The Struggle for Public Goods in the Shadow of Fascism: Hope at Dusk

The Struggle for Public Goods in the Shadow of Fascism examines the present diminishment of democracy through the prism of intensifying conflict between market freedom and citizen rights. The fate of democracy is at the center of the book’s exploration of the decline of the welfare state and rise of radical right politics.

Sources of hope in difficult times as expressed by artists and organizers are underscored as a constructive way forward. The rise of radical right politics has in part been fueled by the political capitalization of resentment and economic elite interest. State policies supporting basic functions of the welfare state such as service benefits, anti-discrimination laws and market regulation are in the cross hairs of radical right politics. The welfare state is seen as undermining market interests and displacing “heritage citizens.” Therefore, a primary intention of radical right politics is the disassembly of the welfare state.

Providing an important history of American social welfare, all of these are unpacked with careful attention and scrutiny to enable readers to perceive not only the winding path to how we got here but also the stakes in the current predicament. Tracing out the impact of the rise of far-right politics on American political discourse and social policy, this text will be an important resource for researchers, instructors, and students in sociology, social theory, social policy, human services and public administration, and American and political studies.

Reviews

“The book is written with absolute clarity and offers a timely contribution to understanding the current political moment of the United States. While conceptually sophisticated it is written in an accessible style that will help readers make connections between fascism, the extreme right, and the attack on the welfare state. I believe it to be a very important contribution to the debates on fascism in the contemporary U.S.”

Bret Gustafson, Professor of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, U.S.A.

“How do we defeat a growing far-right and build something better in its place? The Struggle for Public Goods in the Shadow of Fascism: Hope at Dusk argues that the future depends on whether we can build a bold, inclusive left that reimagines what is possible. We can find inspiration from history but we can’t go back to what we had before. Instead, The Struggle for Public Goods in the Shadow of Fascism urges us to fight for an expanded welfare state that can expand freedom for all. In these dark times, our hope lies in organizing.”

Stephanie Luce, Professor of Labor Studies at the School of Labor and Urban Studies, and Professor of Sociology at the Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY), U.S.A

“In these dark times, Mike Fabricant’s excellent new book gives us an incisive analysis of the political landscape, and a compass with which we might navigate it. The book is a terrific diagnosis of how we got here and a strategic perspective on how we might claw our way back to a humane social order.”

Vivek Chibber, Professor of Sociology, New York University, U.S.A

“Michael Fabricant’s study of the emergence of contemporary fascism in the United States as a historical phenomenon is a very important contribution to contemporary political debates. Characteristically close to the ground and concrete, Fabricant’s focus on the struggle for public goods as the best, if not only, route to developing the movement we need to combat the fascist tendency is beyond persuasive. This book should be read by anyone concerned with turning back the reactionary tide.”

Adolph Reed, Jr., Professor of Politics, Mount Holyoke College, and author of Black Studies, Cultural Politics, and the Evasion of Inequality (Routledge, 2025)