Upon the publication of the Spanish edition of Family Values: Between Neoliberalism and the New Social Conservatism,leading Spanish newspaper El País interviews Melinda Cooper on her theories of the family as the neoliberal alternative to the welfare state. Click here to learn more about the book. Click here to read the full interview. An excerpt appears below:

“QUESTION: How has the American right changed since Donald Trump’s victory?

ANSWER: We are witnessing a radicalization of the right and the political ascendancy of far-right elements that for the first time have a place in the mainstream Republican Party. Inspired by the Southern “states’ rights” tradition of rebellion against the federal government and nostalgia for slavery, hostility toward the state even involves taking up arms, as seen in the 2021 assault on the Capitol. This resurgence of white racism and misogyny has even led to the repeal of federal abortion protection.

Q: You say that the decision of some Republican members of Congress to refuse to raise the debt ceiling is part of that same attempt at destabilization, although there was finally an agreement in May to avoid a government shutdown.

A: These lawmakers see abortion and the federal debt as symptoms of the same original sin. They argue that the dissolution of the family has forced them to pay for services such as healthcare and education that should remain in the private sphere, and they are seeking to accelerate the arrival of divine punishment.”