Oxford politics lecturer and New York Times contributor Anton Jäger examines how contemporary public life has become saturated with protest, spectacle, and moral urgency while traditional civic infrastructure—parties, unions, solidarity networks—has deteriorated. His book Hyperpolitics traces this transformation from Thatcher-era London through Black Lives Matter to today's digital culture wars.
Rather than coherent political movements, Jäger argues, we now experience viral outrage, endless factional disputes, and causes that flare briefly before vanishing. Post-Cold War liberalism's promises have given way to a restless public sphere where personal passion spills into politics without building lasting power or change.
Jäger engages in conversation with James Schneider, writer, political organizer, and former Communications Director for the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn, now serving as Communications Director for the Progressive International. The discussion offers insight into how public engagement has fundamentally shifted in recent decades.
