Compact (American magazine)

Online political magazine

For the German magazine, see Compact (German magazine).

Compact

Editor| Matthew Schmitz
Categories| Culture, politics
Founder| Sohrab Ahmari, Edwin Aponte, and Matthew Schmitz
Founded| 2022
Country| United States
Language| English
Website| www.compactmag.com

Compact is an American online magazine that began operating in March 2022.[1][2] The magazine was co-founded by Edwin Aponte, a populist and founder of the online magazine The Bellows; Matthew Schmitz, previously an editor of the ecumenical religious journal First Things; and conservative Catholic opinion journalist Sohrab Ahmari.[1] When Compact was launched, its listed contributors and contributing editors were described by The New York Times as ideologically diverse, including religiously conservative Catholics, populists, and dissident Marxist feminists.[1] The magazine's editorial line in March 2022 was critical of liberalism from both the left and the right.[2][3]

## History

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Planning for the launch of the magazine began in 2020 between Ahmari and Schmitz, who later incorporated Aponte on the condition that half of the site's content cover "material concerns". Compact launched without a paywall for its first few weeks,[1] and is now run on a reader-funded model, requiring a paid subscription to access all of the articles on the site. Co-founder Edwin Aponte exited the magazine in late 2022 over political differences after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization U.S. Supreme Court decision was leaked to the public.[4]

## Positions

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According to Danny Postel, writing in New Lines Magazine, its approach is a "'synthesis' of communitarian conservatism and social democracy"."[5] According to Matt McManus, writing in Jacobin, it is "an ideologically syncretic outlet in the spirit of Christopher Lasch". McManus further wrote that "Compact's ambition is to argue for a strong social democratic state that also resists libertine ideologies and upholds local, national, familial, and religious communities."[6] Stephanie Slade, writing in Reason, describes it as the new home of post-liberalism, whose editors espouse "intense religious conservatism [with] a whiff of socialism". Slade wrote: "By bringing a 'labor populism' with deep roots in the socialist tradition and a 'political Catholicism' that questions the very separation of church and state under a single roof, Compact has built an intellectual meeting place not just for post-liberal conservatives but for anti-liberals of every stripe."[7]

## Contributors

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In 2022 the magazine included columnists, such as Christopher Caldwell, Lee Smith, Malcom Kyeyune, and Nina Power, and contributing editors including Adrian Vermeule, Glenn Greenwald, Liel Leibovitz, Michael Tracey, Patrick Deneen, Paul Embery, and Slavoj Žižek.[8]

## References

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1. ^ a b c d Schuessler, Jennifer (March 22, 2022). "Two Religious Conservatives and a Marxist Walk Into a Journal". The New York Times.
2. ^ a b Linker, Damon (March 22, 2022). "The new journal hoping to serve as a big tent for antiliberal politics". The Week.
3. ^ Slade, Stephanie (March 23, 2022). "In a New Magazine, the Illiberal Right and the Illiberal Left Converge". Reason.
4. ^ Joyce, Kathryn (November 21, 2022). "The postliberal crackup: The GOP's post-midterm civil war starts with the New Right". Salon. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
5. ^ Postel, Danny (November 7, 2023). "The Conservative Fault Lines Revealed by Debates Over Israel". New Lines Magazine. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
6. ^ McManus, Matt (August 22, 2023). "Social Democracy and Social Conservatism Aren't Compatible". Jacobin. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
7. ^ Slade, Stephanie (March 23, 2022). "In a New Magazine, the Illiberal Right and the Illiberal Left Converge". Reason.com. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
8. ^ not in ref cited "Masthead". Compact Mag. Retrieved March 23, 2022.

## Further reading

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* "Coercion in Corporate America: A Conversation with Sohrab Ahmari, author of Tyranny, Inc". LBJ School of Public Affairs. November 7, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023.

## External links

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Official website