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The case for blending reason with passion to inspire radical change
JOHN GREEN relishes photography that unfolds a longstanding and poetic relationship with Leeds
A uncomfortably misogynistic authorial voice that sometimes seems to lack insight troubles FIONA O’CONNOR
MARY CONWAY is disappointed by a production that panders – if inadvertently – to Western prejudice against China
JOHN GREEN is fascinated by a history that excavates the enormous role played by agricultural workers in recent times
ALEX HALL recommends a book that places empirical evidence at the heart of understanding racism
A recognition that individually we are powerless both politically and socially is essential, writes GORDON PARSONS
Passions and Politics
by Paul Ginsborg and Sergio Labate
(Polity, £15.99)
OPTIMISTIC, but not reassuring, Paul Ginsborg and Sergio Labate’s Passions and Politics maintains that politics can be more than “a mere experience of frustration” but only if we let go of cherished beliefs and develop a new critique of neoliberalism.
[[{"fid":"9529","view_mode":"inlineright","fields":{"format":"inlineright","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false},"link_text":null,"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"inlineright","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false}},"attributes":{"class":"media-element file-inlineright","data-delta":"1"}}]]Well-formed logical arguments are always essential to political persuasion but we will need something more than rationality to challenge the seductive power of consumerism. The authors fling down a political gauntlet: we must, they claim, reflect on the rise of right-wing populism and consider whether its appeal to emotional values can be redirected towards progressive objectives.
They don’t suggest that we “repurpose” the rhetoric of Nigel Farage and Tommy Robinson but rather call for an investigation of our moral landscape and passions, loosely defined as things that excite us in our daily lives.
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