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In his most accessible and personal book to date, the acclaimed social scientist makes the case for seeing like an anarchist. Inspired by the core anarchist faith in the possibilities of voluntary cooperation without hierarchy, Two Cheers for Anarchism is an engaging, high-spirited, and often very funny defense of an anarchist way of seeing--one that provides a unique and powerful perspective on everything from everyday social and political interactions to mass protests and revolutions. Through a wide-ranging series of memorable anecdotes and examples, the book describes an anarchist sensibility that celebrates the local knowledge, common sense, and creativity of ordinary people. The result is a kind of handbook on constructive anarchism that challenges us to radically reconsider the value of hierarchy in public and private life, from schools and workplaces to retirement homes and government itself.
List of contents
Illustrations vii Preface ix one The Uses of Disorder and "Charisma" 1 two Vernacular Order, Official Order 30 three The Production of Human Beings 57 four Two Cheers for the Petty Bourgeoisie 84 five For Politics 101 six Particularity and Flux 129 Notes 143 Acknowledgments 149 Index 151
About the author
James C. Scott
Summary
Inspired by the core anarchist faith in the possibilities of voluntary cooperation without hierarchy, this book provides a perspective from everyday social and political interactions to mass protests and revolutions. It describes an anarchist sensibility that celebrates the local knowledge, common sense, and creativity of ordinary people.
Additional text
"Two Cheers for Anarchism is an unusual, affecting, and useful book. . . . The insights contained in this small volume are useful in addressing contemporary concerns about the post-political landscape as well as connecting with recent calls for autonomous geographies including alternative practices in organizing households, economies, and engagements with ecologies."---Stephen Healy, Antipode
Report
"In a new book, Two Cheers for Anarchism, James C. Scott, a highly regarded professor of anthropology and political science at Yale, commends anarchism precisely for its 'tolerance for confusion and improvisation.'. . . Two Cheers for Anarchism conducts a brief and digressive seminar in political philosophy, starting from the perspective of the disillusioned leftist."--Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker
