Three Faces of Postliberalism

Postliberalism is a multi-faceted current of ideas that aims to correct the errors and excesses of liberalism both in theory and practice. Having emerged in the UK and the US over the past decade or so, this heterogeneous movement composed of public intellectuals and politicians encompasses a number of shared ideas, including society as a covenant rather than contract, liberty as freedom of care for oneself and others, individual fulfilment combined with mutual flourishing, and individual rights balancing reciprocal obligations. This chapter explores three faces of postliberalism: National Conservatism, Catholic integralism, communitarian pluralism. The argument is that the first is both antiliberal and ultraliberal and therefore ultimately not postliberal, while the second combines a postliberal political economy with a cultural vision that privileges the nation-state and confessional religion. The third face is more truly postliberal in offering constructive alternatives to contemporary liberalism that are anchored in a personalist outlook. A postliberal politics needs to build a pluralist democracy, decentralize the state, and promote mutualist markets embedded in the everyday economy. Only a postliberalism which thus fuses economic justice with social solidarity and ecological balance can overcome deep divisions and avert an authoritarian backlash.