Jihad vs. McWorld

by BARBER, BENJAMIN

• ISBN13: 9780345383044
• ISBN10: 0345383044
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 1996-07-30
• Publisher: Ballantine Books

Summary

Jihad vs. McWorldis a groundbreaking work, an elegant and illuminating analysis of the central conflict of our times: consumerist capitalism versus religious and tribal fundamentalism. These diametrically opposed but strangely intertwined forces are tearing apart--and bringing together--the world as we know it, undermining democracy and the nation-state on which it depends. On the one hand, consumer capitalism on the global level is rapidly dissolving the social and economic barriers between nations, transforming the world's diverse populations into a blandly uniform market. On the other hand, ethnic, religious, and racial hatreds are fragmenting the political landscape into smaller and smaller tribal units.Jihad vs. McWorldis the term that distinguished writer and political scientist Benjamin R. Barber has coined to describe the powerful and paradoxical interdependence of these forces. In this important new book, he explores the alarming repercussions of this potent dialectic for democracy. A work of persuasive originality and penetrating insight,Jihad vs. McWorldholds up a sharp, clear lens to the dangerous chaos of the post-Cold War world. Critics and political leaders have already heralded Benjamin R. Barber's work for its bold vision and moral courage.Jihad vs. McWorldis an essential text for anyone who wants to understand our troubled present and the crisis threatening our future.

Author Biography

Benjamin Barber was an internationally renowned political theorist, the Kekst Professor of Civil Society at the University of Maryland, and a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Demos in New York City. He died in 2017.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	vii
Introduction	3	(20)
PART I. THE NEW WORLD OF MCWORLD	23	(132)
1. The Old Economy and the Birth of a New McWorld	23	(10)
2. The Resource Imperative: The Passing of Autarky and the Fall of the West	33	(17)
3. The Industrial Sector and the Rise of the East	50	(9)
4. From Hard Goods to Soft Goods	59	(14)
5. From Soft Goods to Service	73	(15)
6. Hollyworld: McWorld's Videology	88	(12)
7. Television and MTV: McWorld's Noisy Soul	100	(18)
8. Teleliterature and the Theme Parking of McWorld	118	(19)
9. Who Owns McWorld? The Media Merger Frenzy	137	(18)
PART II. THE OLD WORLD OF JIHAD	155	(64)
10. Jihad vs. McWorld or Jihad via McWorld?	155	(14)
11. Jihad Within McWorld: The "Democracies"	169	(15)
12. China and the Not Necessarily Democratic Pacific Rim	184	(11)
13. Jihad Within McWorld: "Transitional Democracies"	195	(10)
14. Essential Jihad: Islam and Fundamentalism	205	(14)
PART III. JIHAD VS. MCWORLD	219	(74)
15. Jihad and McWorld in the New World Disorder	219	(17)
16. Wild Capitalism vs. Democracy	236	(11)
17. Capitalism vs. Democracy in Russia	247	(13)
18. The Colonization of East Germany by McWorld	260	(8)
19. Securing Global Democracy in the World of McWorld	268	(25)
Afterword	293	(8)
Appendix A. Justice-of-Energy-Distribution Index	301	(6)
Appendix B. Twenty-two Countries' Top Ten Grossing Films, 1991	307	(3)
Notes	310	(61)
Index	371