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Death of Liberalism: The Exhaustion of Democracy

Death of Liberalism: The Exhaustion of Democracy

Common Concerns vor 6 Monaten

The Exhaustion of Democracy

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56:06

In this episode, Xiang Biao talks to Olaf Zenker, a leading
anthropologist whose work spans Southern Africa, Germany, and
Northern Ireland. Together, they explore one of the most urgent
questions of our time: What happens when people lose faith in
liberalism — not because they reject its ideals, but because they
feel it has failed them? Zenker highlights the importance
of understanding people's concerns and addressing them in a way
that is relevant and accessible. The approach involves engaging
with people in their everyday lives, listening to their concerns,
and using anthropology to make sense of them. He emphasizes the
need to move beyond traditional academic language and to use
plain language that resonates with people's experiences. He also
emphasises the importance of collaboration and collaborative
research, in which researchers work alongside the communities
they are studying to develop solutions and make their findings
more accessible and relevant to the public. Parts of Zenker's
work focus on the dynamics of reunification in Germany, the
refugee crisis, and the rise of populist movements. He argues
that these movements are driven by a sense of fatigue,
dissatisfaction, and resentment

This post-liberal fatigue is a deep, relational exhaustion with
systems that promised justice, equality, and democracy, but
delivered only delay, disillusionment, and fragmentation.