School of Social and Political Science

Research interests

Publications: Pagirenaite, A. (2026) Resisting Capitalism through the Capitalist State: Prefigurative Politics as a Strategy, Political Studies. https://doi.org/10.1177/00323217261428302

PhD: Resisting Capitalism through the Capitalist State: The Case of the Prefigurative Social Enterprise in Scotland

Research Summary: Prefigurative organisations that practice more democratic, more community-oriented, and more environmentally sustainable ways of organising economic activity are a crucial component of any contemporary political strategy that aims to transcend capitalism. However, prefigurative initiatives emerge, and exist, within the dominant capitalist structure, and are therefore inevitably at a risk of capitalist encroachment. This raises questions: how might we practically move towards futures beyond capitalism, from within capitalism? How might prefigurative practices resist capitalist encroachment? And what is the role of the state in both enabling and obstructing a transition to futures beyond capitalism?

My project argues that prefigurative practices can and should strategically use the capitalist state to resist capitalist encroachment and advance their aims. I draw on a case study of Scottish social enterprise – a movement of enterprises whose primary objective is social and/or environmental benefit, and whose profits are reinvested in the enterprise or its beneficiary community, rather than distributed to shareholders – to offer insight into how this might be achieved in practice. More specifically, this project explores the tensions that emerged within the Scottish social enterprise – between the, what I call, ‘prefigurative’ and ‘(neo)ordoliberal’ visions of social enterprise – to illustrate, not only what capitalist encroachment looks like, but also how it may be resisted by strategically using the capitalist state. 

Research Interests: political theory, political economy, prefigurative politics, democratic theory, radical political thought, British politics, neoliberalism, public policy.

Roles and responsibilities

Senior Tutor, University of Edinburgh, School of Social and Political Science

• Organising teaching process in collaboration with the course organiser and teaching and facilitating seminars on 2 Politics courses (Political Thinkers and Politics in a Changing World)

Teaching Assistant, Edinburgh Futures Institute

• Supporting a delivery of a postgraduate course on Digital Democratic Innovations in collaboration with the course organiser

Research Assistant, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh

• Commons initiatives in Scotland project: developing a data extraction matrix; conducting desk-based and archival research; gathering and analysing evidence for 8 case studies; writing a final report
• Social enterprise and investment strategy at the University of Edinburgh report: mapping social enterprise/social investment related activities at the University; interviewing staff members; analysing interview data; writing a final report

Teaching Qualifications: Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (2025)

Teaching Awards: Student Tutor of the Year 2022 Nomination

                                Student Tutor of the Year 2023 Nomination

                                Student Tutor of the Year 2024 Nomination

Invited speaker 

11/2024 Knowledge & Scepticism in Political Theory workshop, Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, University of Edinburgh, 'Problem-driven theorizing. The case of the Scottish social enterprise'

10/2021 Media and Politics workshop, Sciences Po, Paris (online)

Conferences and presentations

01/2026 Britain and Ireland Association for Political Thought Conference, University of Edinburgh, 'Resisting Capitalism through the Capitalist State: Prefigurative Politics as a Strategy'

11/2025 Twenty-Second Annual Historical Materialism conference, SOAS University of London, 'Resisting Capitalism through the Capitalist State: Prefigurative Politics as a Strategy'

07/2025 Association for Social and Political Philosophy Annual Conference, Anarchism and Agonism panel, University of Glasgow, 'Resisting Capitalism through the Capitalist State: Prefigurative Politics as a Strategy'

06/2025 The inaugural Scottish Political Theory Network Workshop, University of Glasgow, 'Resisting Capitalism through the Capitalist State: Prefigurative Politics as a Strategy'

03/2024 Political Studies Association Annual International Conference, Rethinking Economic Transformation in a Neoliberal World of Contradictions and Crisis panel, University of Glasgow, 'Scottish Social Enterprises: A Path to Radical Renewal or Neoliberal Expansion?'