Ideas for Action: Relevant Theory for Radical Change

341 Pages·2003·1.13 MB·English

by  Cynthia Kaufman

Advance Praise for
Ideas for Action
There’s a long-running conversation about what’s wrong with
ourworldandhowtofixit.IdeasforActionfillsinonthe“backstory”
thatcanhelpyoutojointhatconversation.
—JeremyBrecher,authorofStrike!
andGlobalizationfromBelow
The world is in dire need of hope. Right now people are
encouraged to be suspicious, authoritarian, belligerent, and hateful
rather than to be hopeful. As intellectuals and scholars we are
neededmorethanever,especiallybyyoungpeople,toshinealight
onthepossibilityofsocialchange.ProfessorKaufmandoesjustthat
inthisbook.Inherownwords,shehopesto“stimulatethoughtand
encouragewondering”—twothingsweareindesperateneedof.A
wonderfulbookwellworthreadingandgivingtoothers.
—AídaHurtado,authorofTheColorofPrivilege
Ideas for Action makes it plain! This is an excellent and very
readable overview of what’s wrong with the world and about how
we can work to make it better. Kaufman explains a great deal—
capitalism,globalization,racialandgenderinequality,thethreatened
environment—in a way that is both accessible and sophisticated.
Sheneverlosessightofthepracticalissues:theneedforchange,and
waystomakechangeforthebetter.Iparticularlylikedhertreatment
ofracismasaninjusticetoeverybody.IdeasforActionwillbeagreat
textbookformanycoursesinmanysubjectareas.
—HowardWinant,authorofTheWorldisaGhetto
Having cut her teeth in the 1980s Central American solidarity
movement and continuing today as a local tenant rights activist,
Cynthia Kaufman weaves her story into a brilliant and seamless
theoreticalworkonradicalactivismintheUnitedStates.Although
Kaufman holds a doctorate in philosophy, and her deep and
extensive knowledge of political theory from Karl Marx to Stuart
Hall is clearly presented, this book is no academic monograph,
rather a manual for organizers and for the people. Kaufman’s
modestyetsurevoiceisthatofthebestoffeministandsocialjustice
writingtoday.
—RoxanneDunbar-Ortiz,authorofOutlawWoman
What is remarkable about Cynthia Kaufman’s new book, Ideas
forAction,ishowitstepsbackfromourday-to-daystrugglestogain
historicalandtheoreticalperspective,andthenmovesforwardagain
to use these perspectives for the solution of specific, immediate
problems. The book ranges broadly over many contemporary
problems, and manages to be both theoretical and practical in the
analysisoftheseproblems.
—HowardZinn,authorof
APeople’sHistoryoftheUnitedStates
Ideas for Action
Relevant Theory for
Radical Change
Cynthia Kaufman
South End Press
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Copyright2003byCynthiaKaufman
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Kaufman,Cynthia.
Ideas for action : relevant theory for radical change / by Cynthia
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Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN0-89608-694-1(alk.paper)—ISBN0-89608-693-9(pbk.:alk.
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1. Social movements. 2. Political activists. 3. Political
science—Philosophy.I.Title.
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Contents
Acknowledgments viii
Introduction 1
Chapter1
ThinkingAboutLiberation 9
Whatishumannature? (cid:127) Liberation
Freedomtoandfreedomfrom (cid:127) Power,ideology,andinterests
Knowingourselves (cid:127) Progress,pessimism,andutopia
Oppression (cid:127) Multisystemstheory
Chapter2
Capitalism,Freedom,andtheGoodLife 37
Earlyideasaboutcapitalismandfreedom (cid:127) Theoriginsofcapitalism
Capitalismandgovernment (cid:127) Capitalisteconomy/capitalistsociety
Freedomforthemarket (cid:127) Capitalismandfreedom
Chapter3
CapitalismandClass 57
Whatdoesclassmean? (cid:127) Classstruggle (cid:127) Lackofclassmobility
Theowningclass (cid:127) ClassandraceformationsofUScapitalism
Whiteracialunityandthelackofclassconsciousness
Genderandclass (cid:127) Tradeunions (cid:127) Classconsciousness
Chapter4
TransnationalCapitalandAnti-Capitalism 83
Transnationalorganizations (cid:127) Capitalismandprogress
Development (cid:127) Colonialismandneo-colonialism (cid:127) Militarism
Communismandanti-communism (cid:127) Cuba
Alternativeeconomicstrategies (cid:127) Neo-liberalismandTINA
Fightingcapitalism (cid:127) Revolution,reform,andtransformation
Chapter5
TheorizingandFightingRacism 121
Theideaofrace (cid:127) RacialformationintheUnitedStates
Thecolorsofwhite (cid:127) Institutionalizedracism
Psychologyofracism (cid:127) Formsofracistconsciousness
Thechangingracialformation (cid:127) Challengingracism
Agentsofsocialtransformation
Assimilationversussocialtransformation
Nationalismandmultisystemsapproaches (cid:127) Civilrights
Chapter6
TheorizingandFightingGender-BasedOppressions 151
Natureandnurture,sexandgender
GenderformationintheUnitedStates (cid:127) Feministtheory
Liberalfeminism (cid:127) Radicalfeminism (cid:127) Socialistfeminism
Children’srights (cid:127) Multisystemsfeminism (cid:127) Engenderingsexuality
Approachestoorganizing
Chapter7
People,Nature,andOtherAnimals 185
Liberalenvironmentalism(cid:127)Deepecology (cid:127) Ecofeminism
Animalrights(cid:127) Red-greens (cid:127) Environmentaljustice
Populationversusconsumption (cid:127) Sustainability (cid:127) Lifestylechanges
Lobbying,lawsuits,anddirectaction
Chapter8
WhoseSideistheGovernmentOn? 211
Anarchism (cid:127) FunctionalistMarxisttheoriesofthestate
OtherMarxisttheoriesofthestate (cid:127) ThecontemporaryUSstate
Theendoftheaccord (cid:127) Makingdemandsonthestate
Shiftingtargets,shiftingalliances
Chapter9
Nations,Bureaucracies,Organization,andUtopia 227
Nationalism (cid:127) Radicalnationalism,colonialism,andanti-colonialism
Genderandnationalism (cid:127) Imaginedcommunities
Thestateinutopiansociety (cid:127) Foucault’stheoryofpower
Bureaucracy (cid:127) Democracy (cid:127) Structureandorganization
Thestateinutopiansociety
Chapter10
WhatDoWeWantandWhyDoWeWantIt?
MediaandDemocraticCulture 251
Propaganda • CulturalstudiesintheUnitedStates
Gramscionculture (cid:127) StuartHallandthepostmodernists
Culturalpolitics
Chapter11
WhereAreWeGoingandHowDoWeGetThere? 269
Theoldleft (cid:127) Vanguardism (cid:127) Prefigurativepolitics
Therevolutionarysubject (cid:127) Identitypolitics
Civilrightsanddisability (cid:127) Empowerment(cid:127)Violence
Disruptionandprotest (cid:127) Educationinmovementsforsocialchange
Micro-politics (cid:127) Organizationalstructure (cid:127)Coalitionpolitics
Bibliography 307
Index 319
AbouttheAuthorandPublisher 333
Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank some people for reading and commenting on
drafts of this book. Some gave extensive comments on many drafts,
otherspointedouterrorsorweaknessesofanalysis,stillotherssimply
gaveencouragingfeedbackthatkeptmegoing.I’mgratefulforallofit.
My network of supportive readers included: Carlos Davidson, Kai
Lundgren Williams, Marcy Darnovsky, Michael Goldhaber, René
FranciscoPoitevin,GregSmithsimon,WickieStamps,JedBell,Adam
Welch,ChadMakaioZichterman,BinhLy,GeneCoyle,BlairSandler,
Michael Rubin, Jan Arnold, Tom Athanasiou, Eddie Ytuarte, Raj
Jayadev, Jackie Reza, David Kim, Nicky González Yuen, Mimi Ho,
Rebecca Gordon, Nora St. John, Elizabeth Mjelde, Jed Mattes, and
everyoneatSouthEndPress,frommyamazingeditor,LoieHayes,to
the whole crew of collective members, contractors, interns, and
volunteers.
Special thanks to Carlos Davidson for his infinite faith in this
projectandmyabilitytodoit,andtoRosaB.Davidsonforhelpingme
tofinishontime.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to the people I have gotten to know
through Students for Justice. Their passion for a better world,
intellectualcuriosity,andloveoflifecontinuetoinspireme.
Introduction
WHEN I WENT TO MY FIRST MEETING about the
growingwarsinCentralAmerica,Iwas19yearsoldandhadneverbeen
involved in a political group before. At that time, my reaction was a
simple,humanitarianhorrorthatpeoplewerebeingmurderedandthat
my government was on the side of the murderers. Before I knew it, I
was being recruited to form a chapter of the Committee in Solidarity
withthePeopleofElSalvadorintheareanorthofLosAngeleswhereI
lived.
I had no idea what I was doing, or how to go about forming an
organization. Fortunately, I was put in touch with a few other young
and inexperienced people from the local community college who had
alreadybeguntoorganize.Theyhadjustarrangedaneducationalforum
on El Salvador. One of the speakers lived in my community and had
been very involved in the movement to stop the Vietnam War. As I
listenedtohisstoriesofdoingsocialchangeworkbackinthosedays,I
realized how much our group could benefit from the involvement of
peoplewithmoreorganizingexperience.
Through this work, I got to know many people who had been
involvedintheradicalsocialmovementsofthe1960sandotherswho
had come directly from the revolutionary movements of Central
America.Ifeltfascinatedbytheideasandhistoriesthatappearedtobe
secondnaturetomoreseasonedactivists.Theyhadawholevocabulary
of historical events, famous people, and political positions that I had
never heard of. They talked about the Russian Revolution, Emma
Goldman,mysteriouscountriesIdidn’tknowexisted;theyarguedover
violenceandpacifism;peoplewouldbedismissedasoutoftouch,with
labels such as “sectarian” or “Maoist.” At first I found it all very
intimidating.HowcouldIbeapartofthismovementifIhadnoidea
whattheywerealltalkingabout?