Aftermath

The crisis of global capitalism that has unfolded since 2008 is more than an economic crisis. It is structural and multidimensional. The sequence of events that have taken place in its aftermath show that we are entering a world that is very different from the social and economic conditions that characterized the rise of global, informational capitalism in the preceding three decades. The policies and strategies that were intended to manage the crisis-with mixed results depending on the country-may usher in a distinctly different economic and institutional system, as the New Deal, the construction of the European Welfare State, and the Bretton Woods global financial architecture all gave rise to a new form of capitalism in the aftermath of the 1930s Depression, and World War II. This volume examines the cultures and institutions at the root of the crisis, as well as the conflicts and debates that may lead to a new social landscape, including the rise of alternative economic cultures in the social movements that have sprung up around the world. This collection of essays presents the results of a shared project of reflection by a group of international sociologists and social scientists, led by Manuel Castells. They conclude that to address life beyond the crisis, we need nothing less than a complete transformation of the mind-set that led to bankruptcy and despair, and to economies and societies based on an unsustainable model of speculative finance and political irresponsibility. Reviews from previous edition"Manuel Castells has shaped himself into the most prominent and influential theorist and analyst of the modern communications and network age. He is the Marshall McLuhan of our time."--John Lloyd, Financial Times"a challenging and intriguing work [in its] ambitions, scope and concepts."--Paschal Preston, Media, Culture & Society, Volume 32 (6), 2010"A sustained inquiry into the nature of political and economic power in the modern world."--Steven Livingston, Political Communicatoin (27)"Castells has done it again, a masterpiece of global perspective and enviable erudition. Moving beyond his trilogy on the information age, Castells focuses on how cultural, economic and particularly political power relationships are constituted and sustained through systematic communication flows. A new line of analysis draws on neuroscience and cognitive psychology to track the role of emotion in political communication. Case studies include global media deregulation, the politics of scandal, framing the war in Iraq, ecological social movements, the Obama presidential candidacy and a fascinating comparison of media control dynamics in Russia and China."-- W. Russell Neuman, Evans Professor of Media Technology, University of Michigan"How could Manuel Castells have predicted that now is the time of the perfect storm? I do not know. But I do know that his new book coincides with the largest downturn in global economies since the 1930s, with the most important American election since the 1960s, with a most radical transformation of world politics in many generations, and with the most profound reevaluation of the lives of modern citizens, from what they value to how they communicate. We have become used to Castells' careful scholarship and penetrating analyses but in this new book he cuts deeper into the heart of the matter. Sometimes he provides illuminating answers and where he cannot, he frames the questions that must1. The Cultures of the Economic Crisis: An Introduction ; PRELUDE ; 2. The Rolling Apocalypse of Contemporary History ; 3. The Separation of Cultures and the Decline of Modernity ; WHICH CRISIS? WHOSE CRISIS? ; 4. The Metamorphosis of a Crisis ; 5. Financial Crisis or Societal Mutation? ; DEALING WITH THE CRISIS ; 6. Branding the Crisis ; 7. In Nationalism We Trust? ; 8. Crisis, Identity and the Welfare State ; BEYOND THE CRISIS ; 9. Surfing the Crisis: Cultures of Belonging and Networked Social Change ; 10. Beyond the Crisis: The Emergence of Alternative Economic Practises ; THE NON-GLOBAL GLOBAL CRISIS ; 11. No Crisis in China? The Rise of China's Social Crisis ; 12. A Non-Global Crisis? Challenging the Crisis in Latin America ; AFTERMATH?