A Call to Dissent
Defending Democracy Against Extremism and Populism
Published on 4. May 2022
Book
Hardback
216 pages
978-1-4744-9494-6 (ISBN)
Description
Dogmatism, prejudice and bigotry are becoming ever more evident on the contemporary political scene and dissent is one of their main targets. The Politics of Dissent explores the negative impact this shift is having on public life, with radically-oriented governments striving to close down dissenting voices in both their political opponents and the mainstream media. It defends dissent as a critical element in the democratic process which ought to be encouraged instead of allowing ourselves to fall into an state of despair, as is increasingly occurring on the political left in the face of the dramatic rise of right-wing populism. The concept is explored in a wide sense to identify how it works in philosophy, religion, science and the arts as well as in politics.
Reviews / Votes
The book is an extended polemic urging an attitude and a practice of dissent in politics, religion, science, aesthetics, and even one's own self-understanding. Sim (critical theory, Northumbria Univ., UK) writes from a general postmodern perspective represented prominently by Derrida and Lyotard, but the book can be read profitably by those with any nondogmatic perspective. Summing Up: Recommended. Undergraduates and general readers. -- H. Oberdiek * CHOICE * This is a vital book from a recognised, esteemed authority in the area of philosophy, and political and cultural studies. Not only does it provide an invaluable and acute analysis of our contemporary political situation, but by sounding a warning against a culture of complaisance, it issues an invitation to dissent, which is the animating principle of all democracy. -- Keith Crome, Manchester Metropolitan UniversityMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Edinburgh
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
395 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4744-9494-6 (9781474494946)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
05/2022
1st Edition
Edinburgh University Press
€19.49
Available for download
E-Book
05/2022
1st Edition
Edinburgh University Press
€19.49
Available for download
Person
Stuart Sim is retired Professor of Critical Theory at Northumbria University. He has published widely on critical theory, and is a Fellow of the English Association. Amongst his recent publications are The Lyotard Dictionary (2011), Addicted to Profit: Reclaiming Our Lives from the Free Market (2012), Fifty Key Postmodern Thinkers (2013), and, with Brett Wilson and Barbara Hawkins (eds) Art, Science & Cultural Understanding (2014).
Content
Dissent Under Threat
The State and Dissent: The Limits of Democracy
The Philosophy of Dissent
Religious Dissent
Dissent in the Sciences
Aesthetic Dissent
Internal Dissent: The Case for Self-Critique
The State and Dissent: The Limits of Democracy
The Philosophy of Dissent
Religious Dissent
Dissent in the Sciences
Aesthetic Dissent
Internal Dissent: The Case for Self-Critique