Slobodian is cultureel historicus die onderzoek doet naar hoe ideeën over markt, staat en vrijheid de internationale politiek vormgeven - en hoe marktradicalen via “zones” (zoals vrijhavens en speciale economische gebieden) democratische controle proberen te omzeilen. Hij is auteur of (co-)redacteur van zeven boeken, waaronder Globalists: The End of Empire and the Birth of Neoliberalism (winnaar van de American Historical Association George Louis Beer Prize), Crack-Up Capitalism: Market Radicals and the Dream of a World Without Democracy en Hayek’s Bastards: Race, Gold, IQ, and the Capitalism of the Far Right. 

In 2026 verschijnt zijn nieuwste boek Muskisme. Een gids voor de verbijsterden waarin Slobodian en Ben Tarnoff onderzoeken hoe Musk de tijdgeest zowel vormt als belichaamt. In 2025 werd hij benoemd tot Guggenheim Fellow door de Guggenheim Foundation.

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Slobodian is a cultural historian who studies how ideas about the market, the state, and freedom shape international politics—and how market radicals try to bypass democratic oversight through “zones” (such as free ports and special economic areas). He is the author or (co-)editor of seven books, including Globalists: The End of Empire and the Birth of Neoliberalism (winner of the American Historical Association’s George Louis Beer Prize), Crack-Up Capitalism: Market Radicals and the Dream of a World Without Democracy, and Hayek’s Bastards: Race, Gold, IQ, and the Capitalism of the Far Right.

In 2026, his newest book, Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed, will be published, in which Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff examine how Musk both shapes and embodies the zeitgeist. In 2025, he was named a Guggenheim Fellow by the Guggenheim Foundation.