Where Do We Go from Here? American Democracy and the Renewal of the Radical Imagination

by Major, Mark; Bronner, Stephen Eric; Collins, Sheila D.; Fitch, Robert; Giroux, Henry A.; Hayduk, Ron; McChesney, Robert W.; Nichols, John; Rudiger, Anja; Snyder-Hall, Claire; Steinberg, Stephen; Thompson, Michael J.

• ISBN13: 9780739137185
• ISBN10: 0739137182
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-03-19
• Publisher: Lexington Books

Summary

Progressive politics has long been in crisis in the United States. As the radical Left realizes the dire consequences of defining themselves solely by what they are against, this collection challenges leading engaged academics and activists to show how radical politics can lead to a more fruitful democracy. Dealing with pressing issues of the day such as health care, race, immigration, religion, foreign policy, unions, feminism, liberalism, education, and the media, this edited volume looks at the prospects for a progressive turn in U.S. politics. In doing so, it hopes to inspire the radical imagination by showing where we can go from here. As technology continues to enable greater access to ideas around the world, the power of intellectuals is greater than ever. And given that the world is full of crushing poverty, sexism, uneven development, environmental degeneration, religious fanaticism, racism, and imperialism, the need for intellectuals to inspire the radical imagination by championing principles of economic and social justice, democracy, and universality is also greater than ever. However, political visions are required to guide that struggle. This is the aim of this book.

Author Biography

Mark Major is a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at Rutgers University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. vii
Introduction: Where Do We Go from Here?	p. 1
The Global Imagination
Democracy, Foreign Policy, and War	p. 9
Immigration Policy: A View from the Left	p. 27
The Domestic Policy Imagination
From Private Profits to Public Goods? A Human Rights Assessment of Health Care Reform	p. 49
Higher Education: Reclaiming the University as a Democratic Public Sphere	p. 71
The Death and Life of Great American Newspapers	p. 85
Charlie Brown, Machiavelli, and Labor's Passive Revolution	p. 95
Beyond Policy
Radical Feminism in the Age of Choice	p. 121
Religion, Spirituality, and the Progressive Imagination	p. 137
Race and Democracy: The American Oxymoron	p. 159
Sketching a More Progressive Public Philosophy: The Theory of Republican Modernity	p. 187
Index	p. 207
About the Contributors	p. 215
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