Nina Power

From the acclaimed philosopher and author of One-Dimensional Woman, a bold, playful and open-minded exploration of the role of men in the twenty-first centurySomething is definitely up with men. From millions online who engage with the manosphere to the #metoo backlash, from Men's Rights activists and incels to spiralling suicide rates, it's easy to see that, while men still rule the world, masculinity is in crisis. How can men and women live together in a world where capitalism and consumerism has replaced the values - family, religion, service and honour - that used to give our lives meaning? Feminism has gone some way towards dismantling the patriarchy, but how can we hold on to the best aspects of our metaphorical Father? With illuminating writing from an original, big-picture perspective, Nina Power unlocks the secrets hidden in our culture to enable men and women to practice playfulness and forgiveness, and reach a true mutual understanding and a lifetime of love.

Why Work? is a provocative collection of essays and illustrations by writers and artists from the 19th century through to today, dissecting "work," its form under capitalism, and the possibilities for an alternative society. It poses the question: why do some of us still work until we drop in an age of vast automated production, while others starve for lack of work? Where is the leisure society that was promised? This collection includes contributions from luminaries of the past such as William Morris and Bertrand Russell, contemporary theorists like David Graeber and Juliet Schor, and illustrated examinations of workplace potentials and pitfalls from Clifford Harper.

Vart har alla intressanta kvinnor tagit vägen? Skulle man lita på samtidens porträtt av kvinnligheten kulminerar dess åstadkommande i ägandet av dyra handväskor, en massagestav, ett jobb, en lägenhet och en man – troligtvis i den ordningen. Hur hamnade vi här? Nådde begären hos nittonhundratalets kvinnliga frigörelse sin fulländ¬ning i och med shopparens paradis av ”snuskigt” självdal¬tande, playboysmycken och bikinivaxningar? Att höjden av en antagen kvinnlig frigörelse sammanfaller så pass väl med konsumism är ett sorgligt tecken i en politiskt medi¬oker tid. Nina Powers bok är en attack på den uppenbara avsägelsen av allt systematiskt och politiskt tänkande i dagens positiva upptempofeminism. Genom att identifiera några av jämställdhetens materiella hinder föreslår hon alternativa sätt att tänka kring förändringar av arbete, sexualitet och kultur och erbjuder samtidigt ett mer seriöst underlag för fram¬tidens feminism, även om en sådan kan verka avlägsen i dagens ideologiska klimat. Nina Power är universitetslektor i filosofi vid Roehampton University, och driver bloggen ”Infinite Thought”.

Where have all the interesting women gone? If the contemporary portrayal of womankind were to be believed, contemporary female achievement would culminate in the ownership of expensive handbags, a vibrator, a job, a flat and a man. Of course, no one has to believe the TV shows, the magazines and adverts, and many don't. But how has it come to this? Did the desires of twentieth-century women's liberation achieve their fulfilment in the shopper's paradise of 'naughty' self-pampering, playboy bunny pendants and bikini waxes? That the height of supposed female emancipation coincides so perfectly with consumerism is a miserable index of a politically desolate time. Much contemporary feminism, particularly in its American formulation, doesn't seem too concerned about this coincidence. This short book is partly an attack on the apparent abdication of any systematic political thought on the part of today's positive, up-beat feminists. It suggests alternative ways of thinking about transformations in work, sexuality and culture that, while seemingly far-fetched in the current ideological climate, may provide more serious material for future feminism.