Saving Liberalism from Itself , livre ebook
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English
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2022
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208
pages
English
Ebooks
2022
Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne En savoir plus
Publié par
Date de parution
01 juin 2022
Nombre de lectures
0
EAN13
9781529215502
Langue
English
Poids de l'ouvrage
12 Mo
• Explores the ways in which liberally minded people can reinvent the wheel to cultivate unity while respecting diversity;
• Provides a new theorisation of core social scientific concepts such as myth, ritual, magic and tradition in terms of how these impinge on nonreligious life;
• An accessible cultural toolkit for resisting the rise of anti-liberalism.
Available Open Access digitally under CC-BY-NC-ND licence
In the wake of populism, Timothy Stacey’s book critically reflects on what is missing from the liberal project with the aim of saving liberalism.
It explains that populists have harnessed myth, ritual, magic and tradition to advance their ambitions, and why opponents need to embrace rather than eschew them. Using examples of liberally oriented activists in Vancouver, it presents an accessible theorization of these quasi-religious concepts in secular life.
The result is to provide both a new theoretical understanding of why liberalism fails to engage people, and a toolkit for campaigners, policymakers and academics seeking to bridge the gap between liberal aspirations and lived experiences, in order to promote political engagement and to create unity out of division.
1. Alternatives on the Horizon
2. What’s Liberalism Got to Do with It?
3. How to Address Liberalism’s Faults
4. A Variety of Liberalism in Vancouver
5. Myths that Might Save Liberalism: Emotional Supplements to Moral Logics
6. Rituals for Radicals
7. Magical Feelings as the Source and Aim of Myths and Rituals
8. Traditions at the End of History
9. The Truth Won’t Save Us
Voir
• Provides a new theorisation of core social scientific concepts such as myth, ritual, magic and tradition in terms of how these impinge on nonreligious life;
• An accessible cultural toolkit for resisting the rise of anti-liberalism.
Available Open Access digitally under CC-BY-NC-ND licence
In the wake of populism, Timothy Stacey’s book critically reflects on what is missing from the liberal project with the aim of saving liberalism.
It explains that populists have harnessed myth, ritual, magic and tradition to advance their ambitions, and why opponents need to embrace rather than eschew them. Using examples of liberally oriented activists in Vancouver, it presents an accessible theorization of these quasi-religious concepts in secular life.
The result is to provide both a new theoretical understanding of why liberalism fails to engage people, and a toolkit for campaigners, policymakers and academics seeking to bridge the gap between liberal aspirations and lived experiences, in order to promote political engagement and to create unity out of division.
1. Alternatives on the Horizon
2. What’s Liberalism Got to Do with It?
3. How to Address Liberalism’s Faults
4. A Variety of Liberalism in Vancouver
5. Myths that Might Save Liberalism: Emotional Supplements to Moral Logics
6. Rituals for Radicals
7. Magical Feelings as the Source and Aim of Myths and Rituals
8. Traditions at the End of History
9. The Truth Won’t Save Us
Publié par
Date de parution
01 juin 2022
Nombre de lectures
0
EAN13
9781529215502
Langue
English
Poids de l'ouvrage
12 Mo
SAVING LIBER ALISM FROM IT SELF
T H E S P I R I T O F P O L I T I C A L PA R T I C I PAT I O N
T I M O T H Y S TAC E Y
SAVING LIBERALISM FROM ITSELF The Spîrît o Poîtîca Partîcîpatîon Tîmothy Stacey
Fîrst pubîshed în Great Brîtaîn în 2022 by
Brîsto Unîversîty Press Unîversîty o Brîsto 1-9 Od Park Hî Brîsto BS2 8BB UK t: +44 (0)117 374 6645 e: bup-îno@brîsto.ac.uk
Detaîs o înternatîona saes and dîstrîbutîon partners are avaîabe at brîstounîversîtypress.co.uk
© Brîsto Unîversîty Press 2022
Brîtîsh Lîbrary Cataoguîng în Pubîcatîon Data A cataogue record or thîs book îs avaîabe rom the Brîtîsh Lîbrary
ISBN 978-1-5292-1548-9 hardcover ISBN 978-1-5292-1549-6 ePub ISBN 978-1-5292-1550-2 ePd
The rîght o Tîmothy Stacey to be îdentîfied as author o thîs work has been asserted by hîm în accordance wîth the Copyrîght, Desîgns and Patents Act 1988.
A rîghts reserved: no part o thîs pubîcatîon may be reproduced, stored în a retrîeva system, or transmîtted în any orm or by any means, eectronîc, mechanîca, photocopyîng, recordîng, or otherwîse wîthout the prîor permîssîon o Brîsto Unîversîty Press.
Every reasonabe efort has been made to obtaîn permîssîon to reproduce copyrîghted materîa. I, however, anyone knows o an oversîght, pease contact the pubîsher.
The statements and opînîons contaîned wîthîn thîs pubîcatîon are soey those o the author and not o the Unîversîty o Brîsto or Brîsto Unîversîty Press. The Unîversîty o Brîsto and Brîsto Unîversîty Press dîscaîm responsîbîîty or any înjury to persons or property resutîng rom any materîa pubîshed în thîs pubîcatîon.
Brîsto Unîversîty Press works to counter dîscrîmînatîon on grounds o gender, race, dîsabîîty, age and sexuaîty.
Cover desîgn: Lîam Roberts Front cover îmage: Paîntîng ‘Are You Lîstenîng To Me?’ 30×40 înches, acryîc on canvas, by Hanna MacNaughtan –Ontarîo Canada Brîsto Unîversîty Press uses envîronmentay responsîbe prînt partners. Prînted and bound în Great Brîtaîn by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY
Acknowedgements
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9
Contents
Aternatîves on the HorîZon What’s Lîberaîsm Got to Do wîth It? How to Address Lîberaîsm’s Fauts A Varîety o Lîberaîsm în Vancouver Myths that Mîght Save Lîberaîsm: Emotîona Suppements to Mora Logîcs Rîtuas or Radîcas Magîca Feeîngs as the Source and Aîm o Myths and Rîtuas Tradîtîons at the End o Hîstory The Truth Won’t Save Us
Notes Reerences Index
îîî
îv
1 16 41 56 75
98 116 138 159
172 173 197
Acknowledgements
Thîs book advocates or peope to re-embed themseves în theîr înstîtutîons and communîtîes, argey through the teîng o storîes. Wîth thîs în mînd, ît seems împortant to te the story o the înstîtutîons and communîtîes that have shaped me. I was raîsed în a ower mîdde-cass town caed Woodey on the outskîrts o Readîng, UK. No one was partîcuary poor, but ew peope were expected to amount to much. Most o my rîends’ parents were buîders. My headteacher once caîmed to my mum that kîds în our schoo dîdn’t know there was a word outsîde o Woodey. It was quîte a shock, then, when one day my dad got a bîg promotîon and we moved out to Moscow. I was put în a prîvate schoo wîth the kîds o dîpomats, awyers and ‘busînessmen’ (thîs was Moscow ater a!). My parents taught me to thînk that peope have equa vaue regardess o theîr background and I quîcky became first conused and then angry about the dîferences în îe chances between the peope I knew back în Woodey and the peope I was meetîng at schoo. Though on the surace I acted the îrreverent oo, I et dîsconnected rom my pace în the word, and I started to ask questîons about what makes a îe worth îvîng, and what înspîres those wîth prîvîege to act în the înterests o others. The first înstîtutîons în whîch I had the chance to expore these questîons were the Departments o Phîosophy and Theoogy at the Unîversîty o Nottîngham, where I dîd a joînt honours BA în Phîosophy and Theoogy and a subsequent MA în Phîosophîca Theoogy. I was schooed în theorîes o îberaîsm and îts dîscontents, and în partîcuar the works o Aîsdaîr MacIntyre, Chares Tayor and John Mîbank (the atter beîng one o my teachers). As I argued în my first monograph,Myth and Soidarity in the Modern Word: Beyond Reigious and Poitica Division(Routedge 2018), the maîn thread tyîng these authors together îs a stress on the pace o shared narratîves în makîng coectîve îe meanîngu. I was enamoured by the theory but rustrated by the ack o engagement wîth peope’s îved reaîtîes. These authors drew heavîy on Chrîstîan theoogy în makîng theîr arguments. Even ookîng at the post-Chrîstîan students o musîc, phîosophy and poîtîcs wîth whom I spent most o my tîme, these arguments weren’t goîng to work. How then coud they be expected to speak to the compexy reîgîous and non-reîgîous andscape characterîZîng goba cîtîes?
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
In search o an aternatîve, I undertook a PhD în the Faîths and Cîvî Socîety Unît (FCSU), Godsmîths, Unîversîty o London. Guîded by Adam Dînham, who hîmse had been a student o Mîbank’s at Cambrîdge, I engaged wîth socîoogîca and poîcy îterature în a precocîous search or the sources o soîdarîty în reîgîousy pura settîngs. Durîng thîs tîme, the London rîots o 2011 broke out. I reaîZed that thîs mîght finay be a chance or me to reconnect deepy wîth the pace I was îvîng. Workîng wîth London CîtîZens, I started engagîng wîth oca peope to understand why the rîots had happened and to ensure nothîng îke them woud happen agaîn. At thîs poînt, I amost quît my PhD. “Why sît în îbrarîes readîng about soîdarîty,” I thought, “when I can do soîdarîty wîth these peope here?” Struggîng wîth these questîons, I soon reaîZed that my new passîon coud aso be my research data. I woud research how peope buîd soîdarîty across dîferences at the communîty eve. Chrîs Baker, who examîned my PhD and joîned the FCSU ater my tîme there, has contînued to support and encourage me ever sînce. Thîs has heped me hod on when tîmes are dîicut. It was durîng a subsequent Postdoctora Feowshîp unded by the John Tempeton Foundatîon’sUnderstanding Unbeieprogramme ed by Loîs Lee at the Department o Reîgîous Studîes, Unîversîty o Kent, that the data or thîs book was gathered. I am deepy grateu or the aîth Loîs put în me at the begînnîng o my career to ead a project, both theoretîcay and admînîstratîvey. Wîthout that aîth, my career mîght have ended shorty ater my PhD, as ît does or so many, and thîs book certaîny woud not have happened. Durîng thîs Postdoc, guîded by Lorî Beaman at the Department o Cassîcs and Reîgîous Studîes, Unîversîty o Ottawa, I or the first tîme earnt to truy put theory asîde and îsten to the storîes peope were teîng. Lorî has very îtte tîme or theoretîca grandstandîng and sees ît as a socîa scîentîfic duty to convey peope’s meanîngs în theîr own words. Lorî pressed me to questîon the use o the socîa scîentîfic term ‘mydenotepartîcîpants’ to those învoved în our research because ît seems to împy that we possess them. Between her and Fernande Poo, a brîîant anthropoogîst-cum-peasant armer who just happens to be my wîe, I earnt to understand the peope I observed rom theîr own perspectîve. Let me turn then to the and and the peope. The research took pace on the tradîtîona and unceded terrîtorîes o the Musqueam, Squamîsh and Tseî-Waututh peope, prîmarîy în the cîty that setters have caed Vancouver. I, îke many beore me, am enchanted by what thîs pace mîght have been beore setters arrîved. Instanty the trees, waterways and other-than-human creatures come to mînd. But I aso e în ove wîth the cîty: îts mîcrobrewerîes and bars; îts eîsure and communîty centres; îts art and theatre; and îts beautîu seawa. I am angry about coonîZatîon, and I am a coonîZer, even î ony temporarîy so. I am thanku or the tîme I had
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SAVING LIBERALISM FROM ITSELF
on your terrîtorîes, and I hope I am suicîenty changed by my experîence to be an ay to you. Hundreds o peope gave me theîr tîme and guîded me în understandîng the cîty and îts cuture. Those who oicîay partîcîpated în the research are just a segment o these. So, I want to ofer a shout out în the dark to a those peope. Then there are those who partîcîpated and who I came to ca my rîends. Thank you or makîng yourse vunerabe to me. I know the experîence can eave you empty at tîmes. I hope that thîs book can fi you back up. Specîa mentîon must go to a sma cîrce who gave themseves to me întensey. For the sake o your anonymîty, I cannot go înto detaî. But I thînk you know who you are. Thank you. For your patîence. For your generosîty. Beyond thîs book, you have changed me and my understandîng o rîght and wrong. Beore acknowedgîng those who heped me through the wrîtîng process, I want to brîefly take a moment or Fernande, who oten întroduces me to îdeas, peope and thîngs, ony then to sufer as I turn them înto wrîtîng projects. Even amîdst the precarîous sîtuatîon that I, aongsîde so many academîcs, am conronted by, even as we brîng a chîd înto thîs însecure word, Fernande keeps pushîng me to pursue my dreams. Fernande knows, îke no one ese does, that I obsess over the smaest thîngs. I the musîc I put on as background to enhance our dînner won’t pay, I wî oten et my ood go cod beore I am thwarted by an însubordînate machîne. Puttîng that eve o obsessîon înto a book project îs a dangerous thîng. Wrîtîng, when ît becomes an obsessîon, can do to us the opposîte o what I advocate în thîs book. It can tear us away rom the word, ock us up în our own heads, bock us rom ormîng memorîes, and, wîth these, reatîonshîps. Too many beautîu waks have burred înto one as I get ost în my head. Each tîme I re-emerge rom thîs state, îke a Zombîe who has ound a cure, I am amaZed that you’re on the other sîde waîtîng or me. Thank you. I wî endeavour to care or and enchant you as you do me. I aso want to thank a number o peope who generousy read and dîscussed eary drats o thîs book. Fernande, agaîn, îs oremost. It îs not just that nothîng goes to prînt wîthout her approva, but that she encourages me to competey overhau projects three or our tîmes beore the first drat emerges. Thîs one was no dîferent. Foowîng Fernande, ît was Stephen Wenham at Brîsto Unîversîty Press who made me beîeve thîs was îndeed a vîabe project. I want to thank the whoe team at Brîsto Unîversîty Press, and în partîcuar Lorna Backmore or beîng good enough to accommodate my many îtte requests, and Phyîcîa Uîbarrî-Egîte or makîng sure peope hear about and read the book. I am aso very grateu to Annîe Rose o Newgen Pubîshîng, who was metîcuous în edîtîng the fina manuscrîpt. Throughout the wrîtîng process, în no sma part thanks to Natha Dessîng and Lîndsay Back, I was ucky enough to be empoyed at Leîden Unîversîty,
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
speakîng at pubîc events and teachîng my research to students. I am grateu to a the coeagues and students who îstened, and yet more so to those who questîoned and pushed back. Durîng the most întense wrîtîng phase o the book I was ucky enough to work wîth Jan Wîem Duyvendak at both the Department o Socîoogy, Unîversîty o Amsterdam and the Netherands Instîtute or Advanced Study în the Humanîtîes and Socîa Scîences (NIAS). Our dîaogues over îberaîsm and îts dîscontents were vîta în hepîng me rame my argument în a way that coud be convîncîng to îberay orîented peope generay and îberay orîented socîoogîsts în partîcuar. My coeague Josîp Kešîć too gave hîs attentîon to one chapter –and thîs amîdst wrîtîng up hîs PhD and a separate monograph. I admîre your generosîty. Cathy Wîcock and Chrîs Lyon were good enough to make the first drat one o theîr ‘projects’. In thîs regard, I had the prîvîege o sîttîng aongsîde Brexît and other conundrums that they coectîvey pîck apart o an evenîng. Cathy înspîred sîgnîficant edîts to most chapters, whîe Chrîs (unîntentîonay, he însîsts) made me rewrîte Chapter 1and entîrey înventChapter 2. Doug EZZy kîndy reflected on two chapters, and partîcuary pushed me to revîseChapter 7. Heena Rosenbatt, whom I had not met beore sendîng her the manuscrîpt, was generous enough to read and provîde comments, advîsîng me to make amendments toChapter 2and assurîng me that the book was ready or a wîder pubîc. The finîshîng touches were beîng put on the manuscrîpt durîng my tenure at the Centre or Studîes în Reîgîon and Socîety, at the Unîversîty o Vîctorîa. I am grateu to Pau Bramadat and Rachae Brown or gîvîng me that înteectua home, and to Meharoona Ghanî or generousy readîng and commentîng on the manuscrîpt. Fînay, John Mîbank, my ormer teacher, was generous enough to read and crîtîque the book at the eeventh hour, even as he dîsputes îts very premîse: that a mîdde way between îberaîsm and îts post-îbera crîtîcs îs possîbe. Regardess o whether reconcîîatîon îs truy possîbe în theory, that these îdeoogîcay opposed thînkers have each been magnanîmous enough to gîve theîr tîme to thîs project gîves me hope that common ground can be ound în practîce.
vîî
1
Alternatives on the Horizon
I you stand at Engîsh Bay în Vancouver, ookîng out to the Saîsh Sea, and beyond that to the Pacîfic, partîcuary amîdst a stormy, autumna twîîght, ît can ee as î the archîpeagos o Poînt Grey and Horseshoe Bay are two gates openîng onto the edge o the word. By now, the orange rays wî have ong sînce burst înto a pînk haZe o couds, and the emergîng nîght wî enveop the seemîngy unsuspectîng shîps, whîch soon too wî dîsappear over the edge and, theîr înternatîona adventures a but candestîne to the average onooker, perhaps never to return. When I stand ookîng out at the horîZon, usuay hodîng my bîke and on the way to an evenîng meetîng, I can’t hep but be carrîed away wîth the aternatîve exîstences: dîstant cutures across the Pacîfic; îndîgenous cutures stî hodîng on amîdst the roîng tîde o capîtaîst modernîty; journeyîng cutures o saîors embarkîng on ever new adventures; subterranean cutures o orca swîmmîng out to more abundant seas. There în ront o me înger dreams o esewhere and other. Behînd me the reaîty o the cîty grînds on: the awyers’ îghts go on în Downtown’s scrapers, the constructîon workers cock out rom theîr Sîsyphean exîstence or the nîght, and the homeess scurry or the saest spots. I know that my chîdîke dreams are not rea, or perhaps ony represent ha-truths. But that brîe moment o cam, wonderîng about the aternatîves that urk on the horîZon, reues my sou as I remount my bîke and head of on a rîde through the raîn or my meetîng wîth peope fightîng a seemîngy însurmountabe tîde o socîa and economîc change în the cîty. Thîs book îs about the aternatîves on the horîZon that keep these oks goîng: theîr îmagînary anchors în the storm. I first got thînkîng about aternatîves on the horîZon as a source o înspîratîon or resîstance în London, UK. I was întrîgued by the way some o the actîvîsts I spoke wîth harked back to a Chrîstîan past în deveopîng theîr crîtîques o contemporary materîaîsm and înstrumentaîsm by whîch they et themseves to be surrounded. I saw connectîons between thîs and how other actîvîsts harked back to when the Sovîet Unîon had presented a radîcay dîferent possîbîîty
1
