Growth Fetish

Book Description

A wide-ranging, but thoroughly accessible, critique of the dominant political ideology and cultural sensibilities of the capitalist West. Its analysis centres on an unpicking of two foundational principles of capitalism: the need for economic growth and, secondarily, the importance of progress. Successive chapters explore and criticise key aspects of western society: consumerism, attitudes to work, government (especially `third way' social democracy) and our treatment of the environment. In the final chapter, the author gives a sketch of an alternative post-growth society.

Growth Fetish is a powerful and highly readable synthesis of critiques of Western society under capitalism from a variety of angles - economic, cultural, environmental, philosophical - and its range is impressive.

Customer Reviews:

A gem of a book.......2007-08-19

If you are wondering where infinite GDP growth is taking us then you should read this book.

If you are wondering what infinite consumption is doing to us as a race then you should read this book.

If you are wondering why the choice has gone out of politics as every party tries to seize the middle ground then you should read this book.

If you are wondering why GDP seems to grow but your life doesn't get better then you should read this book.

If you've ever wondered why we need thousands of hair care products which differ only in how they are marketed, you should read this book.

Basically, you should read this book. Someone ran off with my copy, but I'll buy another. It really is that good. You'll find yourself picking it up again and again, and like Shakespeare you'll take something different away from it every time.

Against globalization and the fetish of economic growth.......2006-12-30

A book against globalization, but not a run of the mill one. Hamilton deftly connects the counterculture of the 60s and the 70s with the resurgent capitalism of today. He says (and I'm quoting from the spanish translation): "The counterculture was never a rebellion against capitalism, but against social conservatism, which impeded the advance of capitalism". I don't share all his views and proposals, but he is an intelligent person that realizes how the exarcerbated individualism brought forward by the counterculture paved the way for the arrival of today's turbocapitalism. Hamilton correctly sees the problem of the west today as not one of poverty but one of abundance, which has left the place spiritually void. One think I would have like to have Hamilton discuss is how his proposal for zero economic growth would affect the third world, whose livelihood depends in many cases on commodities sold to the west.

Hamiltons basis in stats is excellent.......2005-09-06

Clive Hamiltons sequel to Growth Fetish, "Affluenza", is rich with statistics on the state of Australian debt, spending habits and attitudes. Based on a great deal of research by the Australian Institute and others, perhaps in response to the more rhetorical basis of his last book. And those stats are truly shocking: the majority of Australians are sacrificing rich, fulfilling lives for overworked ones so they can live like the rich.

If you've read Growth Fetish you know the questions, in Affluenza you get some of the answers: downshifting, voluntary simplicity and re-engagment with community.

Another utopian alternative. .......2005-08-23

I think the basic premise of the book is credible: there is something definitely fishy with our current statistical growth mania and neoliberal political blindness, both from a sustainability and from a conceptual point of view.
My disappointment is in the way it is worked out: the book does not carry proofs, statistical data etc. but mainly rethoric, some of it of the old Marxist flavor( last time I read that stuff was over 25 years ago, it has not become better with age ).
The weakest part regards the future of work and the alternatives, plainly utopian without again any substantiation.
This book will not convince anybody but the already convinced:

Must read - must act.......2003-11-18

Extraordinarily insightful - significant and urgent. As a 'civilised' society we must dampen the motivation of self interest and greed at the expense of all else (relationships, environment and happiness). This book describes in detail the roots of our unhappiness 'the prisoners of plenty' and seeks to describe a way forward. It will capture your imagination and stir you to reassess your definition of success.

Easily the most signifcant book I have read and cannot recommend it highly enough.

Enjoy and hopefully our 'advanced' human race can evolve to a society that promotes and supports the full realisation of human potential for all.

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Clive Hamilton, Growth Fetish.(Book Review): An article from: Journal of Australian Studies
Sue Bond
Manufacturer: University of Queensland Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000821IAG
Release Date: 2005-07-31

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of Australian Studies, published by University of Queensland Press on September 1, 2003. The length of the article is 897 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Clive Hamilton, Growth Fetish.(Book Review)
Author: Sue Bond
Publication: Journal of Australian Studies (Refereed)
Date: September 1, 2003
Publisher: University of Queensland Press
Issue: 79 Page: 194(2)

Article Type: Book Review

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From fetish to faith: [the growth of the church in West Africa]

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From fetish to faith: [the growth of the church in West Africa]
William James Platt
Manufacturer: Livingstone Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Growth Fetish.
Clive Hamilton
Manufacturer: Pluto Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N7JQV4

Book Description

The essays in this volume represent some of the best writing done about the history, political dynamics, and legal development of the Supreme Court. They remind us that interest in the court as not just a legal but a political and cultural entity has been prodigious. No other court has attracted anything approaching the scholarly attention on the so-called "Marble Palace" in Washington, D.C. Biographers, such as Bernard Schwartz and G. Edward White, remind us that talent on the high bench has made a difference in the growth of judicial power and in adjusting the Constitution to fit emerging social realities.
The essays in this landmark collection deal with the social controversies that have reached the Court and the ways in which the justices attempted to deal with them and the results of their doing so.
The Supreme Court in American Society serves as a powerful reminder of how important the Court has been to American life, how central a role it has played in interpreting the rule of lawagainst a constantly evolving social order, and how much it has mirrored the controversies, debates, and political struggles of American History.

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The Law and Society Reader
Richard Abel
Manufacturer: NYU Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0814706185
Release Date: 1995-05-01

Book Description

This book seeks to provide answers to everything you ever wanted to know about the law—except what the rules are or ought to be.

For centuries, the law has been considered a neutral, objective arena that sets societal standards and in which conflicting forces resolve disputes. More recently, however, the interaction between law and society has been recognized as a two-way street: society clearly exacts a considerable influence on the practice and evolution of law. Further, the discrepancy between what the law mandates and what the social reality is has served as evidence of the chasm between theory and practice, between the abstraction of law and its actual societal effects.

Examining such issues as the limits of legal change and the capacity of law to act as a revolutionary agent, the essays in this book offer a well-rounded introduction to the relationship between law and society. By focusing on flashpoint issues in legal studies—equality, consciousness and ideology, social control--and making ample use of engaging case studies, The Law and Society Review provides an invaluable resource for scholars and students alike.

The Law and Society Reader: Readings on the Social Study of Law

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The Law and Society Reader: Readings on the Social Study of Law

Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0393967131

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Read this for Intro to Womens Studies 270 Class

Women, Culture and Society: A Reader
Barbara Balliet
Manufacturer: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Gender & the Law | Perspectives on Law | Law | Subjects | Books

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Gender Talk: The Struggle For Women's Equality in African American Communities

ASIN: 075751202X

Customer Reviews:

Read this for Intro to Womens Studies 270 Class.......2001-05-08

excellent text. literally fuelled the entire women's studies class. my favourite section was a poem called "hair" and the part on "makeup culture". anyone pursuing women's studies will find this to be an excellent intersectional analysis of women in this world and the world of women.

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The Culture and Conflict Reader
Pat Chew
Manufacturer: NYU Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Violence in Society | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Conflict of Laws | Perspectives on Law | Law | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0814715796
Release Date: 2001-01-01

Book Description

Read the Introduction.

Culture is the lens through which we make sense of the world. In any conflict, from petty disputes to wars between nation-states, the players invariably view that conflict through the filter of their own cultural experiences. This innovative volume prompts us to pause and think through our most fundamental assumptions about how conflict arises and how it is resolved.

Even as certain culturally based disputes, such as the high-profile cases in which an immigrant engages in conduct considered normal in the homeland but which is explicitly illegal in his/her new country, enter public consciousness, many of the most basic intersections of culture and conflict remain unexamined. How are some processes cultured, gendered, or racialized? In what ways do certain groups and cultures define such concepts as "justice" and "fairness" differently? Do women and men perceive events in similar fashion, use different reasoning, or emphasize disparate values and goals?

Spanning a wide array of disciplines, from anthropology and psychology to law and business, and culling dozens of intriguing essays, The Culture and Conflict Reader is edited for maximum pedagogical usefulness and represents a bedrock text for anyone interested in conflict and dispute resolution.

Contributors include: Kevin Avruch, Peter W. Black, Jeffrey Z. Rubin, Frank E. A. Sander, John Paul Lederach, Heather Forest, Sara Cobb, Janet Rifkin, Ryunosuke Akutagawa, Laura Nader, Pat Chew, Stella Ting-Toomey, Harry C. Triandis, Christopher McCusker, C. Harry Hui, Anita Taylor, Judi Beinstein Miller, Carol Gilligan, Trina Grillo, James W. Grosch, Karen G. Duffy, Paul V. Olczak, Michele Hermann, Martha Chamallas, Loraleigh Keashly, Phil Zuckerman, Tracy E. Higgins, Howard Gadlin, Janie Victoria Ward, Kyeyoung Park, Taunya Lovell Banks, Margaret Read MacDonald, Mary Patrice Erdmans, Manu Aluli Meyer, Doriane Lambelet Coleman, Bruce D. Bonta, Paul E. Salem, Mohammed Abu-Nimer, Marc H. Ross, Z.D. Gurevitch, Mari J. Matsuda, Charles R. Lawrence III, Hsien Chin Hu, Glenn R. Butterton,Walter Otto Weyrauch, Maureen Anne Bell, Martti Gronfors, Thomas Donaldson, Marjorie Shostak, and Heather Forest.
Table of Contents

Part I: Approaching Conflict and Culture: Inquiries, Assumptions, and Constructs

Introduction

1 Conflict Resolution in Intercultural Settings: Problems and Prospects
Kevin Avruch and Peter W. Black

2 Culture, Negotiation, and the Eye of the Beholder
Jeffrey Z. Rubin and Frank E. A. Sander

3 Preparing for Peace: Conflict Transformation across Cultures
John Paul Lederach

4 Everyone Agrees to Peace
Heather Forest

5 Practice and Paradox: Deconstructing Neutrality in Mediation
Sara Cobb and Janet Rifkin

6 In a Grove
Ryunosuke Akutagawa

7 Harmony Models and the Construction of Law
Laura Nader

8 Vantage Point
Pat K. Chew

9 Toward a Theory of Conflict and Culture
Stella Ting-Toomey

10 Multimethod Probes of Individualism and Collectivism
Harry C. Triandis, Christopher McCusker, and C. Harry Hui

Part II: Gender and Conflict

Introduction

11 The Necessity of Seeing Gender in Conflict
Anita Taylor and Judi Beinstein Miller

12 In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women's Development
Carol Gilligan

13 The Mediation Alternative: Process Dangers for Women
Trina Grillo

14 Role of Ethnic and Gender Differences in Mediated Conflicts
James W. Grosch, Karen G. Duffy, and Paul V. Olczak

15 New Mexico Research Examines Impact of Gender and Ethnicity in Mediation
Michele Hermann

16 The Architecture of Bias: Deep Structures in Tort Law
Martha Chamallas

17 Gender and Conflict: What Does Psychological ResearchTell Us?
Loraleigh Keashly

18 Gender Regulation as a Source of Religious Schism
Phil Zuckerman

19 Anti-Essentialism, Relativism, and Human Rights
Tracy E. Higgins

Part III: Ethnicity, Race, and Conflict

Introduction

20 Conflict Resolution, Cultural Differences, and the Culture of Racism
Howard Gadlin

21 "Eyes in the Back of Your Head": Moral Themes in African American Narratives of Racial Conflict
Janie Victoria Ward

22 Use and Abuse of Race and Culture: Black-Korean Tension in America
Kyeyoung Park

23 Both Edges of the Margin: Blacks and Asians in Mississippi Masala, Barriers to Coalition-Building
Taunya Lovell Banks

24 Not Our Problem
Margaret Read MacDonald

25 Immigrants and Ethnics: Conflict and Identity in Chicago Polonia
Mary Patrice Erdmans

6 To Set Right: Ho'oponopono, A Native Hawaiian Way of Peacemaking
Manu Aluli Meyer

27 Individualizing Justice through Multiculturalism: The Liberals' Dilemma
Doriane Lambelet Coleman

Part IV: Global Perspectives

Introduction

28 Conflict Resolution among Peaceful Societies: The Culture of Peacefulness
Bruce D. Bonta

29 A Critique of Western Conflict Resolution from a Non-Western Perspective
Paul E. Salem

30 Conflict Resolution Approaches: Western and Middle EasternLessons and Possibilities
Mohammed Abu-Nimer

31 The Relevance of Culture for the Study of Political Psychologyand Ethnic Conflict
Marc Howard Ross

32 The Power of Not Understanding: The Meeting of Conflicting Identities
Z. D. Gurevitch

33 The Telltale Heart: Apology, Reparation, and Redress
Mari J. Matsuda and Charles R. Lawrence III

34 The Chinese Concepts of 'Face'
Hsien Chin Hu

35 Pirates, Dragons, and U.S. Intellectual Property Rights inChina: Problems and Prospects of Chinese Enforcement
Glenn R. Butterton

36 Autonomous Lawmaking: The Case of the 'Gypsies'
Walter Otto Weyrauch and Maureen Anne Bell

37 Institutional Non-Marriage in the Finnish Roma Community and Its Relationship to Rom Traditional Law
Martti Gronfors

38 Values in Tension: Ethics Away from Home
Thomas Donaldson

39 Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman
Marjorie Shostak

Book Description

View the Table of Contents. Read the Introduction.

"Most academic literature regarding firearms policy is one-sided advocacy scholarship. . . . This book seeks to create such a balance."
—Future Survey

The second amendment is the most hotly debated and controversial right in the Constitution. In light of the recent surge of school shootings and other gun-related crimes, gun policy has become one of our leading national concerns, affecting politicians, gun manufacturers, sport shooters, and ordinary citizens alike.

Showcasing viewpoints from all sides of the gun control debate, Gun Control and Gun Rights, presents the first balanced gun policy textbook for use by undergraduates, graduate students, law students and the general public.

This comprehensive anthology includes selections from legal cases, hunting stories, public policy briefs and journalistic accounts. Anyone looking for a fair, even-handed account of the gun issue will find it in this book.

Customer Reviews:

Reasoned, Balanced and Badly Needed.......2002-06-06

For the most part, the gun-policy debate in the United States could be well summed up by Yeats' words: The best lack all conviction while the worst / Are full of passionate intensity. Truly honest scholarship, in the sense of a dispassionate exploration of the issues underlying the debate, has been sorely lacking. Even the best, scientifically-based work has taken the form of attempts to prove something about the social benefits or social costs of private gun ownership. No one, it seems, has come forward to frame the questions that the debate ought to be seeking to answer.

Andrew McClurg, David Kopel and Brannon Denning have done just that. While holding very different personal views - McClurg is an advocate of increased gun control while Kopel and Denning are in favor of broader gun rights - these three have built a framework within which a meaningful debate can begin.

Anyone who truly cares about finding a workable resolution to our country's disagreements over gun ownership - anyone, that is, who will make the effort to get beyond simply demanding that things be settled their way - will benefit from reading this book.

Book Description

International Politics: A Journal of Transnational Issues and Global Problems (a Kluwer scholarly quarterly) has, since 1997, published an extraordinary array of path-breaking analyses about the world's political metamorphosis. Featuring scholarship that transcends boundaries of states and disciplines, International Politics editors and contributors have joined to assemble, from the journal's last few volumes, a far-reaching portrait of new actors, identities, norms, and institutions that populate a stage once confined to states, power, and national interests. Further, interventions to build states, make or keep the peace, impose sanctions or save currencies are examined, as are the institutional enlargements at the forefront of policy in Europe. Global Society in Transition offers a wealth of policy-relevant scholarship about a world-in-making -- not yet detached from Cold War or even Westphalian roots, but certainly in process towards a qualitatively different global system. All published after rigorous peer review, chapters in Global Society in Transition will provide comparative politics, international relations, and world affairs courses at undergraduate and graduate level with instant access to the best of new research and innovative thinking in these fields.

Law & Society: An Introduction to Sources for Criminal & Legal History from 1800 (Readers Guides Series No. 14)

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Law & Society: An Introduction to Sources for Criminal & Legal History from 1800 (Readers Guides Series No. 14)
Michelle Cale
Manufacturer: Public Record Office Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Women, Culture and Society: A Reader
Rutgers University Staff
Manufacturer: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Gender & the Law | Perspectives on Law | Law | Subjects | Books

Product Description

Addresses current issues of concern to women.

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