Two dynamics have been making their imprint on the political landscape
of Europe over the past decade: the rise of autocratic rule, even in
the ‘mature’ democracies of western Europe, and the spread of economic
and social precarity, rooted in the insecurity of livelihoods.
Professor Azmanova will trace policy developments through which these
processes have taken place, and will examine the relations between the
two phenomena. Her analysis will also test the instrumentarium that
critical social theory has at its disposal for a radical critique of
contemporary capitalism.

Albena Azmanova is Professor of Political and Social Science at the University of Kent. She is the author of numerous academic publications, political commentaries and policy reports dealing with the crisis of democracy, the rise of populism, and threats to the rule of law. Her last book, Capitalism on Edge, was the recipient of several awards, among which is APSA’s Michael Harrington prize for "an outstanding book that demonstrates how scholarship can be used in the struggle for a better world."