Kirjahaku

Was East Germany a "Marxist" state? Some critics say that Marx was missing altogether from life in the German Democratic Republic and was sorely missed; others argue that the citizenry missed West German marks even more, and that this brought about the regimes collapse. Both criticisms miss their marks.When Peter Marcuse and his wife left for a year of teaching and research in East Germany in August 1989, they had no idea that they were about to witness one of the most tumultuous years in German history. In this remarable political and personal narrative, marcuse chronicles the course of events as the country barrelled from Karl Marx to Deutsche marks. Marcuse, born in Germany, was uniquely able to meet and talk with people at all levels of society, and his description is presented in a chronological diary of events and experiences, interspersed with short analytic essays, which together give an extraordinary inside picture of "really existing socialism" as it manifested itself in East Germany.Marcues's combination of personal diary and political analysis allows us to understand the extent to which East German society was socialist, as well as how that socialism affected people as they lived their daily lives. His discussion of how the political leadership and the dissident activists attempted first to guide and then to keep up with the rapid changes shows how the dissolution of the state was the result both of internal causes and of competition from the Western economic system. His final chapter examines what can be learned, and possibly saved, from the East German experience.

Provides answers to one of the enduring paradoxes of mass social change.From the events of May 1968 to the Arab Spring and Occupy, we have seen social movements develop spontaneously around the globe propelling thousands and, at times, millions of people into the streets to demand an end to oppression."In order to make sense of such events, the authors draw on George Katsiaficas's conception of the 'eros effect,' which picks up and takes off from concepts developed by Herbert Marcuse. This effect describes moments in which the instinctual human need for justice and freedom undergoes a massive spontaneous awakening. Drawing on Marcuse, the concept foregrounds the instinctual foundation of the desire for freedom, in which a biologically-based pleasure drive-eros-is given free play." - from the Foreword by Peter MarcuseHowever, even as the eros effect provides a valuable framework for understanding spontaneous global uprisings, Katsiaficas has acknowledged that the concept has remained underdeveloped. Spontaneous Combustion provides an introduction to the eros effect along with a series of elaborations, applications, and critical rejoinders concerning its implications. A truly interdisciplinary venture, the book features contributions from cutting-edge scholars and activists on the frontlines of today's struggles.

Provides answers to one of the enduring paradoxes of mass social change.From the events of May 1968 to the Arab Spring and Occupy, we have seen social movements develop spontaneously around the globe propelling thousands and, at times, millions of people into the streets to demand an end to oppression."In order to make sense of such events, the authors draw on George Katsiaficas's conception of the 'eros effect,' which picks up and takes off from concepts developed by Herbert Marcuse. This effect describes moments in which the instinctual human need for justice and freedom undergoes a massive spontaneous awakening. Drawing on Marcuse, the concept foregrounds the instinctual foundation of the desire for freedom, in which a biologically-based pleasure drive-eros-is given free play." - from the Foreword by Peter MarcuseHowever, even as the eros effect provides a valuable framework for understanding spontaneous global uprisings, Katsiaficas has acknowledged that the concept has remained underdeveloped. Spontaneous Combustion provides an introduction to the eros effect along with a series of elaborations, applications, and critical rejoinders concerning its implications. A truly interdisciplinary venture, the book features contributions from cutting-edge scholars and activists on the frontlines of today's struggles.