IOP Pritzker Fellow Bhaskar Sunkara on "Why Bernie Talks About Sweden So Much"

THIS SEMINAR IS OPEN TO CURRENT UCHICAGO STUDENTS ONLY

Monday, February 23

3:30-4:45pm

We unpack why social democracy has played such a large role in American socialist and progressive debates. Drawing on Bhaskar Sunkara’s experience covering and engaging with figures like Bernie Sanders, the session starts from a practical question: why do U.S. reformers so often point to Nordic countries when arguing for domestic change?

Discussion focuses on the postwar social-democratic settlement in Western and Northern Europe and how socialist and labor parties translated working-class organization into governing power. The seminar examines what political problems social democracy helped resolve, the conditions that made those outcomes possible and what can and cannot be carried over when European experiences are used to frame contemporary American politics.

Pritzker Fellows seminars are off the record and open to current UChicago students only. Seating in the IOP Living Room is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you have any questions about accessibility, please contact Ella Kumano-Maloney (ikmaloney@uchicago.edu).