Description
Book SynopsisBuilding on the Marxian view of alienation as the inevitable consequence of wage labour that divests human beings of control over their life forces, this book provides insights into contemporary conditions. It explores how alienation is fostered not only by television freak shows and shock music, but also by programmed schooling.
Trade ReviewThe Evolution of Alienation takes account of the postmodern debate and the rejection in recent years of the concept of alienation, critiques that rejection, and makes a strong argument for the relevance for today of a broader, more cultural concept of alienation. This is a strong collection, broad in nature and with scholarly depth, that should appeal to a wide audience while also finding use in undergraduate and graduate courses in theory, social problems, and other core areas of sociology. -- Kevin B. Anderson, Purdue University
For anyone who believes 'alienation' refers to the disempowering awareness of being an outsider in a society where everyone else acts as if they belong. This fine collection argues persuasively that it is the society that doesn't 'belong', and that 'alienation' plays a crucial role in helping us to understand why, and, with a little help from our friends, to exchange our alienating society for something far better. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. -- Bertell Ollman, New York University, and author of Alienation: Marx's Conception of Man in Capitalist Society
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Does Alienation Have a Future? Recapturing the Core of Critical Theory Chapter 3 New Technologies and Alienation: Some Critical Reflections Chapter 4 Embodiment and Communication: Alienation, Genetics, and Computing. What Does It Mean to Be Human? Chapter 5 Authority Fetishism and the Manichaean Vision: Stigma, Stereotyping, and Charisma as Keys to Pseudo-Orientation in an Estranged Society Chapter 6 When Alienation Turns Right: Populist Conspiracism, the Apocalyptic Style, and Neo-Fascist Movements Chapter 7 Lonely Privilege in Despair: Aiming for Unfeigned Hope Chapter 8 Globalization, Alienation, and Identity: A Critical Approach Chapter 9 Alienation Incorporated: "F—- the Mainstream Music" in the Mainstream Chapter 10 The Final Indignity: The Commodification of Alienation Chapter 11 Alienation and the Cosmos Chapter 12 Alienated Communities: Between Aloneness and Connectedness Chapter 13 Loving Alienation: The Contradictions of Domestic Work Chapter 14 "Plain Talk": Producing and Reproducing Alienation
