Mark Leonard is joined by Lea Ypi, ECFR council member and professor in political theory at the London School of Economics, to discuss her latest book Indignity: A Life Reimagined, which asks how individuals can maintain their dignity in a totalitarian system. Mark and Lea delve into defining moments in global politics, from the 1920s to the post-cold war era. By reflecting on the past, they discuss how polarised modern politics can find a new path.  

How can the left counter the narratives of the new right? What does a revitalised left look like in Europe and beyond?  Are the tragedies of 1920s and 1940s Albania, as experienced by Leman—grandmother of Lea Ypi and the book's protagonist— repeating themselves in Europe today? Do any parallels exist between then and now? And what lessons does this period hold for today? 

Bookshelf 

Indignity: A Life Reimagined by Lea Ypi 

The Overcoat by Nikolai Gogol 

This podcast was recorded on January 8th 2026 

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