Erik Olin Wright

Erik Olin Wright’s academic work has been centrally concerned with reconstructing the Marxist tradition of social theory and research in ways that attempt to make it more relevant to contemporary concerns and more cogent as a scientific framework of analysis. His empirical research has focused especially on the changing character of class relations in developed capitalist societies. Since 1992 he has directed the Real Utopias Project which explores a wide range of proposals for new institutional designs that embody emancipatory ideals and yet are attentive to issues of pragmatic feasibility. He was president of the American Sociological Association in 2011–12. His most recent books include Envisioning Real Utopias (Verso, 2010); American Society: How it Really Works with Joel Rogers (WW Norton, 2011 and 2015); Understanding Class (Verso, 2015); and Alternatives to Capitalism with Robin Hahnel (New Left Project, 2016).