Professor and faculty director of Community Studies Mike McCarthy has published a new piece in Hammer & Hope titled “The False Choice Between Identity Politics & Economic Populism.”
Drawing from the intertwined history of labor and Black politics in the United States, the essay examines current debates around economic populism, identity politics, and the working class. It argues that framing identity politics and economic populism as opposing forces creates a false choice that fuels confusion in political discourse. Instead, the piece offers a framework for understanding how working-class politics can gain traction, grounded in the principle of solidarity rather than sectarianism. It makes a case for a more positive, unifying politics on the left.