Extraordinary Politics : How Protest And Dissent Are Changing American Democracy

ISBN-13: 9780813329062 / Angielski / Miękka / 1996 / 307 str.

Charles C. Euchner; Charles C. Euchner

Opis

When dissidents and activists toppled powerful regimes across the globe in the 1980s and 1990sfrom the Soviet Union to South Africa, from Nicaragua to the Philippineshow did Americans respond to challenges in their own country? The conventional wisdom is that Americans sullenly withdrew from all manner of political action. But in fact, activists of all backgrounds took to the streets to challenge ordinary structures of politics.These movementstheir history; their cyclical development; their organization, strategies, and tacticsconstitute what the author calls extraordinary politics. Activists have set the pace on every conceivable issue, including the environment, gay rights, feminism, abortion, states' rights, religion, and multiculturalism. The president and Congress can barely keep up, but extraordinary politics keeps evolving.With style and grace, Charles Euchner weaves together hundreds of examples drawn from movements spanning the ideological spectrum to offer both a practical and intellectual guidebook to political activism in a reputedly apathetic age, embracing with abandon the art of making a difference."

Spis treści

Preface and Acknowledgments -- Beyond Ordinary Politics -- Life Cycles of Protest -- Spurs and Limits to Action -- Organization Matters -- Dimensions of Strategy -- Tactics of Activists -- Consequences of Dissent -- Beyond Extraordinary Politics

O autorze

Charles Euchner