Who's afraid of Cultural Marxism?

Cultural Marxism is many things to many people — at one end of the political spectrum, it's the hidden force behind political correctness, identity politics and 'wokeness', while at the other end it's a shopworn conspiracy theory that explains nothing much at all. So what is Cultural Marxism? Did a group of Marxist intellectuals in the mid-20th century really set out to reshape Western culture? And if they did, how convincingly does their story stack up as a tale of secret plots and calculated ideological subversion?

Guest: Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer in English and Writing, University of Sydney

Producer: David Rutledge

'Cultural Marxism' is a conspiracy theory for our time - Alexander Howard in The Conversation July 2026

The Cultural Marxism Conspiracy: Why the Right Blames the Frankfurt School for the Decline of the West by A.J.A. Woods (Verso 2026)

Conspiracy theories, anti-Semitism and fun - The Philosopher's Zone, December 2022

*The 2026 Alan Saunders Lecture* - Alexandre Lefebvre on 'The return of the moral state: politics and the good life', Thursday September 24 6.30 pm - register here

Philosophy, Conspiracy Theories, History, Ethics