New Books in Critical Theory

Steven Hahn, "Illiberal America: A History" (Norton, 2024)

Apr 24, 2025

Steven Hahn, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and professor at New York University, unpacks the deep-seated illiberalism in American history in his new book. He challenges the belief that recent political upheavals are anomalies, revealing that exclusionary practices have long been woven into the fabric of American democracy. Hahn explores the tension between liberal ideals and illiberal traditions, examining historical movements for civil rights and the complicated intersections of race and gender. His insights urge listeners to reconsider the true narratives of American democratic evolution.

51:58

Episode guests

Steven Hahn

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Illiberalism in America has historical roots that challenge the narrative of a linear progression toward democracy, revealing ongoing exclusionary practices.

The suffrage movement's internalized racism highlights the complexities within liberal ideals, demonstrating that rights for one group do not equate to equality for all.

Deep dives

The Rise of Illiberalism in American Politics

Illiberalism in the United States has historical roots that intertwine with mainstream political developments. The narrative often portrays liberalism as central to American identity, but the reactions to figures like Donald Trump reveal deeper currents of illiberalism. Observers frequently dismiss these reactions as temporary backlashes; however, this overlooks the longstanding trends of inequality and the exclusionary practices that have shaped American political life. The tendency to characterize right-wing movements as irrational misses the historical context where reactionary ideologies have been consistently present and influential.

Intro

2min

Exploring American Illiberalism

12min

Decentering Liberalism: Exploring America's Political Landscape

6min

The Paradox of American Democracy

16min

Exploring Paradoxes in American Social Justice Movements

2min

Intersection of Rights and Rhetoric

12min

If your reaction to the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol was to think, 'That’s not us,' think again. In Illiberal America: A History (Norton, 2024), a Pulitzer Prize–winning historian uncovers a powerful illiberalism as deep-seated in the American past as the founding ideals.

A storm of illiberalism, building in the United States for years, unleashed its destructive force in the Capitol insurrection of January 6, 2021. The attack on American democracy and images of mob violence led many to recoil, thinking “That’s not us.” But now we must think again, for Steven Hahn shows in his startling new history that illiberalism has deep roots in our past. To those who believe that the ideals announced in the Declaration of Independence set us apart as a nation, Hahn shows that Americans have long been animated by competing values, equally deep-seated, in which the illiberal will of the community overrides individual rights, and often protects itself by excluding perceived threats, whether on grounds of race, religion, gender, economic status, or ideology.

Driven by popular movements and implemented through courts and legislation, illiberalism is part of the American bedrock. The United States was born a republic of loosely connected states and localities that demanded control of their domestic institutions, including slavery. As white settlement expanded west and immigration exploded in eastern cities, the democracy of the 1830s fueled expulsions of Blacks, Native Americans, Catholics, Mormons, and abolitionists. After the Civil War, southern states denied new constitutional guarantees of civil rights and enforced racial exclusions in everyday life. Illiberalism was modernized during the Progressive movement through advocates of eugenics who aimed to reduce the numbers of racial and ethnic minorities as well as the poor. The turmoil of the 1960s enabled George Wallace to tap local fears of unrest and build support outside the South, a politics adopted by Richard Nixon in 1968. Today, with illiberalism shaping elections and policy debates over guns, education, and abortion, it is urgent to understand its long history, and how that history bears on the present crisis.

Steven Hahn is an acclaimed historian whose works include A Nation Under Our Feet, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the Bancroft Prize, and A Nation Without Borders. He is professor of history at New York University.

Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube channel. Twitter.

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