“Old school socialist”

What did Mike Davis mean when he referred to himself as an “old school socialist”? In this tribute, I argue that Davis laid out a theory and praxis of revolutionary ethics. With a focus on Davis's first book, Prisoners of the American Dream, I show how he gives us one of the earliest and sharpest critiques of neoliberalism while being hopeful about multiracial insurgency. I argue that even in the bleakest of times, Davis maintained a Gramscian commitment to worker rebellions, with a keen analysis of the ebb and flow of worker power. Most of all, he knew that the work was necessary and that the work entailed fighting and organizing—as an old school socialist.