Cynthia Kaufman is the director of the Vasconcellos Institute for Democracy in Action, where she also teaches community organizing and philosophy. The author of Getting Past Capitalism: History, Vision, Hope (Lexington Books, 2012), she is a lifelong social change activist, having worked on issues such as tenants’ rights, police abuse, union organizing, international politics, and most recently climate change.
Ideas for Action: Relevant Theory for Radical Change, 2nd Ed.
SKU: 9781629631479
Author: Cynthia Kaufman
Publisher: PM Press
ISBN: 9781629631479
Published: 6/2016
Format: Paperback
Size: 6 x 9
Page count: 352
Subjects: Political Theory / Politics-Activism
Praise
“There’s a long-running conversation about what’s wrong with our
world and how to fix it. Ideas for Action fills in the ‘backstory’ that
can help you to join that conversation.”
—Jeremy Brecher, author of Strike!
“This an extraordinary book made attractive by its optimism, passion, and brainpower. Ideas for Action
is unblemished, stimulating and unusually bold in its critiques and
alternatives. It’s a profound and panoramic exploration work of the most
powerful and practical ideas needed for a true, radical social change.
Professor Kaufman not only points us to the right direction, but also
articulates those practical steps in the context of a troubling
globalized neoliberal politics.”
—john a. powell, director of the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society, UC-Berkeley, and author of Racing for Justice
“Having cut her teeth in the 1980s Central American solidarity
movement and continuing today as a local tenants’ rights activist,
Cynthia Kaufman weaves her story into a brilliant and seamless
theoretical work on radical activism in the United States. Although
Kaufman holds a doctorate in philosophy, and her deep and extensive
knowledge of political theory from Karl Marx to Stuart Hall is clearly
presented, this book is no academic monograph, rather a manual for
organizers and for the people. Kaufman’s modest yet sure voice is that
of the best of feminist and social justice writing today.”
—Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, author of Outlaw Woman
“What is remarkable about Cynthia Kaufman’s book Ideas for Action
is how it steps back from our day-to-day struggles to gain historical
and theoretical perspective, and then moves forward again to use these
perspectives for the solution of specific, immediate problems. The book
ranges broadly over many contemporary problems, and manages to be both
theoretical and practical in the analysis of these problems.”
—Howard Zinn, author of A People’s History of the United States
“The world is in dire need of hope. Right now people are encouraged
to be suspicious, authoritarian, belligerent, and hateful rather than to
be hopeful. As intellectuals and scholars we are needed more than ever,
especially by young people, to shine a light on the possibility of
social change. Professor Kaufman does just that in this book. In her own
words, she hopes to ‘stimulate thought and encourage wondering’—two
things we are in desperate need of. A wonderful book well worth reading
and giving to others.”
—Aída Hurtado, author of The Color of Privilege
“Ideas for Action makes it plain! This is an excellent and
very readable overview of what’s wrong with the world and about how we
can work to make it better. Kaufman explains a great deal—capitalism,
globalization, racial and gender inequality, the threatened
environment—in a way that is both accessible and sophisticated. She
never loses sight of the practical issues: the need for change, and ways
to make change for the better. I particularly liked her treatment of
racism as an injustice to everybody. Ideas for Action will be a great textbook for many courses in many subject areas.”
—Howard Winant, author of The World Is a Ghetto
The Sea Is Rising and So Are We: A Climate Justice Handbook
SKU: 9781629638652
Author: Cynthia Kaufman • Introduction: Bill McKibben
Publisher: PM Press
ISBN: 9781629638652
Published: 6/2021
Format: Paperback
Size: 5 x 8
Page count: 192
Subjects: Global Warming & Climate Change/Civics & Citizenship
Praise
“The Sea Is Rising and So Are We is a rare kind of book, at once a primer for activists and an astute commentary on a set of critical topics that even a seasoned climate stalwart could benefit from. It takes on some really tough questions—transformational change, how to talk about the emergency, the need for a specifically global politics of climate justice—and it does in a manner that is both simple and sophisticated. It’s not an easy balance, but Kaufman pulls it off.”
—Tom Athanasiou, author of Dead Heat: Global Justice and Global Warming
“Cynthia Kaufman’s The Sea Is Rising and So Are We is a valuable overview of where we as a species are in the existential fight to prevent catastrophic climate disruption. It covers a lot, from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment of our situation to the need for a personally supportive movement culture to sustain our climate activism. It is an accessible, up-to-date resource both for those who have been in the climate fight for decades and those who know they need to do so but haven’t yet figured out how.”
—Ted Glick, longtime climate organizer and author of Burglar for Peace
“In The Sea Is Rising and So Are We Cynthia Kaufman has provided us with a vital manual for confronting the climate crisis and its root causes. Kaufman offers compelling analysis, a comprehensive mapping of the political landscape, and practical guidance for action—all in a straightforward and accessible manner. Most importantly, she offers hope.”
—Tony Roshan Samara, Program Director of Land Use and Housing at Urban Habitat
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