Benedict Anderson
Benedict Anderson is Aaron L. Binenkorp Professor of International Studies Emeritus at Cornell University. He is editor of the journal Indonesia and author of Java in a Time of Revolution, The Spectre of Comparisons: Nationalism, Southeast Asia, and the World and Imagined Communities.Blog
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The Essential Verso Undergraduate Reading List
If you think the latest tome of Giddens’ Sociology is the one textbook you need to get you through your undergraduate days, think again. Impress your tutor and learn something beyond the lecture theatre with these essential Verso titles.
Bolster any politics, philosophy, economics, literature, sociology or history essay with one of these books and not only score the grade, but begin your lifelong love affair with radical writers.
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A Reading List for the Olympics: Part One
Barbaric Sport: A Global Plague — Marc Perelman
Perelman’s book takes a subversive look at sport and global sporting events such as the Olympics to reveal their darker side. He argues that sport has become an instrument of political control and a vehicle for capitalist monoculture. This timely polemic offers refreshing reading to those looking for an antidote to this summer’s Olympian frenzy.
Cities Under Siege: The New Military Urbanism — Stephen Graham
This authoritative study examines the rapid and dangerous spread and normalization of surveillance and state policing in western cities and warzones alike under the guise of national security. As such it provides an unsettling and provocative insight into the global backdrop of the rising costs and militarization of London’s Olympic Games security operation.
A New Kind of Bleak: Journeys through Urban Britain— Owen Hatherley
Hatherley’s critical tour of Britain’s urban centres incorporates the latest and most high profile attempt at regeneration offering a carefully considered indictment of the architectural and social failures of Stratford’s Olympic sites.
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"A bullet from an anarchist’s pistol changed global politics"
In an article on anarchism for American Interest entitled "The State of Statelessness," Henry Farrell writes at length on Benedict Anderson's Under Three Flags: Anarchism and the Anti-Colonial Imagination—a book with "important lessons to offer."
Discussions
Discussions occur on book pages throughout the site. The most recent discussions about the works of Benedict Anderson are listed below.
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Is there an anarchist program?
Professor Henry Farrell reviewed Under Three Flags and James Scott's newest book which can be read at: http://www.the-american-interest.com/article-bd.cfm?piece=916. While he raises some interesting questions, he summarizes anarchism too briefly to yield his conclusion that it has taken a good turn since the late 19th century by renouncing "violence" and accepting the fact that states are here to stay. Hence, states should not be overthrown in favor of statelessness. He does note anarchism is an vibrant ideology and its activists are important for building networks, developing solidarities and raising consciousness. I don't think that most anarchists would agree with his conclusions but I would very much like to see their responses to his suggestions!