Critical Reads: What’s the power of the government?

We are proud to partner with the Seminary Co-op, whose series “Reading is Critical” proposes:

Reading is critical, in both senses of the word. Crucial, of course, insofar as it is a cornerstone of communication, a primary means by which we receive information. But it is also an active form of resistance, a tactic in the struggle against ignorance, misinformation, and manipulation. To read is to become knowledgeable; to become knowledgeable is to become powerful.

With Seminary staff, we’ve curated some highlights from their Reading is Critical Series to address some of the big questions underpinning the 2019 theme, Power.

Systems of governance are often synonymous with systems of power. The following reading lists dive into the history of fascism, neoliberalism, totalitarianism, and capitalism in an effort to make sense of what what scholar and cultural critic Henry Giroux calls America’s sink “into the abyss of fascism.” Giroux writes, “what we are witnessing is an abandonment of democratic institutions and values and a full scale attack on dissent, thoughtful reasoning, and the radical imagination.” In the face of such political turmoil, Giroux encourages activism, noting that “democracy cannot exist or be defended without informed and engaged citizens.”

When thinking about government power in relation to people power, we're wondering: How do we defend democratic ideals? Are the most powerful regimes always the most oppressive? And what trends facilitated the rise of populism around the world?

“In an age when memory is under attack, critical reading becomes both a source of hope and a tool of resistance.” —Henry Giroux

Henry Giroux’s reading list offers critical thinking and reading as a device against Trump-era “American-style fascism.” Giroux argues that, in a “dystopian social order” characterized by “lies, ignorance, and corruption,” informed and engaged citizens must learn how to “read the world” as a powerful act of agency and rebellion.

"Neoliberalism’s appeal is its promise of freedom in the form of unfettered free choice. But that freedom is a trap.” —Adam Kotsko

In Neoliberalism Demon’s, writer and professor Adam Kotsko, discusses how neoliberalism, as a worldview and economic policy agenda, has “transformed every aspect of our shared social life.”

“The American electoral system is clearly falling apart — evidenced more horrifically in the 2016 presidential election than ever before.” —David Faris

Roosevelt University political science professor David Faris’s Critical Reads explores “American partisan dysfunction,” the decline of “both sides” rhetoric, rise of a “rural consciousness,” and “the world’s most difficult document to amend:” the US constitution.

“How did Americans come to quantify their society’s progress and well-being in units of money?” —Eli Cook

University of Haifa history professor Eli Cook’s bibliography critiques political powers and the rise of consumer capitalism, while investigating the links between class power and central banking.

We are proud to partner with the Seminary Co-op as our bookselling partner.

Header Image by Simone Montgomery