The Practical Utopians

Author : Steven Bernard Leikin
Publisher : Wayne State University Press
Page : 256 pages
File Size : 45,8 Mb
Release : 2005
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 0814331289

Get Book

The Practical Utopians by Steven Bernard Leikin Pdf

An exploration of the ideological conflicts and practical experiences of late-nineteenth-century American workers who pursued "cooperation" as an alternative to "competitive" capitalism. Between 1865 and 1890, in the aftermath of the Civil War, virtually every important American labor reform organization advocated "cooperation" over "competitive" capitalism and several thousand cooperatives opened for business during this era. The men and women who built cooperatives were practical reformers and they established businesses to stabilize their work lives, families, and communities. Yet they were also utopians--envisioning a world free from conflict where workers would receive the full value of their labor and freely exercise democratic citizenship in the political and economic realms. Their visions of cooperation, though, were riddled with hierarchical notions of race, gender, and skill that gave little specific guidance for running a cooperative. The Practical Utopians closely examines the experiences of working men and women as they built their cooperatives, contested the meanings of cooperation, and reconciled the realities of the marketplace with their various and often conflicting conceptions of democratic participation. Steve Leikin provides new theories and examples of the failure and successes of the cooperative movement, including how the Gilded Age's most powerful labor organization, the Knights of Labor, collapsed in the face of the expanding industrial economy. Dealing with a critically important yet largely ignored aspect of working-class life during the late nineteenth century, The Practical Utopians brings crucial aspects of the cooperative movement to light and is a necessary study for all scholars of history, labor history, and political science.

Author : Michael Albert
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 51,9 Mb
Release : 2017
Category : Political participation
ISBN : 162963381X

Get Book

Practical Utopia by Michael Albert Pdf

Michael Albert's latest work, Practical Utopia is a succinct and thoughtful discussion of ambitious goals and practical principles for creating a desirable society. It presents concepts and their connections to current society; visions of what can be in a preferred, participatory future; and an examination of the ends and means required for developing a just society. Neither shying away from the complexity of human issues, nor reeking of dogmatism, Practical Utopia presupposes only concern for humanity. Part one offers conceptual tools for understanding society and history, for discerning the nature of the oppressions people suffer and the potentials they harbor. Part two promotes a vision for a better way of organizing economy, polity, kinship, culture, ecology, and international relations. It is not a blueprint, of course, but does address the key institutions needed if people are to be free to determine their own circumstances. Part three investigates the means of seeking change using a variety of tactics and programs.

Author : Alex MacDonald
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 132 pages
File Size : 52,7 Mb
Release : 2004
Category : Cooperation
ISBN : OCLC:1311040488

Get Book

Practical Utopians by Alex MacDonald Pdf

Author : Anna Neima
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 323 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2022-04-28
Category : History
ISBN : 9781316517970

Get Book

Practical Utopia by Anna Neima Pdf

Tells the compelling story of Dartington Hall - a far-reaching social, cultural and education experiment in Devon in the interwar years.

Author : Michael Albert
Publisher : PM Press
Page : 304 pages
File Size : 43,8 Mb
Release : 2017-08-01
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781629634050

Get Book

Practical Utopia by Michael Albert Pdf

Michael Albert’s latest work, Practical Utopia is a succinct and thoughtful discussion of ambitious goals and practical principles for creating a desirable society. It presents concepts and their connections to current society; visions of what can be in a preferred, participatory future; and an examination of the ends and means required for developing a just society. Neither shying away from the complexity of human issues, nor reeking of dogmatism, Practical Utopia presupposes only concern for humanity. Part one offers conceptual tools for understanding society and history, for discerning the nature of the oppressions people suffer and the potentials they harbor. Part two promotes a vision for a better way of organizing economy, polity, kinship, culture, ecology, and international relations. It is not a blueprint, of course, but does address the key institutions needed if people are to be free to determine their own circumstances. Part three investigates the means of seeking change using a variety of tactics and programs.

Author : Kenneth Royce Moore
Publisher : A&C Black
Page : 145 pages
File Size : 53,7 Mb
Release : 2012-02-16
Category : History
ISBN : 9781441153173

Get Book

Plato, Politics and a Practical Utopia, by Kenneth Royce Moore Pdf

An examination of the material culture outlined in Plato's Laws including demographic, economic, military and political structures, analysed using contemporary theories and historical contextualization

Author : Ou Ning
Publisher : Springer Nature
Page : 470 pages
File Size : 45,9 Mb
Release : 2020-10-29
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9789811557910

Get Book

Utopia in Practice by Ou Ning Pdf

This book is a collection of texts on one of China's boldest social experiments in recent years: the rural reconstruction project in Bishan. The Bishan Project (2011-2016) was a rural reconstruction project in a small village Bishan, Anhui Province, China. The writings describe and criticize the social problems caused by China’s over-loading urbanization process and starts a a contemporary agrarianism and agritopianism discourse to resist the modernism and developmentalism doctrine which dominated China for more than a century, answering a global desire for the theory and action of the alternative social solution for today’s environmental and political crises.This practical utopian commune project ran for 6 years and caused a national debate on rural issues in China, when it was invited to be exhibited and presented abroad. This collection of writing will be of interest to artists, China scholars, architects, and the cultural community at large.

Author : Anna Neima
Publisher : Pan Macmillan
Page : 320 pages
File Size : 51,5 Mb
Release : 2021-06-10
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781529023084

Get Book

The Utopians by Anna Neima Pdf

'Fascinating and richly documented . . . Few books manage to be so informative and so entertaining.' – Sunday Times 'Thanks to Neima’s rigorous research, each chapter offers something new.' – Spectator 'Neima ranges with impressive confidence across the world'. – Literary Review Santiniketan-Sriniketan in India, Dartington Hall in England, Atarashiki Mura in Japan, the Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man in France, the Bruderhof in Germany and Trabuco College in America: six experimental communities established in the aftermath of the First World War, each aiming to change the world. The Utopians is an absorbing and vivid account of these collectives and their charismatic leaders and reveals them to be full of eccentric characters, outlandish lifestyles and unchecked idealism. Dismissed and even mocked in their time, yet, a century later, their influence still resonates in progressive education, environmentalism, medical research and mindfulness training. Without such inspirational experiments in how to live, post-war society would have been a poorer place.

Author : Zsolt Cziganyik
Publisher : Central European University Press
Page : 265 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 2017-03-30
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9789633862438

Get Book

Utopian Horizons by Zsolt Cziganyik Pdf

The 500th anniversary of Thomas More’s Utopia has directed attention toward the importance of utopianism. This book investigates the possibilities of cooperation between the humanities and the social sciences in the analysis of 20th century and contemporary utopian phenomena. The papers deal with major problems of interpreting utopias, the relationship of utopia and ideology, and the highly problematic issue as to whether utopia necessarily leads to dystopia. Besides reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of contemporary utopian investigations, the eleven essays effectively represent the constructive attitudes of utopian thought, a feature that not only defines late 20th- and 21st-century utopianism, but is one of the primary reasons behind the rising importance of the topic. The volume’s originality and value lies not only in the innovative theoretical approaches proposed, but also in the practical application of the concept of utopia to a variety of phenomena which have been neglected in the utopian studies paradigm, especially to the rarely discussed Central European texts and ideologies.

Author : Lyman Tower Sargent
Publisher : OUP Oxford
Page : 160 pages
File Size : 41,5 Mb
Release : 2010-09-23
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780191614422

Get Book

Utopianism: A Very Short Introduction by Lyman Tower Sargent Pdf

There are many debates about utopia - What constitutes a utopia? Are utopias benign or dangerous? Is the idea of utopianism essential to Christianity or heretical? What is the relationship between utopia and ideology? This Very Short Introduction explores these issues and examines utopianism and its history. Lyman Sargent discusses the role of utopianism in literature, and in the development of colonies and in immigration. The idea of utopia has become commonplace in social and political thought, both negatively and positively. Some thinkers see a trajectory from utopia to totalitarianism with violence an inevitable part of the mix. Others see utopia directly connected to freedom and as a necessary element in the fight against totalitarianism. In Christianity utopia is labelled as both heretical and as a fundamental part of Christian belief, and such debates are also central to such fields as architecture, town and city planning, and sociology among many others Sargent introduces and summarizes the debates over the utopia in literature, communal studies, social and political theory, and theology. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Author : Rutger Bregman
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 336 pages
File Size : 55,7 Mb
Release : 2017-03-05
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781408890257

Get Book

Utopia for Realists by Rutger Bregman Pdf

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'Listen out for Rutger Bregman. He has a big future shaping the future' Observer 'A more politically radical Malcolm Gladwell' New York Times 'The Dutch wunderkind of new ideas' Guardian In Utopia for Realists, Rutger Bregman shows that we can construct a society with visionary ideas that are, in fact, wholly implementable. Every milestone of civilisation – from the end of slavery to the beginning of democracy – was once considered a utopian fantasy. New utopian ideas such as universal basic income and a fifteen-hour work week can become reality in our lifetime. From a Canadian city that once completely eradicated poverty, to Richard Nixon's near implementation of a basic income for millions of Americans, Bregman takes us on a journey through history, beyond the traditional left-right divides, as he introduces ideas whose time has come.

Author : Thomas More
Publisher : Good Press
Page : 113 pages
File Size : 54,9 Mb
Release : 2023-12-03
Category : Political Science
ISBN : EAN:8596547685586

Get Book

Utopia by Thomas More Pdf

Utopia is a work of fiction and socio-political satire by Thomas More published in 1516 in Latin. The book is a frame narrative primarily depicting a fictional island society and its religious, social and political customs. Many aspects of More's description of Utopia are reminiscent of life in monasteries.

Author : Barbara Goodwin,Keith Taylor
Publisher : Peter Lang
Page : 348 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 2009
Category : History
ISBN : 3039110802

Get Book

The Politics of Utopia by Barbara Goodwin,Keith Taylor Pdf

This book provides both an introduction to utopianism and a general perspective on radical political thought. Vigorously disputing the widespread conviction that utopianism is a fantasy with no relevance to modern political life and thought, the authors argue that it is a concept whose special virtue lies in its capacity to transcend the limitations of present circumstances, to inspire alternative thinking and to open up new directions for political action. This book develops an approach which relates social causes to political theory and practice. The first part discusses utopianism as a form of political theory with unique characteristics and the ability to transcend the present. The second part considers utopianism as an expression of fundamental social impulses and as an ingredient of modern political movements. The third part offers a defence of utopianism as both theory and practice, and argues for its use to counteract the pragmatism and narrow empiricism which often passes for political «realism» in modern societies. This reissue of a popular and well-received landmark text contains a new preface.

Author : Paul Goodman
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 330 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 1964
Category : Essays
ISBN : PSU:000004793410

Get Book

Utopian Essays and Practical Proposals by Paul Goodman Pdf

Author : Richard Westra,Robert Albritton,Seongjin Jeong
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
Page : 224 pages
File Size : 53,7 Mb
Release : 2017-07-14
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781315397337

Get Book

Varieties of Alternative Economic Systems by Richard Westra,Robert Albritton,Seongjin Jeong Pdf

In this age of overlapping and mutually reinforcing deep global crises (financial convulsions, global warming, mass migrations, militarism, inequality, selfish nation-states, etc.), there needs to be more realistic dialogue about radical alternatives to the status quo. Most literature produced heretofore has focused on the surface causes of these crises without much attention given to the sorts of major societal changes needed in order to deal with the crises we face. This book moves the debate beyond the critiques and the false or not fully realised alternatives, to focus on what can be termed "practical utopias". The contributors to this book outline a range of practical proposals for constructing pathways out of the global economic, ecological and social crisis. Varieties of Alternative Economic Systems eschews a single blueprint but insists on dealing directly with the deep structural problems and contradictions of contemporary global capitalism. It provides a diverse array of complementary proposals and perspectives that can inform both theoretical thinking and practical action. This volume will be of interest to academics and students who study political science, ecological economics, international politics and socialism.