{{Short description|Political movement opposed to liberal democracy, advocating for its replacement}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}} {{for|the approach to theology|Postliberal theology}} '''Postliberalism''' (also known as '''Post Neoliberalism''') is a political ideology and movement that critiques and opposes classical and social liberalism, particularly as developed in the late 20th and 21st centuries. Proponents argue liberalism's focus on individual rights, free markets, and limited government has eroded social cohesion, community, and traditional moral frameworks, as well as increased income inequality. Political philosophers and historians argue that this critique of liberalism more accurately describes the social fragmentation and economic nationalism endemic to postliberal politics itself.{{efn|Attributed to multiple references: <ref>{{cite book |title=Beyond Neoliberalism and Neo-Illiberalism: Economic Policies and Performance for Sustainable Democracy |year=2024 |publisher=Verlag Barbara Budrich |isbn=9783837674873}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Guns, Butter and Karl Polanyi: Securing Europe in the post-neoliberal world |journal=NUPI |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/2336825X251383747}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Why the ‘Great Realignment’ is Bad News for Economic Policy |work=Cato Institute |url=https://www.cato.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Green |first=Dominic |date=February 16, 2026 |title=The trouble with post-liberalism |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-trouble-with-post-liberalism/ |work=The Spectator |access-date=May 29, 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Post‑neoliberal globalization: international trade rules for global prosperity |journal=Oxford Review of Economic Policy |year=2024 |doi=10.1093/oxrep/grae022|url=https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w32533/w32533.pdf}}</ref>}} They advocate for a communitarian politics centered on social conservatism, social solidarity, and a stronger state role in shaping culture, often drawing on traditionalist conservative or religious thought.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Pabst |first1=Adrian |date=2 May 2017 |title=Postliberalism: The New Centre Ground of British Politics |url=https://kar.kent.ac.uk/60727/1/Pabst%2010_11_16%20%28author%20agreed%20manuscript%29.pdf |journal=The Political Quarterly |volume=88 |issue=3 |pages=500–509|doi=10.1111/1467-923X.12363 }}</ref>
Critics, including prominent political philosophers, historians, and democratic institutions, argue that postliberalism serves as an intellectual framework for democratic backsliding and illiberalism. They contend its critique of liberal democratic institutions, liberal individualism, and minority protections aligns it with authoritarian and national conservative projects, most notably the self-described "illiberal state" of Viktor Orbán's Hungary.<ref>{{cite book |last=Müller |first=Jan-Werner |date=2019 |title=Furcht und Freiheit: Für einen anderen Liberalismus |location=Berlin |publisher=Suhrkamp Verlag |isbn=978-3-518-07513-5}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Applebaum |first=Anne |date=November 15, 2021 |title=The Bad Guys Are Winning |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/12/the-autocrats-are-winning/620526/ |access-date=December 16, 2024 |work=The Atlantic |language=en |issn=2151-9463}}</ref> The movement is associated with policies of economic nationalism, localism, and populist criticism of democratic norms.
== History == Postliberalism emerged in the United Kingdom from a movement within the Labour Party called Blue Labour.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kruger |first=Danny |author-link=Danny Kruger |date=2021-08-25 |title=The Future of Postliberalism |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2021/08/postliberal-politics-coming-era-renewal-adrian-pabst-review |access-date=2024-05-08 |website=The New Statesman}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Borg |first=Stefan |date=2024-04-10 |title=In search of the common good: The postliberal project Left and Right |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13684310231163126 |journal=European Journal of Social Theory |language=en |volume=27 |issue=1 |pages=3–21 |doi=10.1177/13684310231163126 |issn=1368-4310}}</ref> Early British theorists included John Gray, Maurice Glasman, Phillip Blond, Adrian Pabst, John Milbank, and Jon Cruddas.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Gray |first=John |author-link=John Gray (philosopher) |title=Post-liberalism: Studies in Political Thought |publisher=Routledge |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-415-13553-5 |location=London}}</ref>
In the United States, postliberalism gained influence primarily among conservatives critical of fusionism. Figures associated with this perspective include Patrick Deneen, Rod Dreher, and Adrian Vermeule, as well as the Israeli-American philosopher Yoram Hazony.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Klein |first=Ezra |author-link=Ezra Klein |date=2022-05-13 |title=What Does the 'Post-liberal Right' Actually Want? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/13/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-patrick-deneen.html |access-date=2024-05-08 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Schneider |first=Suzanne |date=2023-04-29 |title=Dangerous minds |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/the-weekend-essay/2023/04/dangerous-minds |access-date=2024-05-08 |website=The New Statesman |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dreher |first=Rod |author-link=Rod Dreher |date=2021-10-20 |title=Further Thoughts on Postliberalism |url=https://www.theamericanconservative.com/national-conservatism-further-thoughts-on-postliberalism/ |access-date=2024-05-08 |website=The American Conservative |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Ideology ==
=== Ideological communitarianism === Postliberalism contends that liberalism, in both its economic and social forms, weakens social and communal bonds that contribute to human well-being. A central idea in postliberal thought is that individuals are shaped by their social and cultural contexts rather than existing as purely autonomous agents. Postliberals argue that the liberal emphases on individual rights and freedoms have diminished the roles of community, family, and tradition in fostering meaning and belonging. They posit that a stable society requires a shared sense of purpose and commitment to the common good, which they claim liberalism has not sufficiently provided.
Postliberals reference social contract theorists such as Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, as well as figures like John Stuart Mill and John Rawls, to argue that liberalism promotes an individualism that they see as incompatible with human sociability.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last1=Milbank |first1=John |author-link=John Milbank |title=The Politics of Virtue: Post-liberalism and the Human Future |last2=Pabst |first2=Adrian |date=2016 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield International |isbn=978-1-78348-648-9}}</ref> Patrick Deneen contends that liberalism encourages individuals to approach commitments and relationships with flexibility, treating them as interchangeable and subject to renegotiation, leading to weaker social ties.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Deneen |first=Patrick J. |author-link=Patrick Deneen (political theorist) |title=Why Liberalism Failed |publisher=Yale University Press |year=2018 |isbn=978-0-300-22344-6 |location=New Haven (Conn.)}}</ref>
=== Pluralism === Postliberals critique the liberal conception of the state as a neutral mediator, arguing instead that it should actively promote an ideal vision of social well-being grounded in the values and traditions of the community it serves. They promote political opposition to immigration and cultural diversity while advocating for conservative institutions like the nuclear family and religion. Postliberals reject a value-free state, arguing it should actively foster social cohesion and the common good.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Eudaimonia |date=2023-06-01 |title=What is Postliberalism? |url=https://www.americanpostliberal.com/p/what-is-postliberalism |access-date=2024-05-09 |website=The American Postliberal |language=en}}</ref>
Liberal theorists such as John Rawls have framed liberalism as a system in which the state remains neutral on personal values. In contrast, Deneen argues that neutrality is an illusion, asserting that every social order is built on fundamental beliefs and commitments.<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |last1=Deneen |first1=Patrick |author-link=Patrick Deneen (political theorist) |last2=Baker |first2=Gerry |date=2023-08-03 |title=A Postliberal Future? - Opinion: Free Expression - WSJ Podcasts |url=https://www.wsj.com/podcasts/opinion-free-expression/a-postliberal-future/6199298e-6b01-44aa-9e3a-d272ba2fcea3 |access-date=2024-05-09 |work=The Wall Street Journal |language=en-US}}</ref>
Postliberals emphasize a political approach centered on the common good, seeking to balance individual and group rights with social responsibilities. Some critique economic liberalism, advocating for greater regulation and social embeddedness, while others emphasize the role of cultural traditions and national identity in maintaining social cohesion.
=== Free market === Postliberal critics of economic liberalism argue that economic liberalism has contributed to the concentration of wealth and power among a small segment of society, leading to economic stratification between elites and the working class. They advocate for market intervention by the state, including protectionist policies and measures aimed at reducing economic inequality, protecting labor rights, and community development.
John Gray has argued that free markets and globalization have weakened the foundations of modern market economies. Similarly, Patrick Deneen contends that liberalism leads to a cycle of state expansion to manage social fragmentation, requiring legal and administrative mechanisms to replace communal institutions such as schools, healthcare, and charitable organizations, ultimately diminishing a shared sense of community and collective identity.<ref name=":5" />
=== International relations === Postliberal perspectives on international relations and global politics have been developed by scholars such as John Milbank, Adrian Pabst, and Patrick Deneen.<ref name=":0" /> Postliberalism attributes contemporary challenges in international relations to what it sees as an intensification of liberalism. In contrast to John Ikenberry's view that the liberal international order is threatened by illiberal forces and requires further liberalization to counteract these challenges, postliberals interpret the rise of illiberal movements as a reaction to what they perceive as contradictions within liberalism itself.<ref name=":0" />
Pabst suggests that the emergence of populism and civilizational states reflects a response to global politics that, in this view, prioritizes utopian ideals over national and local concerns, emphasizing individual identity at the expense of collective belonging. From this perspective, liberalism no longer advances a substantive common good, resulting in ambiguity that both promotes individual freedoms and struggles to manage their broader consequences at national and international levels.<ref name=":6" />
Some scholars argue that the United States-led liberal order, established after World War II, follows a trajectory similar to domestic liberalism. Milbank and Pabst argue that U.S. imperialism promotes liberal principles to nation-states, influenced by American individualism and voluntaryism, and is pursued through imperial means to achieve national objectives. They argue that since the 1970s, global governance has strengthened state power and expanded individual freedoms while reducing local decision-making and distancing authority from national democratic institutions. According to their analysis, "Enlightenment liberalism" has the potential to frame conflict as an unlimited struggle against perceived enemies of civilization—an idea associated with Carl Schmitt.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":6" /> They suggest that this universalist liberal expansion has contributed to the formation of civilizational blocs.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":6" />
== Criticism == Critics of postliberalism argue that defining a common good in pluralistic societies presents challenges. Liberal critics argue that more statist versions of postliberalism risk unduly restricting individual liberty by using state power to enforce a particular vision of the good, while some postliberals advocate for a more pluralistic approach.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Szalai |first=Jennifer |date=2023-06-07 |title=When 'Regime Change' Means Returning America to an Idealized Past |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/07/books/review/regime-change-patrick-deneen.html |work=The New York Times}}</ref>
Critics from the political left oppose the socially reactionary positions of postliberalism. Socialist historian Chris Wright asserts that the political right primarily serves the interests of the ruling class, capitalism, and businesses rather than the common good. He contends that "because of its alleged interest in the public good but its conservative (Republican) orientation, postliberalism is ultimately incoherent".<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Wright |first=Chris |date=2023-10-16 |title=Postliberalism: A Dangerous "New" Conservatism |url=https://thephilosophicalsalon.com/postliberalism-a-dangerous-new-conservatism/ |access-date= |website=The Philosophical Salon |language=en-US}}</ref> Similarly, socialist critic J. J. Porter argues that postliberalism undermines its own foundations, stating that "it wants to preserve many of the fruits of liberalism while doing away with the structure from which they grow".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Porter |first=J. J. |date=2023-05-10 |title=Conservative Postliberalism Is a Complete Dead End |url=https://jacobin.com/2023/10/conservative-postliberalism-patrick-deneen-regime-change-book-review |access-date= |website=Jacobin |language=en-US}}</ref>
Critics from the free-market right argue that postliberalism's support for economic planning, regulation, and skepticism toward free markets could damage economic growth.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bourne |first=Ryan |date=2023-04-20 |title=National Conservatism Is a Danger to the UK Economy |url=https://www.cato.org/commentary/national-conservatism-danger-uk-economy |access-date= |website=The Cato Institute}}</ref> Other conservative critics maintain that postliberalism underestimates the significance of individual freedom and the economic advantages of market capitalism.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Whyte |first=Jamie |date=2022-09-22 |title=Taking Liberties: Why postliberals are wrong about personal freedom |url=https://iea.org.uk/publications/taking-liberties-why-postliberals-are-wrong-about-personal-freedom/ |access-date= |website=Institute for Economic Affairs}}</ref> Zachary Chambers has written, "Ultimately, the post-liberal vision of politics simply cannot be reconciled to the higher-level logical form of liberty that defines the American political tradition."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chambers |first=Zachary |date=2026-03-18 |title=The Logic of Liberalism – Zachary Chambers |url=https://lawliberty.org/the-logic-of-liberalism/ |access-date=2026-03-27 |website=Law & Liberty |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Relation to other ideologies == Elements of postliberal political thought have been integral to the development of national conservatism and the ideology of various factions within the Conservative Party of the United Kingdom.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Tom |date=2023-05-13 |title=Anglicising National Conservatism |url=https://thecritic.co.uk/anglicising-national-conservatism/ |access-date=2024-05-08 |website=The Critic Magazine |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Kelly |first=Paul |date=2024-04-24 |title=Postliberalism could reshape the Conservative party |url=https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/postliberalism-could-reshape-the-conservative-party/ |access-date=2024-05-08 |website=London School of Economics}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=West |first=Ed |author-link=Ed West (journalist) |date=2023-10-05 |title=Can post-liberalism save the Conservative party? |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/can-post-liberalism-save-the-conservative-party/ |access-date=2024-05-08 |website=The Spectator |language=en-US}}</ref> Some scholars have noted the impact of Christopher Lasch on postliberal thought.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />
=== Postliberal feminism === Reactionary feminists aligned with postliberalism, including Louise Perry, Nina Power, Christine Emba, and Mary Harrington, argue that the sexual ethics and norms emphasizing individual autonomy, reproductive rights, and sexual freedom—emerging from the sexual revolution of the 1960s—have led to negative consequences for women.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite web |last1=Fraser |first1=Giles |author-link=Giles Fraser |date=2019-11-22 |title=A Post-liberal Reading List |url=https://unherd.com/2019/11/a-post-liberal-reading-list/ |access-date=2024-05-09 |website=UnHerd}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hinsliff |first=Gaby |date=2022-06-14 |title=The Case Against the Sexual Revolution: liberal feminism under attack |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/book-of-the-day/2022/06/louise-perry-the-case-against-the-sexual-revolution-gaby-hinsliff-review |access-date=2024-05-08 |website=The New Statesman |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Harrington |first=Mary |date=2020-03-26 |title=How to Find Meaning When Everything is Power |url=https://www.palladiummag.com/2020/03/26/how-to-find-meaning-when-everything-is-power/ |access-date=2024-05-08 |website=Palladium Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hanman |first=Natalie |date=2010-01-16 |title=One Dimensional Woman by Nina Power |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/jan/16/one-dimensional-woman-natalie-hanman |access-date=2024-05-09 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
== Impact on politics == {{Conservatism US|schools}} Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his political party, Fidesz, have been described as postliberal and national conservative.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Zerofsky |first=Elisabeth |date=2021-10-19 |title=How the American Right Fell in Love With Hungary |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/19/magazine/viktor-orban-rod-dreher.html |access-date= |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dreher |first=Rod |author-link=Rod Dreher |date=2021-10-19 |title=Viktor Orban & The Postliberal Right |url=https://www.theamericanconservative.com/viktor-orban-postliberal-right-hungary/ |access-date= |website=The American Conservative |language=en-US}}</ref> In a speech on September 14, 2023, Orbán stated: "The postliberal era we look forward to, which will replace the current progressive-liberal era, will not come automatically. Someone has to make it happen. And who will make it happen, if not us?"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Orbán |first=Viktor |author-link=Viktor Orbán |date=2023-09-14 |title=Speech by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at the 5th Budapest Demographic Summit |url=https://abouthungary.hu//speeches-and-remarks/speech-by-prime-minister-viktor-orban-at-the-5th-budapest-demographic-summit |access-date=2024-05-08 |website=About Hungary |language=en}}</ref>
In the United Kingdom, members of the New Conservatives faction of the Conservative Party, including Danny Kruger and Miriam Cates, have either identified with postliberalism or been associated with it. The Blue Labour tradition has included figures such as Jon Cruddas and Maurice Glasman. Writers Adrian Pabst and Sebastian Milbank have suggested that Labour Party leader and Prime Minister Keir Starmer has shown some interest in policies associated with Blue Labour.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pabst |first=Adrian |date=2022-09-28 |title=Keir Starmer finally goes Blue Labour |url=https://unherd.com/newsroom/keir-starmer-finally-goes-blue-labour/ |access-date=2024-05-08 |website=UnHerd |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Milbank |first=Sebastian |author-link=Sebastian Milbank |date=2023-10-06 |title=Labour's blues: Leftish economics allied to moderate social conservatism offers a compelling route to power for Sir Keir Starmer |url=https://thecritic.co.uk/issues/october-2023/labours-blues/ |access-date=2024-05-08 |website=The Critic |language=en-GB}}</ref>
In the United States, several Republican politicians have been linked to postliberal and national conservative ideas, including Vice President JD Vance,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ward |first=Ian |date=13 September 2024 |title=Is There More to JD Vance's MAGA Alliance Than Meets the Eye? |url=https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/09/13/jd-vance-new-right-political-movement-00177203 |access-date=14 September 2024 |website=Politico}}</ref> Senator Josh Hawley, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McManus |first=Matt |date=2023-12-14 |title=National Conservatives, Postliberals and the Nietzschean Right: Meet Today's Terrifying GOP |url=https://inthesetimes.com/article/the-new-right-far-right-ideology-liberalism-democracy |access-date=2024-05-08 |website=In These Times |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bradley |first=J. Colin |date=2023-08-21 |title=No Masters: The limits of post-liberalism |url=https://thepointmag.com/politics/no-masters-post-liberalism/ |access-date=2024-05-08 |website=The Point |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last=Ward |first=Ian |date=2023-06-08 |title='I Don't Want to Violently Overthrow the Government. I Want Something Far More Revolutionary.' |url=https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/06/08/the-new-right-patrick-deneen-00100279 |access-date=2024-05-08 |work=Politico}}</ref>
== Prominent figures == ===Writers=== * John Gray<ref name=":2" /> * Patrick Deneen<ref name=":2" /> * John Milbank * Adrian Pabst<ref name=":2" /> * Yoram Hazony * Sohrab Ahmari * Adrian Vermeule * Christine Emba * Andrew Willard Jones
===Politicians=== * Viktor Orbán * Balázs Orbán * Jon Cruddas * Maurice Glasman * Danny Kruger * Miriam Cates * JD Vance<ref name=":4" /> * Josh Hawley<ref name=":4" /> * Marco Rubio<ref name=":4" /> * Ryszard Legutko<ref>{{Cite web |last=Anderson |first=Ryan |date=2023-02-01 |title=Book Review: Return of the Strong Gods by R R Reno - The Mallard |url=https://mallarduk.com/2023/02/book-review-return-of-the-strong-gods-by-r-r-reno/,%20https://mallarduk.com/2023/02/book-review-return-of-the-strong-gods-by-r-r-reno/ |access-date=2024-07-18 |website=The Mallard |language=en-GB}}</ref>
== See also == {{Portal|Liberalism|Politics}} * Common good constitutionalism * Integralism * Neo-nationalism * Syncretic politics
==Notes== {{notelist}}
==References== {{reflist}}
Category:Conservatism Post