What “Radical” Means in the 21st Century
In 2011, the Editorial Board of the Review of Radical Political Economics launched a new occasional section of the journal called “What ‘Radical’ Means in the 21st Century.” The purpose of this section is to challenge notable scholars on the left to address the question of what “radical” means in the 21st century. RRPE continues to bear the term “radical” in its title, yet the term was more widely used, mostly in the United States, in the 1960s and ’70s when RRPE was founded and tended to convey the analysis of root underlying causes. Over the decades, the term has become blurred and intersected, and thus RRPE launched this occasional series to explore what this term means in current contexts and conjunctures. Previously published essays in this section include:
David Barkin, “What Is a Radical Economist Doing in Mexico?” June 2026, 58 (2)
Sirisha Naidu, “Overcoming Climate Blah Blah Blah: A (Feminist) Radical Political Economy Assessment of Reproducing Life Under a Climate Crisis,” June 2026, 58 (2)
Fikret Adaman, “Quo Vadis? Academic Autonomy and Freedom: The Case of Economics Discipline in Turkey,” September 2025, 57 (3)
Snehashish Bhattacharya, “Academic Radicalism in the Present Conjuncture: The University as a Contested Terrain,” September 2025, 57 (3)
Jennifer Cohen, “Introduction to What ‘Radical’ Means in the 21st Century,” March 2023, 55 (1): 187–190
Nancy Folbre, “Radical Offspring,” March 2023, 55 (1): 191–196
Heidi Hartmann, “Doing Radical Public Policy, Observations from a Feminist Economist,” March 2023, 55 (1): 197–207
Drucilla Barker, “Speaking Truth to Power: A Tale of Two Universities,” March 2023, 55 (1): 208–216 (PDF)
Marlene Kim, “What Is Radical Political Economics?” September 2018, 50 (3): 576–81
William K. Carroll, “Robust Radicalism,” December 2015, 47 (4): 663–68.
Samir Amin, “Audacity, More Audacity,” September 2013, 45 (3): 400–09.
Dean Baker, “Getting Radical with Markets,” September 2012, 44 (3): 374–79.
Ben Fine, “Being Radical or Radical Being?” March 2012, 44 (1): 100–06.
Doug Dowd, “What Is Coming Around the Corner?” December 2011, 43 (4): 578–81.
Patrick Bond, “What is Radical in Neoliberal-Nationalist South Africa?” September 2011, 43 (3): 354–60.
Howard Sherman, “Radical Economists in the 21st Century,” September 2011, 43 (3): 348–53.
