Synopses & Reviews
This volume gathers the work of leading left-wing analysts of imperialism to examine the burning question of our timethe nature and prospects of the U.S. imperial project currently being given shape by war and occupation in the Middle East.
Noam Chomsky, Immanuel Wallerstein, Peter Gowan, and others discuss the dynamics at work behind the "War on Terrorism." Their analyses locate recent developments within a longer historical arc, and set out the central questions for research and debate: Is U.S. unilateralism and militarism a sign of the increasing strength of the world's only remaining superpower? Or a desperate response to the erosion of the strategy it developed for ensuring its leadership over the advanced capitalist world during the Cold War? Essays by Barbara Epstein, Amiya Kumar Bagchi and others also examine the prospects for the resistance to imperialism in the United States and globally.
Pox Americana brings together a range of insights and perspectives that were originally presented at a conference in Burlington, Vermont, to honor Harry Magdoff on the occasion of his ninetieth birthday. It is a fitting tribute to Magdoff's pioneering analyses of U.S. imperialism and a testimony to the resilience and fruitfulness of the radical tradition.
Review
"This wonderfully lucid, well developed volume should perhaps have been called Suggested Praxis for the Poor, since, instead of describing the current state of welfare, the author argues for a revamped praxis that would rescue our failing programs….Highly recommended."
"A significant achievement. This is a passionate critique that embodies the very politically-engaged scholarship for which it calls."
"Praxis for the Poor offers a thought-provoking, even moving, challenge to progressive intellectuals. Engagingly written, it shines a bright light on issues of research, advocacy, and the doleful character of the country's system of social welfare."
"Schram poses an important challenge for those who would like to restore to political science its sometime concern with power and inequality."
" I recommend reading this book, and I applaud Schram's many accomplishments while I share his long-term commitments."
Review
"Schram poses an important challenge for those who would like to restore to political science its sometime concern with power and inequality." - American Politics Book Review
Review
"A significant achievement. This is a passionate critique that embodies the very politically-engaged scholarship for which it calls." - Nancy Campbell, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Review
" I recommend reading this book, and I applaud Schram's many accomplishments while I share his long-term commitments." - American Journal of Sociology
Synopsis
Praxis for the Poor puts the relationship of politics to scholarship front and center through an examination of the work of Frances Fox Piven and Richard Cloward. Piven and Cloward proved that social science could inform social-policy politics in ways that helped energize a movement.
Praxis for the Poor offers a critical reflection on their work and builds upon it, demonstrating how a more politically-engaged scholarship can contribute to the struggle for social justice.
Necessary reading for political scientists, sociologists, social workers, social welfare activists, policy-makers, and anyone concerned with the plight of the poor and oppressed, Praxis for the Poor shows how social science can play a role in building a better future for social welfare.
Synopsis
A compelling examination of the careers of Richard Cloward and Frances Fox Piven as well as Jane Addams demonstrates how politically-active scholarship can contribute to struggles for social justice.
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. 245-289) and index.
About the Author
John Bellamy Foster is editor of
Monthly Review. He is professor of sociology at the University of Oregon and author of
The Ecological Revolution,
The Great Financial Crisis (with Fred Magdoff),
Critique of Intelligent Design (with Brett Clark and Richard York),
Ecology Against Capitalism,
Marxs Ecology, and
The Vulnerable Planet.
Robert W. McChesney is professor of communication at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, author of Rich Media, Poor Democracy and Our Media, Not Theirs, and co-editor of Monthly Review.