The Power of Identity: v. 2: The Information Age: Economy, Society, and Culture (Information Age Series)

The Power of Identity: v. 2: The Information Age: Economy, Society, and Culture (Information Age Series)

by Manuel Castells (Author)

Synopsis

The Power of Identity is the second volume of Manuel Castells' trilogy, The Information Age: Economy, Society, and Culture. It deals with the social, political, and cultural dynamics associated with the technological transformation of our societies and with the globalization of the economy. It analyzes the importance of cultural, religious, and national identities as sources of meaning for people, and the implications of these identities for social movements. It studies grassroots mobilizations against the unfettered globalization of wealth and power, and considers the formation of alternative projects of social organization, as represented by the environmental movement and the women's movement. It also analyzes the crisis of the nation-state and its transformation into a network state, and the effects on political democracies of the difficulties of international governance and the submission of political representation to the dictates of media politics and the politics of scandal. This substantially expanded second edition updates and elaborates the analysis of these themes, adding new sections on al-Qaeda and global terrorist networks, on the anti-globalization movement, on American unilateralism and the conflicts of global governance, on the crisis of political legitimacy throughout the world, and on the theory of the network state.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 560
Edition: 2
Publisher: Wiley–Blackwell
Published: 18 Aug 2003

ISBN 10: 1405107138
ISBN 13: 9781405107136

Media Reviews
Every now and then one reads a book of social science that is uplifting and mind-expanding. These books are ambitious and lustrous, teaching us much about our world. Such is this work from the brilliant sociologist Manuel Castells. There is no other sociological work today that brings together in one panoramic expanse so many of the changes now occurring. This is a story not simply of global economic change, but of cultural upheavals. It is a tale not simply of the decline of sovereign states, but of the emergence of the new bases of power. And it is a narrative not merely about computer technology or the media, but of the very terms in which those agents work. Contemporary Sociology A magnum opus if ever there was one. In my view, the finest piece of contemporary social analysis for at least a generation. British Journal of Sociology A truly stunning achievement. A scholar who, with remarkable mastery, has brought his experience over a lifetime to bear on astonishingly diversified data set, pulling them together into a compelling account of the complex relationship between the progressive and the reactionary, the globalizing and particularizing forces that are transforming our perplexing world. The Los Angeles Times Sunday Book Reviews This is a powerful and insightful book that adds to Castell's reputation as one of the foremost social theorists writing today, and it offers something of interest to specialist and general readers alike. Autobiography Journal
Author Bio
Manuel Castells, born in Spain in 1942, is Professor of Sociology and Professor of Planning at the University of California, Berkeley, and Research Professor of Information Society at the Open University of Catalonia, Barcelona. Before being appointed in Berkeley in 1979 he was associate professor of sociology at the University of Paris. He has been a visiting professor at 16 universities around the world, and has received honorary doctorates from several universities. He is the recipient of numerous academic awards, including the C. Wright Mills Award, and the Robert and Helen Lynd Award from the American Sociological Association. He is a member of the European Academy. He has published 25 books, among which is the trilogy The Information Age: Economy, Society, and Culture, first published by Blackwell in 1996 98, and translated into 20 languages.