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Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > Political ideologies > Liberalism & centre democratic ideologies

Post-Neoliberalism in the Americas (Hardcover): L. Macdonald, A. Ruckert Post-Neoliberalism in the Americas (Hardcover)
L. Macdonald, A. Ruckert
R2,670 Discovery Miles 26 700 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

This collection brings together a diverse range of analyses to interrogate policy changes and to grapple with the on-going transformations of neoliberalism in both North America and various Latin American states.

Precariousness, Community and Participation (Hardcover): Matthew Johnson Precariousness, Community and Participation (Hardcover)
Matthew Johnson
R4,490 Discovery Miles 44 900 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This book attempts to explore the effects of neoliberalism on particular forms of community. Guy Standing (2011) has popularised the notion of precariousness to describe the unpredictable neoliberal conditions faced by radically different people throughout the world. Members of Standing's 'precariat' lack occupational identities, treat work and other moneymaking activities instrumentally, are focused on the short-term and have no 'shadow of the future' hanging over their actions, leaving little incentive to sustain long-term relationships and productive, but unpaid, social activities. This issue presents an interdisciplinary account of the challenges faced by communities at a time in which neoliberalism seems unchecked and uncheckable by the rise of nationalist populism. At points, responses are presented, but it is perhaps reflective of the general sense of helplessness of those committed to tackling neoliberalism that the final article highlights serious deficits in an approach commonly presented as a practicable response: basic income. In the spirit of participation, each article is accompanied by a reply by a non-academic as well as an academic. This ought not to be seen as tokenism - the experience of the project has been that discussions can be advanced much more effectively through engagement with community members and professionals. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Global Discourse.

Milton Friedman on Freedom - Selections from The Collected Works of Milton Friedman (Hardcover): Milton Friedman, Robert... Milton Friedman on Freedom - Selections from The Collected Works of Milton Friedman (Hardcover)
Milton Friedman, Robert Leeson, Charles G. Palm
R603 R558 Discovery Miles 5 580 Save R45 (7%) Ships in 18 - 22 working days

In this book, Robert Leeson and Charles Palm have assembled an amazing collection of Milton Friedman's best works on freedom. Even more amazing is that the selection represents only 1 percent of the 1,500 works by Friedman that Leeson and Palm have put online in a user-friendly format-and an even smaller percentage if you include their archive of Friedman's audio and television recordings, correspondence, and other writings. This book and the larger online collection are sorely needed and very welcome. Milton Friedman deserves to be read in the original by generation after generation. These days, many people channel Friedman to support their own views, which sometimes are quite contrary to his actual views. With so much of it now readily available, everyone will find it easier to remember and learn from what he actually wrote and said. Readers will find the book refreshing whether or not they are already familiar with Friedman's work.

Strangers In Their Own Land - Anger And Mourning On The American Right (Hardcover): Arlie Russell Hochschild Strangers In Their Own Land - Anger And Mourning On The American Right (Hardcover)
Arlie Russell Hochschild
R725 R599 Discovery Miles 5 990 Save R126 (17%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days

In Strangers In Their Own Land, the renowned sociologist Arlie Hochschild embarks on a thought-provoking journey from her liberal hometown of Berkeley, California, deep into Louisiana bayou country―a stronghold of the conservative right. As she gets to know people who strongly oppose many of the ideas she famously champions, Hochschild nevertheless finds common ground and quickly warms to the people she meets―among them a Tea Party activist whose town has been swallowed by a sinkhole caused by a drilling accident―people whose concerns are actually ones that all Americans share: the desire for community, the embrace of family, and hopes for their children.

Strangers In Their Own Land goes beyond the commonplace liberal idea that these are people who have been duped into voting against their own interests. Instead, Hochschild finds lives ripped apart by stagnant wages, a loss of home, an elusive American dream―and political choices and views that make sense in the context of their lives. Hochschild draws on her expert knowledge of the sociology of emotion to help us understand what it feels like to live in "red" America.

Along the way she finds answers to one of the crucial questions of contemporary American politics: why do the people who would seem to benefit most from "liberal" government intervention abhor the very idea?

Green Politics and Neoliberalism (Hardcover): D. Toke Green Politics and Neoliberalism (Hardcover)
D. Toke
R2,650 Discovery Miles 26 500 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

Adapting the green critique of the external costs of economic growth, this volume examines the links between stress, social division and excessive competition that are associated with the neoliberal discourse. Discourse analysis is used in a critical manner to examine the way that environmental issues are shaped. The book challenges established notions of the role of scientists, environmental groups and the widely presumed centrality of rational choice analysis in political science is questioned.

Resilient Liberalism in Europe's Political Economy (Hardcover, New): Vivien A. Schmidt, Mark Thatcher Resilient Liberalism in Europe's Political Economy (Hardcover, New)
Vivien A. Schmidt, Mark Thatcher
R2,088 Discovery Miles 20 880 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Why have neo-liberal economic ideas been so resilient since the 1980s, despite major intellectual challenges, crippling financial and political crises, and failure to deliver on their promises? Why do they repeatedly return, not only to survive but to thrive? This groundbreaking book proposes five lines of analysis to explain the dynamics of both continuity and change in neo-liberal ideas: the flexibility of neo-liberalism's core principles; the gaps between neo-liberal rhetoric and reality; the strength of neo-liberal discourse in debates; the power of interests in the strategic use of ideas; and the force of institutions in the embedding of neo-liberal ideas. The book's highly distinguished group of authors shows how these possible explanations apply across the most important domains - fiscal policy, the role of the state, welfare and labour markets, regulation of competition and financial markets, management of the Euro, and corporate governance - in the European Union and across European countries.

Their Accomplices Wore Robes (Hardcover): Brando Simeo Starkey Their Accomplices Wore Robes (Hardcover)
Brando Simeo Starkey
R712 Discovery Miles 7 120 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

A magisterial new history of the role of the Supreme Court as an ally in implementing and preserving a racial caste system in America

Their Accomplices Wore Robes takes readers from the Civil War era to the present and describes how the Supreme Court—even more than the presidency or Congress—aligned with the enemies of Black progress to undermine the promise of the Constitution’s Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments.

The Reconstruction Amendments—which sought to abolish slavery, establish equal protection under the law, and protect voting rights—converted the Constitution into a potent anti-caste document. But in the years since, the Supreme Court has refused to allow the amendments to fulfill that promise. Time and again, when petitioned to make the nation’s founding conceit—that all men are created equal—real for Black Americans, the nine black robes have chosen white supremacy over racial fairness.

Their Accomplices Wore Robes brings to life dozens of cases and their rich casts of characters—petitioners, attorneys, justices—to explain how America arrived at this point and how society might arrive somewhere better, even as today’s federal courts lurch rightward. In this groundbreaking grand history, Brando Simeo Starkey reveals a troubling and dark aspect of American history.

The Birth of Austerity - German Ordoliberalism and Contemporary Neoliberalism (Hardcover): Thomas Biebricher, Frieder Vogelmann The Birth of Austerity - German Ordoliberalism and Contemporary Neoliberalism (Hardcover)
Thomas Biebricher, Frieder Vogelmann
R4,317 Discovery Miles 43 170 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Ordoliberalism and the 'Freiburg School' have gained traction in contemporary political economy in response to two factors: a rising interest in governmentality studies and the banking, financial and sovereign debt crisis in Europe. In the face of these crises, Germany has assumed a position of quasi-hegemony in the European Union, making decisions about bailouts, the politics of crisis management and the rise of austerity. This volume gathers together English translations of seminal ordoliberal texts by thinkers ranging from Walter Eucken and Wilhelm Roepke to Franz Boehm, Alexander Rustow and Hans Grossmann-Doerth. Offering some foundational insights into ordoliberalism, these essays give insight into a field that is much misunderstood outside Germany. The second half of the book comprises of analyses of contemporary issues in light of ordoliberal thought, showing how its ideas endure and relate directly to austerity policy across Europe.

Polish Liberal Thought Before 1918 (Hardcover, English ed): Maciej Janowski Polish Liberal Thought Before 1918 (Hardcover, English ed)
Maciej Janowski
R3,566 Discovery Miles 35 660 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Based on solid research, this erudite study is a first attempt at presenting a comprehensive analysis of nineteenth-century Polish liberalism. Polish liberal tradition has generally been considered weak or even nonexistent. Janowski, on the other hand, argues that nineteenth-century Poland inherited a strong protoliberal tradition from the nobility-based democracy, and that in the mid-nineteenth century, liberalism was a dominant trend in Polish intellectual life, even if it rarely appeared in its pure form and did not create political movements separating liberal aims from patriotic ones. The author maintains that the definition of liberalism in Central Europe should not be based on the Anglo-Saxon model, in view of the weakness of the middle classes and, in the case of partitioned Poland, the lack of independent statehood. This explains why there was a marked etatist trend among liberal thinkers, who saw the creation of a strong state as a tool of modernization. Janowski sees his subject in a broad comparative perspective, taking into account the historical experience of other nations of Central Europe. His innovative interpretation may be the starting point for new debates in the ongoing discussion on the different perceptions of liberalism.

How to be a Green Liberal - Nature, Value and Liberal Philosophy (Paperback): Simon A. Hailwood How to be a Green Liberal - Nature, Value and Liberal Philosophy (Paperback)
Simon A. Hailwood
R1,296 Discovery Miles 12 960 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

It is often claimed by environmental philosophers and green political theorists that liberalism, the dominant tradition of western political philosophy, is too focused on the interests of human individuals to give due weight to the environment for its own sake. In "How to be a Green Liberal", Simon Hailwood challenges this view and argues that liberalism can embrace a genuinely 'green', non-instrumental view of nature. The book's central claim is that nature's 'otherness', its being constituted of independent entities and processes that do not reflect our purposes, is a basis for value and can be incorporated within liberal political philosophy as a fundamental commitment alongside human freedom and equality. Hailwood argues that the conceptual resources already exist within mainstream liberalism for a thoroughly non-instrumental perspective. Adopting a rigorous philosophical approach Hailwood tackles a wide range of themes across environmental ethics, including holistic theories, deep ecology, eco-feminism and eco-anarchism, as well as issues in value theory and political philosophy more generally. In making the case for liberalism's green credentials "How to be a Green Liberal" is a formidable challenge to recent green political theory and will be required reading not only for students of political philosophy but for all those interested in the natural world and man's relationship to it.

Multicultural Immunisation - Liberalism and Esposito (Hardcover): Alexej Ulbricht Multicultural Immunisation - Liberalism and Esposito (Hardcover)
Alexej Ulbricht
R2,865 Discovery Miles 28 650 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This is a critical intervention in liberal theories of multiculturalism. Multiculturalism has recently been declared dead, while at the same time the value of diversity is still emphasised - how can we explain this? In this book, Alexej Ulbricht sets out to completely reassess liberal theories of multiculturalism, and argues that the 'backlash' is actually the strengthening of tendencies already present in liberal multiculturalism. Using the theories of Roberto Esposito to argue that liberal multiculturalism is best understood as a series of immunitary processes, Ulbricht examines some of these processes and looks to what cultural coexistence beyond immunity might look like. It is a substantive and original critique that allows us to reassess liberal theories of multiculturalism. It examines three liberal processes of immunisation using the work of Kymlicka, Parekh and Taylor. It is the first major application of Roberto Esposito's work on immunity in English. It opens up new perspectives on how we might organise cultural coexistence.

Classical Liberalism and the Jewish Tradition (Hardcover): Edward Alexander Classical Liberalism and the Jewish Tradition (Hardcover)
Edward Alexander
R2,793 Discovery Miles 27 930 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

The incongruence if not antagonism between modern liberalism and the Jewish sense of the world has been most notably articulated by Lionel Trilling. Certainly the imaginative limitations and intellectual smugness he discerned in his own ideological party found a parallel, in his view, in the embrace of liberalism by the American Jewish community. The consequences of that embrace entail both a superficial intellectual and religious culture and a misunderstanding of the social and political dimensions of Judaism. In Classical Liberalism and the Jewish Tradition, Edward Alexander engages in a wide-ranging exploration of the roots of the fundamental antagonism between liberalism and Jewish tradition from the nineteenth century to the present day.

Central to Alexander's arguments is his incisive critique of the distortion of modern Judaism as a child of the Enlightenment and the notion that specifically Jewish concerns, whether with Zionism, the Holocaust, or sacred and secular writings, constitute a narrow and parochial betrayal of liberal interests. The chapters are divided among political, religious, and literary subjects. The opening chapter on Mill's ambivalent attitude toward the Jews establishes terms of conflict between Judaism and liberal secularism and universality as do chapters on the antisemitism of Thomas Arnold and Marx and the more ambiguous Jewish self-identification of Disraeli.

Alexander examines such disparate topics as the hostility to the idea of a Jewish state on the part of numerous Israeli intellectuals, the disdain among liberals toward the specifically Jewish dimension of the Holocaust, and the capitulation of the Modern Language Association to the anti-Zionism of Edward Said. Turning to the uneasy status of Jewish religious texts and secular literature as sources of cultural revitalization, Alexander deals with the attempt by the Israeli scholar Adin Steinsaltz to bring the Talmud to the attention of contemporary Jewish readers and includes a chapter on his nineteenth-century precursor Emanuel Deutsch and his relationship to George Eliot. An analysis of Ruth Wisse's efforts to establish a modern Jewish literary canon is rounded out by chapters on two of the major figures of that canon: Isaac Bashevis Singer and Philip Roth.

While diverse in subject matter, Classical Liberalism and the Jewish Tradition is consistent in its unapologetic advocacy of a Jewish point of view and in its depth of scholarship in tracing the historical roots of contemporary attitudes and ideologies.

The Politics of Immigration Beyond Liberal States - Morocco and Tunisia in Comparative Perspective (Hardcover): Katharina Natter The Politics of Immigration Beyond Liberal States - Morocco and Tunisia in Comparative Perspective (Hardcover)
Katharina Natter
R2,343 Discovery Miles 23 430 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Immigration presents a fundamental challenge to the nation-state and is a key political priority for governments worldwide. However, knowledge of the politics of immigration remains largely limited to liberal states of the Global North. In this book, Katharina Natter draws on extensive fieldwork and archival research to compare immigration policymaking in authoritarian Morocco and democratizing Tunisia. Through this analysis, Natter advances theory-building on immigration beyond the liberal state and demonstrates how immigration politics - or how a state deals with 'the other' - can provide valuable insights into the inner workings of political regimes. Connecting scholarship from comparative politics, international relations and sociology across the Global North and Global South, Natter's highly original study challenges long-held assumptions and reveals the fascinating interplay between immigration, political regimes, and modern statehood around the world.

Rethinking the Region - Spaces of Neo-Liberalism (Hardcover): John Allen, with Julie Charlesworth, Allan Cochrane, Gill Court,... Rethinking the Region - Spaces of Neo-Liberalism (Hardcover)
John Allen, with Julie Charlesworth, Allan Cochrane, Gill Court, Nick Henry, …
R5,921 Discovery Miles 59 210 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

Regions are not simply bounded spaces on a map, this book argues. Using research of England during the 1980s to show how regions are made and unmade by social processes, it examines how lines of division, both social and geographical, were laid down as free-market growth and re-constructed as a "neo-liberal region". The authors argue that a more balanced form of growth is possible - within and between regions as well as between social groups. This book aims to show that to grasp the complexities of growth we must re-think "the region" in time as well as in space.

The Case for Rational Optimism (Paperback, New Ed): Frank Robinson The Case for Rational Optimism (Paperback, New Ed)
Frank Robinson
R1,490 Discovery Miles 14 900 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Originally published in 1955 as The Case for Modern Man, this book challenges the reader to believe in the essence of the modern temperament: the belief in the human mastery of destiny. It remains a brilliant answer to pessimists who try to frighten individuals with tales of sin and disaster, or those who hold the view that human beings are victims of circumstances.

This is a positive statement, a distinguished and inspiring one, which examines human beings today in the light of human history, and demonstrates that improvements in social life were ever a function of intelligence. Frankel discusses the basic notions of Freud and Marx and their influence on the present epoch. He gives close scrutiny to the writings of Jacques Maritain, Reinhold Niebuhr and other doctrinal thinkers. This is a masterly reexamination of the liberal tradition and the people who created it. Frankel shows how Enlightenment has greater usefulness than ever before. Writing within a broadly naturalistic tradition, he argues that the way to restore our faith in ourselves and to restore confidence in our ability to make a better future is to deal with modernity in affirmative terms. The reader will find in these pages a hopeful and reasoned message about human values.

Upon its publication, Robert M. McIver noted that Frankel "revives with remarkable clarity and incisiveness the much abused liberal tradition." And Lyman Bryson called the text "fresh and persuasive, of greatest importance in the present state of mind of America." A critical new introduction by the distinguished philosopher, Thelma Z. Lavine, will increase the value of this modern classic.

Quest for Democracy - Liberalism in the Modern Arab World (Hardcover): Line Khatib Quest for Democracy - Liberalism in the Modern Arab World (Hardcover)
Line Khatib
R2,468 Discovery Miles 24 680 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Since the uprisings of 2010 and 2011, it has often been assumed that the politics of the Arab-speaking world is dominated, and will continue to be dominated, by orthodox Islamic thought and authoritarian politics. Challenging these assumptions, Line Khatib explores the current liberal movement in the region, examining its activists and intellectuals, their work, and the strengths and weaknesses of the movement as a whole. By investigating the underground and overlooked actors and activists of liberal activism, Khatib problematizes the ways in which Arab liberalism has been dismissed as an insignificant sociopolitical force, or a mere reaction to Western formulations of liberal politics. Instead, she demonstrates how Arab liberalism is a homegrown phenomenon that has influenced the politics of the region since the nineteenth century. Shedding new light on an understudied movement, Khatib provokes a re-evaluation of the existing literature and offers new ways of conceptualizing the future of liberalism and democracy in the modern Arab world.

Quest for Democracy - Liberalism in the Modern Arab World (Paperback): Line Khatib Quest for Democracy - Liberalism in the Modern Arab World (Paperback)
Line Khatib
R903 Discovery Miles 9 030 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Since the uprisings of 2010 and 2011, it has often been assumed that the politics of the Arab-speaking world is dominated, and will continue to be dominated, by orthodox Islamic thought and authoritarian politics. Challenging these assumptions, Line Khatib explores the current liberal movement in the region, examining its activists and intellectuals, their work, and the strengths and weaknesses of the movement as a whole. By investigating the underground and overlooked actors and activists of liberal activism, Khatib problematizes the ways in which Arab liberalism has been dismissed as an insignificant sociopolitical force, or a mere reaction to Western formulations of liberal politics. Instead, she demonstrates how Arab liberalism is a homegrown phenomenon that has influenced the politics of the region since the nineteenth century. Shedding new light on an understudied movement, Khatib provokes a re-evaluation of the existing literature and offers new ways of conceptualizing the future of liberalism and democracy in the modern Arab world.

The Meaning of Liberalism - East and West (Hardcover): Jiri Musil, Zdenek Suda The Meaning of Liberalism - East and West (Hardcover)
Jiri Musil, Zdenek Suda
R3,453 Discovery Miles 34 530 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Provides a new perspective on the continuing debate about how liberalism should be defined and what it means incountries with an established parliamentary system, particularly in the democricies of Central and Eastern Europe.

Creating International Studies - Angell, Mitrany and the Liberal Tradition (Hardcover, New Ed): Lucian M. Ashworth Creating International Studies - Angell, Mitrany and the Liberal Tradition (Hardcover, New Ed)
Lucian M. Ashworth
R4,484 Discovery Miles 44 840 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Through a critical evaluation of the works of Norman Angell and David Mitrany, this book explores the liberal roots of the academic discipline of International Relations (IR). Ashworth argues that, far from being the product of timeless realist truths, IR's origins are rooted in liberal attempts to reform international affairs. Norman Angell's work represents the first attempt to develop a comprehensive 'new liberal' approach to the problem of global governance, while David Mitrany's exploration of the problems of international life led him to apply the left-liberal idea of functional government to global governance. Both writers demonstrated the extent to which early twentieth century liberal writers on international affairs had answered the critics of earlier nineteenth century liberal internationalists. The penultimate chapter argues that the realist-idealist 'Great Debate' never happened, and that liberal scholars such as Angell and Mitrany have been unfairly dismissed as 'idealists.' The final chapter evaluates the writings of Angell and Mitrany and claims that the works of both authors can be criticised for theoretical weaknesses common to the liberal paradigm.

Neoliberalism in Multi-Disciplinary Perspective (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2019): Adrian Scribano, Freddy Timmermann Lopez,... Neoliberalism in Multi-Disciplinary Perspective (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2019)
Adrian Scribano, Freddy Timmermann Lopez, Maximiliano E. Korstanje
R3,106 Discovery Miles 31 060 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

This volume brings together well-versed authors from four continents to critically discuss the roots of neoliberalism and how academics use the word today. Neoliberalism has recently recycled and mutated towards new forms of radicalization where fear plays a leading role legitimating policies, which would otherwise be overtly neglected by citizens. The authors ignite a new discussion within social sciences, combining the advances of sociology, history, anthropology, communication and the theory of mobilities to understand the different faces and guises of neoliberalism.

Saving Grace - Speak Your Truth, Stay Centered, and Learn to Coexist with People Who Drive You Nuts (Paperback): Kirsten Powers Saving Grace - Speak Your Truth, Stay Centered, and Learn to Coexist with People Who Drive You Nuts (Paperback)
Kirsten Powers
R400 R371 Discovery Miles 3 710 Save R29 (7%) Ships in 18 - 22 working days
Suicide of the West - An Essay on the Meaning and Destiny of Liberalism (Paperback): James Burnham Suicide of the West - An Essay on the Meaning and Destiny of Liberalism (Paperback)
James Burnham
R486 Discovery Miles 4 860 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

James Burnham's 1964 classic, Suicide of the West, remains a startling account on the nature of the modern era. It offers a profound, in depth analysis of what is happening in the world today by putting into focus the intangible, often vague doctrine of American liberalism. It parallels the loosely defined liberal ideology rampant in American government and institutions, with the flow, ebb, growth, climax and the eventual decline and death of both ancient and modern civilizations. Its author maintains that western suicidal tendencies lie not so much in the lack of resources or military power, but through an erosion of intellectual, moral, and spiritual factors abundant in modern western society and the mainstay of liberal psychology. Devastating in its relentless dissection of the liberal syndrome, this book will lead many liberals to painful self-examination, buttress the thinking conservative's viewpoint, and incite others, no doubt, to infuriation. None can ignore it.

The Least of These - Race, Law, and Religion in American Culture (Paperback, New): Anthony E Cook The Least of These - Race, Law, and Religion in American Culture (Paperback, New)
Anthony E Cook
R822 Discovery Miles 8 220 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

First published in 1997. Examining race, law, and religion in today's America, The Least of These highlights the power of these principles to both divide and unite, and promotes a new form of liberalism that incorporates the spiritual values long neglected by earlier progressive liberals. Relaunching the fundamental tenet of progressive liberalism-that a justly ordered society must protect the interests and promote opportunities for the least advantaged of its population-Anthony Cook argues for a revival of the progressive vision of American politics. While the affirmative action debates smolder around the country, Cook contends that the spiritual foundation of this liberal tenet must be unearthed and elaborated to fit our times before we can attempt to tackle the issues that the civil rights era has left unanswered. As the twentieth century closes, The Least of These provides a greater understanding of the roots of our ongoing socio-political struggles, and serves as an invaluable profile of progressive liberal politics from World War II to the present.

Liberalism in Modern Times - Essays in Honour of Jose G.Merquior (Hardcover, Annotated Ed): Ernest Gellner, Cesar Cansino Liberalism in Modern Times - Essays in Honour of Jose G.Merquior (Hardcover, Annotated Ed)
Ernest Gellner, Cesar Cansino
R3,251 Discovery Miles 32 510 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

The premature death in 1991 of the Brazilian essayist, thinker and diplomat Jose G. Merquior robbed the international intellectual community of a gifted 'friend of reason and a defender of liberty'. Several essays in this volume, directly or indirectly, broadly or personally, pay tribute to the life and work of this 'politically engaged intellectual'. Part I examines Merquiorian thought itself and - aptly enough - begins with Merquior's own incisive review of the rebirth of the liberal idea and recommitment to democracy itself. Part II ranges more widely: here, such distinguished contributors as John Hall, Ernest Gellner and Noberto Bobbio develop some of Merquior's favourite themes - liberalism as it relates to social cohesion, political stability, morality, republicanism and democracy, and the relativism and scepticism that characterize postmodern thinking. The book's application to two regions of the world is direct and obvious: to Merquior's own Latin America and to Central and Eastern Europe, where rapid political change and economic transition have brought debates on liberalism to the forefront. But in Merquior's thought there are also lessons for Western Europe and the United States, where the very familiarity of the liberal tradition can lead to a certain sterility of ideas. These various perspectives in liberal political thought are brilliantly drawn out by Ernest Gellner in the Preface - one of the last pieces he wrote before his death in November 1995.

Liberalism After Communism (Hardcover): Jerzy Szacki Liberalism After Communism (Hardcover)
Jerzy Szacki; Translated by Chester Adam Kisiel
R3,253 Discovery Miles 32 530 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This study is devoted to recent developments in Central European (especially Polish) political thought, and concentrates on the emergence of liberal ideas, a subject largely neglected by Western observers. It provides a clear account of protoliberal and liberal thinking in Central Europe both before and after 1989, a critical appraisal of the democratic opposition to communism, and an analysis of economic liberalism as its rival orientation. The author examines the changes which occur in classical liberal ideas when they are implemented in a region with practically no liberal tradition and no socioeconomic infrastructure, and shows how liberal ideas in Central Europe are becoming constructivist, functioning as the ideological justification for a new kind of Utopian social engineering that aims at constructing capitalism.

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