Until recently it has been argued that we live in the age of populism. Political parties, both Left and Right, have sought to take advantage of this moment to further their respective political projects. Here, I return to the seminal work of Jim McGuigan and his carefully judged critique of cultural populism that was prominent within cultural studies during the 1990s. Returning to many of the questions raised by McGuigan, I seek to argue that cultural studies needs to readdress these questions in the light of more ecosocialist concerns. Drawing on the work of both Herbert Marcuse and Raymond Williams, I argue that cultural studies needs to carefully question assumptions about so-called elitism and to think again about how different cultural forms (here I mostly focus upon writing) are able to open up crucial questions around the commons. I draw upon different arguments in relation to the commons before connecting them to a range of aesthetic responses. Overall, the argument is that cultural studies needs to develop a specifically anti-capitalist approach while being careful to steer clear of Left populism.
