Lea Ypi on parallels between the 1930s and today

The current political climate in Europe mirrors the turbulent interwar period of the 1920s and 1930s, characterized by a threefold crisis involving political representation, economic instability, and the erosion of international solidarity. Lea Ypi, author of *Indignity* and professor of political theory, argues that the rise of nationalist forces and anti-immigrant rhetoric stems from a failure of institutions to deliver for the least advantaged. Drawing on her family’s history in Albania—including her grandfather’s imprisonment under Enver Hoxha—Ypi examines the dangerous illusion of "unmixing" peoples, a concept that historically fueled exclusion and totalitarianism. While modern politics lacks the clear ideological polarization of the past, the normalization of "re-migration" and the weaponization of minorities pose severe threats to democratic legitimacy. Addressing these challenges requires a transnational left-wing vision capable of reforming international institutions rather than merely reacting to short-term electoral incentives.