Description
Book SynopsisMichele Moody-Adams explores what social movements have shown about the nature of justice and what it takes to create space for justice in the world. She argues that these insights are critical to bridging the gap between discerning theory and effective practice—and should be transformative for political thought as well as for political activism.
Trade ReviewMaking Space for Justice is a timely work given our current political dangers, in which partisans lack a shared reality and cynics promote a nihilistic politics of despair that threatens democracy. This work manifests on every page the virtues and normative orientations for which Moody-Adams is arguing—hope, civic grace, an inclusive imagination, compassionate concern, and respect for all, including even those who are, out of despair and resentment, currently endangering democracy. It is a powerful contribution to the pragmatist tradition in philosophy. -- Elizabeth Anderson, author of
Private Government: How Employers Rule Our Lives (and Why We Don't Talk about It)We face systems of egregious injustice. Prevailing theories, which focus on abstract principles, provide little guidance for addressing injustice.
Making Space for Justice finds practical and theoretical insight in progressive social movements. This groundbreaking book shows that they apply constructive imagination with 'humane regard,' joining 'compassionate concern' with 'robust respect.' -- David Lyons, author of
The Color Line: A Short IntroductionMaking Space for Justice is a remarkably illuminating work on the indispensability of social movement activity for understanding and achieving justice. With deep historical knowledge, careful argument, and real-world examples, Moody-Adams makes a compelling case for why political philosophers must go beyond defending abstract principles to learning from the 'engaged moral inquiry' of progressive social movements. This is a truly exceptional book from a leading thinker on the meaning of moral progress. -- Tommie Shelby, author of
Dark Ghettos: Injustice, Dissent, and ReformContributes superbly to philosophical discussions about the ethics and politics of social movements. * Radical Philosophy Review *
The depth and breadth of Moody-Adams' work makes this a worthy volume to return to. * Technical Communication *
Moody-Adams clears the weeds for moral and political philosophy to take seriously the ethical insights of social movements. * Ethics and International Affairs *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction
Part I: Understanding Social Movements1. What is A Social Movement?
2. Social Movements and the Task of Democracy
3. Social Movements and the Moral Life
Part II: Social Movements and The Power of Collective Imagination4. Taking Imagination Seriously
5. Language Matters
6. Justice and the Narrative Imagination
Part III: Social Movements and Political Hope7. The Empire of Affect and The Challenge of Collective Hope
8. Hope and History
Notes
Bibliography
Index
