Buy the book "What is radical politics today? Published in 2009, byPalgrave-MacMillan Edited by Jonathan Pugh, Newcastle University   Provocative, authoritative and timely ... (NewStatesman)   A crisis makes you re-think your life. The recent economic crisis is no exception. All of us are now thinking how the world could be run differently. Despite this, a radical alternative has hardly emerged to mobilise the masses, which begs the question: What is radical politics today? In this book, leading academics, politicians, journalists and activists attempt to pinpoint an answer, debating the issues facing radical politics in the 21st Century. Rarely united in their opinions, they collectively interogate the character and spirit of being radical in our times. Including original contributions from Zygmunt Bauman, Will Hutton, Frank Furedi, Clare Short, Ken Worpole, Nick Cohen, Hilary Wainwright, Paul Kingsnorth, Chantal Mouffe, Terrell Carver, Edward W. Soja, David Chandler, Dora Apel, Doreen Massey, Jason Toynbee, James Martin, Michael J. Watts, Jeremy Gilbert and Jo Littler, Gregor McLennan, Tariq Modood, Amir Saeed & David Bates, Alastair Bonnett, Nigel Thrift, Sheila Jasanoff, Saul Newman, David Featherstone, James Heartfield, Alejandro Colás and Jason Edwards, David Boyle, Saskia Sassen.     Explores the spirit and character of radical politics, at this pivotal moment in history.   Thirty well known and influential commentators write original 3000 word essays.   Offers thought provoking and often conflicting opinions.   The only current wide ranging survey of the state of radical politics, post-crisis.   Accessibly written for the general public and student audiences.     Recommendations "This stimulating and impressively diverse collection of essays helps us to begin re-thinking our predicament. Anyone who finds themselves in agreement with all the authors here must be seriously confused, since several of the pieces offer directly contradictory analyses. But the strength of the book as a whole lies precisely in bringing different political traditions into productive dialogue" (Red Pepper)   "This is a bold, brave and timely book. As we emerge, blinking into the light after three decades of neo-liberal darkness, Jonathan Pugh has put together a collection of essays that will provoke and provide clues to the question of what comes next; what indeed is radical politics today?" Neal Lawson (Compass).     "an excellent new book of essays" (Town and Country Planning Magazine)   "Jonathan Pugh gathers some of the most innovative and insightful voices from Britain and beyond to stage a series of debates on the central issues facing radical politics today.  This collection is a model for the kinds of discussion we need to move forward." Michael Hardt (Duke University).     ‘A fascinating and pithy tome’ (The Catholic Herald)   "At a time when all ideologies are either exhausted or have become irrelevant, the need for a truly radical politics can hardly be exaggerated. Radical politics is about rethinking the common sense, the taken for granted assumptions, of the age. This timely and well-planned collection of essays by distinguished and concerned scholars throws much new light on where we should be looking for new ideas. It represents a major contribution to the ongoing debate on the problems of our times."  Lord Bhikhu Parekh       "In the present moment of rapid and fundamental political and economic change we need sustained critical discussion of the kinds of alternative politics available to us. In What is Radical Politics Today? leading political theorists initiate this timely discussion by addressing both possibilities and obstacles from a wide range of perspectives." James Tully (University of Victoria).     "With impeccable timing, this volume provides a stimulating range of perspectives on what radical politics can offer during this period of crisis and change.  It deserves to be widely read and debated." Ruth Lister (Loughborough University)   "As the most immediate effects of a global economic and financial crisis seem to be ebbing from our consciousness, the authors in this collection reaffirm the urgent need for a different kind of politics.  One after the other they draw a picture of a world ill at ease with itself: addicted to consumption yet unjust in its rewards; obsessed with the idea of the global at the expense of an engagement with the real; aware yet narcissistic.  Helpless with fear, paternalism and debt.  But the book is, above all, in the words of one contributor 'a challenge to fatalism'.  The chapters sketch out a radical politics for the 21st century based on the rediscovery of our human powers to invent and adapt--a rebuilding of the state's management and redistributive capacities, a revaluing of autonomous behaviour and critical judgement, the prioritising of a 'social planet' over a 'social state' and even, a repudiation of near-sacrosanct institutions.  No doubt some injunctions will rile, but though this book may fail to comfort, it will not fail to challenge or provoke." Catherine Fieschi (Director, Counterpoint, The Think Tank of the British Council)     "There's a world to win, but only if the Left is possessed of bright ideas, inspiring aspirations and brilliant strategies. This book - rich in insight - assembles some of our leading thinkers to consider what sort of Left can unlock the progressive potential contained in this moment of early 21st century crisis. Has the mainstream Left conceded far too much to the liberals and conservatives this last 30 years? If so, what sort of Left can win hearts and minds in this moment of crisis? The answers to these important questions are the stuff of this excellent book." Noel Castree (Manchester University).      "This is a wonderfully salutary and visionary collection of widely different opinions on how we can think about our world in these 'interesting' times." Emily Young (Sculptor, and of Penguin Café Orchestra).       "Like an exploding star, the radical Left in the UK has disintegrated and its fragments have flown off in all directions. People who once thought they were engaged in a common project can no longer agree about where they are going, yet alone how they should get there. If you feel radical but confused read these essays. They may make you even more confused, but they may also help you decide where to go next." Bob Rowthorn (Cambridge University).       "If you are looking for a rich diversity of views and fierce arguments about radical politics today, then this is the book for you!" Achin Vanaik (Delhi Univeristy).       "With the aim of understanding the forces and boundaries of a genuinely radical politics, this volume begins to interrogate the models, figures and reach of the structureless moment that currently commands political tropology and life." Avital Ronell ‎ (New York University).       "Timely, engaging and bold.  This book provides intellectual, moral and political challenge for any reader on a question which urgently needs lucid answers: what is it to be radical today?" (former Director of Demos, Associate Director of the Australia and New Zealand School of Government, and Policy Director for Australia's Deputy Prime Minister).
Hollow Hegemony (Pluto, 2009), by David Chandler   David Chandler explores the concept of 'global ideology' and how it impacts on conflict, security and development policy-making, explaining why 'the global' is such a damaging construction and exposing the political vacuum at the heart of common perceptions of global politics. He argues that the pre-eminence of the global, whether in terms of global governance, global security or global resistance, is predicated on a lack rather than a presence. It is the lack of clear sites and articulations of power, the lack of clear security threats and the lack of clear political programs or movements of resistance that drives the concept of international relations in global terms. This wide-ranging analysis is a perfect antidote for students frustrated with the abundant but vague literature on globalisation. Reviews "This engagingly written book provides a lucid critique of the theories of global politics popular among scholars and policymakers alike. In the process of describing the fragility of such a politics, David Chandler illuminates the global arena as idea and reality in a nuanced and masterful way. Indispensable for anyone interested in politics and globalization." Faisal Devji, St. Antony's College, Oxford, author of The Terrorist in Search of Humanity: Militant Islam and Global Politics (2009). "'Globalization' is a watchword in economics and politics. But not so fast, counters David Chandler. The assumed hegemony of the 'global' is hollow, falsely encouraging a paralysis of national initiative and responsibility, which are needed especially for healthy international relations. Contrarian and controversial, Chandler's analysis questions conventional wisdom and offers alternatives that we ignore at our peril." John K. Roth, Edward J. Sexton Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, Founding Director, Center for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights, Claremont McKenna College "This timely and provocative book looks set to be the next Empire in terms of its ambition and scope. Chandler argues persuasively that contemporary accounts of politics as a global phenomenon miss the reality of 'global politics' as an absence rather than a presence, an absence which allows both Western elites and their radical critics idealistically to project their values into this politically 'empty space'." Gideon Baker, Griffith University, co-editor (with Jens Bartelson) of The Future of Political Community (2009)"
On the Political This thought-provoking book by Chantal Mouffe, a globally recognized political author, presents a timely account of the current state of democracy, affording readers the most relevant and up-to-date information.
Social Geography: A Critical Introduction, by Vincent Del Casino. This book explores how urban and rural spaces are organized in ways that construct and maintain social inequality.
The Politics of Postanarchism Saul Newman Reader in Political Theory at Goldsmiths, University of London. What is the relevance of anarchism for politics and political theory today? In this new book, Saul Newman contends that anarchism’s heretical critique of authority, and its insistence on full equality and liberty, places it at the forefront of the radical political imagination today. With the unprecedented expansion of state power in the name of security, the current ‘crisis of capitalism’, and the terminal decline of Marxist and social democratic projects, it is time to reconsider anarchism as a form of politics. This book seeks to renew anarchist thought through the concept of postanarchism. Reviews ‘Saul Newman is one of the pioneers in redeeming the promise of anarchist thought with the resources of contemporary continental philosophy... The Politics of Postanarchism offers a compelling framework for progressive political thought and intervention.’ Todd May, Class of 1941 Professor of the Humanities, Clemson University   ‘In this book, Saul Newman announces postanarchism as a lively, vital and highly pertinent perspective for our times... That he manages to do so in a readable and confident style, pays testimony to his own growing reputation as a highly original thinker with a great deal to offer us in terms of showing the link between political theory and political practice. Highly recommended.’ Simon Tormey, Professor and Head of School, Social and Political Sciences, University of Sydney