Riley studies capitalism, socialism, democracy, authoritarianism and knowledge regimes in a broad comparative and historical perspective. His first book, The Civic Foundations of Fascism in Europe: Italy, Spain, and Romania 1870-1945 (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2010), argues that fascist regimes arose paradoxically on the basis of strong civil societies in the pre-fascist period. Reviewers have called this book “the most original and provocative new analysis of the preconditions of Fascism that has appeared in years" and “brilliant and courageous." A second book, How Societies and States Count: A Comparative Genealogy of Censuses (with Rebecca Jean Emigh and Patricia Ahmed in preparation for Palgrave), argues against state-centered accounts of official information that censuses work best where there is intense interaction between state and society. In addition, he has started a new project investigating the connection between the meaning and substance of democracy in interwar and post-war Europe. Riley has published articles in the American Journal of Sociology, American Sociological Review, Catalyst, Comparative Studies in Society and History, Comparative Sociology, Social Science History, The Socio-Economic Review and the New Left Review. He is also a member of the editorial committee of the New Left Review.
Job title:
Professor; Director, Interdisciplinary Studies Field
Department:
Sociology
Bio/CV:
