Demography and Democracy: Essays on Nationalism, Gender and Ideology
Dr. Michael Sosteric | Feb 23, 2011 | Comments 1
“In stunning readings of culture, politics, identity, gender and ethnicity, Bannerji exposes the grave dangers lurking in demographic politics of blood, soil and ethnic fundamentalism. But in the interstices of this lifeworld, Bannerji also locates alternative ways of seeing and becoming that suggest new projects of democracy—radical, popular, and socialist—that might take us beyond oppression [...]
“In stunning readings of culture, politics, identity, gender and ethnicity, Bannerji exposes the grave dangers lurking in demographic politics of blood, soil and ethnic fundamentalism. But
in theinterstices of this lifeworld, Bannerji also locates alternative ways of seeing and becoming that suggest new projects of democracy—radical, popular, and socialist—that might take us beyond oppression and violence. Demography and Democracy is a summons to critical theory and practice—one that offers its readers powerful tools for making sense of our world in order to remake it.” —David Mcnally, Professor of Political Science.
“Himani Bannerji puts spring into thought… [Her] realm is that of historical materialism, landscaped by the sharp tradition of socialist feminism. It is here that the harsh tales of the present unfold, and it is in these retellings that we see hope’s possibilities. Nationalism is at the centre of things, but so too is capitalism and the old fox patriarchy. Beyond these, Bannerji seeks human emancipation, and her indispensable essays chart the course for us weary travelers.” —Vijay Prashad, Professor of International Studies, Trinity College, and author of The Darker Nations: A People’s History of the Third World
Demography and Democracy brings together seven of Himani Bannerji’s essays on colonialism, imperialism and nationalism, along with an introduction authored for this collection. Spanning diverse geographical spaces and socio‐historical contexts, the essays are united by a feminist, antiracist and Marxist critique of ideology and a critical examination of nationalist notions and practices. HIMANI BANNERJI is Professor of Sociology at York University. She is the author of numerous works, including Of Property and Propriety: The Role of Gender and Class in Imperialism and Nationalism (with S. Mojab and J. Whitehead, 2001), Inventing Subjects: Studies in Hegemony, Patriarchy and Colonialism (2001) and The Dark Side of the Nation: Essays on Multiculturalism, Nationalism and Gender (2000).
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About the Author: I'm a sociologist at Athabasca University where I coordinate,amongst other things, the introductory sociology courses (Sociology I and Sociology II). FYI I did my dissertation in the political economy of scholarly communication (you can read it if you want). It's not that bad.
My current interests lie in the area of scholarly communication and pedagogy, the sociology of spirituality and religion, consciousness research, entheogens, inequality and stratification, and the revolutionary potential of authentic spirituality.
The Socjourn is my pet project. It started as the Electronic Journal of Sociology but after watching our social elites systematically dismantle the potential of eJournals to alter the politics and economies of scholarly communication, I decided I'd try something a little different. That something is The Socjourn, a initiative that bends the rules of scholarly communication and pedagogy by disregarding academic ego and smashing down the walls that divide our little Ivory Tower world from the rest of humanity.
If you are a sociologist or a sociology student and you have a burning desire to engage in a little institutional demolition by perhaps writing for the Socjourn, contact me. If you are a graduate student and you have some ideas that you think I might find interesting, contact me. I supervise graduate students through Athabasca Universities MAIS program.
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Democracy of wise human being is the most important and with corrupt politician the most worst governance.