Ira Katznelson
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780198279242
- eISBN:
- 9780191601910
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198279248.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
The most important urban studies within Marxism since the 1960s are examined by looking at the work of Henri Lefebvre, David Harvey, and Manuel Castells, the three most influential recent students of ...
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The most important urban studies within Marxism since the 1960s are examined by looking at the work of Henri Lefebvre, David Harvey, and Manuel Castells, the three most influential recent students of Marxism and the city, who, through the study of the city, have introduced space into the core of one or more of Marxism's three projects. By examining their work, it is possible to assess the current status of the respatialized Marxism they have tried to fashion, and this post‐1960s Marxism of the city has shown how Marxist social theory can powerfully illuminate things urban, and also how an explicitly urban focus can strengthen Marxism as social and empirical theory. The work accomplished in the past quarter‐century has treated Marx's project of understanding epochal change mainly as background to more current events, although it has successfully elaborated and deepened his project of the analysis of capitalism as an economic system. However, in spite of much effort, it has contributed only unsteadily to Marx's project of a social theory for capitalist societies. The limitations of these Marxist urban studies are identified as being due principally to a certain narrowness of subject matter, a lack of engagement with history, and a restrictive treatment of the issues central to, but difficult for, Marxist social theory: base and superstructure, structure and agency, and causal determination, which neither Harvey nor Castells tackled persuasively in their later work in the 1980s.Less
The most important urban studies within Marxism since the 1960s are examined by looking at the work of Henri Lefebvre, David Harvey, and Manuel Castells, the three most influential recent students of Marxism and the city, who, through the study of the city, have introduced space into the core of one or more of Marxism's three projects. By examining their work, it is possible to assess the current status of the respatialized Marxism they have tried to fashion, and this post‐1960s Marxism of the city has shown how Marxist social theory can powerfully illuminate things urban, and also how an explicitly urban focus can strengthen Marxism as social and empirical theory. The work accomplished in the past quarter‐century has treated Marx's project of understanding epochal change mainly as background to more current events, although it has successfully elaborated and deepened his project of the analysis of capitalism as an economic system. However, in spite of much effort, it has contributed only unsteadily to Marx's project of a social theory for capitalist societies. The limitations of these Marxist urban studies are identified as being due principally to a certain narrowness of subject matter, a lack of engagement with history, and a restrictive treatment of the issues central to, but difficult for, Marxist social theory: base and superstructure, structure and agency, and causal determination, which neither Harvey nor Castells tackled persuasively in their later work in the 1980s.
Jane Whittle
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198208426
- eISBN:
- 9780191677991
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198208426.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History
This chapter focuses on the academic debate about the transition from pre-capitalist society and economy to capitalism. This debate, known as the ...
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This chapter focuses on the academic debate about the transition from pre-capitalist society and economy to capitalism. This debate, known as the transition debate, has produced a variety of complex and challenging theoretical schemes for understanding how long-term economic change occurs in the society.Less
This chapter focuses on the academic debate about the transition from pre-capitalist society and economy to capitalism. This debate, known as the transition debate, has produced a variety of complex and challenging theoretical schemes for understanding how long-term economic change occurs in the society.
Kevin W. Capehart and Jon D. Wisman
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780197264980
- eISBN:
- 9780191754135
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264980.003.0002
- Subject:
- Sociology, Health, Illness, and Medicine
The past three decades have witnessed a substantial increase in insecurity and stress as capitalism's creative destruction has become ever-more pervasive. A link between insecurity, stress and ...
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The past three decades have witnessed a substantial increase in insecurity and stress as capitalism's creative destruction has become ever-more pervasive. A link between insecurity, stress and obesity is strongly suggested by the negative social gradient of obesity. This chapter begins with a survey of the dominant explanations of the obesity epidemic and their limitations. The second section surveys research that is supportive of a relationship between insecurity, stress and obesity. The third section provides evidence of the rise of insecurity and stress as creative destruction has gathered momentum over the past three decades. The fourth section examines the anomalously stable obesity rates between 1960 and 1980. The fifth section notes evidence of the worldwide relationship between rising insecurity and obesity. The chapter concludes with a reflection that, should the argument be correct, the obesity epidemic may be symptomatic of a social disorder in modern capitalist society.Less
The past three decades have witnessed a substantial increase in insecurity and stress as capitalism's creative destruction has become ever-more pervasive. A link between insecurity, stress and obesity is strongly suggested by the negative social gradient of obesity. This chapter begins with a survey of the dominant explanations of the obesity epidemic and their limitations. The second section surveys research that is supportive of a relationship between insecurity, stress and obesity. The third section provides evidence of the rise of insecurity and stress as creative destruction has gathered momentum over the past three decades. The fourth section examines the anomalously stable obesity rates between 1960 and 1980. The fifth section notes evidence of the worldwide relationship between rising insecurity and obesity. The chapter concludes with a reflection that, should the argument be correct, the obesity epidemic may be symptomatic of a social disorder in modern capitalist society.
G. A. Cohen
Jonathan Wolff (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691149004
- eISBN:
- 9781400848713
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691149004.003.0009
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
This chapter defends Karl Marx against the criticism that he lacks the right to regard his theory as true, insisting that he had the right to think that he was right. To this end, it advances four ...
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This chapter defends Karl Marx against the criticism that he lacks the right to regard his theory as true, insisting that he had the right to think that he was right. To this end, it advances four arguments intended to show that if Marx's theory serves and represents the working class, then it is reasonable to think that it is correct. The first argument relates to Marx's thinking that every class which makes a revolution does so in order to advance its own material interests; the second deals with the suffering of the proletariat in capitalist society; the third concerns the workers' revolutionary struggle, a socialist revolution; and the fourth argument is based on the premise that when a class is secure in its position it needs no illusions. The chapter also considers Reinhold Niebuhr's views on how the proletariat can effect its revolution.Less
This chapter defends Karl Marx against the criticism that he lacks the right to regard his theory as true, insisting that he had the right to think that he was right. To this end, it advances four arguments intended to show that if Marx's theory serves and represents the working class, then it is reasonable to think that it is correct. The first argument relates to Marx's thinking that every class which makes a revolution does so in order to advance its own material interests; the second deals with the suffering of the proletariat in capitalist society; the third concerns the workers' revolutionary struggle, a socialist revolution; and the fourth argument is based on the premise that when a class is secure in its position it needs no illusions. The chapter also considers Reinhold Niebuhr's views on how the proletariat can effect its revolution.
Albert O. Hirschman
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691159904
- eISBN:
- 9781400848409
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691159904.003.0009
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Theory
This chapter takes up several critiques on the early nineteenth-century social and economic order—capitalism—and their interrelations. First, the chapter shows the close relationship and direct ...
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This chapter takes up several critiques on the early nineteenth-century social and economic order—capitalism—and their interrelations. First, the chapter shows the close relationship and direct contradiction between an early argument in favor of market society and a subsequent principal critique of capitalism. Next, the chapter points to the contradictions between this critique and another diagnosis of the ills from which much of modern capitalist society is said to suffer. And finally the tables are turned on this second critique by yet another set of ideas. In all three cases, the chapter reveals an almost total lack of communication between the conflicting theses.Less
This chapter takes up several critiques on the early nineteenth-century social and economic order—capitalism—and their interrelations. First, the chapter shows the close relationship and direct contradiction between an early argument in favor of market society and a subsequent principal critique of capitalism. Next, the chapter points to the contradictions between this critique and another diagnosis of the ills from which much of modern capitalist society is said to suffer. And finally the tables are turned on this second critique by yet another set of ideas. In all three cases, the chapter reveals an almost total lack of communication between the conflicting theses.
Valerie Bryson
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9781861347503
- eISBN:
- 9781447302391
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781861347503.003.0003
- Subject:
- Sociology, Gender and Sexuality
This chapter looks at how people spend their time in capitalist societies today. Focusing first on free time as a scarce resource, it considers how this should be distributed and whether citizens' ...
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This chapter looks at how people spend their time in capitalist societies today. Focusing first on free time as a scarce resource, it considers how this should be distributed and whether citizens' lack of time is damaging political life, before exploring recent research on ‘time-use regimes’. The final section considers whether long-hours working is an inevitable product of capitalist competition or whether it can be resisted; despite the increased pressures of global competition, it finds some grounds for optimism.Less
This chapter looks at how people spend their time in capitalist societies today. Focusing first on free time as a scarce resource, it considers how this should be distributed and whether citizens' lack of time is damaging political life, before exploring recent research on ‘time-use regimes’. The final section considers whether long-hours working is an inevitable product of capitalist competition or whether it can be resisted; despite the increased pressures of global competition, it finds some grounds for optimism.
Valerie Bryson
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9781861347503
- eISBN:
- 9781447302391
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781861347503.003.0002
- Subject:
- Sociology, Gender and Sexuality
The idea that time has variable meanings leads into this chapter's more detailed discussion of time cultures and the establishment of the commodified clock time of capitalist societies. While this ...
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The idea that time has variable meanings leads into this chapter's more detailed discussion of time cultures and the establishment of the commodified clock time of capitalist societies. While this operates as a form of control on a global scale, the chapter also finds that ‘other’ times persist, and that resisting the dominant time culture can be an important political act. It also considers Emile Durkheim's views on the social functions of time, traditional to modern time, modern time to postmodern times, issues of power and control, and resisting capitalist time.Less
The idea that time has variable meanings leads into this chapter's more detailed discussion of time cultures and the establishment of the commodified clock time of capitalist societies. While this operates as a form of control on a global scale, the chapter also finds that ‘other’ times persist, and that resisting the dominant time culture can be an important political act. It also considers Emile Durkheim's views on the social functions of time, traditional to modern time, modern time to postmodern times, issues of power and control, and resisting capitalist time.
Leonore Davidoff
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199546480
- eISBN:
- 9780191730993
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199546480.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Social History, Family History
The theme of this book is the kinship relationships that were central to nineteenth‐century nascent capitalist society. The middle classes were at the forefront of this development, but as yet only a ...
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The theme of this book is the kinship relationships that were central to nineteenth‐century nascent capitalist society. The middle classes were at the forefront of this development, but as yet only a rudimentary reliable financial and legal infrastructure existed. It was their extensive kinship networks that provided the capital, personnel, skills, and contacts crucial for expanding commercial and professional enterprises. While this was characteristic of the Western middle strata ‐ Protestant and Catholic alike ‐ this study concentrates on Great Britain with some reference to other countries where appropriate. Part I examines kinship relations and how they have been understood. It raises the question of why siblings in particular have been neglected until the last few decades. Part II provides a brief description of British middle‐class life and the structure and culture of large families. The following chapters cover sibling relationships from childhood through adult life, especially the differential experiences of sisters and brothers. It includes a chapter on aunts, uncles, and cousins. A wide range of examples is used encompassing ordinary as well as well‐known people. Sources include oral histories and data from the 1881 census. Part III is a series of essays on aspects of these relationships: sibling incest; cousin marriage; the impact of seniority and gender in the lives of William Gladstone and his sisters; an examination of Sigmund Freud’s relationships to his siblings; the effect of sibling loss. The book concludes with a brief discussion of the relevance of these themes for our contemporary world.Less
The theme of this book is the kinship relationships that were central to nineteenth‐century nascent capitalist society. The middle classes were at the forefront of this development, but as yet only a rudimentary reliable financial and legal infrastructure existed. It was their extensive kinship networks that provided the capital, personnel, skills, and contacts crucial for expanding commercial and professional enterprises. While this was characteristic of the Western middle strata ‐ Protestant and Catholic alike ‐ this study concentrates on Great Britain with some reference to other countries where appropriate. Part I examines kinship relations and how they have been understood. It raises the question of why siblings in particular have been neglected until the last few decades. Part II provides a brief description of British middle‐class life and the structure and culture of large families. The following chapters cover sibling relationships from childhood through adult life, especially the differential experiences of sisters and brothers. It includes a chapter on aunts, uncles, and cousins. A wide range of examples is used encompassing ordinary as well as well‐known people. Sources include oral histories and data from the 1881 census. Part III is a series of essays on aspects of these relationships: sibling incest; cousin marriage; the impact of seniority and gender in the lives of William Gladstone and his sisters; an examination of Sigmund Freud’s relationships to his siblings; the effect of sibling loss. The book concludes with a brief discussion of the relevance of these themes for our contemporary world.
Eugene W. Holland
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748623419
- eISBN:
- 9780748652389
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748623419.003.0009
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General
This chapter examines Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari's concept of desire as it figures in schizoanalysis, and addresses the issues of affective citizenship and Death-State. It explores how ...
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This chapter examines Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari's concept of desire as it figures in schizoanalysis, and addresses the issues of affective citizenship and Death-State. It explores how economic and familial determinations in a modern capitalist society reinforce one another and state politics along with it, and argues that the sovereign state is long gone, and that what prevails in its place is the biopower state. The chapter explains that the biopower state represses death in order fully to exploit the production of surplus, which capital in turn appropriates in order to generate more capital, and shows the connection between the Death-State and the current war on terrorism.Less
This chapter examines Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari's concept of desire as it figures in schizoanalysis, and addresses the issues of affective citizenship and Death-State. It explores how economic and familial determinations in a modern capitalist society reinforce one another and state politics along with it, and argues that the sovereign state is long gone, and that what prevails in its place is the biopower state. The chapter explains that the biopower state represses death in order fully to exploit the production of surplus, which capital in turn appropriates in order to generate more capital, and shows the connection between the Death-State and the current war on terrorism.
Valerie Bryson
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9781861347503
- eISBN:
- 9781447302391
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781861347503.003.0009
- Subject:
- Sociology, Gender and Sexuality
This chapter considers whether quantitative time-use studies support feminist claims that women's unpaid work represents a major economic contribution in capitalist societies, that they continue to ...
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This chapter considers whether quantitative time-use studies support feminist claims that women's unpaid work represents a major economic contribution in capitalist societies, that they continue to do significantly more of this work than men, that women have less disposable time than men, and that policies in the Nordic nations are producing a more equal distribution of time use. It reports that the evidence clearly supports the first two claims, but at first sight undermines the third and fourth. However, the chapter also finds that the studies have been based on particular temporal assumptions that cannot capture important aspects of many women's time use and which seriously misrepresent their experience of ‘free’ time. It also finds that more-detailed studies largely confirm feminist claims about women's disadvantage and the negative consequences of this.Less
This chapter considers whether quantitative time-use studies support feminist claims that women's unpaid work represents a major economic contribution in capitalist societies, that they continue to do significantly more of this work than men, that women have less disposable time than men, and that policies in the Nordic nations are producing a more equal distribution of time use. It reports that the evidence clearly supports the first two claims, but at first sight undermines the third and fourth. However, the chapter also finds that the studies have been based on particular temporal assumptions that cannot capture important aspects of many women's time use and which seriously misrepresent their experience of ‘free’ time. It also finds that more-detailed studies largely confirm feminist claims about women's disadvantage and the negative consequences of this.
Susan L. Mizruchi
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780807832509
- eISBN:
- 9781469605678
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/9780807887967_mizruchi
- Subject:
- Literature, American, 20th Century Literature
Between the Civil War and World War I the United States underwent the most rapid economic expansion in history. At the same time, the country experienced unparalleled rates of immigration. This book ...
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Between the Civil War and World War I the United States underwent the most rapid economic expansion in history. At the same time, the country experienced unparalleled rates of immigration. This book examines the convergence of these two extraordinary developments. No issue was more salient in postbellum American capitalist society, it argues, than the country's bewilderingly diverse population. This era marked the emergence of Americans' self-consciousness about what we today call multiculturalism. The book approaches this complex development from the perspective of print culture, demonstrating how both popular and elite writers played pivotal roles in articulating the stakes of this national metamorphosis. In a period of widespread literacy, writers assumed a remarkable cultural authority as best-selling works of literature and periodicals reached vast readerships and immigrants could find newspapers and magazines in their native languages. The book also looks at the work of journalists, photographers, social reformers, intellectuals, and advertisers. Identifying the years between 1865 and 1915 as the founding era of American multiculturalism, it provides a historical context that has been overlooked in contemporary debates about race, ethnicity, immigration, and the dynamics of modern capitalist society. The author's analysis recuperates a legacy with the potential to both invigorate current battle lines and highlight points of reconciliation.Less
Between the Civil War and World War I the United States underwent the most rapid economic expansion in history. At the same time, the country experienced unparalleled rates of immigration. This book examines the convergence of these two extraordinary developments. No issue was more salient in postbellum American capitalist society, it argues, than the country's bewilderingly diverse population. This era marked the emergence of Americans' self-consciousness about what we today call multiculturalism. The book approaches this complex development from the perspective of print culture, demonstrating how both popular and elite writers played pivotal roles in articulating the stakes of this national metamorphosis. In a period of widespread literacy, writers assumed a remarkable cultural authority as best-selling works of literature and periodicals reached vast readerships and immigrants could find newspapers and magazines in their native languages. The book also looks at the work of journalists, photographers, social reformers, intellectuals, and advertisers. Identifying the years between 1865 and 1915 as the founding era of American multiculturalism, it provides a historical context that has been overlooked in contemporary debates about race, ethnicity, immigration, and the dynamics of modern capitalist society. The author's analysis recuperates a legacy with the potential to both invigorate current battle lines and highlight points of reconciliation.
Alberto Toscano
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748632992
- eISBN:
- 9780748652570
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748632992.003.0020
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General
This chapter evaluates the influence of Gilbert Simondon on the philosophy of Gilles Deleuze. It suggests that attention to Simondon's presence in Deleuze's thought permits us to move beyond the ...
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This chapter evaluates the influence of Gilbert Simondon on the philosophy of Gilles Deleuze. It suggests that attention to Simondon's presence in Deleuze's thought permits us to move beyond the false alternatives presented by the recent debate on French Thought and cybernetics. The chapter discusses how Deleuze's use of the notion of the disparate compares with political interpretations of Simondon's understanding of the powers of the pre-individual. It also analyses Deleuze's statement that he parted company with Simondon only in drawing conclusions in light of the two thinkers' estimations of the role of ethics in capitalist society.Less
This chapter evaluates the influence of Gilbert Simondon on the philosophy of Gilles Deleuze. It suggests that attention to Simondon's presence in Deleuze's thought permits us to move beyond the false alternatives presented by the recent debate on French Thought and cybernetics. The chapter discusses how Deleuze's use of the notion of the disparate compares with political interpretations of Simondon's understanding of the powers of the pre-individual. It also analyses Deleuze's statement that he parted company with Simondon only in drawing conclusions in light of the two thinkers' estimations of the role of ethics in capitalist society.
Kirk Mann
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9781847424709
- eISBN:
- 9781447303428
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781847424709.003.0012
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Research and Statistics
This chapter addresses some questions of agency and social structure, in relation to pensions policy and retirement. It contrasts some sociological accounts of risk, reflexivity, consumption, ...
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This chapter addresses some questions of agency and social structure, in relation to pensions policy and retirement. It contrasts some sociological accounts of risk, reflexivity, consumption, ‘lifestyle’, and identity with the structural features of contemporary capitalist societies. It claims that there are tensions between the ‘new’ sociological approaches and the ‘older’ ideas and traditions within social policy.Less
This chapter addresses some questions of agency and social structure, in relation to pensions policy and retirement. It contrasts some sociological accounts of risk, reflexivity, consumption, ‘lifestyle’, and identity with the structural features of contemporary capitalist societies. It claims that there are tensions between the ‘new’ sociological approaches and the ‘older’ ideas and traditions within social policy.
Doug Rossinow
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252036866
- eISBN:
- 9780252093982
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252036866.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
This chapter argues that from the Popular Front of the 1930s and 1940s through the anti-Vietnam War movement and the “new politics” of the 1960s and 1970s, liberals and leftists worked together to ...
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This chapter argues that from the Popular Front of the 1930s and 1940s through the anti-Vietnam War movement and the “new politics” of the 1960s and 1970s, liberals and leftists worked together to strengthen individual political and social rights. They sought to advance the interests of the industrial working class within the framework of liberal capitalist society, and to oppose war and empire. The chapter also describes the left edge of the liberal political tradition across the broad sweep of industrial U.S. history, revealing both the way in which the radical left provided idealistic, sometimes utopian fuel for liberal reform projects, as well as the broad influence of liberal ideas on the political left in the United States.Less
This chapter argues that from the Popular Front of the 1930s and 1940s through the anti-Vietnam War movement and the “new politics” of the 1960s and 1970s, liberals and leftists worked together to strengthen individual political and social rights. They sought to advance the interests of the industrial working class within the framework of liberal capitalist society, and to oppose war and empire. The chapter also describes the left edge of the liberal political tradition across the broad sweep of industrial U.S. history, revealing both the way in which the radical left provided idealistic, sometimes utopian fuel for liberal reform projects, as well as the broad influence of liberal ideas on the political left in the United States.
Andreas Walther
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9781861345547
- eISBN:
- 9781447304357
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781861345547.003.0010
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Stratification, Inequality, and Mobility
This chapter can be read as an overarching bridge between the three sections. By way of summarising the earlier chapters and integrating the reactions and comments made by policy makers during the ...
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This chapter can be read as an overarching bridge between the three sections. By way of summarising the earlier chapters and integrating the reactions and comments made by policy makers during the Madrid conference, it becomes clear that policies themselves are driven by contradictory objectives or dilemmas which undermine their efficacy. One perspective in this regard may be the limited scope of empowering social and transition policies in modernised capitalist labour societies. Another perspective, which does not necessarily contradict the first, suggests that such dilemmas stand for a decreasing linearity between policies and effects in late modernity. This requires a fundamental shift from policies for social integration that rely solely on formal institutions and programmes towards policies which are open to complementary informal strategies and resources as well. This, however, implies the acceptance of uncertain policy outcomes.Less
This chapter can be read as an overarching bridge between the three sections. By way of summarising the earlier chapters and integrating the reactions and comments made by policy makers during the Madrid conference, it becomes clear that policies themselves are driven by contradictory objectives or dilemmas which undermine their efficacy. One perspective in this regard may be the limited scope of empowering social and transition policies in modernised capitalist labour societies. Another perspective, which does not necessarily contradict the first, suggests that such dilemmas stand for a decreasing linearity between policies and effects in late modernity. This requires a fundamental shift from policies for social integration that rely solely on formal institutions and programmes towards policies which are open to complementary informal strategies and resources as well. This, however, implies the acceptance of uncertain policy outcomes.
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- June 2013
- ISBN:
- 9781846310256
- eISBN:
- 9781846312557
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5949/liverpool/9781846310256.003.0004
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
This chapter discusses Oscar Wilde's politics and anarchist texts. It examines Wilde's political position and artistic beliefs in his essay, ‘The Soul of Man under Socialism’. This anarchist text ...
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This chapter discusses Oscar Wilde's politics and anarchist texts. It examines Wilde's political position and artistic beliefs in his essay, ‘The Soul of Man under Socialism’. This anarchist text discusses the problems of the present capitalist society and its libertarian socialist reconstruction.Less
This chapter discusses Oscar Wilde's politics and anarchist texts. It examines Wilde's political position and artistic beliefs in his essay, ‘The Soul of Man under Socialism’. This anarchist text discusses the problems of the present capitalist society and its libertarian socialist reconstruction.
Peter Dear
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226487335
- eISBN:
- 9780226487359
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226487359.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
In its broadest sense, historians and others use “revolution” to indicate some sort of discontinuity, or rupture, as E. J. Hobsbawm noted. But as Hobsbawm also observed, it sometimes takes quite a ...
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In its broadest sense, historians and others use “revolution” to indicate some sort of discontinuity, or rupture, as E. J. Hobsbawm noted. But as Hobsbawm also observed, it sometimes takes quite a long time to certify whether a revolution really did occur at some particular time in the past. From this point of view, the political-social historian—or, to be more precise, the Marxist or crypto-Marxist historian—is reluctant to regard revolutions as being of central, driving importance in the ongoing processes of history. The real historical changes are macrosocial ones, such as the transition from feudal to capitalist societies, and revolutions are simply what Hobsbawm called “incidents in macro-historical change,” the moments at which the rupture of an old and increasingly insupportable system occurs and a new system comes into being to take its place.Less
In its broadest sense, historians and others use “revolution” to indicate some sort of discontinuity, or rupture, as E. J. Hobsbawm noted. But as Hobsbawm also observed, it sometimes takes quite a long time to certify whether a revolution really did occur at some particular time in the past. From this point of view, the political-social historian—or, to be more precise, the Marxist or crypto-Marxist historian—is reluctant to regard revolutions as being of central, driving importance in the ongoing processes of history. The real historical changes are macrosocial ones, such as the transition from feudal to capitalist societies, and revolutions are simply what Hobsbawm called “incidents in macro-historical change,” the moments at which the rupture of an old and increasingly insupportable system occurs and a new system comes into being to take its place.
