With the neoliberalisation of the social sphere, some social and political actors, theorists, and activists have adopted an increasingly individual, asocial, and deferential approach to politics. Two recently published books by Nathan Rochelle DuFord and Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò respond to such trends and present critical social theories and arguments that centre agonistic, constructive, and social understandings of the collective action necessary for meaningful social transformation.

In Elite Capture, Táíwò discusses different theoretical and practical approaches to identity politics and standpoint theory, revealing the way in which elites have recently succeeded in appropriating elements of such politics. He argues for a non-deferential, constructive politics that is concerned ‘primarily with building institutions and campaign-relevant practices of information gathering, rather than centering specific groups of people or spokespeople who stand in for them’.

DuFord’s Solidarity in Conflict examines approaches to solidarity that have been written mostly for those outside of solidarity groups. Conversely, they propose an agonistic social theory of solidarity that acknowledges contestation as pivotal to democratic social life: ‘solidarity is as much a fight, a conflict, a disagreement, a process of building, and a process of dissolution as it is a relation of “being together”’.

We were pleased to host a conversation with the two authors. During the event, we explored the arguments mentioned above, and the relationship between social theory and political practice.

About the speakers:

• Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University, US. Olúfẹ́mi completed his PhD at University of California, Los Angeles. His theoretical work draws liberally from the Black radical tradition, contemporary philosophy of language, contemporary social science, German transcendental philosophy, materialist thought, histories of activism and activist thinkers. His first book, Reconsidering Reparations (2022), considers a ‘constructive’ philosophical argument for reparations and explores links with environmental justice. Olúfẹ́mi’s most recent book, Elite Capture: How The Powerful Took Over Identity Politics and Everything Else, was published in May 2022.

• Nathan Rochelle DuFord is Assistant Professor at University of Hartford, US. Nathan completed their PhD at Binghamton University. Their work is placed at the intersections of social and political philosophy, Frankfurt School critical theory, and feminist thought. Currently, Nathan is writing a proposal for a manuscript on the sexual politics of the early Frankfurt School and has two articles in progress: on the idea of paranoia in critical theory, and on heteromasculinity and fascism. Nathan’s recent book Solidarity in Conflict: A Democratic Theory was published in March 2022.

Discussant: Ioana Cerasella Chis, BSA Theory Study Group co-convenor.

To register: britsoc.co.uk/theorymovingbeyond

To join the BSA Theory Study Group: britsoc.co.uk/groups/study-group…up/join-the-group/

The event took place on 20th October 2022

Moving Beyond Deference Politics: A conversation with Nathan Rochelle DuFord and Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò

BSA Theory Study Group of the British Sociological Association

BSA Theory (British Sociological Association)

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