Bøger af Stephan Lessenich

Die Kritik am Kapitalismus hat spatestens mit der Finanz- und Wirtschaftskrise eine Renaissance erfahren. Gibt es Grenzen des okonomischen Wachstums? Sind kontrollierte Kapitalmarkte, ein gerechteres Steuersystem oder die Einfuhrung eines bedingungslosen Grundeinkommens darauf gerechte Antworten?Diese und andere Fragen diskutieren die Sozialwissenschaftler Hartmut Rosa und Stephan Lessenich, die Wahrungsexpertin Margrit Kennedy und der Politiker Theo Waigel. Eingeleitet werden die Interviews mit einem Kommentar des Politikwissenschaftlers und Kapitalismuskritikers Elmar Altvater.

Three radical perspectives on the critique of capitalismFor years, the critique of capitalism was lost from public discourse; the very word ';capitalism' sounded like a throwback to another era. Nothing could be further from the truth today. In this new intellectual atmosphere, Sociology, Capitalism, Critique is a contribution to the renewal of critical sociology, founded on an empirically grounded diagnosis of society's ills. The authors, Germany's leading critical sociologistsKlaus Drre, Stephan Lessenich, and Hartmut Rosashare a conviction that ours is a pivotal period of renewal, in which the collective endeavour of academics can amount to an act of intellectual resistance, working to prevent any regressive development that might return us to neoliberal domination. The authors discuss key issues, such as questions of accumulation and expropriation; discipline and freedom; and the powerful new concepts of activation and acceleration. Their politically committed sociology, which takes the side of the losers in the current crisis, places society's future well-being at the centre of their research. Their collective approach to this project is a conscious effort to avoid co-optation in the institutional practices of the academy. These three differing but complementary perspectives serve as an insightful introduction to the contemporary themes of radical sociology in capitalism's post-crisis phase.

At the heart of developed societies lies an insatiable drive for wealth and prosperity. Yet in a world ruled by free-market economics, there are always winners and losers. The benefits enjoyed by the privileged few come at the expense of the many.In this important new book, Stephan Lessenich shows how our wealth and affluence are built overwhelmingly at the expense of those in less-developed countries and regions of the world. His theory of 'externalization' demonstrates how the negative consequences of our lifestyles are directly transferred onto the world's poorest. From the destruction of habitats caused by the massive increase in demand for soy and palm oil to the catastrophic impact of mining, Lessenich shows how the Global South has borne the brunt of our success. Yet, as we see from the mass movements of people across the world, we can no longer ignore the environmental and social toll of our prosperity.Lessenich's highly original account of the structure and dynamics of global inequality highlights the devastating consequences of the affluent lifestyles of the West and reminds us of our far-reaching political responsibilities in an increasingly interconnected world.