On the shelf

DSCF4340I was given a copy of My Ideal Bookshelf a week or so ago – a book of short essays by more or less famous people, explaining their choice of favourite books – it’s a whole arty project actually, there is a website, where you can order your own picture of your own ideal bookshelf. My favourite line from the book, so far, is from Thurston Moore: “Most of the books that I have in my library are unread. A lot of them are almost like pieces of art, sort of tactile – I pick them up, touch them and look at them, and get vibrations from them. The fact that I can eventually read them and glean their content is an added bonus”.

 

Responsibility for Justice by Iris Marion Young

9780195392388_450I’ve only just noticed that Oxford University Press have a final book by Iris Marion Young  called Responsibility for Justice – a little bit of overlap with Global Challenges, but much deeper and more sustained philosophical engagement with concepts of responsibility. My all-time favourite thinker. I made salad for her once.

 

 

McDowell-Dreyfus debate: new collection of essays

KNOBLAUCHFor anyone interested, a new collection of essays on the McDowell-Dreyfus debate, including the original pieces by the two protagonists, and various other essays including pieces by Charles Taylor and Joseph Rouse  reflecting on aspects of their dispute, is just published by Routledge. 

Conversation on Spatial Politics and Doreen Massey

Details of the programme for an event on 8th March to mark the publication of Spatial Politics: essays for Doreen Massey, edited by Dave Featherstone and Joe Painter, can be found here, including information on how to register.

New book by Matt Sparke

Introducing Globalization: ties, tensions and uneven integration is a new book by Matt Sparke, configured around the theme of interdependencies – you can access the Intro chapter for Xmas reading.

My kind of theory

I’ve had sitting on my shelf for a year or so a book called The Thief of Time: Philosophical Essays on Procrastination, which I have not quite managed to get round to reading yet, believe it or not, I’ve not had the time, other things to do, you know the sorts of excuses. Anyway, now I notice that Robert Goodin has a new book out, On Settling, all about making do, not endlessly striving for the best outcome.

I think they might make a nice companion pair, somehow. Might even read them one day. If I can be bothered.

Festschrift for Kevin Cox: Territory, State, and Urban Politics

8thAveJust published I think, a new collection, edited by two Andy’s, Jonas and Wood, entitled Territory, State, and Urban Politics, ‘highlighting and reflecting’ on the work of Kevin Cox – essays by all sorts of people on all sorts of topics, indicating the range of Kevin’s own interests and influence. Here’s the publisher’s blurb:

“Following its rise to prominence in the 1990s work on territory, the state and urban politics continues to be a vibrant and dynamic area of academic concern. Focusing heavily on the work of one key influential figure in the development of the field – Kevin R. Cox – this volume draws together a collection of prominent and well established scholars to reflect on the development and state of the field and to establish a research agenda for future work.

The various chapters address methodological, conceptual and philosophical issues, including questions of abstraction and empirical specification. Highlighting and reflecting on the work of Kevin R. Cox, the book assesses his influence and explores his various contributions to important debates on territory, the state, voting in a spatial context, locational conflict, globalization, scale, local economic development, and urban politics. It not only provides a review of Cox’s contributions, but also critically examines the ways in which his ideas have been deployed. Moreover, the book establishes and advances a research agenda for future work on urban politics, the state and territory, drawing insights from influential theorists working at the cutting edge of contemporary spatial research.”

Retro-theory?

At the New Left Project, a series of essays ‘revisiting’ C. Wright Mills’ The Power Elite, including contributions by Steven Lukes and Stanley Aronowitz.

Approaching public life

Via Thomas Gregersen at Political Theory, news of a special issue marking the 50th anniversary of The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere, and of a couple of reviews of Nancy Fraser’s Scales of Justice. The latest issue of Contemporary Political Theory has a section on Cavell’s political theory, too. Not sure I’ll ever have time to read any of these myself.

Coetzee reading from his new novel

Via @Stilllife0 on Twitter, here is JM Coetzee talking last month at Penn State, including a reading from his forthcoming new novel, as well as from a collection of letter between him and Paul Auster, being funny, sort of, about the arbitrariness of the sign and the degree to which names shapes our character and destiny.