Skip to content
February 08, 2020

Understanding Socialism and Democratic Socialism Today

James Early and E. Ethelbert Miller explore the historical context and development of socialism and democratic socialism.

By James Early, E. Ethelbert Miller

Share:

Senator and current Democratic candidate for president Bernie Sanders has thrust the terms socialism and democratic socialism back into popular discourse.

James Early, former Institute for Policy Studies board chair and current board member, joined E. Ethelbert Miller, who is also a former Insitute for Policy Studies board chair, to discuss these terms and their intersections with capitalism, racism, and classism.cannot

This interview was produced by UDC-TV’s The Scholars.

Originally in UDC-TV's The Scholars.

James Early is the Director of Cultural Studies and Communication at the Center for Folklife Programs and Cultural Studies at the Smithsonian Institution and a board member at the Institute for Policy Studies. E. Ethelbert Miller is a former board chair of the Institute for Policy Studies.

For press inquiries, contact IPS Deputy Communications Director Olivia Alperstein at olivia@ips-dc.org. For recent press statements, visit our Press page.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Further reading

Articles | Aug 26, 2026

We’re Getting Dangerously Used to ICE Abuse

No matter where you were born or how you feel about immigration, no government should have the power to kill or jail people with so little accountability.
Articles | Aug 26, 2026

The New Cold War of Rocks vs. Chips

The two major superpowers have asymmetric super powers.
Articles | Aug 25, 2026

Restorative Justice is the Proven Alternative Our Children Need

Punitive systems funnel students — especially Black ones — into immiseration and incarceration.
See all Articles

Our project sites