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A Weapon in the Struggle: The Cultural History of the Communist Party in Britain
by Andy Croft‘Andy Croft’s amalgam of essays on some of the dimensions of culture pursued and generated by British communists during give decades of this century, from the twenties through to the sixties, makes compulsive reading ... a lively and provocative collection.’ Tribune*BR**BR*For over seventy years, the Communist Party of Great Britain had an extraordinary impact on British cultural life, exercising an influence quite out of proportion to its size or political importance. Many art forms were revitalised, others profoundly changed, new ones established or shaped by groups and individuals associated with the party, who brought to the realm of cultural production – whether in music, film, theatre or literature – a dynamism and vision that helped to lay the foundations for a new radical culture, a progressive avant garde in which the struggle was always to produce a culture for and of the people, in the front line of the battle of ideas.*BR**BR*The distinguished contributors to this volume – the first serious study of the subject – draw on new research to recover the fascinating histories of the artists, poets, musicians, film-makers and cultural visionaries of the period, placing them in a broader historical context and providing an invaluable introduction to British social and cultural history in the twentieth century. *BR*
Looking for Harlem: Urban Aesthetics in African-American Literature
by Maria BalshawTaking the incredible flowering of African-American literature in the 1920s as its starting point, Looking for Harlem offers a cogent and persuasive new reading of a diverse range of twentieth-century black American writing. *BR**BR*From the streets, subways, hotels and cabarets of New York's Harlem and Chicago's Southside, Maria Balshaw moves beyond the canon to encompass often neglected writing by Rudolph Fisher, Wallace Thurman and Claude McKay, as well as the more familiar work of Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison, Nella Larsen and Toni Morrison. In a provocative revision of African-American literary history, Balshaw examines the creation of an ‘urban aesthetic’ and explores the links between the engagement with the city and fictional reconstructions of racial identity and race writing. Focusing on the material culture of the city, the visual sense of the urban environment, the class dynamics of urban culture and the crucial importance of consumerism, this study presents a critically astute, challenging and very welcome new approach to a much-studied area of contemporary American fiction.
Capital, Class & Technology in Contemporary American Culture: Projecting Post-Fordism
by Nick HeffernanIn the tradition of Mike Davis and Fredric Jameson, Nick Heffernan engages in a series of meditations on capital, class and technology in contemporary America. *BR**BR*He turns to the stories we generate and tell ourselves - via fiction, film journalism, theory - to see how change is registered. By investigating a variety of texts, he observes how structural change affects the way people organise their lives economically, socially and culturally. Case studies include Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, William Gibson's cyberspace trilogy, Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49, and Wim Wenders's Until the End of the World.*BR**BR*Using the links between narrative cultural forms and the process of historical understanding, he brings together debates that have so far been conducted largely within the separate domains of political economy, social theory and cultural criticism to provide a compelling analysis of contemporary cultural change. By relocating postmodernism in the context of changing modes of capitalism, Heffernan puts the question of class and class agency back at the centre of the critical agenda.
Alain Badiou: A Critical Introduction (Modern European Thinkers)
by Jason BarkerAlain Badiou is rapidly emerging as one of the most radical and influential philosophers of our time. Badiou opposes the contemporary reduction of philosophy to nothing but a matter of language and premature announcements of the end of philosophy and thus sets himself against both analytic and continental modes of philosophy.*BR**BR*Setting the traditional platonic concerns of philosophy, truth and being, against the modern sophists of postmodernism, Badiou has articulated a powerful systematic philosophy with profound ethical and political consequences.
Walter Benjamin: Overpowering Conformism (Modern European Thinkers)
by Esther LeslieEsther Leslie's path-breaking study of Walter Benjamin is unlike any other book presently available in English on Benjamin, in seeking to make a case for a more politicised reading of Benjamin's oeuvre. In looking at the entirety of Benjamin's work - rather than the four or five essays available in English which tend to form the Benjamin 'canon' - Leslie offers powerful new insights into a key twentieth-century political thinker, correcting the post-structuralist bias that has characterised so much Benjamin scholarship, and repositioning Benjamin's work in its historical and political context. *BR**BR*In her examination of Benjamin's commentary on the politics and aesthetics of technology - from Benjamin's work on nineteenth-century industrial culture to his analyses of the Nazi deployment of the bomber - Esther Leslie re-contextualises Benjamin's writings in a lucid and cogently argued new study.
Sade: The Libertine Novels
by John Phillips'A fine addition to Sadean studies.’ Gaëtan Brulotte, Professor of French, University of South Florida*BR**BR*This is a lively and accessible introduction to the Marquis de Sade's four most notorious novels: 120 Days of Sodom, Philosophy in the Boudoir, Justine and Juliette. Informed by a wide range of contemporary theories, John Phillips’s controversial study challenges conventional perspectives on the notorious 'pornographer' and suggests new ways of reading his most shocking narratives. Setting all four novels in their historical and biographical context, Phillips provides a comprehensive and highly readable analysis of works that have exercised an enormous influence on literature, art and cinema in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. *BR**BR*Clearly written and accessible to the general reader, this study provides an indispensable guide to the creative achievements of the libertine’s libertine.
Deconstructing Disney
by Eleanor Byrne Martin McQuillanDemonising Disney is nothing new. Disney films have long been synonymous with a certain conservative, patriarchal, heterosexual ideology, occupying a centre-stage position at the heart of the evil empire. Deconstructing Disney takes issue with knee-jerk polarities, overturning classical oppositions and recognising that, just as the Disney 'text' has changed, so too must the terms of critical engagement. *BR**BR*This book is a sharply focused deconstruction of the political culture - and the cultural politics - of the Disney canon in the years since the emergence of the so-called New World Order. Eleanor Byrne and Martin McQuillan offer a critical encounter with Disney which alternates between readings of individual texts and wider thematic concerns such as race, gender and sexuality, the broader context of American contemporary culture, and the global ambitions and insularity of the last great superpower. The movies discussed include The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Pocohontas, Snow White, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Dumbo, Peter Pan, The Jungle Book, Hercules and Mulan.
Global Expansion: Britain and Its Empire, 18701914
by Willie ThompsonIn this clear and concise reassessment of British imperialism, Willie Thompson examines the underlying social, economic and political forces that facilitated expansion during the key period of 1870-1914. *BR**BR*Relating colonial expansion to both domestic politics and international relations, his book identifies the shifts in world economic and political relationships, especially the challenge from an emergent German Reich, as the driving forces behind the fresh burst of expansionist energy during the period.*BR**BR*Willie Thompson considers in detail the relations with the British state and various types of colony, from the semi-autonomous settlement colonies to wholly subordinated African territories and semi-colonies such as China and the Ottoman Empire. The impact of imperial ideology on British society and culture, both official and popular, and on political perceptions is explored, as is the structure of international relations and tensions generated by this phase of imperialism.
Georges Bataille: A Critical Introduction (Modern European Thinkers)
by Benjamin NoysThis is a guide to the life and work of the French intellectual Georges Bataille, best known as the author of the celebrated erotic novel, The Story of the Eye. Benjamin Noys introduces Bataille as a writer out of step with the dominant intellectual trends of his day - surrealism and existentialism - and shows that it was his very marginality that accounted in large part for his subsequent importance for the post-structuralists and the counterculture, in Europe and in the United States.*BR**BR*Treating Bataille's work as a whole rather than focusing, as other studies have done, on aspects of his work (i.e. as social theory or philosophy), Noys' study is intended to be sensitive to the needs of students new to Bataille's work while at the same time drawing on the latest research on Bataille to offer new interpretations of Bataille's oeuvre for more experienced readers. This is the first clear, introductory reading of Bataille in English - challenging current reductive readings, and stressing the range of disciplines affected by Bataille's work, at a time when interest in Bataille is growing.
Rhythms of Resistance: African Musical Heritage in Brazil
by Peter FryerAfrican rhythms are at the heart of contemporary black Brazilian music. Surveying a musical legacy that encompasses over 400 years, Rhythms of Resistance traces the development of this rich cultural heritage. *BR**BR*Acclaimed author Peter Fryer describes how slaves, mariners and merchants brought African music from Angola and the ports of East Africa to Latin America. In particular, they brought it to Brazil – today the country with the largest black population of any outside Africa. Fryer examines how the rhythms and beats of Africa were combined with European popular music to create a unique sound and dance tradition. Fryer focuses on the political nature of this musical crossover and the role of an African heritage in the cultural identity of Brazilian blacks today.*BR**BR*Rhythms of Resistance is an absorbing account of a theme in global music and is rich in fascinating historical detail.
Straight Power Concepts in the Middle East: US Foreign Policy, Israel and World History
by Gregory HarmsHow did the US become a world power? How did it become involved in the Middle East? What is the history and nature of its 'special relationship' with Israel?*BR**BR*Given the increase in tensions in the Middle East, and the United States' involvement in them, news coverage is in abundance. Yet, the reportage and discussion of American foreign policy is often narrow in scope, offering little background or context. And yet, the historical record sharply contrasts with reportage. Guiding the reader through a panoramic sweep of world and American history, we see how the US became a world power, how the Middle East became 'modern' and how Israel became an American 'strategic asset.' Disavowing the rhetoric commonly used by heads of state, press secretaries, news media, and commentators, we see how recent turmoil is closer to business-as-usual.
Power, Profit and Prestige: A History of American Imperial Expansion
by Philip S. GolubFrom the American Revolution, and the signing of the Declaration of Independence, to the waning popularity of the Iraq war, Philip Golub depicts the long American journey to global ascendancy. *BR**BR*Through the study of imperial identity formation, Golub shows how a culture of force and expansion has shaped American foreign policy. Taking a historical and sociological approach to his examination of the US logic of world power, he reveals how entrenched assumptions about America’s primacy inhibits democratic transformation at domestic and international levels, forging a new world where America is no longer able to set the global agenda.
@ is for Activism: Dissent, Resistance and Rebellion in a Digital Culture
by Joss HandsHow have politics and activism been transformed by digital media, including digital television, online social networking and mobile computing?*BR**BR*Since the emergence of new technologies, new modes of cooperation, deliberation and representation have risen to the fore, @ is for Activism maps out how political relationships have been reconfigured and new have emerged through the use of new technologies. A host of critical thinkers populate the study, from Martin Heidegger and Herbert Marcuse criticism of technology's close relation to capitalism, to media networks' actualising the Habermasian ideal of collective communicative action, Hands delineates the potentials and the pitfalls of a technologised politics. *BR**BR*From anti-war activism, to global justice movements, peer production and 'Twitter' activism, we see how politics is being shaped by the new technological environment.
Financial Alchemy in Crisis: The Great Liquidity Illusion
by Anastasia NesvetailovaIn July 2007, the combination of a seemingly unstoppable rise in house prices and bullish banks swimming in liquidity meant that almost anyone could get a mortgage in the UK or US. Little more than a month later the supply of credit dried up practically overnight, leaving the world wondering how bank liquidity could suddenly vanish.*BR**BR*In Financial Alchemy, Anastasia Nesvetailova shows that this liquidity never actually existed. The rise of sophisticated financial instruments created what appeared to be an abundance of liquid funds but was in fact a credit pyramid. As soon as house prices stopped rising the reality was exposed. *BR**BR*Nesvetailova's bold and radical analysis explains why the credit crisis was an inevitable consequence of entrusting the world economy to financiers who believe that they can 'create' money and wealth.
Ideologies in the Age of Extremes: Liberalism, Conservatism, Communism, Fascism 1914-1991
by Willie ThompsonThis is a history of political ideologies during the period from the First World War to the collapse of the Soviet Union, famously described by Eric Hobsbawm as 'The Age of Extremes'.*BR**BR*By introducing the key ideologies of the twentieth-century: liberalism, conservatism, communism and fascism, and considering them in in relation to each other, Willie Thompson shows how these philosophies often emerged from a common root or merged into a common future, stealing each other’s clothes and reinventing themselves as the stark opposite of a competing ideology. *BR**BR*This sophisticated yet accessible analysis will be of great interest to students of 20th century history and political theory.
Out of the Frame: The Struggle for Academic Freedom in Israel
by Ilan PappeIlan Pappe has long been a controversial figure in Israel, here; he gives a full account of his break with mainstream Israeli scholarship and its consequences. *BR**BR*Growing up in a conventional Israeli community and influenced by the utopian visions of Theodor Herzl, Pappe was barely aware of the Nakba in his high school years. This intellectual biography traces his journey of discovery, from the whispers of Palestinian classmates, to his realisation that the 'enemy's' narrative of 1948 was correct, and his vow to protect the memory of the Nakba. For the first time he gives the details of the formidable opposition he faced in Israel, including death threats fed by the media, denunciations by the Knesset and calls for him to be sacked from his post at Haifa university.*BR**BR*This revealing work, written with dignity and humour, highlights Israel's difficulty in facing up to its past and forging a peaceful, inclusive future in Palestine.
Dark Matter: Art and Politics in the Age of Enterprise Culture (Marxism and Culture)
by Gregory SholetteArt is big business, with some artists able to command huge sums of money for their works, while the vast majority are ignored or dismissed by critics. This book shows that these marginalised artists, the 'dark matter' of the art world, are essential to the survival of the mainstream and that they frequently organize in opposition to it.*BR**BR*Gregory Sholette, a politically engaged artist, argues that imagination and creativity in the art world originate thrive in the non-commercial sector shut off from prestigious galleries and champagne receptions. This broader creative culture feeds the mainstream with new forms and styles that can be commodified and used to sustain the few artists admitted into the elite.*BR**BR*This dependency, and the advent of inexpensive communication, audio and video technology, has allowed this 'dark matter' of the alternative art world to increasingly subvert the mainstream and intervene politically as both new and old forms of non-capitalist, public art. This book is essential for anyone interested in interventionist art, collectivism, and the political economy of the art world.
The Political Economy of Israel's Occupation: Repression Beyond Exploitation
by Shir HeverThe Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories since 1967 has many important economic aspects that are often overlooked. In this highly original book, Shir Hever shows that understanding the economic dimensions of the occupation is crucial to unravelling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.*BR**BR*Hever rejects the premise that Israel keeps control over Palestinian territories for material gain, and also the premise that Israel is merely defending itself from Palestinian aggression. Instead, he argues that the occupation has reached an impasse, with the Palestinian resistance making exploitation of the Palestinians by Israeli business interests difficult, but the Israeli authorities reluctant to give up control.*BR**BR*With traditional economic analysis failing to explain this turn of events, this book will be invaluable for students, activists and journalists struggling to make sense of the complex issues surrounding Israel's occupation.
Hobsbawm: History and Politics
by Gregory ElliottFrom the early rumblings of the French revolution, at the start of the long nineteenth century, to the fall of the Soviet bloc at the close of the short twentieth century, historian Eric Hobsbawm is possibly the foremost chronicler of the modern age.*BR**BR*Hobsbawm was a chronicler of revolutions, labour history, Empire, and conflicts; whose writings have informed the historical consciousness of scholars and general readers alike. From colonialism to capitalism, his trilogy of histories, The Age of Revolution, The Age of Capital and The Age of Empire, evidence his skill for identifying the plurality of forces at play in major historical events. Tracing his intellectual and political journey, and encompassing the extraordinary historical events that marked his life, Gregory Elliot fills an analytical gap on Hobsbawm's scholarship and Marxist historiography.
The Roman Empire: Roots of Imperialism (Roots of Imperialism)
by Neville MorleyOver a millennium after the end of its unrivalled dominance, the spectre of Rome figures highly in western culture. This book explores what the empire meant to its subjects.*BR**BR*The idea of Rome has long outlived the physical empire that gave it form, and now holds sway over vastly more people and a far greater geographical area than the Romans ever ruled. It continues to shape our understanding of the nature of imperialism and influence the workings of the world. It is through the lens of Rome that we answer questions such as: How do empires grow? How are empires ruled? Do empires exploit their subjects or civilise them? Rejecting the simplistic narrative of military triumph followed by decline and fall, the books analyses the origins of Roman imperialism, its wide-ranging impact on the regions it conquered, and its continuing influence in debates about modern imperialism.
My Life in the PLO: The Inside Story of the Palestinian Struggle
by Shafiq Al-HoutThis is the inside story of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), from its beginnings in 1964 to the signing of the Oslo agreement in 1993.*BR**BR*For over three decades, the main goal of the PLO was to achieve a just peace in the Arab-Israeli conflict, and to build a democratic state in Palestine for all its citizens. Shafiq Al-Hout, a high ranking PLO official until his resignation in 1993, provides previously unavailable details on the key events in its history such as its recognition by the UN and the Oslo peace negotiations. Analysing and criticising decisions and individuals, including Yasser Arafat, we are taken right to the heart of the decision making processes; our eyes opened to the personalities and internal politics that shaped the PLO's actions and the Palestinian experience of the twentieth century.*BR**BR*An essential piece of history that sheds new light on the significance of the PLO in the Palestinian struggle for justice.
Rosa Luxemburg: Selected Writings (Get Political)
by Rosa LuxemburgRosa Luxemburg's writings reveal one of the most brilliant and passionate minds drawn to the revolutionary socialist movement. Through the letters, pamphlets and theorising, we see an outstanding social and economic theorist, a dedicated political activist and a devoted confidant. *BR**BR*Providing an extensive overview of her writings, this volume contains a number of items never before anthologised. Her work was broad in scope tackling capitalism and socialism; globalisation and imperialism; history; war and peace; social struggles, trade unions, political parties; class, gender, race; the interconnection of humanity with the natural environment. The editors provide an extensive and informative introduction outlining and evaluating her life and thought.*BR**BR*This is the most comprehensive introduction to the range of Rosa Luxemburg's thought.
Hamas: A Beginner's Guide
by Khaled HroubWhat is Hamas's history; its key beliefs; and its political agenda? From its' founding, following the First Intifada, to the 2008 Israeli Gaza offensive, Khaled Hroub writes this indispensable introduction to Hamas. *BR**BR*The book encompasses all major events, including the January 2006 elections, the ever-evolving relationship with Fatah, and the Gaza war, in addition to providing insight into Hamas's ideology by studying their charter, their socio-economic strategies and their outlook on Israel. Explaining the reasons for Hamas's popularity, Hroub provides the key facts often missing from news reports. *BR**BR*The reality of Hamas's victory means that the West will now have to engage with it more seriously if there is to be peace in the Middle East. This book provides the first essential step towards a better understanding of the challenges and surprises that the future may hold.
Understanding the Somalia Conflagration: Identity, Political Islam and Peacebuilding
by Afyare Abdi ElmiIs peace-building in Somalia possible? Devastated by a US-backed Ethiopian invasion and years of civil war, Somalia has long been without a central government, against this background of violence and instability, Somali academic Afyare Abdi Elmi, explains the multiple dimensions of the conflict, seeking a peace-building consensus.*BR**BR*Somalia is a failed state and a Muslim state, a combination the West assumes means it's a breeding ground for extremism. Coupled with the country's reputation as a piracy hotspot, this combination of internal division and outside interference makes for an intensely hostile landscape. Elmi shows that only by addressing the problem of the statelessness in the country can the long process of peace begin. He highlights clan identities, Islam and other countries in the region as the key elements in any peace-building effort; setting out a path for the international community to follow.
Europe's Alliance with Israel: Aiding the Occupation
by David CroninIn carefully crafted official statements, the European Union presents itself as an honest broker in the Middle East. In reality, however, the EU's 27 governments have been engaged in a long process of accommodating Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories.*BR**BR*Journalist David Cronin interrogates the relationship and its outcomes. A recent agreement for 'more intense, more fruitful, more influential co-operation' between the EU and Israel has meant that Israel has become a member state of the Union in all but name. Cronin shows that rather than using this relationship to encourage Israeli restraint, the EU has legitimised actions such as the ill-treatment of prisoners and the Gaza invasion.*BR**BR*Concluding his revealing and shocking account, Cronin calls for a continuation and deepening of international activism and protest to halt the EU's slide into complicity.