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Is the USA hospitable to the slow movement? The land of fast food,
get-rich-quick schemes, and 24/7 news feeds? In Slow Culture and
the American Dream: A Slow and Curvy Philosophy for the
Twenty-First Century, Mary Caputi argues that the slow movement has
much to teach the United States at this moment in time. Although
the philosophy of slow is in many ways at odds with the prevalent
American Dream, the current setting demands that we heed its
teachings. It is especially urgent that the climate crisis that
makes us to rethink our fast-paced, ever-accelerating lifestyle so
that we can lighten our carbon footprint and decelerate if not
reverse the damage done to the planet. Equally important, however,
is the movement's mandate that we slow down and savor life,
focusing on quality, beauty, and calm rather than quantity and
speed. Slow Food, Cittaslow (slow cities), slow fashion, slow
travel, and slow parenting are examples of a philosophy that seeks
to shift our focus away from "progress" as currently understood and
revalue quality-of-life issues. Drawing deeply on her involvement
with Slow Food and Cittaslow, the author advocates mainstreaming
the philosophy of slow and thus reprioritizing the American Dream
in ways that sustain the planet and teach Americans to develop a
more refined aesthetic principle.
Feminism and Power: the Need for Critical Theory is a six-chapter
manuscript which offers an important critique of "power feminism."
The latter, having produced such spinoffs as "grrrl power,"
"choice," "babe," "lipstick," and "stiletto" feminisms, encourages
women to be strong, self-sufficient, feisty, and independent. While
I have no argument with much of that tough-minded ideal, I ask
whether this "brave new girl" doesn't too readily acquiesce in a
neo-liberal ideology whose underlying tenets derive from American
rugged individualism. At its worst, this strain within Third Wave
feminism contains no critique of capitalism, no distance on
neoliberal theory, no effort to address the injustices contained in
globalization's asymmetries and the industrialized North's
exploitation of developing countries. Feminism and Power: the Need
for Critical Theory therefore argues that the critical theories of
Theodor Adorno and Jacques Derrida have much to offer feminism, and
a feminist understanding of female empowerment. Its pages rely on
Adorno's assertion that it is only by allowing the sufferer to
speak that we can unveil social truth rather than be duped by the
bravado of victory culture. Similarly, it demonstrates how
Derrida's insistence on the trace, as well as the asymmetries of
friendship and hospitality, lead feminism away from the perils of
contented triumphalism. The book promotes listening as a
paradigmatic feminist gesture, rather than always speaking up and
out.
Feminism and Power: the Need for Critical Theory is a six-chapter
manuscript which offers an important critique of "power feminism."
The latter, having produced such spinoffs as "grrrl power,"
"choice," "babe," "lipstick," and "stiletto" feminisms, encourages
women to be strong, self-sufficient, feisty, and independent. While
I have no argument with much of that tough-minded ideal, I ask
whether this "brave new girl" doesn't too readily acquiesce in a
neo-liberal ideology whose underlying tenets derive from American
rugged individualism. At its worst, this strain within Third Wave
feminism contains no critique of capitalism, no distance on
neoliberal theory, no effort to address the injustices contained in
globalization's asymmetries and the industrialized North's
exploitation of developing countries. Feminism and Power: the Need
for Critical Theory therefore argues that the critical theories of
Theodor Adorno and Jacques Derrida have much to offer feminism, and
a feminist understanding of female empowerment. Its pages rely on
Adorno's assertion that it is only by allowing the sufferer to
speak that we can unveil social truth rather than be duped by the
bravado of victory culture. Similarly, it demonstrates how
Derrida's insistence on the trace, as well as the asymmetries of
friendship and hospitality, lead feminism away from the perils of
contented triumphalism. The book promotes listening as a
paradigmatic feminist gesture, rather than always speaking up and
out.
Although David Riesman wrote over half a century ago, his concept
of autonomy as presented in The Lonely Crowd (1950) speaks directly
to the intellectual and emotional disarrangements of the
twenty-first century. The current malaise produced by the excesses
of commodity culture, information technology, the hyperreal, and
"fake news" militate against our ability to think critically about
contemporary society. And while postmodern authors insist that this
bewildering situation weakens and assails our critical thinking
skills, Riesman's notion of autonomy refuses to capitulate to such
a somber interpretation. Rather, he is convinced that individuals
have the intellectual and emotional mettle to think for themselves
and not be drawn into the demands of a commercialized culture and a
commodity-driven lifestyle. As we pick and choose the terms of our
engagement, we can remain aloof from society's engulfing influence
and preserve the oppositional thinking needed for democracy. To
illustrate this point most clearly, this book puts Riesman into
conversation with the writings of Theodor Adorno, whose evaluation
of the critical faculty's ability to withstand "the culture
industry" is famously pessimistic.
Although David Riesman wrote over half a century ago, his concept
of autonomy as presented in The Lonely Crowd (1950) speaks directly
to the intellectual and emotional disarrangements of the
twenty-first century. The current malaise produced by the excesses
of commodity culture, information technology, the hyperreal, and
"fake news" militate against our ability to think critically about
contemporary society. And while postmodern authors insist that this
bewildering situation weakens and assails our critical thinking
skills, Riesman's notion of autonomy refuses to capitulate to such
a somber interpretation. Rather, he is convinced that individuals
have the intellectual and emotional mettle to think for themselves
and not be drawn into the demands of a commercialized culture and a
commodity-driven lifestyle. As we pick and choose the terms of our
engagement, we can remain aloof from society's engulfing influence
and preserve the oppositional thinking needed for democracy. To
illustrate this point most clearly, this book puts Riesman into
conversation with the writings of Theodor Adorno, whose evaluation
of the critical faculty's ability to withstand "the culture
industry" is famously pessimistic.
In response to this current political and economic climate,
Teaching Marx & Critical Theory in the 21st Century defends the
importance, and difficulties, of teaching Marx and critical
theory-and the crucial insights of critical pedagogy-through
variously original and republished chapters, which, each in their
own ways, reflect on ways to teach and reach twenty-first century
students. This volume presents unique perspectives on teaching Marx
and critical theory in various contexts, sub-fields, and
geographies, and underscores the need for students of the modern
world to be versed in Marxist thought and for pedagogues to push
the limits of critical pedagogical strategies in the classroom-and
beyond. Contributors include: Allan Ardill, Mary Caputi, Mauro
Caraccioli, Zachary Casey, Ronald Cox, Kevin Funk, Maylin M.
Hernandez, Douglas Kellner, Jess Morrissette, Sebastian Sclofsky,
Bryant William Sculos, Sean Walsh.
Derrida and the Future of the Liberal Arts highlights the Derridean
assertion that the university must exist 'without condition' - as a
bastion of intellectual freedom and oppositional activity whose job
it is to question mainstream society. Derrida argued that only if
the life of the mind is kept free from excessive corporate
influence and political control can we be certain that the basic
tenets of democracy are being respected within the very societies
that claim to defend democratic principles. This collection
contains eleven essays drawn from international scholars working in
both the humanities and social sciences, and makes a well-grounded
and comprehensive case for the importance of Derridean thought
within the liberal arts today. Written by specialists in the fields
of philosophy, literature, history, sociology, geography, political
science, animal studies, and gender studies, each essay traces
deconstruction's contribution to their discipline, explaining how
it helps keep alive the 'unconditional', contrapuntal mission of
the university. The book offers a forceful and persuasive
corrective to the current assault on the liberal arts.
"Derrida and the Future of the Liberal Arts" highlights the
Derridean assertion that the university must exist 'without
condition' - as a bastion of intellectual freedom and oppositional
activity whose job it is to question mainstream society. Derrida
argued that only if the life of the mind is kept free from
excessive corporate influence and political control can we be
certain that the basic tenets of democracy are being respected
within the very societies that claim to defend democratic
principles.This collection contains eleven essays drawn from
international scholars working in both the humanities and social
sciences, and makes a well-grounded and comprehensive case for the
importance of Derridean thought within the liberal arts today.
Written by specialists in the fields of philosophy, literature,
history, sociology, geography, political science, animal studies,
and gender studies, each essay traces deconstruction's contribution
to their discipline, explaining how it helps keep alive the
'unconditional', contrapuntal mission of the university. The book
offers a forceful and persuasive corrective to the current assault
on the liberal arts.
"In the Norman Rockwell paintings of the 1940s and 1950s," wrote
Newt Gingrich, "there was a clear sense of what it meant to be an
American." Gingrich's words underline what Mary Caputi sees as a
desire of the neoconservative movement to set a foundation for
modern America that ennobles the past.
Analyzing these competing uses of the past, "A Kinder, Gentler
America" reveals how longing for the era of "the greatest
generation" actually exposes a disillusionment with the present.
Caputi draws on the theoretical frameworks of Julia Kristeva and
Walter Benjamin to look at how the decade has been portrayed in
movies such as "Pleasantville" and "Far from Heaven" and delves
further to investigate our disenchantment's lost origins in early
modernity through a reading of the poetry of Baudelaire. What
emerges is a stark contrast between the depictions of a melancholic
present and a cheerful, shiny past. In the right's invocation of
the mythical 1950s and the left's criticism of the same, Caputi
recognizes a common unfulfilled desire, and proposes that by
understanding this loss both sides can begin to accept that
American identity, despite chaos and confusion, lies in the here
and now.
Mary Caputi is professor of political science at California State
University, Long Beach, and is author of "Voluptuous Yearnings: A
Feminist Theory of the Obscene."
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