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Ideas for Action
Relevant Theory for Radical Change
Cynthia Kaufman
Pages: 344ISBN: 0-89608-693-3
Format: paper
Release Date: 2003-01-01
This book is also available in cloth
From the Enron scandal to global warming, from the war on terrorism to the war on drugs, a growing number of people are unhappy with the status quo. Yet those genuinely interested in reading about the issues find that few contemporary theorists are seriously committed to accessible, clear writing. Furthermore, the mainstream media rarely represents social movements, and the theories associated with them, without distortion or bias.
Written in an engaging and accessible style, Ideas for Action gives activists the intellectual tools to turn discontent into a plan of action. Exploring a wide range of political traditions—including Marxism, anarchism, anti-imperialism, poststructualism, feminism, critical race theory, and environmentalism—Cynthia Kaufman acknowledges the strengths and weaknesses of a variety of political movements and the ideologies inspired or generated through them.
Kaufman incorporates elements of her own activist experiences, and offers a coherent analysis without pretending to offer "the final word" on complex issues. Instead, she encourages inquiry and further investigation, offering readers the information to orient a critical understanding of the social world and a glimpse of the excitement and rewards of serious intellectual engagement with political ideas.
Ideas for Action examines the work of diverse thinkers such as Adam Smith, Paulo Freire, Stuart Hall, and Grace Lee Boggs. In chapters that cover economics, imperialism, racism, feminism, the environment, authority, nationalism, and the media, Kaufman's insights break the chains of cynicism and lay a foundation for more effective organizing.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1 Thinking About Liberation
What is human nature? • Liberation • Freedom to and freedom from • Power, ideology, and interests • Knowing ourselves • Progress, pessimism, and utopia • Oppression • Multisystems theory
2 Capitalism, Freedom, and the Good Life
Early ideas about capitalism and freedom • The origins of capitalism • Capitalism and government • Capitalist economy/capitalist society • Freedom for the market • Capitalism and freedom
3 Capitalism and Class
What does class mean? • Class struggle • Lack of class mobility •The owning class • Class and race formations of US capitalism • White racial unity and the lack of class consciousness • Gender and class • Trade unions • Class consciousness
4 Transnational Capital and Anti-Capitalism
Transnational organizations • Capitalism and progress • Development •
Cynthia Kaufman
Click here to view Cynthia Kaufman's full Author PageCynthia Kaufman teaches at De Anza College, a large, multi-racial community college in Cupertino, CA. She serves as Chair of the Department of Women's Studies, Facilitator of Multicultural Curriculum Development, member of the Philosophy Department, and advisor to Students for Justice. She was a member of the Socialist Review editorial collective for six years, has been an activist for social justice since 1980, and has previously taught at Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA. Her doctorate in Philosophy was awarded from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1991.