Reinventing the Left in the Global South: The Politics of the Possible - Hardcover

Sandbrook, Richard

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1107072786 ISBN 13: 9781107072787

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2014

Synopsis

This book offers a fresh appraisal of the nature and significance of the democratic Left in the Global South. The moral and intellectual leadership of the Left is shifting south from its European birthplace. It is in the Global South, most notably in Latin America, that one finds newly self-confident progressive movements. This 'new' democratic Left includes parties and social movements that not only are avoiding the familiar pitfalls that ensnared socialists and social democrats in the twentieth century, but also are coping with the realities of the twenty-first century, especially neoliberal globalization. In analyzing and illustrating three innovative strategies - moderate social democracy, radical social-democratic transition to socialism, and Left populism - this study nudges the debate about the Left out of the well-worn grooves into which it has fallen in recent decades.

About this title

Review:

'Richard Sandbrook's Reinventing the Left in the Global South is an excellent antidote to the pessimism that so often infects progressives in the US and Europe. Acutely aware of the pitfalls and dilemmas of trying to construct new left alternatives, Sandbrook is no Pollyanna, but his chronicling of contemporary national experiments in the Global South re-opens classic debates on how to move from theory to socialist and social democratic practice in refreshing and productive ways.' Peter Evans, Professor Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley

'This book is a tour de force, a manifesto of sorts for the democratic Left in the twenty-first century. The central message of the book is that decisive state action, propelled by popular forces, will remain essential for rectifying the injustices of capitalism in the Global South. Sandbrook bases his conclusions on the study of concrete cases. The thoughtful insights and humane conclusions of this book are essential reading for all those on the Left, but also for all those who - irrespective of their politics - worry about human suffering in the Global South.' Atul Kohli, David Bruce Professor of International Affairs, Princeton University

'This book contains solid and relevant research on the new developments of the Left in the Global South, especially in Latin America: a 'counter-movement' vis-à-vis neoliberal policies - comparable to Karl Polanyi´s 'great transformation' - which represents a turnaround in the world's political geography. With keenness but without any complaisance, Richard Sandbrook provides a serious analysis of populist and social democratic varieties of this new Left, warning about the dilemmas that each category confronts facing the aims of social equity, the rules of the market and the imperatives of democracy.' Jorge Lanzaro, Instituto de Ciencia Política, Universidad de la República, Uruguay

'Richard Sandbrook's Reinventing the Left in the Global South is an ambitious book, inspired by local activism and progressive movements in Latin America and Asia, and setting these in a comprehensive history of the modern Left. Its main theoretical roots lie in Polanyi: Sandbrook sees the contemporary movements as organic societal responses to utopian (neoliberal) market-building efforts.' James E. Mahon, Jr, Latin American Research Review

Book Description:

Offering a fresh appraisal of the democratic left in the Global South, this book will interest readers questioning whether alternatives exist to the mainstream development doctrine, searching for new approaches on the left, or wanting to learn more about the renaissance of studies drawing upon the ideas of Karl Polanyi.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1107072786
• ISBN 13: 9781107072787
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 309