The book presents a critical theory of space, arguing that our modern spatial experience is inherently totalitarian. It delves into the complexities of how space influences perception and societal structures, examining the implications of spatial control on individual freedom and autonomy. Through a multilayered analysis, it challenges readers to reconsider their understanding of space in contemporary society.
Horizons of Possibility in the Age of Extremism
The book employs a negative pedagogy that emphasizes the importance of unlearning as a means to confront and critique contemporary cultural discourses, hidden racisms, and subtle fascist ideologies. It invites readers to question prevailing narratives and encourages a deeper understanding of societal issues through a transformative educational approach.
As we face new and debilitating catastrophes caused by capitalism and nation-state politics, Saladdin Ahmed argues that our only hope is to create space for a new world by negating the existing order. To achieve this new society, Revolutionary Hope After Nihilism outlines a practical philosophy of change that rejects ideologies of false hope and passive hopelessness.Drawing public attention to the decisiveness of the present historical moment, Ahmed introduces a critical theory of social emancipation based on post-Soviet revolutionary movements that have emerged at the margins of the global social order. The rise of socially and politically exclusionary movements in multiple parts of the world, ongoing ecological crisis, anti-Black racism, and the concretization of despair brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic demand a new approach to revolution, which Ahmed argues, must be rooted in the experiences of the most oppressed in society.Realizing the epistemological potential of emancipatory movements, Ahmed rejects dystopian nihilism and positions our focus on marginalized spaces to break out of capitalist totalitarianism.