Political activism / Political engagement Books

Book SynopsisThe art avengers...took on toxic debt culture – and won the Guardian These artists want to blow up the whole financial system The New York Times Meet the Bonnie and Clyde of bad debt! When art meets finance, 'The Big Bang' takes on a whole new meaning. This is brilliant performative protest. Kate Raworth, author of Doughnut Economics Bank Job is a white-knuckle ride into the dark heart of the global financial system. Artist and filmmaker duo Hilary Powell and Dan Edelstyn discover that behind the opaque language of loans and the defunct diagrams of money and debt is a system flawed by design and ripe for hacking. They assemble a team and bring a community together by printing their own money in a disused bank in East London, in order to buy up and abolish local debt. Part daring tale, part personal memoir and part economic education, this book is perfect for fans of Grace Blakely and David Graeber. Bank Job shows how the financial system can be changed to meet the needs of the many, not just the few one bank job at a time.Trade Review‘When art meets finance, “The Big Bang” takes on a whole new meaning. This is brilliant performative protest.’—Kate Raworth, author of Doughnut Economics‘Banks rob us blind every day, and so Powell and Edelstyn started one that did exactly the opposite. It became a truly great work of art, and this book is a remarkable record of what we should learn from their achievement about the urgent need for debt abolition and peoples’ financing.’—Andrew Ross, author of Creditocracy: And the Case for Debt Refusal‘Hilary and Dan are the Bonnie and Clyde of renegade economics, bringing a deeply imaginative, beautiful, rebel swagger to staid debate about debt. I love absolutely everything about Bank Job: its persistence, its guts, its compassion, its attention to detail and beauty. My visit to the Bank will stay with me always, and the ripples from this brave and brilliant project have only just begun.’—Rob Hopkins, founder, Transition movement; author of From What Is to What If ‘In the adventure Dan and Hilary take us on, we see the antiquated architecture of the financial system for what it is and are motivated to join in with them to pull it down so that a new system can be built to meet the great challenges of the 21st century – earth-systems breakdown and obscene levels of inequality. This is a timely book, written with passion and verve, that shows how political will, creativity and the arts were deployed to transform the lives of debtors. Dan and Hilary’s lived experience will inspire and strengthen the global movement for economic and ecological justice.’—Ann Pettifor, author of The Case for The Green New Deal‘I can’t think of any more exciting exposé of the role of debt in blighting people’s lives than this book. As the spectre of debt looms over us in all its forms, from personal to sovereign debt, this book couldn’t be more timely. As establishment politicians seek to load the economic burden of the pandemic onto people’s shoulders across the globe, this exhilarating tale inspires the resistance we desperately need.’—John McDonnell, MP and former Shadow Chancellor‘We’re all going around feeling something is wrong but it often ends up veering off in reactionary directions. I think this is wonderful because it marshals that sense of unease and builds it into a community and I love the way you are using it to create ties with each other and cancel debt and expose the sheer hypocrisy of the morality of debt.’—David Graeber, anthropologist and author of Bullshit Jobs and Debt: The First 5,000 Years‘Art pirates, debt destroyers and dreamers for a new economy unite! Hilary and Dan show us how the power of creativity can be a catalyst for grassroots activism when we need it the most. This book will be treasured by all those who are convinced that the radical imagination can triumph against capitalism.’—Max Haiven, Canada Research Chair in Culture, Media and Social Justice; author of Revenge Capitalism and Art After Money, Money After Art‘The UK economy is weighed down by billions of pounds worth of unpayable debt – much of it owed by low-income households struggling to get by. With the COVID-19 pandemic slashing people’s incomes – after a decade of wage stagnation – many households are now on the brink of default, even as the government pumps unprecedented sums of money into our financial system. Bank Job is a vivid portrait of the UK’s debt crisis, which also answers the question as to what we should do with all this debt: blow it up!’—Grace Blakeley, author of Stolen: How to Save the World from Financialisation‘One of the greatest obstacles to change is our inability to believe in or visualise the world being different. That’s where the creative activists and film makers Hilary Powell and Daniel Edelstyn succeed. Their work rips the veil from a banking and financial system which has normalised economic deception and destructive and irresponsible gambling on a vast scale. More than a simple exposé of the ludicrous rewards going to handful of speculators for risking other people’s money, Bank Job shows how a community can come together to reimagine the economy to meets their own needs.’—Andrew Simms, author, co-director of New Weather Institute, coordinator of Rapid Transition Alliance‘They didn’t just blow the bl**dy doors off: the whole van went up, and with it, the full sorry story of debt and its stranglehold on ordinary lives across the world. While countries and corporations wallow in the red, it’s a black day indeed for millions when the balance of payments tips against them. Now, Powell and Edelstyn, the Thelma and Louise of finance hacking, deliver a rock n’ roll history of where it all went wrong, and how it can start to go right. We all owe them a debt of gratitude for the cunning collaborative creativity of their project, but it’s not over yet. Much more action is needed, and Bank Job gives you all the tools to finish what they started. Right here’s where we start paying . . . in sweat! Keep the engine running, we’re going in. . . .’—Gareth Evans, producer, Patience after Sebald

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Book SynopsisA succinct and thoughtful discussion of ambitious goals and practical principles for creating a desirable society.

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Book SynopsisA crucial, critical look at the increased for-profit forces in the international migration industry.

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Book SynopsisCreate change in the world with this inspiring guide to social activism, from the artist and craftivist behind Badass Cross Stitch. Craftivism, or the space where art and activism meet, is a powerful, ever-evolving social justice movement that continues to grow and diversify as more voices and mediums take part in it. In Let's Move the Needle, Shannon Downey, an outspoken voice in the craftivist movement for over a decade, provides a roadmap and accessible toolkit for burgeoning art activists. Filled with self-reflective activities, exercises, prompts, and stories, Let's Move the Needle educates and empowers creatives to center their art around collective action in service of political, social or community issues they are most passionate about; affirming that everyone can be a changemaker and that change-making can be generative, enjoyable, and a bit sassy!

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Book SynopsisAn illuminating biography of the bold, principled, and fiercely independent woman who defied convention to make her own mark on the world. Eslanda "Essie" Cardozo Goode Robeson lived a colorful and amazing life. Her career and commitments took her many places: colonial Africa in 1936, the front lines of the Spanish Civil War, the founding meeting of the United Nations, Nazi-occupied Berlin, Stalin's Russia, and China two months after Mao's revolution. She was a woman of unusual accomplishment—an anthropologist, a prolific journalist, a tireless advocate of women's rights, an outspoken anti-colonial and antiracist activist, and an internationally sought-after speaker. Yet historians for the most part have confined Essie to the role of Mrs. Paul Robeson, a wife hidden in the large shadow cast by her famous husband. In this masterful book, biographer Barbara Ransby refocuses attention on Essie, one of the most important and fascinating Black women of the twentieth century.Trade Review"Compelling."—Eleanor J. Bader, In These Times "In this incredibly powerful, vital work, Ransby has rescued Eslanda Robeson from the shadows of her famous husband and establishes her as one of the most important activists, scholars, critics and theorists to connect anticolonialism with the black freedom movement in the U.S."— Robin D.G. Kelley "Fascinating. . . A poignant portrait of a peripatetic, human rights activist willing to challenge oppression of any form wherever she could find it."—Kam Williams, Insight "This long overdue biography of a bold scholar-activist emerging from the shadow of her famous husband is a gift, and such are Ransby's narrative skills that I wept when, in her final pages, the vibrant Essie died, two days shy of 70. Ransby has a history of rescuing historically overlooked black female leaders; a prior biography was of the venerable civil rights activist Ella Baker. This new work is a major contribution to her glorious reclamation project."—Joan Steinau Lester, Ms. Magazine "What Barbara Ransby achieved in her biography of Ella Baker is repeated with verve and astonishing insight in Eslanda."— Herb Boyd, New York Amsterdam News "From a master biographer and historian of African American women, this mesmerizing story of an extraordinary woman's life and struggles offers a global view of black radical history. After this book no one will be able to think of Eslanda merely as Mrs. Paul Robeson."—Linda Gordon, author, Dorothea Lange: A Life Beyond Limits "Barbara Ransby has produced an insightful, fascinating, and significant biography. Eslanda Robeson has too long stood in the shadow of her remarkable husband, but as Ransby shows she was an important writer and political activist in her own right, whose life illuminates the international dimensions of the 20th-century black freedom movement."— Eric Foner, Columbia University "This is an enormously rich book by a masterful biographer, full of novel insights and surprises."— Penny Von Eschen, University of Michigan

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Book SynopsisThe November 2020 US election was arguably the most consequential since the 1860 election of Abraham Lincoln—and grassroots leaders and organizers played crucial roles in the contention for the presidency and control of both houses of Congress. Power Concedes Nothing tells the stories behind a victory that won both the White House and the Senate and powered progressive candidates to new levels of influence. It describes the on-the-ground efforts that mobilized a record-breaking turnout by registering new voters and motivating an electorate both old and new. In doing so it charts a viable path to victory for the vital contests upcoming in 2022 and 2024. Contributors include: Cliff Albright, Yong Jung Cho, Larry Cohen, Sendolo Diaminah, Neidi Dominguez, David Duhalde, Alicia Garza, Ryan Greenwood, Arisha Michelle Hatch , Jon Liss, Thenjiwe McHarris, Andrea Cristina Mercado, Maurice Mitchell, Rafael Návar, Deepak Pateriya, Ai-jen Poo, W. Mondale Robinson, Art Reyes III, Nsé Ufot and Mario YedidiaTrade Review"Thanks to the contributors and editors of this immensely valuable collection, the lessons gleaned from an array of successful organizing strategies will not be lost to the historical amnesia that often claims such local but transformative work.” — Angela Y. Davis, Distinguished Professor Emerita, UC Santa Cruz “Fierce contributors offer us battle-tested wisdom for the struggle ahead.” — Bonnie Castillo, Executive Director, National Nurses United “The broad center–left coalition to defeat Trump in 2020 was an artful display of strategic unity and tireless mass mobilization. These writers give invaluable insights into how that victory was won...” — Barbara Ransby, author of Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement “An antidote to the sort of superficial gloss that often passes for political analysis.” — Manuel Pastor, director, USC Equity Research Institute“An important, wise, and accessible book and a positive assessment of the role that electoral work can play in social change movements. It’s also a reminder that we need to… use every possible avenue, including voting, to create the world in which we wish to live” — The Progressive

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Book SynopsisA first-hand account of the victories and the challenges of LGBT activism over a forty year period. Analyzes the changing social and political attitudes towards the LGBT community in Canada from the 1960s to the present.

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Book SynopsisThis book is for anyone who is passionate about social transformation and the potential to create a better world. By challenging established approaches to social innovation and connecting it with the pursuit of social justice, Interrupting Innovation showcases the countless ways educators, activists, students, artists, and change-makers of all kinds are creating the conditions for meaningful social transformations today. Practical, pragmatic and radical, the authors in this wide-ranging collection offer fresh insights into doing social innovation in expansive and unexpected ways. They elaborate on key concepts and present absorbing on-the-ground case examples to show how social innovation can be applied to vexing social questions, giving special attention to dismantling harmful and exclusive systems while eluding cooptation. This hopeful, passionate book brings together leading scholars and practitioners from social work, psychology, sociology, natural sciences, artmaking, and community practice to offer an original and bold contribution to this growing and influential field.

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Book SynopsisThe Weary Sons of Freud lambasts mainstream psychoanalysis for its failure to grapple with pressing political and social matters pertinent to its patients' condition. Gifted with insight and compelled by fury, Catherine Clément contrasts the original, inspirational psychoanalytical work of Freud and Lacan to the obsessive imitations of their uninspired followers-the weary sons of Freud.The analyst's once attentive ear has become deaf to the broader questions of therapeutic practice. Clement asks whether the perspective of socialism, brought to this study by a woman who is herself an analysand, can fill the gap. She reflects on her own history, as well as on that of psychoanalysis and the French left, to show what an activist and feminist restoration of the talking cure might look like.Trade ReviewA work of ferocious humour and loving spite. What, she asks herself (and us) loud and direct, are psychoanalysts for? * La Nouvel Observateur *Brilliantly written ... to be read in one sitting. * Le Monde *

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Book Synopsis Willem Assies died in 2010 at the age of 55. The various stages of his career as a political anthropologist of Latin American illustrate how astute a researcher he was. He had a keen eye for the contradictions he observed during his fieldwork but also enjoyed theoretical debate. A distrust of power led him not only to attempt to understand “people without voice” but to work alongside them so they could discover and find their own voice. Willem Assies explored the messy, often untidy daily lives of people, with their inconsistencies, irrationalities, and passions, but also with their hopes, sense of beauty, solidarity, and quest for dignity. This collection brings together some of Willem Assies’s best, most fascinating, and still highly relevant writings.Trade Review “This is a fascinating body of work…I was most impressed by his balance of "hard" political-science analysis and the softer socio-cultural interpretations and by the balance of theory and applied work (scholarship speaking to real world contemporary problems).” · Edward Fischer, Vanderbilt UniversityTable of Contents Foreword Geert Banck Acknowledgements List of Contributors Introduction Gemma van der Haar, Salvador Martí i Puig, Ton Salman PART I: SOCIAL MOVEMENTS IN LATIN AMERICA Introduction Geert Banck Chapter 1. Of Structured Moves and Moving Structures: An Overview of Theoretical Perspectives on Social Movements Chapter 2. Urban Social Movements, Democratization and Democracy in Brazil PART II: AGRARIAN ISSUES Introduction Cristobal Kay Chapter 3. The Agrarian Question in Peru: Some Observations on the Roads of Capital Chapter 4. From Rubber Estate to Simple Commodity Production: Agrarian Struggles in the Northern Bolivian Amazon PART III: INDIGENOUS (LAND) RIGHTS Introduction André Hoekema Chapter 5. Self-Determination and the “New Partnership”; the Politics of Indigenous Peoples and States Chapter 6. Indian Justice in the Andes: Re-rooting or Re-routing? PART IV: ETHNICITY AND CITIZENSHIP Introduction Salvador Martí i Puig Chapter 7. The Limits of State Reform and Multiculturalism in Latin America: Contemporary Illustrations Chapter 8. Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: Indigenous Peoples and Autonomies in Latin America PART V: POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN BOLIVIA Introduction Ton Salman Chapter 9. David versus Goliath in Cochabamba: Water Rights, Neoliberalism and the Revival of Social Protest in Bolivia Chapter 10. Neoliberalism and the Re-Emergence of Ethnopolitics in Bolivia Bibliography Willem Assies

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Book SynopsisWhen Muhammad Ali died, many mourned the life of the greatest sportsman the world had ever seen. In Redemption Song, Mike Marqusee argues that Ali was not just a boxer but a remarkable political figure in a decade of tumultuous change. Playful, popular, always confrontational, Ali refashioned the role of a political activist and was central, alongside figures such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, to the black liberation and the anti-war movements. Marqusee shows that sport and politics were always intertwined, and this is the reason why Ali remained an international beacon of hope, long after he had left the ring.Trade ReviewA beautiful book. -- Arundhati RoyAmong the slew of recent Ali books, here's one that returns the political sting to 'The Greatest' ... As Marqusee portrays him, Ali is still the righteous outlaw, as badass as ever and still in the eye of a global storm. * Time Out *A thrilling book about a true and enduring hero ... Mike Marqusee has done him, and us, proud. -- John PilgerExcellent ... Reminds us just how explosive and divisive a figure Ali was. * Independent on Sunday *Fascinating, well-written, entertaining and significant. Redemption Songprovides rare and important insights into Muhammad Ali and his immense global impact on a turbulent and ground-breaking era. -- Leon GastAs Marqusee charts how Ali helped create a global consciousness, he succeeds in knocking Ali off the respectable pedestal on which American culture had placed him, resurrecting him as the radical figure he truly was ... a vibrant historical essay. * Publishers Weekly *

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Book SynopsisA Foreign Affairs Best Book of 2022 A Financial Times Politics Book of the Year 2021 Shortlisted for the 2022 Pushkin House Book Prize A fascinating account of Russia’s famous dissident and the politics he embodies. Who is Alexei Navalny? Poisoned in August 2020 and transported to Germany for treatment, the politician returned to Russia in January 2021 in the full glare of the world media. His immediate detention at passport control set the stage for an explosive showdown with Vladimir Putin. But Navalny means very different things to different people. To some, he is a democratic hero. To others, he is betraying the Motherland. To others still, he is a dangerous nationalist. This book explores the many dimensions of Navalny’s political life, from his pioneering anti-corruption investigations to his ideas and leadership of a political movement. It also looks at how his activities and the Kremlin’s strategies have shaped one another. Navalny makes sense of this divisive character, revealing the contradictions of a man who is the second most important political figure in Russia—even when behind bars. In order to understand modern Russia, you need to understand Alexei Navalny.Trade Review'Anyone reading [Navalny] from the safety and comfort of Britain will be daunted, humbled — and outraged.' -- Edward Lucas, The Times'At a moment when Alexei Navalny has emerged as a global figure in his fight from captivity for Russian democracy, Jan Matti Dollbaum, Morvan Lallouet, and Ben Noble have provided the world with a tremendous service by writing the first comprehensive account of the country’s most important opposition leader. Filled with facts and devoid of hyperbole, the book offers a complete portrayal of Navalny, as an anti-corruption activist, politician, and protestor. Navalny: Putin’s Nemesis, Russia’s Future? is a must read for anyone who wants to learn what Alexei Navalny actually does and believes, and what he might do to shape Russia’s future.' -- Michael McFaul, author of 'From Cold War to Hot Peace: An American Ambassador in Putin’s Russia'

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Book SynopsisOn 18th May 1980, student activists gathered in the South Korean city of Gwangju to protest the coup d'état and martial law government of General Chun Doo-hwan. The security forces responded with unmitigated violence, and over the next ten days hundreds of students, activists and citizens were arrested, tortured and murdered. The events of the uprising shaped over a decade of resistance to the repressive South Korean regime, and paved the way for the country's democratisation in the 1990s. The subject of right-wing conspiracy and controversy in South Korea, the texts of Gwangju Uprising survived in underground circulation and were recently republished. This fresh translation by Slin Jung of the original text, compiled from eye-witness testimonies, forms a gripping and full account of both the events of the uprising and the political situation which preceded and followed the violence of those days. The edition contains a preface by Hwang Sok-yong, material which situates the uprising in its longer-term local and international context. The resulting volume is an unrivalled account of the movement for democracy and freedom in South Korea in the tumultuous period of the 1980s dictatorship. A vital collection for those interested in East Asian contemporary history and the global struggle for democracy.Trade ReviewThis publication not only provides the reader with an incredible history of the ten days in May 1980 when the uprising occurred, it does so by keeping the spirit of the uprising intact...I couldn't help but be reminded of John Reed's classic journalism on Russia's October Revolution, Ten Days That Shook the World or even the slender text by Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair reporting the 1999 uprising in Seattle against the World Trade Organization, 5 Days That Shook the World: Seattle and Beyond. Still, this book goes beyond these titles in its depth and breadth discussing what was perhaps one of the greatest post-Sixties movements until the series of anti-capitalist globalization protests that shook up the world from 1999-2001. Besides its role as a journal, it also serves as a handbook - a manual, if you will - of how such events unfold and how they are run. -- Ron Jacobs * Counterpunch *Serves as a testament not only to the broad mobilization for democracy, but also to the painstaking efforts of those who collected and published the information in defiance of the government. -- Darcie Draudt * International Affairs *The story of the Gwangju Uprising is preserved in this book...it is a history that deserves to be recorded and deserves to be shared. * International Examiner *Gwangju Uprising sets the record straight with far too much detail to refute, offering a sobering lesson for the people of the future about what sacrifices were made for freedom in the Republic of Korea...A moving work of exceptional scholarship. -- Patrick McShane * Asian Review of Books *This book celebrates the courage and tenacity of the people, particularly the brave writers who persevered during an era of an oppressive dictatorship, and recorded the struggle for human rights, freedom, and against a succession of corrupt leaders, and the witnesses who boldly came forward during that era to tell their stories in an environment of oppression and fear. -- Bill Drucker * Korean Quarterly *Table of ContentsPublication Committee's Introduction: Breaking the Silence in the Face of SlanderPreface: Once More Beyond the DarknessPart 1: The Unstoppable Waves of HistoryChapter 1: From October to May.Chapter 2: Sporadic and Passive Resistance (Sunday, May 18: Day 1 of the Uprising)Chapter 3: Transition to an Active Offensive (Monday, May 19: Day 2 of the Uprising)Chapter 5: Armed Protests and Victory (Wednesday, May 21: Day 4 of the Uprising)Chapter 6: The Uprising ExpandsChapter 7: The Blockade of Gwangju and Civilian Massacres (May 21-24)Part 2: Gwangju! Gwangju! Gwangju!Chapter 8: Liberation I (Thursday, May 22: Day 5 of the Uprising)Chapter 9: Liberation II (Friday, May 23: Day 6 of the Uprising)Chapter 10: Liberation III (Saturday, May 24: Day 7 of the Uprising)Chapter 12: Liberation V (Monday, May 26: Day 9 of the Uprising)Part 3: The End, and a New Beginning. Chapter 13: The Uprising's Completion (Tuesday, May 27)Chapter 14: The Rest of the StoryChapter 14: Work Left UndoneAppendixTimeline of Events:The Gwangju Uprising over the course of 10 days (May 17, 1980-May 27, 1980)Publishing the Revised Edition:The History of Recording the UprisingBibliography

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Book SynopsisA passionate, entertaining, challenging and very practical workbook towards Wales'' independence and readers'' own independence of mind including 30 moving true stories, exercises to form your own action points and test your progress, and photocopiable information sheets to pass on.

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Book SynopsisThe first detailed account in English of an unprecedented moment in Sri Lanka’s history, Debt Crisis and Popular Social Protest in Sri Lanka chronicles the 2022 popular uprising where mass protests forced the country’s autocratic president to flee. Exploring how the uprising, triggered by a debt crisis, relates to deeper problems of democracy, civil war and development, Janaka Biyanwila challenges numerous misunderstandings about the protests and uncovers how global financial markets and platform economies contributed to the upheaval. Locating the crisis within Global North-South dynamics, Biyanwila outlines how market-driven economic growth strategies restrain public involvement in decision making while asserting ethno-centric collective identities and hypermasculine cultures. Framing citizenship as well as justice in terms of cultural recognition, economic redistribution and political representation, chapters foreground the role of democratic social movements that encourage artistic engagement and collective learning as central for renewing citizenship as well as democracy. Reimagining development that embeds Global Production Networks within local communities and rethinking democracy across multiple tiers of governance, Biyanwila concludes by shifting his narrative to a broader focus on the Global South, and South Asia specifically. Fusing the regional with the global, Debt Crisis and Popular Social Protest in Sri Lanka widens its perspective from a distinct, national moment to an international interdependency with the power to ripple across every corner of the globe.Table of ContentsChapter 1. Introduction: The Challenges of Democracy, Development and Popular Movements Chapter 2. The Popular Uprising: Collective Action, Activists and Strategies Chapter 3. The Rajapaksa Regime: Development, Regional Alliances, Militarization and the Pandemic Chapter 4. Reasons for the Crisis: Financialisation, Commercialization of the State, Popular Discontent and Inequality Chapter 5. Prospects of Democratic Renewal: Patrimonial Capitalism, Representative and Movement Politics Chapter 6. Lessons: De-Militarization, Development and Democracy

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Book SynopsisFractal Leadership investigates leadership construction in social movements afforded (or intensified) by algorithm-based flows of information and viral affectivity. The book illustrates how a somewhat amorphous structure is replicated from an intimate, localised community level, all the way up to the global level with swift, almost breath-taking repetitions over and over again, from one scale to another, thus carrying new forms of leaders to sudden public mass-following, but just as quickly sweeping them away. Including original primary research with fieldwork from Extinction Rebellion and Black Lives Matter in juxtaposition with archival research of the New Left movements of the 1960s, Karatzogianni and Matthews explore how the digital transformation of temporality impacts on the ideologisation process, movement organisational structure, as well as the implicated biolabour process, culminating on the fractalisation of movement leadership and its devastating implications for class formation, and the authoritarian turn in global politics. Fractal Leadership serves as a point of reference for those interested in tracing the development of leadership in social movements from the 1960s to today.Table of ContentsChapter 1. Introduction Chapter 2. Movement Leadership in Context: 1960s to Present Day Chapter 3. Ideologisation, Organisational Structure and Biotech-Labour Processes in Fractal Leadership Emergence Chapter 4. Internal Leadership: Form and Mediation Chapter 5. External Leadership: Conflict, Alliance and Mediation Chapter 6. From Horizontal Aspirations to Fractal Leadership

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Book SynopsisMicroverses comprises over a hundred short essays inviting us to think about society - and social theory - in new ways. Lockdown created the conditions for what Adorno once termed 'enforced contemplation'. Dylan Riley responded with the tools of his trade, producing an extraordinary trail of notes exploring how critical sociology can speak to this troubled decade. Microverses analyses the intellectual situation, the political crisis of Trump's last months in office, and love and illness in a period when both were fraught with the public emergency of the coronavirus.Riley brings the theoretical canon to bear on problems of intellectual culture and everyday life, working through Weber and Durkheim, Parsons and Dubois, Gramsci and Lukács, MacKinnon and Fraser, to weigh sociology's relationship to Marxism and the operations of class, race and gender, alongside discursions into the workings of an orchestra and the complicatedness of taking a walk in a pandemic.Invitations rather than finished arguments, the notes attempt to recover the totalising perspective of sociology - the ability to see society in the round, as though from the outside - and to recuperate what Paul Sweezy described as a sense of the 'present as history'.Trade ReviewRarely have the concepts of classical sociology and Marxist analysis seemed so relevant to life itself. -- Malcolm Bull, author of The Concept of the SocialInspiring and thought-provoking, living up to the author's credo that ideas should be 'strange...difficult...antagonizing'. -- Göran Therborn, author of Inequality and the Labyrinths of DemocracyProvocative and moving observations on the crisis-conjuncture, and a transcript of an embattled soul -- Gavin Jacobson * New Statesman *An impassioned defense of social theory -- Ishan Desai-Geller * Nation *Small starbursts written with a light hand but deep scholarship -- Luisita Lopez Torregrosa * LA Review of Books *A withering demolition of a political culture. Both warranted and necessary -- Luke Warde * Review 31 *

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Book SynopsisRoad to Repeal: 50 Years of Struggle in Ireland for Contraception and Abortion opens in 1970 when the Irish Women's Liberation Movement burst onto the streets and screens of a society bewildered by women demanding equal status in the home and in the workplace. It tracks the bitter backlash to their successes that culminated in the Eighth Amendment's fixture in the Irish Constitution in 1983. Over five decades, Road to Repeal describes and depicts individual tragedy, referendums, court cases, the actions of a misogynist Church and State. It shines a light on the journey of thousands of women and girls who braved stigma and hardship, often travelling alone and anonymously for medical treatment they were denied in Ireland. Road to Repeal closes with the visually dazzling Together For Yes campaign whose determination and grit finally got rid of Article 40.3.3 on May 25th, 2018.Trade Review“Amazing history, very pertinent now” MARGARET ATWOOD ; "Road to Repeal is a splendid production, both visually and in textual content. There is a terrific balance between the vibrant images and the really informative text." CATRIONA CROWE, archivist and broadcaster ; "This powerful book is a memento of what it was like to grow up in a theocracy and a monument to the courage of the citizenry who organised and fought for bodily autonomy over decades, across generations, classes, and genders." PAULA MEEHAN, poet ; "The editors of Road to Repeal do an exceptional job of charting that painful history and exposing how women in Ireland were outcast, stigmatised, and criminalised for having a body. They have set it down in a beautifully produced photobook that should be required reading because it explains why we are where we are right now, which is in a country where women still have a struggle on their hands." Clodagh Finn, Irish Examiner

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Book SynopsisNot many British schoolgirls have grown up to become revolutionary heroes of distant, eastern nations but Muriel Stewart Walker did just that. Under a multitude of different names - 'K'tut Tantri' and 'Surabaya Sue' being the best know - she joined in the struggle for Indonesian independence after the Second World War and broadcast its revolutionary message to the world on Rebel Radio. But she did more and smuggled arms, and probably drugs, to help finance the new Republic and experienced bloody battle in the British attack on Surabaya that some have seen as a war crime. She went on to become an intimate of the revolutionary leaders and finally lived to see Indonesia take its place amongst the free nations of the world. Glaswegian 'Surabaya Sue' is virtually unknown in the West and, even in Indonesia, there have always been doubts about her version of events that many have dismissed outright as a blatant mixture of outrageous fantasy and dishonest omissions. Snow over Surabaya happily embraces those doubts and brings a new, spirited account of her adventures in that tempestuous world.

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Book SynopsisBritain in the 1980s – strikes, the dole, IRA bombings, CND demos, poll tax riots, vegetarian food, radical feminism and an international build-up of weapons guaranteeing ‘mutually-assured destruction’. Rejecting the privileges that life offers him, Chris Savory seeks to redress wider injustices in society by rejecting future wealth, power and status to follow his ideals. He throws himself into political struggle – living in poverty, sleeping in tents and on floors, braving the mud and cold, surviving on bean stews and wholemeal bread – to the general disapproval of respectable society. His aim? To bring about a non-violent revolution, disarmament and an eco-feminist-socialist utopia! Oxford University in 1980 opens up a world of opportunity, but the threat of imminent nuclear war pushes Chris to make life-changing decisions. Alienated by the casual superiority of his peers, he abandons essay-writing and sherry with the Dean to embark on a constant round of organising and protesting – peace-camps, marches, illegal direct actions, communes and anarchist street theatre. The triumph of Thatcherism and the defeat of progressive politics leaves him feeling despair, anger and isolation. But having given everything to fight the system, how can he re-enter mainstream society? At the heart of this memoir is a deeply honest and heartfelt human story, spiced with humour and colourful details of the 1980s’ counterculture. In an age of climate crisis and Extinction Rebellion, Confessions Of A Non-Violent Revolutionary is a thought-provoking and engaging record of a previous wave of mass civil disobedience and an opportunity to learn lessons from the recent history of grassroots political struggle.Trade Review‘… Insights into how individual action can play a role in avoiding Armageddon.’ – Billy BraggTable of ContentsForeword – Preface – Bike Ride to Freedom – Brave New World? – On the Eve of Destruction – Gathering Greens – Class Struggle – Greenham Common – To the Heart of the Beast? – The World Peace March – Blockade the Bombmakers – I Ain’t Gonna Study War No More – You Can’t Kill the Spirit – Loneliness and Love – A Second Helping of Greens – Stand Up People, Make Your Choice – Stand Down Margaret – Festivals, Friendship and Failure – The Great Escape – Come With Us! – Work, Dole and Gender Roles – The Enemy Within – Bender in a Bender and Tarzan’s Fence – These Boots Were Made for Walking – Caught Red-Handed – From Street Theatre to Terrorism – Is There an Alternative? – A New Jerusalem? – Epilogue

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Book Synopsis***"One of the marvels of this furious book is how insolent and funny Lavin is; she refuses to soft-pedal the monstrous views she encounters." - The New York Times"Shocking, angry, funny and wise... Talia Lavin takes no prisoners." - Danny Wallace, bestselling author of Yes Man"Lavin writes like her hands are on fire, forcing us to take a hard look at our ugliest truths." - Pamela Collof, The New York Times Magazine & Pro Publica White supremacists, Incels, White nationalists, National Socialists, Proud Boys, Christian extremists... In order to showcase their behaviour in their natural habitat, Talia Lavin goes undercover online as a blonde Nazi babe, a forlorn incel and a violent Aryan femme fatale.Lavin is every fascist's worst nightmare. She is loud, Jewish and unapologetically anti-racist, with the investigative skills to expose online hatemongers. While searching the dark web, she discovers a whites-only dating site, a popular extremist YouTube channel run by a teenager, the everyday heroes of the anti-fascist movement and much more. Lavin then turns the lens of anti-Semitism, racism, and white supremacy back on itself in an attempt to dismantle the online hate movement from the inside.Shocking, humorous, and merciless in equal measure, Culture Warlords explores some of the vilest subcultures on the Web - and shows us how we can fight back.Perfect for fans of Louis Theroux, Jon Ronson and Michael Moore, Lavin's debut book is a seamless balance of hard-hitting research, humour and shocking stories. It is a fascinating exposé of the dark web and how it harbours the rage and views of far-right extremists today.

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Book SynopsisWhat does it mean to be Black in Scotland today? How are notions of nationhood, Scottishness, and Britishness implicated in this? Why is it important to archive and understand Black Scottish history? Reflecting on the past to make sense of the present, Francesca Sobande and layla-roxanne hill explore the history and contemporary lives of Black people in Scotland. Based on intergenerational interviews, survey responses, photography, and analysis of media and archived material, this book offers a unique snapshot of Black Scottish history and recent 21st century realities. Focusing on a wide range of experiences of education, work, activism, media, creativity, public life, and politics, Black Oot Here presents a vital account of Black lives in Scotland, while carefully considering the future that may lie ahead.Trade ReviewPresenting a wit account of the historical Black presence in Scotland, Black Oot Here stages a much-needed conversation concerning the racial and capitalist representation of Scottish nationalism and offers a refreshing process of knowledge production towards a blooming possible decolonial future. Sobande and hill centre Black narratives to expand the understanding of wor(l)ds-making in Scotland as they dissect anti-Black racism and offer an invitation to envision Black lives beyond intersecting oppressions. The methodology is sophisticated to indicate what constitutes data, refusing to quantify experiences, lives and feelings. A creative design is present in the book with a careful curation of images and narratives within the struggle, sitting with the fear, with the movement of home-making experienced by Black lives 'oot here'. The authors subvert the Scottish language, appropriating the vernacular to advance the discussions on anti-Blackness, representation, and nationalism, offering an interdisciplinary contribution to anti-racist decolonial care for academic and activist communities. * Katucha Bento, Lecturer in Race and Decolonial Studies, University of Edinburgh, UK *Black Oot Here is a rigorously researched, kaleidoscopic chronicle of Black lives in Scotland. It expands the debate around nation-building, questioning who, exactly, is deemed to help or hinder the process. Sobande and hill’s work rightly joins the canon of Black Feminist literature, delving deeply into myriad ways of relating to Scotland; presenting a slice of Black Scots experience in order to explore complicated notions of “belonging”. * Leah Cowan, author of Border Nation *A significant and original contribution… required reading for scholars and students who are interested in the studies of racism (anti-racism) and Black lives and experiences in Scotland. Combining the result of academic surveys with photograph analysis, archived materials & personal experiences of the authors makes this book an enjoyable, lively & interesting piece of writing. * Ethnic and Racial Studies *Table of ContentsPreface List of illustrations Acknowledgements List of abbreviations 1. Tis 'ere tae: A long and winding introduction 2. Scottish exceptionalism, naw: (Re)inspecting Scotland’s Black history 3. Yin o' us?: Multiculturalism, “New Scots”, and Black women’s lives 4. “No like us, a wee bit different, them pure exotic fowk”: Black Scotland in the media and public life 5. Tis nae th' end: Some not so final thoughts Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisIn an uprising heard around the world, people in Argentina took to the streets on December 19th & 20th, 2001, shouting “¡Qué se vayan todos!” These words (All of them out!), and the thousands of people banging pots and pans, opened a period of intense social unrest and political creativity that led to the collapse of government after government. Neighborhoods organized themselves into hundreds of popular assemblies across the country, the unemployed workers movement acquired a new visibility, workers took over factories and businesses. Deeply involved in these movements were the activists who made up Colectivo Situaciones. With the embers of that December’s aftermath still burning, Colectivo Situaciones militantly researched and wrote 19 and 20. Locating themselves among the “horizontally organized subjectivities that insisted on not being represented by politicians but maintaining and developing their own powers of political expression” that Micheal Hardt notes in his introduction, Colectivo Situaciones gathers, interrogates, and offers forth the words of unemployed workers, factory occupiers, insurgent intellectuals, and children of the disappeared. From their investigations is revealed the birth of a new social protagonism and the de-institutional power (potencia) they wield. 19 and 20 has been praised as this generation's 18th Brumaire and as Marx’s analysis of that struggle helped set the stage for, twenty years later, the Paris Commune we find ourselves here. Revisiting and exploring the forms of counterpower that emerged from the shadow of neoliberal rule we find the book's potencia has only grown. In the intervening years the analysis of Colectivo Situaciones has been passed from hand to hand and multitudes of citizens from different countries have learned their own ways to chant ¡Qué se vayan todos!, from Iceland to Tunisia, from Spain to Greece, from Tahrir Square to Black Lives Matter. Colectivo Situaciones’ practice of militant research--of engaging with movements’ own thought processes--resonates with everyone seeking to think current events and movements, and through that to gather the foundation of a commune for the 21st century.Trade Review“19 & 20 is a book-event that has become a key for social movements around the world. In it, Colectivo Situaciones practice militant research as an act of listening (escucha) and experimentation that translates the powerful mobilizations that took the streets to end neoliberal plundering (saqueo) into an inspiring and crucial praxis of thinking. Learning from the events instead of imposing old categories on their singularities, this book is a crucial source of inspiration on militant research and situated thinking. A singular work of pedagogy from below, this new edition comes in a timely moment where the deepening of the neoliberal expropriation of life that the pandemic has made so explicit meets with the tenth anniversary of the global uprisings of 201. Today, once again, 19 & 20 offers a crucial map for experimenting in the situated praxis of political thought.” —Susana Draper, coeditor of Femincide and Global Accumulation and author of Afterlives of Confinement and 1968 Mexico“Assemblies may become thinking machines. And experiments of resistance may give rise to alternative experiences of sociability. Colectivo Situaciones develops out of these findings, that emerged within the 2001 resurrection in Argentina, a powerful reflexive research: a truly magnificent effort to explore the potentialities of a future beyond capitalism.”—Stavros Stavrides, author of Towards the City of Thresholds “This is a book born in the barricades, neighborhood assemblies, and factory occupations of Argentina’s 2001 uprising against neoliberalism. Written by movement participants, it’s an inspiring account of the rebellion and a grassroots model of how to research and theorize a movement that forged a new way of doing politics from below. The English translation of such a classic book that’s been passed around revolutionary circles for decades is a cause for celebration and hitting the streets!”—Benjamin Dangl, author of The Five Hundred Year Rebellion: Indigenous Movements and the Decolonization of History in Bolivia “Twenty years ago, Argentina erupted in blockades and assemblies, occupations, demonstrations, and communal kitchens. In both its circumstances and forms, the 2001 uprising presaged the protests of 2011 and the struggles of our time. Colectivo Situaciones’ 19 & 20 provided both the sharpest analysis of that moment and a model of theoretical practice: nimble, dialogical, embedded in the movements with whom it thought, made in common. To rediscover it today is to do more than reconnect with the recent past; it is inevitably also to ask how it illuminates what we have lived since, and how we can continue to extend its lessons into the future.”—Rodrigo Nunes, author of Neither Vertical Nor Horizontal: A Theory of Political Organization “A long decade before Occupy Wall Street, Argentineans poured into the streets to reject austerity and short the circuits of neoliberal capitalism, proving that state violence was no match for popular refusal. But this is not a book about Argentina or even Latin America as a whole, a brutal laboratory where neoliberalism was imposed in blood and fire. It's about a way of thinking that is also a doing, about what the concrete experience of rebellion teaches us about how the world moves, and how to turn that movement into thought. Find yourself in this book.”—Geo Maher, author of Building the Commune and A World Without Police The 2001 uprising in Argentina is a major flashpoint in a wave of popular struggles that repudiated the neoliberal capitalist order and authored new forms of non-capitalist social construction. Colectivo Situaciones gives us important analyses of the uprising and its legacies, the roots of Argentina’s financial and political crisis, and changes in contemporary forms of anticapitalist mobilization and resistance. Their close attention to grassroots practices of resistance, political organizing, and world-making is emblematic of their method of militant research, which itself has been an inspiration to so many. Those interested in contemporary social movements, political theory, and the history of Argentina and the region will find much to appreciate in this wonderful new edition.—Jennifer S. Ponce de León, author of Another Aesthetics Is Possible: Arts of Rebellion in the Fourth World WarTable of ContentsTranslator’s Preface by Nate Holdren & Sebastian Touza Preface by Michael HardtThe Ballad of Buenos Aires by toni negriIntroduction to the 20th Anniversary Edition by Marcello Tarì Introduction by Colectivo Situaciones The Great TransformationFrom the Market as Utopia to BiopowerThe New Social Protagonism: An Ethical Operation December 19th and 20th, 2001: A New Type of Insurrection Insurrection Without a SubjectWords and Silences: From Interpretation to the UnrepresentableRupture of the Chain of TerrorDe-instituent InsurrectionProblems and ChallengesThe Positive “No”IrreversibilityInsurrectional ViolenceIn the Streets Situational Thought in Market ConditionsThought and ConsciousnessKnowing and ThinkingQuestions of Visibility Multiplicity and Counterpower in the Piquetero Experience The Roadblock as PrecedentThe Conjuncture and the Options of ThoughtRepresentation The Inclusion of the Excluded ... As ExcludedPiqueteros as a Political IllusionFrom Multiplicity to CounterpowerThinking the Radicality of StruggleThe Case of the MTDs (Unemployed Workers’ Movement)Identity as CreationThe 19th and 20th Looting, Social Bond, and the Ethic of the Teacher-MilitantLiberation and Dependency?LootingAt School Expression and RepresentationAnother Logic: ExpressionThat Obscure Object of DesireA Paradoxical Situation: the Negation of Representation from RepresentationShortcuts Neighborhood AssembliesFrom 19th and 20th to the AssemblyThe Neighborhood as Space of SubjectificationPolitical DesperationBeing ThereAssemblies and PiquetesMemory and Nation The Diffuse Network: From Dispersion to MultiplicityConsensus and HegemonyThe Neoliberal RevolutionExplicit Network and Disconnection (The Barter Club)The Norm and the Ethic of Self-AffirmedMarginalizationFrom Dispersion to MultiplicityDiffuse NetworkSituational Knowledges (The Escraches)Counterpower Epilogue Appendix 1: On the Barter Club Appendix 2: Causes and Happenstance: Dilemmas of Argentina’s New Social ProtagonismThe Surprise (Rupture, De-institution and Visibility)Phenomenology of an Apparent ReconstructionThe Ballot Boxes and the StreetsPhenomenology of Counterpower Appendix 3: That December Two Years from the 19th and 20th Afterword: Disquiet in the ImpasseImpasse: Time SuspendedGovernmentality and New GovernanceNew Governance and Good GovernmentLatin America: Traversing the CrisisMythologiques the Crafts of Politics

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Book SynopsisThis book is a timely study of young women’s life writing as a form of human rights activism. It focuses on six young women who suffered human rights violations when they were girls and have gone on to become activists through life writing: Malala Yousafzai, Hyeonseo Lee, Yeonmi Park, Bana Alabed, Nujeen Mustafa, and Nadia Murad. Their ongoing life-writing projects diverge to some extent, but all share several notable features: they claim a testimonial collective voice, they deploy rights discourse, they excite humanitarian emotions, they link up their context-bound plight with bigger social justice causes, and they use English as their vehicle of self-expression and self-construction. This strategic use of English is of vital importance, as it has brought them together as icons in the public sphere within the last six years. New Forms of Self-Narration is the first ever attempt to explore all these activists’ life-writing texts side by side, encompassing both the written and the audiovisual material, online and offline, and taking all texts as belonging to a unique, single, though multifaceted, project.Table of Contents1. Introduction: Life Writing, Human Rights and Young Women.- 2. Malala Yousafzai: Fighting for Girls’ Rights via Collaboration and Co-construction.- 3. Hyeonseo Lee: Seeking Justice for the North Korean People on TED.com.- 4. Yeonmi Park: North Korean Activist and Instagram Celebrity.- 5. Bana Alabed: From Twitter War Child to Peace Icon.- 6. Nujeen Mustafa: Syrian Refugee Defying Labels on TEDx.- 7. Nadia Murad: Yazidi Survivor’s Written vs Audiovisual Testimony.- 8. Conclusion: Victim Girls Becoming Activist Women.

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Book SynopsisA LA Times Bestseller“…[A] compelling history of our city’s last half century, as conveyed through the life of one of our most impactful leaders. …” — Los Angeles Mayor Karen BassThis is the story of Zev Yaroslavsky, the son of Ukrainian Jews who immigrated to the United States in the early 1920s. His memoir charts the journey of a young social activist who battled to free Soviet Jews before becoming one of the most consequential elected officials in Southern California. Fiercely independent, he combined an activist’s passion with a seasoned politician’s skill to challenge the region’s power brokers. He fought the Los Angeles Police Department’s excessive force and political spying policies, led the effort to ban local taxes from funding the 1984 Olympics, teamed with President Clinton to avert a catastrophic county bankruptcy, helped develop L.A.’s modern transit system, won a bruising battle with real estate interests to save the Santa Monica Mountains from rapacious development, and was pivotal in the development of Walt Disney Concert Hall and the modernization of the iconic Hollywood Bowl. “I may be part of the establishment,” he said on the day he was first sworn into office, “but the establishment is not part of me.” Trade Review“Zev’s Los Angeles is a compelling history of our city’s last half century, as conveyed through the life of one of our most impactful leaders.Zev Yaroslavsky’s career in public service spanned Los Angeles’ emergence as a global city and some of its most trying times. His personal story is essential to understanding where our city is today, and where L.A. and the nation's cities are headed in the future. A must read for anyone curious about leadership and governing in changing and challenging times.” — Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass“In his upcoming memoir, Zev Yaroslavsky takes readers on an uplifting and inspiring journey of personal faith, public service, and the shaping of Los Angeles. The son of Jewish immigrants from Ukraine, his story is a quintessentially American one. From modest beginnings, Yaroslavsky left a lasting mark through his work on expanding health care, implementing innovative housing programs, and growing our city’s public transportation network. Zev gives readers an inside look into the life of one of the most empathic and effective leaders I’ve known, as well as insight into the challenges he overcame along the way. This memoir is for any reader looking for inspiration about their own ability to effect change in their community.”— U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)“Zev’s Los Angeles: From Boyle Heights to the Halls of Power, the autobiography of, well, Zev, revisits the period in which Los Angeles became what we know today: big and complex, multiracial, exciting, divided and far deeper than what meets the eye. Zev Yaroslavsky left a lasting mark on L.A. over decades on the City Council and the Board of Supervisors, and his thoughtful reflections earn his memoir an honored place in the history he helped make and now helps to understand. … Aided by former Los Angeles Times writer Josh Getlin, Yaroslavsky manages the dual tales of his own life and the broader L.A. story. The result is satisfying at every level: a solid history, an insightful analysis of power and a sincere reflection on a life of service.”— Jim Newton, Los Angeles Times“In Yaroslavsky’s book… you surely learn a lot about local politics… But there’s another set of lessons embedded in this memoir, about what it looks like to animate one’s values and honor one’s heritage while engaged in the deeply transactional and often cynical day-to-day of politics. … The long arc of his career combines idealism, ethical behavior — in four decades, not a whiff of scandal — and service to the greater good, the community. … That is to say, Yaroslasvky, who retired in 2014, left the city far better than he found it. God knows there’s still a lot left for a new generation of politicians to do. They have a fine example to follow.”— Rob Eshman, The Forward“Los Angeles can be harder to understand than most big cities. … Move to Boston or New York, and those cities will teach you how to be a Bostonian or a New Yorker. Move to Los Angeles, and the metropolis will more or less lie there, unfurled and opaque, awaiting instructions. … The place doesn’t tend to define its people. The people, in the aggregate, define the place. How that works is the subject of a new book by Zev Yaroslavsky, who has been a Los Angeles civic leader for the last five decades. … The book… is billed as a political memoir, but it is also a history of the people and policies that have shaped the city.”— Shawn Hubler, New York Times (California Today)“Yaroslavsky—former City Councilman, now retired from the County Board of Supervisors—has written, with Josh Getlin, an account of his years in government that will impress the most jaded critic. … Yaroslavsky writes that he intended his book to be ‘a history as much as a memoir,’ and the result is a studied account, written with an evident eye on posterity. … Yaroslavsky has provided an engrossing account of a tumultuous era and the often-subterranean battles that have shaped the city of Los Angeles. He may even give the reader a new appreciation for the work of a politician.”— Kathleen Hayes, The Jewish Journal“Zev Yaroslavsky led a long and highly productive political career that deserves proper ink. His history is our history… I highly recommend Zev’s Los Angeles to anyone who cares about the future of Los Angeles, especially those considering getting into politics or public service. … Zev’s book gives the reader an insider’s look at all Zev helped get done while in office. It’s a rather remarkable list, really. While reading this book, you will feel like you are right there in the meetings with him as he dashed about, pulling every lever of power he could in pursuit of a good cause. … Public policy can be dry, boring, and wonky. This book is anything but.”— Jeff Hall, Brentwood News“The son of Ukrainian immigrants turned one of the most important politicians in post-World War II Los Angeles walks readers through his life and career with anecdotes and asides in a style that’s just like him — plain-spoken, insightful, confident and crusading.”— Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times (California Column)“Zev's Los Angeles is a peerless guide to the history, politics, and culture of the City of Angels. No one knows L.A. better. And no one conveys it in precisely this way—spellbinding, unvarnished, and yet elegant. It reads as if Zev were doing what he does best--holding court with that mix of photographic recall, a penchant for the piquant, the unmistakable no-nonsense style, and the staggering command of policy. This book is, at once, the story of one man's undying commitment to his city, a brilliant and revealing biography of LA, and a first-class primer on how to forge good governance at the local level. It should be of interest to all who are interested in how a city works—and how it should work.”— David Myers, Distinguished Professor and Sady and Ludwig Kahn Chair in Jewish History, University of California, Los Angeles“Politicians often avoid risk until they are forced to do the right thing. Not Zev. With little political upside, he aggressively stood up for all civil rights, stared down LAPD bullies, and championed women’s rights. Throughout his 40-year career, he wielded political power not for himself, but to right wrongs. He passionately lived up to his oath of office—to faithfully protect and defend the Constitution. He has earned my respect and my friendship.”— Connie Rice, Civil Rights Lawyer, Author of Power Concedes Nothing“Zev Yaroslavsky will be remembered as one of L.A.’s most consequential public officials. He played a central role in nearly every major public policy from his upset 1975 council election in 1975 to his retirement as a county supervisor in 2014. This remarkable political autobiography offers one person’s journey through L.A.’s modern history. With acute perceptions, deep feeling, and detailed insider recollections of the key players and dramas, Yaroslavsky takes the reader from his family roots in the Russia empire to the swirling multiethnic and radical politics of Boyle Heights, to his efforts on behalf of Soviet Jewry, to navigating the changing L.A. political scene through massive crises. In so doing, Yaroslavsky links his own story to the larger L.A. narrative. The book stands as an invaluable resource for students of public service in troubled times, and for those who hope to understand this complicated, ever-hopeful, and diverse region.”— Raphael J. Sonenshein, Executive Director, Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs, California State University, Los Angeles “Zev’s Los Angeles… works precisely because, like Zev, the tone is earnest. Over a long career of working through the endless bureaucracy that characterizes local politics, not to mention having to weather complaints from all sides of the Jewish community, Zev never lost sight of his dedication to serve the public good. … In this sea of cynicism, Zev has offered us a testament to the power of earnestness, a power rooted in one of our most precious resources: trust. … The key lesson I gleaned from Zev’s book is that you can be hip and cool and the world’s greatest schmoozer, but if you really want to accomplish good stuff in life, it’s best to be earnest. … It may even get people to like you.” — David Suissa, Jewish Journal (Editor's Note)“In this compelling memoir, Zev Yaroslavsky chronicles Los Angeles’ evolution into one of the world’s great cultural capitals and his role in that transformation. From Disney Hall and the Hollywood Bowl, to the L.A. Opera, to the region’s museums and more—his influence in expanding L.A.’s cultural footprint is a remarkable legacy. I have been privileged to share many of the challenges and exciting moments in that history.”— James Conlon, Music Director, Los Angeles Opera, International Conductor“At a time of highly polarized, partisan politics, Zev Yaroslavsky’s memoir offers an insightful and very personal view of an era when Los Angeles leaders came together to tackle the most difficult issues facing the region, from police accountability and preserving green space, to protecting the region’s fragile safety net and expanding accessibility to the arts. Zev's Los Angeles: From Boyle Heights to the Halls of Power is required reading for students of leadership and government, and aspiring policymakers on what it takes to be an effective, issue-oriented leader.”— Miguel Santana, President and CEO of the Weingart Foundation“[This] book is an informative recollection that anyone familiar with the local political scene for the past fifty years will find fascinating reading that reminds [readers] of the evolution of [the] city and takes [them] behind the scenes in City Hall, the County Hall of Administration and other seats of power. In Yaroslavsky’s case, he consistently used his increasing power for the public good.” — John Welborne, Larchmont Chronicle“Zev’s Los Angeles… is a fascinating book covering the extraordinary public service of an unlikely young activist whose unlikely election to the Los Angeles City Council in 1975 coincided with the transformation of Los Angeles into [a] major metropolis.So much has changed in the city over the past four decades, it’s hard to appreciate what it was like. Fortunately, Yaroslavsky invites you in, sits you down, and gives you the whole story.” — Patricia Lombard, Larchmont Buzz“Political memoirs generally fall into at least one of two categories, boasting or tattling—the first motivated by vanity, the second by revenge.Zev’s Los Angeles, subtitled ‘From Boyle Heights to the Halls of Power,’ falls into a third category: teaching, motivated instead by the desire to impart knowledge, wisdom, and experience. Also, maybe ‘inspiring,’ as in encouraging young people to consider politics and elective office as an admirable and productive career choice.” — Joel Bellman, The Canyon Chronicle“I have watched Zev work but until I read this memoir, I had no idea of the scope of his activism and the impact he has had on so many areas… [I]t is a fabulous and exciting read… personal, political in the best sense of its meaning, and a veritable history of the city over the past 100 years. … Zev’s intellect and curiosity are contagious, and his passion for everything decent and good is the mark of the man. Those virtues are revealed on every page of this memoir. I urge you to read it.”— John L. Rosove, The Times of Israel (Blog)Table of Contents“I Will Love You Forever, if You Let Me”: A Dedication to Barbara Edelston Yaroslavsky (1947-2018)Introduction1. Roots of a Legacy: Shimon Soloveichik2. My Parents: Minna and David3. The Sandman Awakens4. Coming of Age5. The Walls Have Ears6. “Why Zev?”7. Be Indispensable to Your Constituents8. The Taxpayer and Renter Revolt9. The Untold Story of the 1984 Olympics10. Taking on the LAPD11. Big Money and the Battle to Preserve Neighborhoods 12. The Mayor’s Race That Never Was13. Sudden Change14. Designed Not to Govern15. The Crisis That Nearly Bankrupted the County16. The Transit Revolution17. Arts and Culture: Los Angeles’ Golden Age18. God Isn’t Making Mountains Anymore19. Confronting the Homeless Crisis20. Tragedy and Resurrection at MLK Hospital21. Every Cause Needs a Champion22. Witness to History 23. Who Could Have Imagined? Epilogue Index

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Book SynopsisA LA Times Bestseller“…[A] compelling history of our city’s last half century, as conveyed through the life of one of our most impactful leaders. …”— Los Angeles Mayor Karen BassThis is the story of Zev Yaroslavsky, the son of Ukrainian Jews who immigrated to the United States in the early 1920s. His memoir charts the journey of a young social activist who battled to free Soviet Jews before becoming one of the most consequential elected officials in Southern California. Fiercely independent, he combined an activist’s passion with a seasoned politician’s skill to challenge the region’s power brokers. He fought the Los Angeles Police Department’s excessive force and political spying policies, led the effort to ban local taxes from funding the 1984 Olympics, teamed with President Clinton to avert a catastrophic county bankruptcy, helped develop L.A.’s modern transit system, won a bruising battle with real estate interests to save the Santa Monica Mountains from rapacious development, and was pivotal in the development of Walt Disney Concert Hall and the modernization of the iconic Hollywood Bowl. “I may be part of the establishment,” he said on the day he was first sworn into office, “but the establishment is not part of me.” Trade Review“In his upcoming memoir, Zev Yaroslavsky takes readers on an uplifting and inspiring journey of personal faith, public service, and the shaping of Los Angeles. The son of Jewish immigrants from Ukraine, his story is a quintessentially American one. From modest beginnings, Yaroslavsky left a lasting mark through his work on expanding health care, implementing innovative housing programs, and growing our city’s public transportation network. Zev gives readers an inside look into the life of one of the most empathic and effective leaders I’ve known, as well as insight into the challenges he overcame along the way. This memoir is for any reader looking for inspiration about their own ability to effect change in their community.”— U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)“Zev’s Los Angeles: From Boyle Heights to the Halls of Power, the autobiography of, well, Zev, revisits the period in which Los Angeles became what we know today: big and complex, multiracial, exciting, divided and far deeper than what meets the eye. Zev Yaroslavsky left a lasting mark on L.A. over decades on the City Council and the Board of Supervisors, and his thoughtful reflections earn his memoir an honored place in the history he helped make and now helps to understand. … Aided by former Los Angeles Times writer Josh Getlin, Yaroslavsky manages the dual tales of his own life and the broader L.A. story. The result is satisfying at every level: a solid history, an insightful analysis of power and a sincere reflection on a life of service.”— Jim Newton, Los Angeles Times“In Yaroslavsky’s book… you surely learn a lot about local politics… But there’s another set of lessons embedded in this memoir, about what it looks like to animate one’s values and honor one’s heritage while engaged in the deeply transactional and often cynical day-to-day of politics. … The long arc of his career combines idealism, ethical behavior — in four decades, not a whiff of scandal — and service to the greater good, the community. … That is to say, Yaroslasvky, who retired in 2014, left the city far better than he found it. God knows there’s still a lot left for a new generation of politicians to do. They have a fine example to follow.”— Rob Eshman, The Forward“Los Angeles can be harder to understand than most big cities. … Move to Boston or New York, and those cities will teach you how to be a Bostonian or a New Yorker. Move to Los Angeles, and the metropolis will more or less lie there, unfurled and opaque, awaiting instructions. … The place doesn’t tend to define its people. The people, in the aggregate, define the place. How that works is the subject of a new book by Zev Yaroslavsky, who has been a Los Angeles civic leader for the last five decades. … The book… is billed as a political memoir, but it is also a history of the people and policies that have shaped the city.”— Shawn Hubler, New York Times (California Today)“Yaroslavsky—former City Councilman, now retired from the County Board of Supervisors—has written, with Josh Getlin, an account of his years in government that will impress the most jaded critic. … Yaroslavsky writes that he intended his book to be ‘a history as much as a memoir,’ and the result is a studied account, written with an evident eye on posterity. … Yaroslavsky has provided an engrossing account of a tumultuous era and the often-subterranean battles that have shaped the city of Los Angeles. He may even give the reader a new appreciation for the work of a politician.”— Kathleen Hayes, The Jewish Journal“Zev Yaroslavsky led a long and highly productive political career that deserves proper ink. His history is our history… I highly recommend Zev’s Los Angeles to anyone who cares about the future of Los Angeles, especially those considering getting into politics or public service. … Zev’s book gives the reader an insider’s look at all Zev helped get done while in office. It’s a rather remarkable list, really. While reading this book, you will feel like you are right there in the meetings with him as he dashed about, pulling every lever of power he could in pursuit of a good cause. … Public policy can be dry, boring, and wonky. This book is anything but.”— Jeff Hall, Brentwood News“The son of Ukrainian immigrants turned one of the most important politicians in post-World War II Los Angeles walks readers through his life and career with anecdotes and asides in a style that’s just like him — plain-spoken, insightful, confident and crusading.”— Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times (California Column)“In this compelling memoir, Zev Yaroslavsky chronicles Los Angeles’ evolution into one of the world’s great cultural capitals and his role in that transformation. From Disney Hall and the Hollywood Bowl, to the L.A. Opera, to the region’s museums and more—his influence in expanding L.A.’s cultural footprint is a remarkable legacy. I have been privileged to share many of the challenges and exciting moments in that history.”— James Conlon, Music Director, Los Angeles Opera, International Conductor“Zev’s Los Angeles is a compelling history of our city’s last half century, as conveyed through the life of one of our most impactful leaders.Zev Yaroslavsky’s career in public service spanned Los Angeles’ emergence as a global city and some of its most trying times. His personal story is essential to understanding where our city is today, and where L.A. and the nation's cities are headed in the future. A must read for anyone curious about leadership and governing in changing and challenging times.” — Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass“At a time of highly polarized, partisan politics, Zev Yaroslavsky’s memoir offers an insightful and very personal view of an era when Los Angeles leaders came together to tackle the most difficult issues facing the region, from police accountability and preserving green space, to protecting the region’s fragile safety net and expanding accessibility to the arts. Zev's Los Angeles: From Boyle Heights to the Halls of Power is required reading for students of leadership and government, and aspiring policymakers on what it takes to be an effective, issue-oriented leader.”— Miguel Santana, President and CEO of the Weingart Foundation“Politicians often avoid risk until they are forced to do the right thing. Not Zev. With little political upside, he aggressively stood up for all civil rights, stared down LAPD bullies, and championed women’s rights. Throughout his 40-year career, he wielded political power not for himself, but to right wrongs. He passionately lived up to his oath of office—to faithfully protect and defend the Constitution. He has earned my respect and my friendship.”— Connie Rice, Civil Rights Lawyer, Author of Power Concedes Nothing“Zev's Los Angeles is a peerless guide to the history, politics, and culture of the City of Angels. No one knows L.A. better. And no one conveys it in precisely this way—spellbinding, unvarnished, and yet elegant. It reads as if Zev were doing what he does best--holding court with that mix of photographic recall, a penchant for the piquant, the unmistakable no-nonsense style, and the staggering command of policy. This book is, at once, the story of one man's undying commitment to his city, a brilliant and revealing biography of L.A., and a first-class primer on how to forge good governance at the local level. It should be of interest to all who are interested in how a city works—and how it should work.”— David Myers, Distinguished Professor and Sady and Ludwig Kahn Chair in Jewish History, University of California, Los Angeles“Zev Yaroslavsky will be remembered as one of L.A.’s most consequential public officials. He played a central role in nearly every major public policy from his upset 1975 council election in 1975 to his retirement as a county supervisor in 2014. This remarkable political autobiography offers one person’s journey through L.A.’s modern history. With acute perceptions, deep feeling, and detailed insider recollections of the key players and dramas, Yaroslavsky takes the reader from his family roots in the Russia empire to the swirling multiethnic and radical politics of Boyle Heights, to his efforts on behalf of Soviet Jewry, to navigating the changing L.A. political scene through massive crises. In so doing, Yaroslavsky links his own story to the larger L.A. narrative. The book stands as an invaluable resource for students of public service in troubled times, and for those who hope to understand this complicated, ever-hopeful, and diverse region.”— Raphael J. Sonenshein, Executive Director, Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs, California State University, Los Angeles “Zev’s Los Angeles… works precisely because, like Zev, the tone is earnest. Over a long career of working through the endless bureaucracy that characterizes local politics, not to mention having to weather complaints from all sides of the Jewish community, Zev never lost sight of his dedication to serve the public good. … In this sea of cynicism, Zev has offered us a testament to the power of earnestness, a power rooted in one of our most precious resources: trust. … The key lesson I gleaned from Zev’s book is that you can be hip and cool and the world’s greatest schmoozer, but if you really want to accomplish good stuff in life, it’s best to be earnest. … It may even get people to like you.” — David Suissa, Jewish Journal (Editor's Note)“[This] book is an informative recollection that anyone familiar with the local political scene for the past fifty years will find fascinating reading that reminds [readers] of the evolution of [the] city and takes [them] behind the scenes in City Hall, the County Hall of Administration and other seats of power. In Yaroslavsky’s case, he consistently used his increasing power for the public good.” — John Welborne, Larchmont Chronicle“Zev’s Los Angeles… is a fascinating book covering the extraordinary public service of an unlikely young activist whose unlikely election to the Los Angeles City Council in 1975 coincided with the transformation of Los Angeles into [a] major metropolis.So much has changed in the city over the past four decades, it’s hard to appreciate what it was like. Fortunately, Yaroslavsky invites you in, sits you down, and gives you the whole story.” — Patricia Lombard, Larchmont Buzz“Political memoirs generally fall into at least one of two categories, boasting or tattling—the first motivated by vanity, the second by revenge.Zev’s Los Angeles, subtitled ‘From Boyle Heights to the Halls of Power,’ falls into a third category: teaching, motivated instead by the desire to impart knowledge, wisdom, and experience. Also, maybe ‘inspiring,’ as in encouraging young people to consider politics and elective office as an admirable and productive career choice.” — Joel Bellman, The Canyon Chronicle“I have watched Zev work but until I read this memoir, I had no idea of the scope of his activism and the impact he has had on so many areas… [I]t is a fabulous and exciting read… personal, political in the best sense of its meaning, and a veritable history of the city over the past 100 years. … Zev’s intellect and curiosity are contagious, and his passion for everything decent and good is the mark of the man. Those virtues are revealed on every page of this memoir. I urge you to read it.”— John L. Rosove, The Times of Israel (Blog)Table of Contents“I Will Love You Forever, if You Let Me”: A Dedication to Barbara Edelston Yaroslavsky (1947-2018)Introduction1. Roots of a Legacy: Shimon Soloveichik2. My Parents: Minna and David3. The Sandman Awakens4. Coming of Age5. The Walls Have Ears6. “Why Zev?”7. Be Indispensable to Your Constituents8. The Taxpayer and Renter Revolt9. The Untold Story of the 1984 Olympics10. Taking on the LAPD11. Big Money and the Battle to Preserve Neighborhoods 12. The Mayor’s Race That Never Was13. Sudden Change14. Designed Not to Govern15. The Crisis That Nearly Bankrupted the County16. The Transit Revolution17. Arts and Culture: Los Angeles’ Golden Age18. God Isn’t Making Mountains Anymore19. Confronting the Homeless Crisis20. Tragedy and Resurrection at MLK Hospital21. Every Cause Needs a Champion22. Witness to History 23. Who Could Have Imagined? Epilogue Index

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Book SynopsisHow are Black artists, activists, and pedagogues wielding acts of rebellion, activism, and solidarity to precipitate change? How have contemporary performances impacted Black cultural, social, and political struggles? What are the ways in which these acts and artists engage varied Black identities and explore shared histories? Contemporary Black Theatre and Performance investigates these questions to illuminate the relationship between performance, identity, intersectionality, and activism in North America and beyond. It features contributions from scholars, artists, and activists from across disciplines who explore the nuances and varied forms of Black performance in the 21st century while incorporating performance-based methodologies and queer and black feminist theories. Among the many topics addressed by contributors are antiracist pedagogy, Black queer identity formation in Black playwriting, digital blackface, and Black women''s subversive practices within contemporary pTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Notes on Contributors Preface Acknowledgments Introduction, DeRon S. Williams (Loyola University Chicago, USA), Khalid Y. Long (University of Georgia, USA), and Martine Kei Green-Rogers (DePaul University, USA) PART I: STAGE AS A SITE OF RADICAL POSSIBILITIES 1. Sweat Equity: Lynn Nottage's Radical Dialectic of Deindustrialization, Jocelyn L. Buckner (Chapman University, USA) 2. "Those Songs Were More than Just": Spirituals, Queer Reckonings and Tarell Alvin McCraney's Choir Boy, Isaiah Matthew Wooden (Swarthmore College, USA) 3. Trauma, Truth, and Turning the Lens: Black Theater Artists and White Theater Audiences, Suzanne Delle, (York College of Pennsylvania, USA), and Loretta Brady (Saint Anselm College, USA) In The Trenches: A Conversation with Christina Anderson, DeRon S. Williams (Loyola University Chicago, USA) PART II: PERFORMANCE IN THE MAKING 4. Re-Writing the Declaration: Healing In Theater From A Black, Queer, Feminist Lens, Quenna Barrett (NYU Steinhardt, USA) 5. ineffable dramaturgies: Experiments in Black Queer and Trans Liberation On and Off Stage, s.e. callender (Independent Scholar/Artist, Canada) 6. Reconsidering and Recasting, Ray Proctor (Tulane University, USA) 7. We are the Canon: Anti-Racist Theatre Pedagogy, Maya Johnson (Independent Scholar and Practitioner, USA), Daphnie Sicre (Loyola Marymount University, USA), and Karl O'Brian Williams (NYU, USA) In The Trenches: A Conversation with Donja R. Love, Martine Kei Green-Rogers (DePaul University, USA) PART III: PERFORMANCE AND/AS PROTEST 8. (W)right Of Way: Black Geographies and American Interstates, Jenny Henderson (Tufts University, USA) 9. Honk for Justice, Jocelyn Prince (Northwestern University, USA), and Harvey Young (Boston University, USA) 10. Serena Williams' Sonic Refusal, Leticia Ridley (Santa Clara University, USA) 11. Cancel Culture, Digital Blackface, and Internalized Anti-Blackness, Aviva Helen Neff (Columbus College of Art and Design, USA) In The Trenches: A Conversation with Willa J. Taylor, Khalid Y. Long (University of Georgia, USA) Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisActivists, academics and artists deliver a myriad of views on the fire for which there has been no justiceTrade Review'No other account names those to blame so clearly, or so convincingly uncovers the slow violence, the racist attitudes, and the legacy of empire that led to this disaster' -- Danny Dorling, author of 'Inequality and the 1%'Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Preface – Phil Scraton Introduction – Dan Bulley, Jenny Edkins and Nadine El-Enany Grenfell Tower, June, 2017 – Ben Okri 1. Everyday Life and Death in the Global City – Dan Bulley 2. Organising on Mute – Daniel Renwick Photo Essay – Sam Boal 3. Before Grenfell: British Immigration Law and the Production of Colonial Spaces – Nadine El-Enany 4. Struggles for Social Housing Justice – Radical Housing Network, Becka Hudson and Pilgrim Tucker Ghosts of Grenfell – Lowkey 5. A Border in Every Street: Grenfell and the Hostile Environment – Sarah Keenan Photo Essay – Parveen Ali 6. Grenfell on Screen – Anna Viola Sborgi 7. Law, Justice and the Public Inquiry into the Grenfell Tower Fire – Patricia Tuitt The Interloper – Jenny Edkins 8. From Grenfell to Windrush – Gracie Mae Bradley 9. Housing Policy in the Shadow of Grenfell – Nigel de Noronha Photo Essay – Yolanthe Fawehinmi 10. ComeUnity and Community in the Face of Impunity – Monique Charles Equity – Tony Walsh Afterword: The Fire and the Academy – Robbie Shilliam Notes on the Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisIn order to overcome environmental and social crises, we must move beyond moneyTrade Review'A fascinating portal into arguments about why we need to get beyond money' -- Harry Cleaver, author of '33 Lessons on Capital: Reading Marx Politically''Outstanding ... a highly original and incisive analysis of the crippling role that money plays in today’s global capitalist world' -- Mike Berry, author of 'Justice and Democracy''A book for our time. Anitra Nelson takes us from theory to praxis in clear steps. Nelson’s turn towards a materialist ecofeminist analysis is pure joy' -- Ariel Salleh, editor of ‘Eco-Sufficiency & Global Justice: Women Write Political Ecology’‘Takes monetised economies head-on, demonstrating how they exacerbate ecological devastation and socio-economic inequality, and provides examples and pathways towards non-monetary economies based on real values. Does a great service to movements seeking social and ecological justice for all humans and other life forms’ -- Ashish Kothari, founder of Kalpavriksh and co-editor of 'Pluriverse''Challenges and inspires - a spur to action' -- Helena Norberg-Hodge, author of 'Ancient Futures' and winner of the Alternative Nobel prize'It is easier to imagine the end of capitalism than the end of money. Anitra Nelson's book challenges us to think what viable postcapitalisms without money could look like' -- Professor Giorgos Kallis, University of Barcelona, Spain'If you had to choose one book to read on making the next political economy it should be this one. It will have you bristling with political energy' -- Professor Adam David Morton, Department of Political Economy, University of Sydney, Australia'An accessible and important book. If you want an alternative to economic and environmental disasters, you need to engage with her arguments' -- Jeff Sparrow, writer, editor and broadcaster'A passionate critique of money as the root cause of our many problems, presenting a clear vision of how life without money could look like. Inspiring' -- Matthias Schmelzer is a postdoctoral researcher at the Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena. He is the author of The Hegemony of Growth (Cambridge University Press, 2016) and The Future is Degrowth (Verso, 2022)'With a compelling narrative, Nelson lays out the unavoidable question of today's anti-capitalist, ecological politics - the question of money. Grounded in long-term political experience, her answer is at once elaborate and unequivocal: a wonderful tool for radical imagination and praxis' -- Stefania Barca, author of 'Forces of Reproduction' and 'Workers of the Earth''An exciting, original book that, in exploring the ritual structure of assets, capital, money and profit, helps open a way for more powerful, creative resistance' -- Larry Lohmann, founding member of the Durban Group for Climate Justice'Can capitalism be overcome without challenging money? In this thought-provoking book, Anitra Nelson argues that moving beyond money is necessary for addressing inequalities and environmental unsustainability and shows what a non-monetary postcapitalist world might look like.' -- Ekaterina Chertkovskaya, Researcher in Degrowth and Critical Organisation Studies, Lund University'Alternatives to capitalism, price-making markets and monetary values are essential for social-ecological transformation. Going well beyond typical economic discourse she opens the door of human potentiality to a different way of life' -- Clive L. Spash, Professor of Public Policy and Governance at WU, Vienna University of Economics and BusinessTable of ContentsList of Abbreviations and Symbols Glossary Foreword by John Holloway Preface Acknowledgements 1. Capital and Crises 2. Money: The Universal Equivalent 3. Yenomon: Commoning 4. System Change, Not Climate Change 5. Women’s Liberation: Equality and Values 6. Technology and the Real Debt Cycle 7. Indigenous Peoples, Real Values and the Community Mode of Production 8. Occupy the World! Notes Annotated Select Reading List and Links Index

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Book SynopsisIn recent years, there has been substantial progress on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights in the United States. We are now, though, in a time of incredible political uncertainty for queer people. LGBTQ Social Movements provides an accessible introduction to mainstream LGBTQ movements in the U.S.Trade Review"Adeptly synthesizing decades of research and writing, charting both major events and central dynamics, Lisa Stulberg offers a foundation for understanding LGBTQ movements that is at once accessible and complex, informative and lively." Joshua Gamson, University of San Francisco "This is the book we have been waiting for - a comprehensive, concise, and engaging overview of the LGBT movement that is accessible not only to students and general readers, but scholars. Stulberg has managed to condense a vast amount of literature to provide the clearest, best organized, and most up-to-date review of the LGBT movement available." Verta Taylor, University of California Santa Barbara“Lisa Stulberg provides a concise, accessible, and engaging introduction to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) activism… [T]he material that Stulberg presents will appeal to many audiences, including undergraduate and graduate students, emerging scholars, and established scholars.”Amin Ghaziani, Contemporary Sociology"Stulberg provides an accessible, well-researched overview of LGBTQ activism, suitable for a wide-ranging audience."SexualitiesTable of Contents Chapter 1. Introduction Chapter 2. Before and After Stonewall Chapter 3. Activism in the Early Days of AIDS Chapter 4. Marriage Politics Chapter 5. LGBTQ Youth and Social Change Chapter 6. The “B” and the “T” Chapter 7. Conclusion

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Book SynopsisThe Last Suffragist Standing is an unprecedented study of a pioneering Canadian suffragist and politician and an illuminating work on the history of feminism, socialism, internationalism, and activism in Canada.Trade ReviewStrong-Boag's account of Jamieson's life deepens the appreciation of the ending of one phase of feminist activism and the passing of the torch to successor generations. -- Jane Arscott, Athabasca University * Histoire Sociale *[The Last Suffragist Standing] makes a valuable contribution to the wider historiography of women’s political activities in Canada and to British Columbia politics in general. Jamieson would undoubtedly be pleased with this study of her life and times. -- Patricia Roy, author and professor emeritus of History at the University of Victoria * The Ormsby Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction1 The Girl from the Saugeen Peninsula, 1882–19112 The New Woman as Wife, Suffragist, and Activist, 1911–183 Still Bettering the World, 1918–264 Widowed Judge and Progressive Activist, 1927–395 The Challenge of Electoral Politics, 1927–396 Suffragist in the BC Legislature, 1939–417 Legislative Veteran, 1941–458 Taking on Post-war Misogyny and Vancouver Politics, 1945–649 Faithful Social Democrat, 1945–64ConclusionPostscript from Four Granddaughters / Dorothy O’Connell, Anne Jamieson, Karen Jamieson, and Marion-Lea JamiesonNotes; Selected Bibliography; Index

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Book SynopsisA collection of essays that demonstrate how LGBT people played critical roles in local, state, and national politicsIn the 1970s, queer Americans demanded access not only to health and social services but also to mainstream Democratic and Republican Party politics. The AIDS crisis of the 1980s made the battles for access to welfare, health care, and social services for HIV-positive Americans, many of them gay men, a critically important story in the changing relationship between sexual minorities and the government. The 1980s and 1990s marked a period in which religious right attacks on the civil rights of minorities, including LGBT people, offered opportunities for activists to create campaigns that could mobilize a base in mainstream politics and contribute to the gradual legitimization of sexual minorities in American society. Beyond the Politics of the Closet features essays by historians whose work on LGBT history delves into the decades between the mid-1970s and the millennium,Trade Review"Beyond the Politics of the Closet draws together scholars ready to steer the histories of American governance and politics in new directions. By centering LGBT people, these writers reveal that LGBT politics transformed the state and realigned the nation's electoral coalitions at the end of the twentieth century." * Christopher Agee, University of Colorado, Denver *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Privilege, Power, and Activism in Gay Rights Politics Since the 1970s Jonathan Bell Part I. Public Policy Comes Out: The 1970s 1. A Clinic Comes Out: Idealism, Pragmatism, and Gay Health Services in Boston, 1971-1985 Catherine Batza 2. "A Ray of Sunshine": Housing, Family, and Gay Political Power in 1970s Los Angeles Ian M. Baldwin 3. Making Sexual Citizens: LGBT politics, health care, and the State in the 1970s Jonathan Bell Part II. Confronting AIDS 4. AIDS and the Urban Crisis: Stigma, Cost, and the Persistence of Racism in Chicago, 1981-1996 Timothy Stewart-Winter 5. "Don't We Die Too?" The Politics of AIDS and Race in Philadelphia Dan Royles 6. Black Gay Lives Matter: Mobilizing Sexual Identities in the Eras of Reagan and Thatcher Conservativism Kevin Mumford Part III. Beyond Liberalism and Conservatism 7. Gay and Conservative: An Early History of the Log Cabin Republicans Clayton Howard 8. "No Discrimination and No Special Rights": Gay Rights, Family Values, and the Politics of Moderation in the 1992 Election Rachel Guberman 9. Homophobia Baiting: Queering the Trayvon Martin Archives and Challenging the Anti-Blackness of Colorblind Politics Julio Capó, Jr. Notes List of Contributors Index Acknowledgments

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Book SynopsisPeasant Politics of the Twenty-First Century illuminates the transnational agrarian movements that are remaking rural society and the world''s food and agriculture systems. Marc Edelman explains how peasant movements are staking their claims from farmers'' fields to massive protests around the world, shaping heated debates over peasants'' rights and the very category of peasant within the agrarian organizations and in the United Nations.Edelman chronicles the rise of these movements, their objectives, and their alliances with environmental, human rights, women''s, and food justice groups. The book scrutinizes high-profile activists and the forgotten genealogies and policy implications of foundational analytical frameworks like moral economy, and concepts, such as food sovereignty and civil society. Peasant Politics of the Twenty-First Century charts the struggle of agrarian movements in the face of land grabbing, counter agrarian reform, and

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Book SynopsisThe compelling true story of Nelly Benatar—a hero of the anti-Fascist North African resistance and humanitarian who changed the course of history for the "last million" escaping the Second World War. When France fell to Hitler's armies in June 1940, a flood of refugees fleeing Nazi terror quickly overwhelmed Europe's borders and spilled across the Mediterranean to North Africa, touching off a humanitarian crisis of dizzying proportions. Nelly Benatar, a highly regarded Casablancan Jewish lawyer, quickly claimed a role of rescuer and almost single-handedly organized a sweeping program of wartime refugee relief. But for all her remarkable achievements, Benatar's story has never been told. With this book, Susan Gilson Miller introduces readers to a woman who fought injustice as an anti-Fascist resistant, advocate for refugee rights, liberator of Vichy-run forced labor camps, and legal counselor to hundreds of Holocaust survivors. Miller crafts a gripping biography that spins a tale like a Hollywood thriller, yet finds its truth in archives gathered across Europe, North Africa, Israel, and the United States and from Benatar's personal collection of eighteen thousand documents now housed in the US Holocaust Museum. Years of Glory offers a rich narrative and a deeper understanding of the complex currents that shaped Jewish, North African, and world history over the course of the Second World War. The traumas of genocide, the struggle for anti-colonial liberation, and the eventual Jewish exodus from Arab lands all take on new meaning when reflected through the interstices of Benatar's life. A courageous woman with a deep moral conscience and an iron will, Nelly Benatar helped to lay the groundwork for crucial postwar efforts to build a better world over Europe's ashes.Trade Review"Susan Gilson Miller's Years of Glory illuminates major themes: that period's refugee crisis, resistance in Morocco to the Vichy regime, a talented woman's professional advancement in a traditional society, and the life of a once-vibrant Jewish community in North Africa. An exemplary unearthing of the remarkable legal career of Nelly Benatar." —Robert O. Paxton, author of Vichy France and the Jews and The Anatomy of Fascism"A brilliant work of history, Years of Glory reads like a thriller. Susan Gilson Miller describes the hardships but also the glory of Jewish life in Morocco through the intrepid Nelly Benatar, one of the great heroes of modern Jewish history, whose extraordinary leadership Miller uncovers in this fascinating book." —Susannah Heschel, author of The Aryan Jesus"Susan Gilson Miller's groundbreaking book reveals the life of an unsung Moroccan heroine, Nelly Benatar. Years of Glory is historical detective work at its finest, showing how, in the face of an unprecedented refugee crisis, Benatar's struggle bound Moroccans of all faiths in an enduring sense of duty, love, and compassion." —Hicham Alaoui"Narrating the life of a remarkable woman, Susan Gilson Miller has written a fascinating account of the herculean struggles to obtain justice for the sea of stateless and homeless people. Miller's fine book provides an excellent example of the importance of historical remembering." —Caroline Moorehead, author of A House in the Mountains"Susan Gilson Miller helps readers experience the war from aNorth African perspective, refocusing resistance and Holocaust history away from its usual European setting... This study of Nelly Benatar makes it clear that Morocco was an integral part of the Vichy/Nazi war machine. The issues Benatar raised about meeting the needs of stateless people, and about the role of Israel as aJewish homeland, are as important today as they everwere."—Bettina Berch, Jewish Book Council"Thanks to Susan Gilson Miller's marvelous new biography, Benatar's legacy is finally made legible for readers. More importantly,Years of Glory explores the Maghrib as a central part of the Holocaust and World War II. At the same time, Miller demonstrates just how profoundly the war disrupted the lives of those in Morocco and across French North Africa, soundly refuting historiographies that have tended to see the war as a blip in Maghribi history. And Miller does all this in lucid, beautiful prose that draws readers in: I literally could not put the book down."—Jessica M. Marglin, The Middle East Journal"[Years of Glory] is a beautifully written reconstruction of Benatar's cosmopolitan and peripatetic life of service."—Sasha Goldstein-Sabbah, The Middle GroundTable of Contents1. The Early Years 2. 1939: The Undesirables 3. 1940 Refugees and Resistance 4. 1941: The Casablanca Connection 5. 1942: Stateless in Morocco 6. 1943: Liberating the Camps 7. 1944: The Right to Have Rights 8. 1945: The Shock of Recognition 9. After the War

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Book SynopsisA memoir by a disability rights activist Such a Pretty Girl is Nadina LaSpina's story—from her early years in her native Sicily, where still a baby she contracts polio, a fact that makes her the object of well-meaning pity and the target of messages of hopelessness; to her adolescence and youth in America, spent almost entirely in hospitals, where she is tortured in the quest for a cure and made to feel that her body no longer belongs to her; to her rebellion and her activism in the disability rights movement. LaSpina’s personal growth parallels the movement’s political development—from coming together, organizing, and fighting against exclusion from public and social life, to the forging of a common identity, the blossoming of disability arts and culture, and the embracing of disability pride. While unique, the author's journey is also one with which many disabled people can identify. It is the journey to find one's place in an ableist world—a world not made for disabled people, where disability is only seen in negative terms. La Spina refutes all stereotypical narratives of disability. Through the telling of her life’s story, without editorializing, she shows the harm that the overwhelming focus on pity and on a cure that remains elusive has done to disabled people. Her story exposes the disability prejudice ingrained in our sociopolitical system and denounces the oppressive standards of normalcy in a society that devalues those who are different and denies them basic rights. Written as continuous narrative and in a subtle and intimate voice, Such a Pretty Girl is a memoir as captivating as a novel. It is one of the few disability memoirs to focus on activism, and one of the first by an immigrant.Trade Review"From pity to empowerment, a woman born with polio illuminates her personal changes in attitude and accomplishment amid sweeping societal changes in rights for the disabled. . . . ‘I was the luckiest woman in the world,’ insists the author in this revelatory and deeply moving memoir that clearly shows how and why she came to feel that way." -- STARRED Kirkus Review"In this insightful memoir, disability activist LaSpina effortlessly shares how her personal experiences led to her activism, creating a compelling story that is both instructive and moving. ... readers will encounter her successes and set-backs, both personal and political, and learn about the U.S. medical system and its treatment of individuals with disabilities. ... LaSpina's story of determination and hard-won independence is engaging, informative, and ultimately, inarguably, inspiring." -- STARRED Booklist"The author skillfully ties her personal experiences into a broader social and historical context … an empowering and feminist book. It shows an immigrant, writer, teacher, and activist’s perspective on pivotal moments in history. In an intimate way, Such a Pretty Girl shows how far disability rights have come in the past 70 years and touches on inequalities that still exist." -- Book Riot"From the first vivid chapter set in Sicily to her gutsy activism in the U.S., LaSpinas triumphant memoir of a richly lived life held me rapt." -- Alix Kates Shulman"A memoir fueled by passion and grounded in history. Nadina LaSpina’s beautifully written narrative reveals a conscientious citizen and an exuberant and vibrant woman. Such a Pretty Girl is ultimately a love story." -- Simi Linton, author of My Body Politic"A feminist, personal perspective on disability. One of the main themes is the author’s developing ability to claim and enjoy her own beauty and sexuality." -- Gillian Kendall, coauthor of How I Became a Human Being

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Book SynopsisWhat did Occupy Wall Street accomplish? While it began as a startling disruption in politics as usual, in The Democratic Ethos Freya Thimsen argues that the movement's long-term importance rests in how its commitment to radical democratic self-organization has been adopted within more conventional forms of politics. Occupy changed what counts as credible democratic coordination and how democracy is performed, as demonstrated in opposition to corporate political influence, rural antifracking activism, and political campaigns.By comparing instances of progressive politics that demonstrate the democratic ethos developed and promoted by Occupy and those that do not, Thimsen illustrates how radical and conventional rhetorical strategies can be brought together to seek democratic change. Combining insights from rhetorical studies, performance studies, political theory, and sociology, The Democratic Ethos offers a set of conceptual tools for analyzing anticorporate democracy-movement politics in the twenty-first century.

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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