Synopses & Reviews
The sociologist and political scientist Frances Fox Piven and her late husband Richard Cloward have been famously credited by Glenn Beck with devising the Cloward/Piven Strategy,” a world view responsible, according to Beck, for everything from creating a culture of poverty” and fomenting violent revolution” to causing global warming and the recent financial crisis. Called an enemy of the people,” over the past year Piven has been subjected to an unprecedented campaign of hatred and disinformation, spearheaded by Beck.
How is it that a distinguished university professor, past president of the American Sociological Association, and recipient of numerous awards and accolades for her work on behalf of the poor and for American voting rights, has attracted so much negative attention? For anyone who is skeptical of the World According to Beck, here is a guide to the ideas that Glenn fears most.
Whos Afraid of Frances Fox Piven? is a concise, accessible introduction to Pivens actual thinking (versus Becks outrageous claims), from her early work on welfare rights and poor peoples movements,” written with her late husband Richard Cloward, through her influential examination of American voting habits, and her most recent work on the possibilities for a new movement for progressive reform. A major corrective to right-wing bombast, this essential book is also a rich source of ideas and inspiration for anyone interested in progressive change.
Review
Piven, throughout her career as an activist and academic, has embodied the best of American democracy.
—The Nation
Synopsis
One of Glenn Becks "nine most dangerous people in the world," the sociologist, author and co-author (with her late husband Richard Cloward) Frances Fox Piven has been credited with nefarious accomplishments that range from bringing about the nations economic collapse, fomenting "violent revolution," and creating a "culture of poverty" in America. Accused of being an "enemy of the people" bent on undermining the U.S. Constitution, Piven has been subjected to an unprecedented campaign of hatred and disinformation, spearheaded by Beck through his television and radio broadcasts. These attacks have escalated in the past several months, leading to a campaign to defend the longtime social scientist and activist. Piven was recently assigned both FBI and New York State police protection after receiving death threats spurred by Glenn Beck and his followers.
We may well ask how it is that a distinguished university professor, past president of the American Sociological Association, and recipient for numerous awards and accolades for her work on behalf of the poor and for American voting rights, has attracted so much negative attention from a Fox News host.
Whos Afraid of Frances Fox Piven? is a concise, accessible introduction to Pivens thinking as it has developed over the past four decades, from her early work on welfare rights and her pivotal analysis of "poor peoples movements," through her influential examination of American voting habits, and her recent work on the possibilities for a new movement for progressive reform. A major corrective to Right-wing bombast, this essential little book is also rich source of ideas and inspiration for anyone hoping and working -- for progressive change.
About the Author
Frances Fox Piven is Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Sociology at the Graduate Center, CUNY. She is the author of Regulating the Poor, Poor Peoples Movements, The New Class War, and The Breaking of the American Social Compact (The New Press), and co-author, with the late Richard A. Cloward of Why Americans Dont Vote. She is the recipient of the American Sociological Association Distinguished Career Award for the Practice of Sociology. She lives in Manhattan and Millerton, New York.