Social Decay and Transformation
A View from the Left
Published on 21. June 2000
Book
Hardback
200 pages
978-0-7391-0113-1 (ISBN)
Description
In Social Decay and Transformation social and political critic Samuel Farber presents an analysis of social decline that has been missing from the contemporary scene: a view from the Left, one which draws from the ideas and traditions of the Enlightenment's left wing. Using a comparative approach to situate his theoretical conclusions in historical circumstances, Farber looks at the working class and temperance movements, civil rights rebellions and the Black Panthers, and the cultural revolutions of 1920s Russia and the Bolsheviks. Providing carefully reasoned interrogations of contemporary thinkers such as James C. Scott and Robin D. G. Kelley, Farber clarifies the discussions on social decay currently taking place, adding an important voice of the Left to the current debate.
Reviews / Votes
Social Decay and Transformation deserves serious attention from those activists and engaged intellectuals who are interested in constructing that kind of left. * New Politics * The left cannot ignore the growing social decay. It must provide rational answers for the immediate future and long-term answers leading beyond the confines of existing society. With this book, closely reasoned and well-argued but also full of contained political passion, Sam Farber makes an important contribution to our search for a radical alternative. * The Nation *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 16 mm
Weight
381 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7391-0113-1 (9780739101131)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Samuel Farber is Professor of Political Science at Brooklyn College. He is the author of Before Stalinism: The Rise and Fall of Soviet Democracy (1990) and Revolution and Reaction in Cuba, 1933-1960 (1976).
Content
Chapter 1 Introduction Part 2 Social Decay Chapter 3 Social Decay and the Left Chapter 4 Aspects of Social Decay: Civility and Civic Participation Chapter 5 Aspects of Social Decay: Civility and Manners Chapter 6 Social Decay and the Working Class: The Many Faces of Temperance Chapter 7 Responses to Social Decay: A Case Study of the Black Panthers Part 8 Social Transformation and Reason Chapter 9 Resistance Without Political Ideas: A Closer Look at James C. Scott Chapter 10 The Perils of Political "Romanticism": A Closer Look at Robin D. G. Kelley Chapter 11 The Russian Twenties: Cultural Revolution as Enlightenment