggles in South Africa and the World. Johannesburg: Wits University Press. Vishwas Satgar (ed.). 2018. The Climate Crisis: South African and Global Democratic Eco- Socialist Alternatives. Johannesburg: Wits University Press. Vishwas Satgar (ed.). 2019. Racism after Apartheid: Challenges for Marxism and Anti-Racism. Johannesburg: Wits University Press. Vishwas Satgar (ed.). 2020. BRICS and the New American Imperialism: Global Rivalry and Resistance. Johannesburg: Wits University Press. Destroying Democracy Neoliberal Capitalism and the Rise of Authoritarian Politics Edited by Michelle Williams and Vishwas Satgar Published in South Africa by: Wits University Press 1 Jan Smuts Avenue Johannesburg 2001 www.witspress.co.za Compilation © Michelle Williams and Vishwas Satgar 2021 Chapters © Individual contributors 2021 Published edition © Wits University Press 2021 First published 2021 http://dx.doi.org.10.18772/22021086994 978-1-77614-699-4 (Paperback) 978-1-77614-700-7 (Hardback) 978-1-77614-701-4 (PDF) 978-1-77614-702-1 (EPUB) 978-1-77614-704-5 (Open Access PDF) All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher, except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act, Act 98 of 1978. This book is freely available through the OAPEN library (www.oapen.org) under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 Creative Commons License (https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). The publication of this volume was made possible by funding from the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung and through a grant received from the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences. Project manager: Inga Norenius Copyeditor: Lee Smith Proofreader: Lisa Compton Indexer: Margaret Ramsay Cover design: Hothouse Typeset in 10 point Minion Pro CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ix ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS xi PREFACE: Neoliberal capitalism in the time of Covid-19: Destroying democracy and rising authoritarianism xiii Michelle Williams and Vishwas Satgar PART ONE: NEOLIBERAL CAPITALISM’S DESTRUCTION OF DEMOCRACY 1 CHAPTER 1: The crisis of democracy: Neoliberal capitalism, authoritarianism and reclaiming democracy 2 Michelle Williams CHAPTER 2: The rise of eco-fascism 25 Vishwas Satgar PART TWO: NEOLIBERAL CAPITALISM AGAINST DEMOCRACY GLOBALLY 49 CHAPTER 3: Populism and fascism: Lessons from the 1920s Ku Klux Klan 50 Linda Gordon CHAPTER 4: What do ‘unruly’ right-wing authoritarian nationalists do when they rule? The US under Donald Trump 71 Ingar Solty CHAPTER 5: Brazilian democracy facing authoritarian neoliberalism 97 Alfredo Saad-Filho CHAPTER 6: India’s trajectories of change, 2004–2019 112 Alf Gunvald Nilsen vii PART THREE: NEOLIBERAL CAPITALISM AGAINST DEMOCRACY IN SOUTH AFRICA 127 CHAPTER 7: The dialectic of democracy: Capitalism, populism and working-class politics 128 Devan Pillay CHAPTER 8: Democracy and the right to know in South Africa’s capitalist transition 148 Dale T. McKinley CHAPTER 9: South Africa’s post-apartheid media and democracy 163 Mandla J. Radebe CHAPTER 10: The enemy within: Securitising protests as domestic instability in South Africa 179 Jane Duncan CHAPTER 11: Prospects for a left renewal in South Africa 195 Gunnett Kaaf CONCLUSION: Vishwas Satgar 210 CONTRIBUTORS 215 INDEX 217 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS his volume owes a special debt to the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation T(RLF). Without the support given by RLF it would have been impossi- ble to hold a contributors’ workshop in South Africa and ensure the man- uscript was prepared for publication. We are also grateful for the support given by the Co-operative and Policy Alternative Centre (COPAC), which played a central role in organising the workshop convened with contrib- utors and activists from various social movements and community organ- isations. The support given by the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS) has enabled the series to be published open access. Moreover, it is important to acknowledge the editorial assis- tance provided by Jane Cherry from COPAC. Her efforts were crucial for keeping things on track. The efforts and inputs from Courtney Morgan, Awande Buthelezi and William Shoki are also appreciated. Finally, our sincerest appreciation to the team at Wits University Press, particularly Veronica Klipp, Roshan Cader and Corina van der Spoel, for supporting this volume and the Democratic Marxism series. ix ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ANC African National Congress ANCYL African National Congress Youth League ARRA American Recovery and Reinvestment Act BEE Black Economic Empowerment BJP Bharatiya Janata Party Cosatu Congress of South African Trade Unions DA Democratic Alliance EFF Economic Freedom Fighters EU European
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