Synopses & Reviews
The crisis of global capitalism that has unfolded since 2008 is more than an economic crisis. It is structural and multidimensional. The sequence of events that have taken place in its aftermath show that we are entering a world that is very different from the social and economic conditions that characterized the rise of global, informational capitalism in the preceding three decades. The policies and strategies that were intended to manage the crisis--with mixed results depending on the country--may usher in a distinctly different economic and institutional system, as the New Deal, the construction of the European Welfare State, and the Bretton Woods global financial architecture all gave rise to a new form of capitalism in the aftermath of the 1930s Depression, and World War II.
This volume examines the cultures and institutions at the root of the crisis, as well as the conflicts and debates that may lead to a new social landscape, including the rise of alternative economic cultures in the social movements that have sprung up around the world. This collection of essays presents the results of a shared project of reflection by a group of international sociologists and social scientists, led by Manuel Castells. They conclude that to address life beyond the crisis, we need nothing less than a complete transformation of the mind-set that led to bankruptcy and despair, and to economies and societies based on an unsustainable model of speculative finance and political irresponsibility.
Review
"The discussion of the crisis of global capitalism offered in this book marks a breakthrough. The work ranges far more widely than the usual crop of purely economic analyses and rightly so."--Anthony Giddens, Former Director of the London School of Economics and Political Science
"All economies are culture-that is the lens through which this compelling analysis looks at the on-going crisis of capitalism. From this follows the imperative: cooperate or fail! This book is a thought-provoking, interdisciplinary diagnosis of a world in turmoil."--Ulrich Beck, Professor of Sociology, University of Munich
"Five years of crisis and upheaval have shaken the world. Aftermath takes up the question of where we go now. Castells and his collaborators show the depth of challenges, the diversity of global circumstances and paths, and-happily-reasons for cautious optimism amid the tumult. This is an important moment in history and an important book for this moment."--Craig Calhoun, Director of the London School of Economics and Political Science
Review
Reviews from previous edition
"Manuel Castells has shaped himself into the most prominent and influential theorist and analyst of the modern communications and network age. He is the Marshall McLuhan of our time."--John Lloyd, Financial Times
"a challenging and intriguing work [in its] ambitions, scope and concepts."--Paschal Preston, Media, Culture and Society, Volume 32 (6), 2010
"A sustained inquiry into the nature of political and economic power in the modern world."--Steven Livingston, Political Communicatoin (27)
"Castells has done it again, a masterpiece of global perspective and enviable erudition. Moving beyond his trilogy on the information age, Castells focuses on how cultural, economic and particularly political power relationships are constituted and sustained through systematic communication flows. A new line of analysis draws on neuroscience and cognitive psychology to track the role of emotion in political communication. Case studies include global media deregulation, the politics of scandal, framing the war in Iraq, ecological social movements, the Obama presidential candidacy and a fascinating comparison of media control dynamics in Russia and China."-- W. Russell Neuman, Evans Professor of Media Technology, University of Michigan
"How could Manuel Castells have predicted that now is the time of the perfect storm? I do not know. But I do know that his new book coincides with the largest downturn in global economies since the 1930s, with the most important American election since the 1960s, with a most radical transformation of world politics in many generations, and with the most profound reevaluation of the lives of modern citizens, from what they value to how they communicate. We have become used to Castells' careful scholarship and penetrating analyses but in this new book he cuts deeper into the heart of the matter. Sometimes he provides illuminating answers and where he cannot, he frames the questions that must be answered. This is a powerful and much needed book for a world in crisis."--Antonio Damasio, David Dornsife Professor of Neuroscience, Director, Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California
"Manuel Castells unites the mind of a social scientist with the soul of an artist. His trilogy took us to the edge of the millennium. This book takes us beyond to the critical crossroads of the 21st century, where technology, communication, and power converge."--Rosalind Williams, Dibner Professor and Director, Program on Science, Technology and Society, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
"In this timely book, Professor Castells turns his attention from the impact of the internet on the economy to its impact on communications and politics. I can warmly recommend it to all communications practitioners. But his clear analysis and vivid case studies make this book of interest to anyone who wants to understand the nature of power in today's democracy and the meaning of the campaign that swept Barack Obama into the White House."--Margot Wallström, Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for Communication Policy
About the Author
Manuel Castells,
University Professor and the Wallis Annenberg Chair of Communication Technology and Society, the University of Southern California,Joao Caraca,
Director of the Science Department, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon,Gustavo Cardoso,
Professor of Media and Society, IUL - Lisbon University InstituteManuel Castells is University Professor and the Wallis Annenberg Chair of Communication Technology and Society at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, as well as Director of Research at the Department of Sociology, University of Cambridge, and holder of the Chair of Network Society at the College d' Etudes Mondiales, Paris. He has published 26 books including the trilogy The Information
Table of Contents
An Introduction
PRELUDE
2: Rosalind Williams: The Rolling Apocalypse of Contemporary History
3: João Caraça: The Separation of Cultures and the Decline of Modernity
WHICH CRISIS? WHOSE CRISIS?
4: John B. Thompson: The Metamorphosis of a Crisis
5: Michel Wieviorka: Financial Crisis or Societal Mutation?
DEALING WITH THE CRISIS
6: Sarah Banet-Weiser: Branding the Crisis
7: Terhi Rantanen: In Nationalism We Trust?
8: Pekka Himanen: Crisis, Identity and the Welfare State
BEYOND THE CRISIS
9: Gustavo Cardoso and Pedro Jacobetty: Surfing the Crisis: Cultures of Belonging and Networked Social Change
10: Joana Conill, Manuel Castells, Amalia Cardenas and Lisa Servon: Beyond the Crisis: The Emergence of Alternative Economic Practises
THE NON-GLOBAL GLOBAL CRISIS
11: You-tien Hsing: No Crisis in China? The Rise of China's Social Crisis
12: Ernesto Ottone: A Non-Global Crisis? Challenging the Crisis in Latin America
AFTERMATH?
1. The Cultures of the Economic Crisis: An Introduction, Manuel Castells, Joao Caraca and Gustavo Cardoso
PRELUDE
2. The Rolling Apocalypse of Contemporary History, Rosalind Williams
3. The Separation of Cultures and the Decline of Modernity, Joao Caraca
WHICH CRISIS? WHOSE CRISIS?
4. The Metamorphosis of a Crisis, John B. Thompson
5. Financial Crisis or Societal Mutation?, Michel Wieviorka
DEALING WITH THE CRISIS
6. Branding the Crisis, Sarah Banet-Weiser
7. In Nationalism We Trust?, Terhi Rantanen
8. Crisis, Identity and the Welfare State, Pekka Himanen
BEYOND THE CRISIS
9. Surfing the Crisis: Cultures of Belonging and Networked Social Change, Gustavo Cardoso and Pedro Jacobetty
10. Beyond the Crisis: The Emergence of Alternative Economic Practises, Joana Conill, Manuel Castells, Amalia Cardenas and Lisa Servon
THE NON-GLOBAL GLOBAL CRISIS
11. No Crisis in China? The Rise of China's Social Crisis, You-tien Hsing
12. A Non-Global Crisis? Challenging the Crisis in Latin America, Ernesto Ottone
AFTERMATH?