Review by Choice Review
In the wake of the Occupy movement and G20 protests, many scholars have been rethinking what political action means, how to perform it, and how to understand these newly emerging political movements. While Scott (Yale Univ.) does not engage the Occupy movement or G20 protests directly, his new book can be thought of as a part of this rethinking. Written in a highly engaging series of what he calls "fragments," Scott's work links together a series of brief reflections on social cooperation in the absence of (or despite opposition from) hierarchy, tying such cooperation to a sense of autonomy, freedom, and human flourishing. Scott wants not to eliminate the state but rather to think around it, toward what he calls "anarchist calisthenics." By this he means individual or collective activities that undermine, sidestep, or in other ways defamiliarize the hierarchical and norming patterns that surround people in everyday life. Scott covers a lot of ground here. Readers will find fragments on architecture, traffic patterns, and educational reform, in addition to pieces on more traditional forms of political protest and action. There is much of value in this short book and, hopefully, much that is inspirational. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers, undergraduate students, graduate students, and research faculty. J. L. Miller SUNY College at New Paltz
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Having studied how people in marginal societies deal with the state, Yale political scientist and anthropologist Scott (The Art of Not Being Governed) found himself drawn to a study of anarchism. This brief, six-part study is the result. Having concluded that revolution too often leads to such repressive regimes as France's Committee of Public Safety or the Soviet state, Scott began to examine leaderless mass efforts--disorganized strivings towards social improvement. Scott recognizes that anarchism is not a panacea and that there are problems that only government can treat. Nevertheless, he expresses a strong dislike for centralized governance and a preference for expanding chaos. He refers to his sections as "fragments," highlighting the book's key shortcoming: every chapter seems rushed and incomplete, as though Scott were hurrying to get his thoughts down on paper before they vanished. Illus. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
