Ideology Unbound is a podcast from the Illiberalism Studies Program at George Washington University and hosted by Laura K. Field. We talk about the past and future of ideologies, and about liberalism and its challenges, with thinkers in the United States and around the world.
Ungoverning and the Destruction of of Governmental Capacity
Ideology Unbound is a podcast from the Illiberalism Studies Program at George Washington University and hosted by Laura K. Field. We talk about the past and future of ideologies, and about liberalism and its challenges, with thinkers in the United States and around the world.
In this episode, Laura Field engages with Russell Muirhead to discuss his book, Ungoverning: The Politics of Chaos and the Attack on the Administrative State, co-authored with Nancy L. Rosenblum. They explore the evolution of conspiracism in politics, the concept of ungoverning, and the challenges faced by the administrative state. Muirhead emphasizes the importance of governmental capacity, the dangers of personal command over policy-making, and the implications of violence in society. The conversation also touches on the legitimacy of grievances against bureaucracy, the role of cultural recognition, and the need for effective civic education.
Get Russell Muirhead's new book, Ungoverning: The Politics of Chaos and the Attack on the Administrative State (https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691250526/ungoverning?srsltid=AfmBOooN81oO5NAiUlq0RC_bIAwLN3RuA1eCuJd4h5Xf1dXXYxqJtOjG).
17 Feb 2026
Russia, Liberalism, and the Illiberal Imagination
Ideology Unbound is a podcast from the Illiberalism Studies Program at George Washington University and hosted by Laura K. Field. We talk about the past and future of ideologies, and about liberalism and its challenges, with thinkers in the United States and around the world.
In this episode, Laura Field sits down with Marlene Laruelle, a leading scholar of Russian political thought and contemporary illiberalism, to discuss her intellectual journey, her work on Russia’s ideological landscape, and the conceptual foundations of her influential framework of illiberalism. The conversation explores Laruelle's early research in Russian intellectual history; understanding illiberalism not as a regime type but as a coherent political project defined by backlash against lived liberalism and by an alternative vision built around sovereignty, majoritarianism, civilizational geopolitics, social homogeneity, and conservative values; and the complicated relationship between liberalism and illiberalism.
4 Feb 2026
Retrieving a Radical Liberalism
Ideology Unbound is a podcast from the Illiberalism Studies Program at George Washington University and hosted by Laura K. Field. We talk about the past and future of ideologies, and about liberalism and its challenges, with thinkers in the United States and around the world.
In this episode, Aaron Irion engages with political theorist Matt McManus to discuss his new book The Political Theory of Liberal Socialism. The conversation examines the intellectual roots of liberal socialism, the project of retrieval that animates McManus’s method, and the contemporary political stakes of revisiting this neglected tradition. McManus outlines the book’s central principles—methodological collectivism paired with normative individualism, a developmental ethic, and a commitment to participatory liberal‑democratic institutions—and explains how these ideas draw on figures as varied as Mary Wollstonecraft, John Stuart Mill, John Rawls, Karl Marx, Chantal Mouffe, and others.
Get Matt McManus's new book The Political Theory of Liberal Socialism. (https://www.routledge.com/The-Political-Theory-of-Liberal-Socialism/McManus/p/book/9781032647234)
20 Jan 2026
The Dark Passions of Liberalism
Ideology Unbound is a podcast from the Illiberalism Studies Program at George Washington University and hosted by Laura K. Field. We talk about the past and future of ideologies, and about liberalism and its challenges, with thinkers in the United States and around the world.
In this episode, Laura Field engages with William A. Galston, a prominent liberal thinker, to discuss his new book Anger, Fear, Domination. The conversation explores the vulnerabilities of liberal democracy, the role of dark passions in political psychology, and the historical context of liberalism. Galston argues for a more realistic understanding of human nature and the importance of rhetoric in countering illiberalism. The discussion also touches on the need for civic education and the power of political speech to shape public discourse.
Get William Galston's new book, Anger, Fear, Domination: Dark Passions and the Power of Political Speech. (https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300282290/anger-fear-domination/)
Link to Bobby Kennedy's 1968 speech in Indianapolis (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2kWIa8wSC0) reacting to Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination.
15 Dec 2025
King vs. Goldwater: The Intersection of Freedom and Labor
Ideology Unbound is a podcast from the Illiberalism Studies Program at George Washington University and hosted by Laura K. Field. We talk about the past and future of ideologies, and about liberalism and its challenges, with thinkers in the United States and around the world.
In this episode, Laura Field interviews Nicholas Buccola (https://www.nicholasbuccola.com/) about his book One Man's Freedom, which explores the contrasting ideologies of Martin Luther King Jr. and Barry Goldwater. The conversation delves into their intellectual backgrounds, the historical context of their rise to prominence, and the implications of their differing views on freedom, labor, and civil rights. Buccola emphasizes the importance of storytelling in political theory and the need to confront the realities of social justice and economic dignity. The discussion culminates in the examination of the 1964 clash between King and Goldwater, highlighting the ongoing relevance of their legacies in contemporary politics.
Get Nicholas Buccola's book, One Man’s Freedom: Goldwater, King, and the Struggle over an American Ideal (https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691230306/one-mans-freedom?srsltid=AfmBOooldcNpS_Z7P55BDXnSB0ggkEDBlcCL_LIE2FUx127Rpe8jhXEw)
17 Nov 2025
Exploring the depths of liberalism
Ideology Unbound is a podcast from the Illiberalism Studies Program at George Washington University and hosted by Laura K. Field. We talk about the past and future of ideologies, and about liberalism and its challenges, with thinkers in the United States and around the world.
In this conversation, Laura Field and Alexandre Lefebvre (https://www.alexlefebvre.com/) explore the complexities of liberalism, its moral foundations, and the challenges it faces in contemporary society. They discuss the influence of Rawlsian political philosophy, the concept of liberalism as a way of life, and the implications of wokeness on liberal discourse. Lefebvre emphasizes the need for liberals to recognize their own moral values and the depth of liberalism in everyday life, while also addressing the criticisms from non-liberal ideologies.
Get Alexandre Lefebvre's book, Liberalism As A Way of Life (https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691203744/liberalism-as-a-way-of-life?srsltid=AfmBOoqebgXZj_bEU66P9yz4RMknwl4wd6RFBVEqOooPNSNOFYuc71Dx)
Read Laura's review, Good Liberals, Bad Cave: A Review of Liberalism as a Way of Life (https://www.illiberalism.org/good-liberals-bad-cave-a-review-of-liberalism-as-a-way-of-life/)
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