William Davies (born 1976) is an English writer, political and sociological theorist. His work focuses on the issues of

consumerism Consumerism is a social and economic order that encourages the acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing amounts. With the Industrial Revolution, but particularly in the 20th century, mass production led to overproduction—the ...

, happiness, and the history and function of expertise on society. Davies has written for a variety of newspapers and periodicals including

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

New Left Review The ''New Left Review'' is a British bimonthly journal covering world politics, economy, and culture, which was established in 1960. History Background As part of the British "New Left" a number of new journals emerged to carry commentary on m ...

London Review of Books The ''London Review of Books'' (''LRB'') is a British literary magazine published twice monthly that features articles and essays on fiction and non-fiction subjects, which are usually structured as book reviews. History The ''London Review ...

, and

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

. In 2015 Davies published his second book '' The Happiness Industry'', which assesses the relationship between consumer capitalism, big data and positive psychology. Davies is Professor of Political Economy at

Goldsmiths, University of London Goldsmiths, University of London, officially the Goldsmiths' College, is a constituent research university of the University of London in England. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by the Wor ...

, where he is Co-Director of The Political Economy Research Centre in London.

Works

*''The Limits of Neoliberalism: Authority, Sovereignty and the Logic of Competition'' (2014) *'' The Happiness Industry: How Government and Big Business Sold Us Well Being'' (2015) *''Nervous States: Democracy and the Decline of Reason'' (2019) *''This is Not Normal: The Collapse of Liberal Britain'',

Verso Books Verso Books (formerly New Left Books) is a left-wing publishing house based in London and New York City, founded in 1970 by the staff of ''New Left Review''. Renaming, new brand and logo Verso Books was originally known as New Left Books. The ...

, 2020

Selected articles

“Leave, and Leave Again”
London Review of Books (2019)
"What is “neo” about Neoliberalism?"
The New Republic (2017)
"On mental health, the royal family is doing more than our government"
The Guardian (2017)
"The Age of Pain"
The New Statesman (2017) *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, William 21st-century English writers Anti-consumerists English philosophers Political philosophers English cultural critics 1976 births Living people