Hayek’s Bastards: Race, Gold, IQ & the Capitalism of the Far Right with QUINN SLOBODIAN

Hayek’s Bastards: Race, Gold, IQ & the Capitalism of the Far Right with QUINN SLOBODIAN

Author: Creative Process Original Series October 4, 2025 Duration: 0:00

“The origin was really trying to make sense of that 2016-2017 moment and to ask whether the alt-right was, as we were being told, a return to the 1930s, a kind of awakening of the sleeping beast of white supremacy armed in the streets in the United States. There are many explanations, but I decided to take this kind of curious route in with the distorted readings and reinterpretations of the works of people like Ludwig von Mises and Friedrich Hayek. As a scholar of comparative literature, I wanted to write a revision based on Crack-Up Capitalism.”

In this episode of the Speaking Out of Place podcast, Professor David Palumbo-Liu talks with Quinn Slobodian about his new book, Hayek’s Bastards: Race, Gold, IQ, and the Capitalism of the Far Right. He takes a deep dive into the genesis of a weird and powerful merging of two seemingly different groups the Far Right and neoliberals. Slobodian writes, “as repellent as their politics may be these radical thinkers are not barbarians the gates of neoliberalism but the bastard offspring of that line of thought itself.” They talk about how this meshing is driven by a primitive desire to ward off egalitarianism, difference, democracy, and government that services the common good. The wide-ranging talk ends with addressing DOGE, Trump's tariffs, and yes, the Jeffrey Epstein case.

Quinn Slobodian is a professor of international history at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University. His books, which have been translated into ten languages, include Globalists: The End of Empire and the Birth of Neoliberalism, Crack-Up Capitalism: Market Radicals and the Dream of a World without Democracy, and Hayek’s Bastards: Race, Gold, IQ and the Capitalism of the Far Right . A Guggenheim Fellow for 2025-6, he has been an associate fellow at Chatham House and held residential fellowships at Harvard University and Free University Berlin. Project Syndicate put him on a list of 30 Forward Thinkers and Prospect UK named him one of the World’s 25 Top Thinkers.
https://speakingoutofplace.com
Bluesky @
palumboliu.bsky.social
Instagram @speaking_out_of_place


Within the broader collection of The Creative Process, this curated series focuses specifically on the vital intersection of creativity and social change. Social Justice & Activism brings forward voices often working at the grassroots: organizers from environmental movements, representatives of Indigenous groups, and artists and writers whose work is inseparable from advocacy. These conversations, part of the Creative Process Original Series, move beyond abstract theory to explore the lived experiences of people who have devoted their lives to making a tangible difference. We hear directly about their motivations, their artistic or strategic practices, and how they navigate challenges related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The discussions delve into personal history and professional work, revealing how creative thinking fuels activism and how the drive for justice shapes art and literature. Guests include acclaimed figures from various fields-winners of honors like the Oscar, Emmy, Tony, and Pulitzer-who use their platform for impact, alongside frontline activists whose stories are equally compelling. This podcast provides a space for deep, thoughtful dialogue that connects the personal with the political, the artistic with the actionable. It’s for anyone interested in how change is imagined, built, and sustained through a blend of conviction and creativity. Each episode offers a unique perspective on the ongoing struggle for a more equitable world, highlighting the human stories behind the headlines.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Social Justice & Activism - The Creative Process - Activists, Environmental, Indigenous Groups, Artists and Writers Talk Diversity, Equity and inclusion
Podcast Episodes