Interrogating Development Seminar: "The Far-Right and the Working Class"

Discussion with Professor Rosana Pinheiro-Machado on how the far-right and social media mobilise the working class

Join us for an exciting session with Professor Rosana Pinheiro-Machado, a leading anthropologist from University College Dublin. In this talk, Rosana Pinheiro-Machado examines how the global far right mobilises the platform-based working class through digital media in the context of capitalism’s transformation. Drawing on 25 years of ethnographic research and various research projects on economic precarity in the global south, especially Brazil, she explores how rage, aspiration, and the search for recognition shape ambivalent political subjectivities. The talk explores the concepts of precarious entitlement and self-worth to explain why digital entrepreneurship can both empower and entrap workers, influencing their ideological alignments.

To debate her work, Dr. Aiko Amaral (Department of International Development) will act as discussant.

About the speaker

Rosana Pinheiro-Machado is a Professor of Global Studies at University College Dublin (UCD), Ireland. She is the Director of the Digital Economy and Extreme Politics Lab (DeepLab) and the Principal Investigator of the European Research Council- funded project Flexible Work, Rigid Politics in Brazil, India, and the Philippines. Her ethnographic research explores the intersection of reactionary politics and precariousness in the emerging economies of the Global South.

About the Interrogating Development Seminar Series

The 'Interrogating Development' seminar series is organised by the Department of International Development at King's College London. The series examines some of the most pressing issues of development facing global society today, with the authors of new books presenting cutting-edge research on a variety of topics related to development.

The talk will be followed by a wine reception. The event is open to everyone.