Alexandra Stein was born in South Africa, brought up in London and has lived in Paris and the United States. She is studying for a doctorate in sociology at the University of Minnesota, focusing on the social psychology of extremist groups. She is the author of a memoir, Inside Out: a memoir of entering and breaking out of a Minneapolis political cult (St Cloud, North Star Press, 2002).

Recent articles

The language of political argument can be used to evade the dangers of a ‘totalism’ that reproduces power-hunger in the guise of liberation. Alexandra Stein, locked for a decade inside a political cult, learned this the hard way. For her, being radical and making change requires an understanding of emotion and close human relationships as well as ideas.