SOCL 350: Movements for Social Justice (BMC)

This book contends that the impasse of the Left today is in part, a result of an anarchist 'common sense' among activists. Drawing insights from the history of the Left, political economy, contemporary critical theory and an in-depth study of Occupy, the author provides concrete suggestions as to how the Left might 'claim the twenty-first century' and realise a more equitable social order. 

In this updated and expanded edition of Occupy, Chomsky speaks to and with supporters of the Occupy movement about the structural injustices of the current economic and political system and the prospects for real change. The new edition includes all the material of the first edition plus four new in-depth interviews. Throughout, Chomsky encourages people to continue organizing, to continue struggling, and to continue defending citizenship and community-driven democracy from predation from the relentless encroachments of corporate powerand wealthiest few. What counts most, says Chomsky, is solidarity.

In Occupy Nation, bestselling social historian Todd Gitlin offers the first narrative survey of the movement—from its historic inspirations, to its inner tensions, to its prospects in the months and years to come. He offers a fascinating account of this remarkable phenomenon while casting an informed look at its continuing evolution—and how it needs to proceed to truly make an impact.

What do we talk about whenwe talk about ârevolution,â™ if we talk about it at all?  Journalist Amelia Stein sat down with some ofour most prominent thinkers, artists, and activists and asked them.  The resulting conversations were lively,thoughtful, and engaging.  This is theperfect handbook for anyone looking to engage more deeply with our own,ongoing, American Spring.   

For two months this fall, Zuccotti Park, squeezed deep in a canyon between bankers' skyscrapers in lower Manhattan, was the site of an extraordinary political action. Home to the hundreds of anti-capitalist protestors who camped there overnight, and the thousands who visited to join the protest, the park became a magical place: a communion of sharing and consensus in the heart of a citadel defined by greed and oligarchy.

The protest movement that captivated the nation and paved the path for Occupy Wall Street. More than 100,000 public employees, teachers, students, and their allies descended on the capital in Madison, Wisconsin after Governor Scott Walker announced his plan to eliminate the right of public sector employees to unionize.