This interview was conducted in English.

Find this interview and its explanatory dossier at https://www.diagrammes.fr/en/folders/postdemocracy-in-america 

Duration: 2h01

Joe Lowndes is a prominent scholar of American politics, specializing in the study of right-wing movements, populism, and race. He holds a PhD in Political Science from The New School for Social Research and is currently a Visiting Distinguished Lecturer at Hunter College, after having served as Professor of Political Science at the University of Oregon. 

Lowndes is the author of influential works such as “From the New Deal to the New Right: Race and the Southern Origins of Modern Conservatism” and, with Daniel Martinez HoSang, “Producers, Parasites, Patriots: Race and the New Right-Wing Politics of Precarity”. 

His ongoing research includes co-editing “The Politics of the Multiracial Right” and writing “Adventures in Post-Democracy”, an ethnographic exploration of the growing authoritarian tendencies within American political culture.

In our interview, Joe Lowndes traces the evolution of the American right from the early 1990s to the present, highlighting key moments such as Pat Buchanan’s failed 1992 campaign, the rise of the Tea Party during the Obama years, and the transformation of the Republican Party under Donald Trump. He offers a striking analysis of how events often portrayed as crises—such as the Charlottesville rally, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter protests, and the January 6th Capitol assault—have, paradoxically, served to radicalize and embolden Trump’s base. 

Lowndes also examines the emergence of a multiracial far-right, evidenced by increased minority support for Trump and the participation of activists of color in extremist groups, while emphasizing that racism and xenophobia remain central to Trump 2.0. 

Finally, he reflects on the blind spots and avoidance techniques of both liberals and the left, noting their reluctance to confront the challenges posed by the new configuration of the American political landscape.

A profound and indispensable analysis for understanding the ongoing transformations of American democracy—and the political challenges they pose far beyond the United States.

CHAPTERS:

00:00:00 – Introduction to Revolutionary conservatism

00:06:49 - (Chap.1) The paleoconservative challenge

00:27:21 - (Chap.2) The tea party Obama’s fixation

00:44:43 - (Chap.3) The fear of a majority-minority nation

00:53:41 - (Chap.4) From Charlottesville to the capitol - The view from MAGA

01:06:07 - (Chap.5) The rise of a multiracial far-right

01:29:14 - (Chap.6) The masculinist factor

01:43:03 - (Chap.7) The Democrats’ debacle

01:50:23 - (Chap.8) Is it fascism?

Interview by Michel Feher and William Callison

Directed by Justin Luis Denis and Thierry Corroyer

Produced by Vladimir Gurewich

Dossier: Aurélie Windels and Michel Feher

Visual Research : Sophie Liner

Music by Laz Lo, Eeryskies, Damiens Simons

Voice : Amanda Bay

Podcast production : Deborah Le Grand

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