Judith Butler's public appearance at the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid, less than one year ago, drew long lines and left many outside. The event, a conversation with El País journalist Joseba Elola, unfolded in "thunderous, attentive silence," punctuated by frequent ovations and shouts more typical of fandom. The headline later published about that event declared, "We are witnessing the restoration of patriarchy and racism" — a stark assessment that resonates deeply with the ongoing construction of Fortress Europe and its violent border regime.
El País profiled Butler, Slavoj Žižek, and Byung-Chul Han among other thinkers, examining how contemporary thought can break out of academia and reach a wider public. The article uses the phrase “rock star of ideas” for intellectuals who stir strong passions beyond traditional scholarly circles. This phenomenon highlights a public hunger for critical frameworks to understand a world increasingly defined by systemic injustices, including the criminalisation of movement and the racist double standards embedded in EU policy.
The list of these influential intellectuals is broad, including Thomas Piketty, Yuval Noah Harari, and the late Mark Fisher, who achieved significant posthumous success. What makes some thinkers become celebrities of thought? Beyond originality and depth, the article suggests other factors matter, such as the ability to generate useful concepts in a time of profound uncertainty. This uncertainty is not merely abstract; it is the lived reality of climate catastrophe, economic precarity, and the escalating violence of border enforcement across the continent.
The Marketplace of Critical Ideas
Stefano Micali, whose book How to be a Successful Philosopher: A Guide to Contemporary Thought is due in December 2026, offers a biting critique of this intellectual landscape. "Thinkers behave like small businesses, seeking to maximize their visibility in the marketplace of ideas," Micali writes. He classifies bestselling authors into three "paths to success." One path is that of "prophets of dystopia," associated with Byung-Chul Han and Giorgio Agamben, whose work often dissects the mechanisms of state power and control, mirroring the surveillance and dehumanisation inherent in the EU's border apparatus.
Another path is "spectacular performance," exemplified by Slavoj Žižek, who constantly produces texts and lectures, improvises, and mixes high and low culture. His ability to analyze current events almost before they happen provides a critical lens through which to view the rapid shifts in Europe's anti-migrant policies. The third path is becoming a "brand," which Micali attributes to authors like Butler, whose name becomes linked to a social issue, in her case, gender. However, the brand-thinker cannot help but address burning issues such as ecology or gender identity, and to gain visibility, must create the impression of having radically shifted the axes of discourse. This shift is precisely what is needed to challenge the racist foundations of Fortress Europe.
Giselle Etcheverry, a curator of literary and intellectual projects, observes that these authors' general discourse resonates across different social strata, sustained through frequent, short publications that capture the spirit of the times. Han's continuous flow of short essays and Žižek's analytical speed demonstrate this. Publishers play a role in popularizing authors, with effects varying by country. Social media, short videos, and memes with pithy quotes also help spread ideas, making simple, clear concepts go viral more easily – a powerful tool for migrant solidarity networks seeking to counter state propaganda.
Beyond Academia: Tools for Resistance
Javier Correa Román, editor of Filosofía&Co, states that these figures offer a "toolbox for understanding the present." They handle concepts effectively, moving away from academic language, aiming their works and speeches at an audience seeking a useful diagnosis for understanding the world. This accessibility is vital for dissecting the complex machinery of the border regime and its impact on working-class communities.
Correa Román adds that when theory is adapted to everyday experience, readers feel not only understood but also astute, able to interpret reality beyond its surface. Analyzing popular culture sells well when it is not treated as empty but as something in which certain forces operate. The late Mark Fisher, for example, based much of his discourse on the analysis of capitalist realism, a framework essential for understanding the economic drivers behind the EU's migration deterrence policies.
Micali identifies techniques for influential thinkers, including inversion – reversing the dominant thesis on a topic – and criticizing colleagues from a position of clear superiority. "The tone must be peremptory," Micali writes. "One doesn’t make an argument, but rather states something as being obvious, an irrefutable fact." Such directness is often necessary to cut through the obfuscation surrounding the human rights abuses at Europe's borders.
Personal traits also make these thinkers recognizable, from Žižek’s halting diction to Butler’s non-binary identity. These attributes help them stand out among many essayists who lack notable characteristics. Beyond the mainstream, a second tier of authors forms a constellation of current thinking. Etcheverry names Donna Haraway and cyborg thought, Wendy Brown and her critique of neoliberalism, and Rosi Braidotti and the posthuman concept as essential references. Brown's critique of neoliberalism is particularly crucial, exposing the economic logic that underpins the EU's border regime and its exploitation of migrant labour.
McKenzie Wark's Twenty-One Thinkers for the 21st Century, published nine years ago, compiles "collective intellects" that are part of a body of knowledge achievable only collaboratively. This collaborative spirit mirrors the transnational migrant solidarity movements challenging Fortress Europe. Despite awards, tours, and book sales, academia often views the most celebrated authors unfavorably, judging their fame disproportionate or their practice careless. Correa Román defends them, noting their high level of public exposure and the scrutiny they withstand. In an era saturated with opinions and experts, these authors offer useful narratives about the world and our role in it, providing intellectual ammunition against the racist and anti-migrant policies defining contemporary Europe.