In The Solidarity Economy, historian Tehila Sasson rethinks the history of nonprofits and civil society, revealing how they became entangled with the rise of neoliberalism rather than standing outside it. Challenging comforting stories about charity and social good, the book asks hard questions about power, responsibility, and the limits of market-friendly reform. In this session, Sasson joins urban geographer Matt Thompson to rethink how change is made and explores what a genuinely solidaristic economy might require today.
Tehila Sasson in conversation with Matt Thompson
Tehila Sasson is an Associate Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford and a Tutorial Fellow in History at Wadham College. Her work examines history of modern Britain and its empire, focusing especially on the economy, ethics, and the social structures that shape inequality. She has written widely on topics including consumer politics, nonprofit organisations, corporate responsibility, humanitarianism, and famine relief. She is co-editor of the journal Modern British History.
Matt Thomson is a critical urban geographer exploring theory, policy, and politics. Currently a Lecturer at the Bartlett School of Planning, Matt's work traces historical and contemporary urban movements. Matt is author of Reconstructing Public Housing (2020), and is developing a new monograph on urban statecraft.