European Modernity and Beyond


Book Description

In this book one of Europe's foremost sociologists offers a profound and accessible overview of the trajectory of European societies, East and West, since the end of World War II. Combining theoretical depth with factual analysis, Göran Therborn addresses the questions that underpin an understanding of the nature of European modernity, including: To what extent is the period 1945-2000 producing fundamental change and what are the areas of continuity? Have the societies of Europe become more similar to others on the globe or more distinctively European? What are the prospects of Europe after decades of postwar change and the end of the Cold War? Issues covered include the division of paid and unpaid labour,




Simone Weil and the Intellect of Grace


Book Description

As a thinker, mystic and social critic, Simone Weil is one of the most extraordinary figures of the 20th century. She was a Marxist who experienced the relations of power between producing and ruling classes first hand as a field and factory worker. She was an internationalist who felt that the fall of Paris was a 'great day for Indo-China', and yet she wanted to fight for France. Camus called her social writings 'more penetrating and more prophetic than anything since Marx.' What comes through strongly in this book are Weil's power of analysis and criticism, her love of truth and hunger for justice, her commitment to non-violence, and, most of all, her regard for everyone and everything marginalized or excluded by orthodoxies and establishments, whether colonized people or heresy.




The Saturated Self


Book Description

Drawing on a range of disciplines, from anthropology to psychoanalysis, this book explores the way we view ourselves and our relationships.




The Emptiness of Japanese Affluence


Book Description

This work aims to show that Japan even at it's height of success, while the successful version of capitalism was blighted at it's core, being unsustainable. This revised edition features n introduction which gives an analysis of Japan's contemporary crisis.




The Anatomy of Antiliberalism


Book Description

Holmes challenges the philosophical arguments of the high communitarians ... and their intellectual forebears. By the time he is finished, the opposing camp has no survivors, ancient or modern. Anybody who feels drawn to the high communitarian cause owes it to himself (though not to society) to read Mr. Holmes's book; everybody else should read it for pleasure.




Limits to Satisfaction


Book Description

At a time when the supply of resources is a problem, William Leiss analyses demand and consumption. Why do we need so much? Does the ability to choose from such a wide range of commodities give us more satisfaction? Why do we accept being pushed into buying products about which we know little because they promise to give us a particular characteristic - freshness, happiness, sex appeal?