iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mike McCarthy @itsmccarthy.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Out of hibernation to share a polemic I published today at Salvage titled “On Theoretical Degeneration.” It takes aim at the unusual suspects currently reconstructing right theory (Yarvin, Land, etc.) and some on the left and center as well. You can find the article online below.

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Mike McCarthy @itsmccarthy.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Deactivating my account here next week to carve out more headspace to write for a bit. You can still find me at substk (theorydecay) and in sta (prof_mike_mccarthy) where I'll post words and pics, respectively. Cheers!

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Mike McCarthy @itsmccarthy.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Perhaps weirdly, the technologists have been thinking about this — since the models are trained on as much Marx as anything else and a case can be made (admittedly by Marxists) that the case is more rational.

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Mike McCarthy @itsmccarthy.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Thanks, Nate. Who is behind this?

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Reposted by Mike McCarthy

Hammer and Hope @hammerandhope.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Republicans have gathered for an unusual two-day midterm convention in Dallas, but Trump may find that his ability to mobilize his base is waning. In Issue No. 11, @itsmccarthy.bsky.social examines what lessons right-wing political spectacles offer the left. hammerandhope.org/article/trum...

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Mike McCarthy @itsmccarthy.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Some new writing of mine in the world for the first time! Check out the latest Salvage.

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Mike McCarthy @itsmccarthy.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Very cool to see the concept "class dynamism" being used by David Markus to interpret the photography of LaToya Ruby Frazier at the Smithsonian's journal, American Art. This is a very thoughtful critique of Walter Benn Michaels' interpretation of her work.

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Mike McCarthy @itsmccarthy.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

How should democratic socialists govern? Re-upping my new essay at Hammer + Hope on the dual strategy of mobilization and incorporation.

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Mike McCarthy @itsmccarthy.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

What should the left do when it governs? My new one from @hammerandhope.bsky.social

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Mike McCarthy @itsmccarthy.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

Ok I watched and now understand

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Reposted by Mike McCarthy

The Syllabus @the-syllabus.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

By shifting control of collective wealth into the hands of unaccountable financial institutions, asset manager capitalism has eroded democratic structures. Our video of the week calls for democratizing finance to strengthen working-class power. Featuring @itsmccarthy.bsky.social buff.ly/3lvf3Zv

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Mike McCarthy @itsmccarthy.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

I did everything I could to get you back watching the game to spoil the comeback

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Mike McCarthy @itsmccarthy.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Military Keynesianism, but domestic

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Mike McCarthy @itsmccarthy.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

What a week. My book with @versobooks.bsky.social was a winner of The Theory Prize, which is awarded by the American Sociological Association's Theory Section every two years. Congratulations to the others recognized. Very pleased to win it alongside Zophia Edwards, whose book is a must read.

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Mike McCarthy @itsmccarthy.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Unfortunately, I will not be at the ASA meetings tto accept it. Instead, I will be respecting the @soc4pal.bsky.social boycott. The leadership has stifled democracy within the organization by suppressing member's voices on the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Democracy is power. We must rebuild it.

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Mike McCarthy @itsmccarthy.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

I’m deeply grateful to the award committee, to colleagues and comrades who engaged with the work along the way, and above all to the movements and organizations, past and present, whose struggles brought it to life. Many thanks to everyone that has given it a read over the last year.

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Mike McCarthy @itsmccarthy.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

I’m honored to share that my book, The Master’s Tools on @versobooks.bsky.social, is a winner of the 2026 Outstanding Contribution to Political Sociology Book Award from the American Sociological Association.

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Reposted by Mike McCarthy

Thea Riofrancos @triofrancos.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

Seattle, Santa Cruz and Irvine: the book tour for EXTRACTION is coming your way. 5/19 UW-Seattle talk and Elliott Bay books in convo w @mmcntsh.bsky.social 5/20 World Affairs Council- Seattle 5/21 University of California Santa Cruz w/ @itsmccarthy.bsky.social 5/27 @ucisocialecology.bsky.social

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Mike McCarthy @itsmccarthy.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

Spoiler alert: the billionaire is most worried about union wages

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Mike McCarthy @itsmccarthy.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

Put an English translation on Substack. open.substack.com/pub/theoryde...

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Mike McCarthy @itsmccarthy.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

It's salvageable, but we shouldn't salvage it. A forum on the future of "liberal democracy." Thoughts from Wendy Brown, Carolin Amlinger, Axel Honneth, Veronica Gago, Isabell Lorey, Dipesh Chakrabarty, Naika Foroutan, Christoph Menke, Rahel Jaeggi, and me.

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Mike McCarthy @itsmccarthy.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

That's what liberal democracy is in practice.

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Mike McCarthy @itsmccarthy.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

Other participants include Wendy Brown, Axel Honneth, Veronica Gago, Dipesh Chakrabarty, and Rahel Jaeggi. It’s just in print now (70k copies!), but I’ll share the web link when available.

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Mike McCarthy @itsmccarthy.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

Today, I’m in a forum at the German newspaper Taz on the question, “is liberal democracy worth saving?” My answer is nein: Societies that allow ownership and control to concentrate never produce freedom and democracy.

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Mike McCarthy @itsmccarthy.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

Need to hold their feet to labor’s fire

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Mike McCarthy @itsmccarthy.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

Here is a draft of a short essay I wrote in preparation for our conversation: open.substack.com/pub/theoryde...

open.substack.com

Göran’s Superstructures

This is a very provisional draft

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Mike McCarthy @itsmccarthy.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

I had a great conversation with Daniel Tutt about ideology, power + domination, and class politics for his Emancipations podcast. We get into the really rich theoretical work of Göran Therborn and provide a bit of an introduction to his approach.

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Reposted by Mike McCarthy

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

*salutes beaver comrades*

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Mike McCarthy @itsmccarthy.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

For anyone that reads German, I had a great conversation with Maxine Fowé for @surplusmagazin.de about the politics of contemporary finance capital. The link to the conversation is now live.

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