Book Description
Capitalist globalization has been instrumental in globalizing civil and political rights all over the world as a condition of 'free' markets and trade, but capitalist globalizers have no answer to the rapidly accelerating demands for universal economics and social rights, expressed in the enormous growth of local, national, multinational and global NGOs and anti-globalization movements. In this book, based on his highly successful Sociology of the Global System, Leslie Sklair focuses on alternatives to global capitalism, arguing strongly that there are other alternative futures that retain and encourage the positive aspects of globalization whilst identifying what is wrong with capitalism. The negative aspects of capitalist globalization are explored in a new critique which argues that there are two main crises of capitalist globalization: the class polarization crisis and the crisis of ecological unsustainability. The book also presents a new analysis of a long-term alternative to global capitalism: the globalization of human rights.
Average customer rating:
- A snooze
- A tepid polemic
- An Interesting and Entertaining Read
- undertheorized and underanalyzed
- The Marketing of Spa Spirituality
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New Age Capitalism: Making Money East of Eden
Kimberly J. Lau
Manufacturer: University of Pennsylvania Press
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RESPeRATE Blood Pressure Lowering Device
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Airborne Effervescent Health Formula, Original Orange, 10 Tablets (Pack of 3)
ASIN: 0812217292 |
Book Description
The pursuit of health and wellness has become a fundamental and familiar part of everyday life in America. We are surrounded by an enticing world of products, practices, and promotions assuring health and happiness--cereal boxes claim that their contents can reduce the risk of heart disease, bars of aromatherapy soap seek to wash away our stresses, newspapers celebrate the wonders of the latest superfoods and herbal remedies. No longer confined to the domain of Western medicine, suggestions for healthy living often turn to alternatives originating in distant times and places, in cultures very different from our own. Diets from ancient or remote groups are presented as cures for everything from colds to cancer; exercise regimens based on Eastern philosophies are heralded as paths to physical health and spiritual wellbeing.
In New Age Capitalism, Kimberly Lau examines the ideological work that has created this billion-dollar business and allowed "Eastern" and other non-Western traditions to be coopted by Western capitalism. Extending the orientalist logic to the business of health and wellness, American companies have created a lucrative and competitive market for their products, encouraging consumers to believe that they are making the right choices for personal as well as planetary health. In reality, alternative health practices have been commodified for an American public longing not only for health and wellness but also for authenticity, tradition, and a connection to the cultures of an imagined Edenic past. Although consumers might prefer to buy into "authentic" non-Western therapies, New Age Capitalism argues that the market economy makes this goal unattainable.
Customer Reviews:
A snooze.......2001-03-21
This deals with a fascinating subject; unfortunately, the author claims an importance for her approach and analysis that simply can't be justified: she takes a few snippets from theorists of taste, commodification, and trans-cultural exchange, treats them as gospel rather than engaging critically with them, and applies them to material that (in her view) accedes so readily to the theories as to raise no challenging questions at all. Moreoever, the prose is the blue boiler-plate special: jargon-laden and warmed over, with no sense that writing must be digestable.
A tepid polemic.......2001-03-20
This book uses a canon to kill a flea. Sympathetic as I am to the rhetorical and discursive analysis of cultural formations, such a project requires depth and context to be intelligible: this book lacks both. It provides quick parachute drops into various aspects of discursively mediated marketeering strategies touching on discourse touching on the body, and then hurries on to another example or arena without working through the consequences of the argument. Morever, the style is ponderous enough to kill a child with lead poisoning. Since the author never bothers to ask who reads (let alone who is persuaded by) the discursive constructs that she so rapidly catalogues, one wonders why she has devoted all this energy to debunking notions that are probably believed by virtually no one.
An Interesting and Entertaining Read.......2001-03-16
"New Age Capitalism" is an insightful look at a burgeoning part of the economy that has gone overlooked for too long. Lau grabs our attention early on by showing that this cottage industry of Eastern culture is actually hundreds of millions of dollars a year and growing fast. From there she takes us on a fascinating look at not only the historical origins of the most well-known manifestations of Eastern culture (e.g. yoga), but also the particular ways in which they have been adapted and marketed to Western cultures.
The juxtaposition between the two (the purportedly ancient and mystical roots vs. the hard-nosed Western marketing) is stark at first, but the two slowly start to blend together as Lau shows that even the most non-traditional elements of other cultures can be packaged to enforce our existing social norms. The analysis will at times make you laugh, as when Lau highlights the yoga tag line, "Less Inner Thigh, More Inner Piece." At other times it will make you shake your head in frustration, as Lau illustrates how the bastardization of ancient customs is used to promulgate dangerous stereotypes and images.
The common thread throughout her analysis is that we are taught that these products are not only good for us, but good for society and the environment as well. Whether or not this is true is debatable and largely beside the point (I found myself sharing Lau's cynicism). But what is important is the perception that these products are good for society and the environment. Lau concludes with the worrisome thought that if this perception becomes prevalent, then individuals will replace political action and personal responsibility with consumerism. Why do I have to worry about global warming, I only use aromatherapy products.
Perhaps best of all, Lau presents this all in an academically rigorous fashion that is still digestible for the casual reader....or casual macrobiotic consumer.
undertheorized and underanalyzed.......2001-02-10
I was looking forward to reading this book, based on the review on Amazon.com, but was sorely disappointed. It's really nothing more than a cobbling together of a variety of already well-known theories of commoditization, globalization, and the diffusion of cultural meaning. Lau stitches together brief summaries of various stars, adding nothing of her own but merely parroting their views without critique, analysis, or qualification in any way that suggests that she has an original view to contribute. Then she declares that what all these thinkers have failed to consider is the significance of their theories for . . . the body! Not only is this ludicrously wrong, but in fact what she turns out to mean by "the body" is so vague and unconnected to the physical body as to make one wonder why she even uses this term to frame the project. In effect, she means something like "cultural discourse concerning products somehow related to the body." If she provided that definition, it would at least explain her decision to focus on such matters as aromatherapy. But in fact even that characterization gives her more credit than she deserves, since she completely ignores such topics as tattooing, which one would think is vital for the project as she frames it. Finally, even those phenomena she does discuss are subjected to an analysis so blunt, obvious, and thoughtless that again the point of the project is hard to identify. In essence, we are told that various cultural products designed for bodily use are often given mystical, "oriental" genealogies by marketers who hope to appeal to consumers' desire for the same. Hence the book consists in large part of readings of the packaging of such products, inevitably concluding with the news that these products are *not* from the East and are merely imperializing, ethnocentric gestures that condescend to the cultures they purport to preserve. This is news?
The one element that might save the project as an empirical study is also missing: Lau doesn't bother to notice that many people purchase loofahs and other such products without even bothering to look at the packaging. Thus Lau might, at least, have tried to determine what effect the marketers' discourse has on consumers, but instead she takes it for granted that these effects are overwhelming and determinative, rather than making any sort of argument about the subject at all.
Anyone who had spent five minutes contemplating the issue on their own could have come up the with the findings that Lau diligently and laboriously produces, and anyone who spent half an hour thinking about these issues could come up with a few insights that problematize the glib answers provided here. This book should not have been published, and I would urge you to read it at the library, if you must, rather than rewarding the publishers with your money.
The Marketing of Spa Spirituality.......2000-06-28
Lau's analysis of the rhetoric used to sell aromatherapy products and other "new age" phenomena is masterful. It's a fantastic treatment of a timely topic, full of insights. The book has an ironic wit and a refreshing expose-style to it, e.g. the way Lau points out how Aveda products are marketed as ecofriendly commodities, thus assuaging the worries of consumers concerned about the adverse effects of consumerism... consume this and fight the evils of consumerism with every dollar you spend! But it is by no means a sloppy, hastily researched book. It's style is at times heavily academic, of the theory-head variety, but the theory section is one of the strongest, well worth careful perusal.
It seems that equal-opportunity New Age capitalism is trickling down to the masses just about everywhere you look. I just learned that one can purchase "Chinese" meditation bracelets at a chain of local gas station/ice-cream parlors. They used to sell the WWJD bracelets but have decided to try something more multi-culti, I gather.
In my initial reading of _New Age Capitalism_, I was often reminded of the work of sociologists like Robert Bellah (esp. in _Habits of the Heart_) on the privatized nature of much contemporary American religious experience. Bellah traces the roots of our prediliction for pastiche, design-your-own 'spirituality' back to the founding fathers and, ultimately, the Enlightenment thinkers, but nonetheless thinks it's a phenomenon worth watching now more than ever.
One question the book might have entertained is just how much sense of commonality or community spirit a group of consumers of 'spiritual' commodities might be said to have. I'm Durkheimian in my definition of religion as an emphatically social phenomenon, and wonder whether consumer groups can ever be anything more than virtual communities (given that one has to get oneself to a retail outlet to have face-to-face interactions with other consumers of 'spiritual' commodities).
Book Description
"When denunciations of Yanqui imperialism in Latin America start coming from the presidential palaces as well as the streets, Washington needs to change its ways."-
The New York Times editorial, December 24, 2005
As resistance grows to Washington's imposition of neoliberal policies, Cuban intellectual Roberto Regalado provides a sharp analysis of the issues underlying the conflicts between the United States and the countries of Latin America.
Regalado considers the significance of the recent election of a number of leftist governments and addresses the key question for Latin America today: reform or revolution?
In an authoritative review of the continual political crises, Regalado discusses the impact of the collapse of the socialist bloc, why socialism has survived in Cuba, and how the strengthening of popular struggles-from the water struggles in Bolivia to the landless movement in Brazil-has led to the strategic and tactical redefinition of political parties and other movements of the Left.
A fascinating book for scholars and anyone interested in Latin American politics today.
Â
Book Description
A theory of market failures is well established in economics, but the same has not been true for the study of nonmarket failures. Markets or Governments remedies this situation by providing a formal theory of nonmarket failure, analyzing such problems as redundant costs, monopoly, frequency of unanticipated externalities, and bureaucracy in such nonmarket institutions as foundations, universities, and government. This new edition updates the data and results contained in the first edition and includes references and applications of the theory to the ongoing process of system transformation in Russia, Ukraine, and Eastern Europe. The discussion of earlier literature that is relevant to the theory of nonmarket failure has been expanded.
Charles Wolf, Jr., is Dean of the RAND Graduate School of Policy Studies and Director of RAND's research program in International Economic Policy.
Average customer rating:
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Culture, Society, Economy: Globalization and its Alternatives
Don Robotham
Manufacturer: Sage Publications Ltd
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Binding: Paperback
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Similar Items:
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A Brief History of Neoliberalism
ASIN: 0761940146 |
Book Description
'Robotham offers here a clear-headed exposé of the limits of classical liberalism in the face of world production today. His theme is both urgent and iconoclastic. There is an unusual clarity about the exposition and a drive that comes from passionate engagement combined with long experience, reading and reflection'
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Keith Hart, Goldsmiths College, London
In
Culture, Society and Economy, Don Robotham examines the failure of recent social theory to grasp the problems of globalization and the emergence of corporate monopoly capital, and sets out his own argument for a radical solution.
He argues that the neglect of economics by both cultural studies and social theory has weakened the ability to develop viable alternatives to present day capitalist globalization. With deep awareness of, and reference to, current events and contemporary trends, the author presents a detailed critique of:
- cultural studies, in particular Stuart Hall and Paul Gilroy;
- Giddens' theory of 'risk society';
- Scott Lash and John Urry's 'economies of signs and space';
- Manuel Castells' theory of 'network society'.
The final chapters make a unique argument that the solution to the problems of globalization lies in more globalization rather than adopting an anti-globalization or 'localization' position. Don Robotham proposes more effective centralized institutions for governing the world economy, in other words - world government.
Average customer rating:
- a fresh outlook on our society
- The Most Important Book You May Ever Read
|
Dollars or Democracy: A Technological Alternative to Capitalism
Yorick Blumenfeld
Manufacturer: Xlibris Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1413460801 |
Book Description
"Capitalism, as a socio-economic system, is threatening both our human and spiritual survival and yet we remain in denial," warns the author." Like anorexics, we look in the mirror but refuse to recognize what we are doing to ourselves and our planet. Spiritually capitalism is a totally amoral system but our purportedly Christian nation raises no concerted protest against its incredibly corrupting effect on ourselves and children." Capitalism, he maintains, does not concern itself with morality: it is focused on profits. Blumenfeld devotes the first half of his book to examine why capitalism and democracy are basically incompatible. The litany of capitalism¿s devastating effects are becoming well known, although his condemnation of the corrupting impact of money on the democratic process is chilling. In the second half the author contends that there is an alternative, that if we want to prolong our existence on this planet we must turn to a less-abrasive and truly democratic system based on cooperation rather than one predicated on greed and competition. "Yorick Blumenfeld should be invited to every TV chat show on the planet. He could teach the world to sing...He says we should try to enhance the charms of life in the 21st Century with 'joy and laughter and a good measure of civility.' Clear the TV schedules now. Make lots of room for Yorick Blumenfeld." --- Michael Thompson-Noel, The Financial Times. "We are not the captives of capitalism. We do have a democratic choice. We have it within our power to change the economy to suit our needs without resorting to violence or coercion. But this demands careful thinking, vigorous discussion and debate, followed by planning and decision making. This book offers you choices, not destiny." From the conclusion of Dollars or Democracy.
Customer Reviews:
a fresh outlook on our society.......2004-12-16
in the very words of the author, "this book presents a technological proposal(or at least the potential for a new outlook) in an era when all plans have become suspect".
And this proposal is credible.
After showing (but some of us suspected this already) that our capitalistic society is going straight into a wall : no answer to unemployment, no education, no care of the elderly, no humanity, an incredible emphasis on property and money, Yorick Blumenfeld shows us more importantly that there are solutions.
Although we may experience some withdrawal symptoms, the author tells us to deccelerate : we are hooked on speed (!)
The details of Blumenfeld's plans on how we should achieve this and what we should replace it with are fascinating.
"Cooperation should replace competition as an overriding goal".
We should shift from "state-created money to a labor-based system" called "Incentive economy".
I believe that this book should be read by our economists, teachers and politicians.
Let us slow down and take some time to read this book!
The Most Important Book You May Ever Read.......2004-10-21
I believe Dollars or Democracy is as important a
book as I expect to come across in my lifetime. With
down-to-earth clarity, the author has shown me not only
that the economic system in which I have unwittingly
participated all my life is fundamentally amoral, but
even more importantly, there ARE alternatives to
capitalism.
Blumenfeld's underlying optimism to change our world
for the better sustains this book. It prevents it from
merely being a polemic. I'm not an economist so I
can't tell if his plans for universal cooperatives
will succeed, but they seem to hold out promise
for a less greedy and less competitively destructive
society.
Also, I really like the post-script in which he
suggests practical, concrete steps I could take right
now to help the transition to a more sane
national economy. I would love to hear the reactions
of others to this. This book should be required reading
in every economics classroom in the country!
Book Description
Can Christians contribute to the fight against poverty and environmental degradation? Is the Bible a source of inspiration for action and political strategies in this work? Ulrich Duchrow, Professor of Theology at the University of Heidelberg, shows us the answer is yes.
Average customer rating:
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Alternative Capitalisms: Geographies of Emerging Regions (Hodder Arnold Publication)
Robert Gwynne ,
Thomas Klak , and
Denis Shaw
Manufacturer: A Hodder Arnold Publication
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0340763213 |
Book Description
This book aims to examine the effects of globalization and economic and political transformations in the 'emerging regions' of Latin America and the Caribbean, East Central Europe and the former Soviet Union and East Asia by looking at development trajectories and the pathways of both economic and political change. This is a unique approach in terms of books published in both geography and the social sciences.
Book Description
Known for his seminal work in efficiency-wage theory, Andrew Weiss surveys recent research in the field and presents new results. He shows how wage schedules affect the kinds of workers a firm employs and how well those workers perform on the job. Using straightforward examples, he demonstrates how efficiency-wage theory can explain labor market outcomes and guide government policy. There is a separate section of applications to less developed countries. "Efficiency-wage models represent one of the most important developments in economic theory of recent years. They have, at last, provided integrated explanations both of macroeconomic phenomena, such as unemployment and wage rigidity, and microeconomic phenomena, such as wage dispersion. Weiss--one of the pioneers of efficiency-wage theory--provides here a masterful survey, a lucid and systematic and yet critical account of this rapidly developing branch of economics. This book should be required reading in all courses in macroeconomics."--Joseph Stiglitz, Stanford University "Efficiency Wages should be on the bookshelf of all labor and macroeconomists."--Lawrence H. Summers, Harvard University "A splendid monograph ... most readable.... I will put it on my reading list."--Partha Dasgupta, Stanford University
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