This Northern Irish author delves into the intricate relationships between ethics, politics, and society. His work examines historical and contemporary social movements, offering a sharp perspective on the nature of power and class struggle. Through his writing and public commentary, he aims to foster critical thinking and activism.
Examining the aftermath of the Arab Spring, this book explores the Spring not as a series of failed revolutions but as successful counter-revolutions. Adding a new dimension to the history of revolutions, it addresses key debates in democratisation, authoritarian resilience and civil resistance.
A brilliant probe into the political and psychological effects of our changing relationship with social mediaFormer social media executives tell us that the system is an addiction-machine. We are users, waiting for our next hit as we like, comment and share. We write to the machine as individuals, but it responds by aggregating our fantasies, desires and frailties into data, and returning them to us as a commodity experience.The Twittering Machine is an unflinching view into the calamities of digital life: the circus of online trolling, flourishing alt-right subcultures, pervasive corporate surveillance, and the virtual data mines of Facebook and Google where we spend considerable portions of our free time. In this polemical tour de force, Richard Seymour shows how the digital world is changing the ways we speak, write, and think.Through journalism, psychoanalytic reflection and insights from users, developers, security experts and others, Seymour probes the human side of the machine, asking what we’re getting out of it, and what we’re getting into. Social media held out the promise that we could make our own history–to what extent did we choose the nightmare that it has become?
Up-to-date analysis of how Corbyn rose to the head of the labour party, and his prospects for staying thereJeremy Corbyn, the "dark horse" candidate for the Labour leadership, won and won big. With a landslide in the first round, this unassuming antiwar socialist crushed the opposition, particularly the Blairite opposition.For the first time in decades, socialism is back on the agenda--and for the first time in Labour's history, it controls the leadership. The party machine couldn't stop him. An almost unanimous media campaign couldn't stop him. It is as if their power, like that of the Wizard of Oz, was always mostly illusion. Now Corbyn has one chance to convince the public to support his reforming ambitions.Where did he come from, and what chance does he have? This book tells the story of how Corbyn's rise was made possible by the long decline of Labour and a deep crisis of British democracy. It surveys the makeshift coalition of trade unionists, young and precarious workers, and students, who rallied to Corbyn. It shows how a novel social media campaign turned the media's "Project Fear" on its head, making a virtue of every accusation they threw at him. And finally it asks, with all the artillery that is still ranged against Corbyn, and given the crisis-ridden Labour Party that he has inherited, what it would mean for him to succeed.
From Richard Seymour, one of the UK's leading public intellectuals, comes a characteristic blend of forensic insight and analysis, personal journey, and a vivid respect for the natural world. This collection of essays chronicles his ecological awakening and brings his radical perspective to the spectre of climate collapse.
Facing irreversible climate change, the planet is on route to apocalypse
The narrative explores the turmoil facing liberal civilization, presenting a world rife with challenges and threats. It delves into the emergence of metaphorical 'monsters' that symbolize the societal and political upheaval, prompting a deep examination of contemporary issues. The book invites readers to confront the complexities of modern life, urging a reflection on the forces that shape our reality and the potential paths forward amidst uncertainty.
An English schoolboy is snatched into another world by the magician scientist Salaman, who forces him to brave underwater terrors in a quest for the priceless Mirrorstone.
