About
Frank Furedi is a sociologist and social commentator. He is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Kent in Canterbury.
“I consider myself to be to be radical humanist with a strong populist impulse. I take freedom and liberty very seriously and believe that democracy is not something you do periodically when you vote – you have to live democracy. Like many of you, I am trying to find my political voice at a time when when left and right have lost their meaning. For me what’s important is not whether someone is Left or Right, Religious or Atheist but whether or not they are prepared to uphold and defend the legacy of Western Culture, the principles of national and popular sovereignty, tolerance, human solidarity and freedom of choice.
“I was born in Hungary and after the crushing of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, I fled with my family to Austria. We ended up in Canada, where I grew up and went to McGill University. I came to London, England during the heady year of 1969 to study for a Ph.D degree. I got involved in radical student politics and in the 1970s became a far-left activist. During the mid 1990s I became increasingly concerned with the growing cultural influence of identity politics. I responded to this development by devoting my energy to fighting its influence in schools and universities. It is evident that we cannot take our freedoms for granted and we need to nourish a love of liberty amongst the younger generations. My political journey continues, driven on by what appears as a never-ending quest for clarity. Roots & Wings is integral to this quest. Despite many set backs I remain confident about the future of humanity. I strongly believe in people and I am certain that humanity’s aspiration for freedom can never be Canceled.
“I am a by profession a sociologist, author, media commentator and free speech campaigner. I have written 26 books – including Paranoid Parenting (2001). The Culture of Fear (1997), The Politics of Fear (2005), Invitation to Terror; the Expanding Empire of the Unknown, (2007), How Fear Works: Culture of Fear in the 21st Century – which have been translated in 16 languages. My latest book; The Road To Ukraine: How The West Lost Its Way will be published in October 2022.
“For over three decades, I was a Professor of Sociology at the University of Kent in Canterbury, England. Since 2007 I have devoted his energy to writing and lecturing to audiences throughout the world. In recent years, I have written major articles for The Australian, New Scientist, The Guardian, The Independent, The Financial Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Express, The Daily Mail, The Wall Street Journal, The Independent on Sunday, India Today, The Times, The Sunday Times, The Observer, The Sunday Telegraph, Toronto Globe and Mail, The Christian Science Monitor, The Times Higher Education Supplement, Spiked-online, The Critic, The Times Literary Supplement, Harvard Business Review, Die Welt and Die Zeit amongst others.
“Recently I became Executive Director of the Brussels based think-tank MCC-Brussels – a challenge I relish and thoroughly enjoy.”