Bøker utgitt av Pluto Press

In Elite Transition, Patrick Bond examines the economic and social compromises that have been, and are being, made between the past and present powers in South Africa. A former adviser to the ANC, Bond investigates how groups such as the ANC went from being a force of liberation for all people to a vehicle now perceived as serving the economic interests of an elite few. Bond covers a range of socioeconomic factors under both the old and new South Africa, highlighting the reasons for the transition's 'development' failure and drawing on case studies on key issues: social contracts, black economic empowerment, housing and corporate power. He explores the idea that progressive policymaking is being compromised by the new petit bourgeoisie and ruling elite, and assesses the view that, as change slows down, official policy is increasingly one of lower expectations.

The book traces the legacy of racism across three continents, from its origins to the present day, bringing a sophisticated neo-Marxist analysis to bear on a muti-faceted and endemic topic.*BR**BR*Mike Cole takes us through the racial histories of the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. In the UK, he focuses on the effects of colonialism, anti-Gipsy, Roma and Traveller and xeno-racism. Turning to the United States, he charts the legacies of indigenous genocide and slavery, as well as exploring anti-Latina/o racism. Finally, in Australia, he interrogates the idea of 'Terra Nullius' and its ongoing impact on the indigenous peoples, as well as racism experienced by South Sea Islanders and Asians. *BR**BR*International forms are also covered, including Islamophobia, antisemitism and anti-Irish racism.

A new generation of Marxian scholars discusses the modern age of development under neoliberalism in this collection of essays.

A collection of anthropological studies which reveals the vast, overwhelming presence of security systems across modern Europe.

How can we unmask the vested interests behind capital's 'cultural' urban agenda? Limits to Culture pits grass-roots cultural dissent against capital's continuing project of control via urban planning. *BR**BR*In the 1980s, notions of the 'creative class' were expressed though a cultural turn in urban policy towards the 'creative city'. De-industrialisation created a shift away from how people understood and used urban space, and consequently, gentrification spread. With it came the elimination of diversity and urban dynamism - new art museums and cultural or heritage quarters lent a creative mask to urban redevelopment.*BR**BR*This book examines this process from the 1960s to the present day, revealing how the notion of 'creativity' been neutered in order to quell dissent. In the 1960s, creativity was identified with revolt, yet from the 1980s onwards it was subsumed in consumerism, which continued in the 1990s through cool Britannia culture and its international reflections. Today, austerity and the scarcity of public money reveal how the illusory creative city has given way to reveal its hollow interior, through urban clearances and underdevelopment.

Syriza's victory in the recent Greek general election shook the foundations of the Western political establishment and gave hope to the millions suffering the austerity measures imposed by the European Troika. Millions asked, how did this happen and what is it about Greece that created such a centre of radicalism? *BR**BR*This insider's account, from Syriza's Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos and economist Christos Laskos, shows that that the narrative of Greek exceptionalism is a myth. The blame game that has been played by the EU powers is an ideological tool used to shift attention from the disillusionment and anger at the European and global capitalist economic order. *BR**BR*By alienating an entire nation of people, the Troika has revealed the internal contradictions of the modern neoliberal establishment, as well as the inadequacies of the earlier social-democratic Keynesian regime. Tsakalotos and Laskos suggest that there is very little that differentiates Greece from other countries struggling under austerity, and that parties such as Syriza could usher in a new, democratic and socialist era across the continent.

Over the past four decades the world has seen a 'green awakening'. Green parties have been elected to parliaments and councils all over the world. A common set of environmental priorities have been promoted by green internationalisation and these parties are playing an increasing role at all levels of political decision-making. *BR**BR*Will this awakening continue or will the greens be corrupted by power? What impact has their politics had? Will green thinking be able to compete with other ideologies in coping with the problems of the 21st century? *BR**BR*Green Parties, Green Future analyses over a hundred of these parties' experience from all over the world. It reveals the story of the expansion and development of the movement, from local environmental groups to national and global decision-makers.

This is the history of the world, from the origins of the Cosmos to the present day, seen through three major narratives: work, sex and power - the forces that have done more than any other to shape the world as we see it now. *BR**BR*It expertly explores the foundations of our developing society by showing how these grand themes have recurred throughout the various phases of global history. From communities of Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers, through feudalism and onto the capitalistic machine-civilisation of recent centuries, Willie Thompson takes us on a journey that is fundamentally opposed to mainstream histories which concentrate on monarchs, politicians and military commanders. *BR**BR*At the centre of this book lies the interaction between humans and their environment. By exploring history in this way, it reveals a simple yet powerful materialist understanding of how we got to where we are today, and opens a door to a different reading of our world.

What is the role of the war reporter today? Through interviews with prominent war and foreign correspondents such as John Pilger, Robert Fisk, Mary Dejevsky and Alex Thomson The War Correspondent delves into the most dangerous form of journalism.*BR* *BR*From Crimea to Vietnam, the Falklands to the Gulf and Afghanistan, Iraq and the War on Terror, the books examines the attractions and risks of war reporting; the challenge of objectivity and impartiality in the war zone; the danger that journalistic independence is compromised by military control, censorship and public relations; as well as the commercial and technological pressures of an intensely concentrated, competitive news media environment. *BR**BR*As history and ideology return to the reporting of international conflict, Greg McLaughlin asks what will that mean for a new generation of war correspondents, attuned not to history or ideology but to the politics of the next conflict.

Cutting-edge collection on global peacebuilding and reconciliation from members of the renowned UK Centre for Peace & Reconciliation Studies.

The first radical, collective manifesto of the new decade

From the monarchical terror of the Middle Ages to the mangled Europe of the twenty-first century, A People's History of Modern Europe tells the history of the continent through the deeds of those whom mainstream history tries to forget. *BR**BR*Europe provided the perfect conditions for a great number of political revolutions from below. The German peasant wars of Thomas Muntzer, the bourgeois revolutions of the eighteenth century, the rise of the industrial worker in England, the turbulent journey of the Russian Soviets, the role of the European working class throughout the Cold War, student protests in 1968 and through to the present day, when we continue to fight to forge an alternative to the barbaric economic system. *BR**BR*By focusing on the role of women, trade unions and students, this history sweeps away the tired platitudes of the privileged upon which our current understanding is based, providing an opportunity to see our history differently.*BR*

A damning analysis of Israel's evasion of international law

Globalisation has created an interconnected world, but has not diminished violence, militarism and inequality. This book describes how the entrenched power of global elites has created a deadly cycle of violence, enacted through the Military Industrial Complex.*BR**BR*Vijay Mehta shows how attempts at peaceful national development, environmental sustainability and human rights are routinely blocked by Western powers. He locates the 2008 financial crisis in US attempts to block China's model of development. He shows how Europe and the US conspire with regional dictators to prevent countries from developing advanced industries, and how this system has fed terrorism. *BR**BR*The Economics of Killing argues that a different world is possible, based on policies of disarmament, demilitarisation and sustainable development.

Takes on the government's agenda of university cuts and fee increases

Short, accessibly written essays make the case for cities, arguing that the metropolitan mindset is essential to the struggle for human liberation.

This book examines the methods used to depict, defend and justify the use of state violence. While others have shown how 'truth is the first casualty of war', this is the first to analyse exactly how pro-war narratives are constructed and normalised. *BR**BR*Brian Rappert details the 'upside-down' world of war in which revelation conceals, knowledge fosters uncertainty, and transparency obscures. He looks at government spin during recent wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya where officials manoeuvre between circulating and withholding information. *BR**BR*Through looking at recent controversies such as the use of weapons of mass destruction, cluster munitions and international law, Rappert considers how ignorance about the operation of war is produced and how individuals and groups can intervene to make a difference.

Damning expose of corporate complicity in Israel's illegal occupation of Palestinian land

A clear and accessible introduction to the groundbreaking and interdisciplinary new field of critical development studies

Comprehensive survey of the economic crisis in Eastern Europe

The West has become obsessed with Muslims, constantly classifying them as either 'moderate' or 'extreme'. Reacting against this dehumanising tendency, Jeremy Seabrook and Imran Ahmed Siddiqui show us the daily life of poor Muslims in India and sheds light on what lies behind India's 'economic miracle'.*BR**BR*The authors examine life in Muslim communities in Kolkata, home to some of the most disadvantaged people in India, giving a voice to their views, values and feelings. We see that Muslims are no different from those of other faiths - work, family and survival are the overwhelming preoccupations of the vast majority. Although most are observant in their religion, there is no trace of the malevolence or poverty-fuelled extremism attributed to them.*BR**BR*This enlightening and elegantly written book will be of great interest to students and practitioners of development and anyone who wants a more realistic picture of Muslim life and modern India.

The evolution of the World Bank

The essential reader on Post-Anarchism, a movement blending traditional anarchist ideas with post-structuralist and post-modernist thought.

Compares the trajectories of states and societies in Africa, Asia and Latin America under neoliberalism.

"e;Jeff Halper's book, like his life's work, is an inspiration. Drawing on his many years of directly challenging Israel's treatment of the Palestinians, he offers one of the most insightful analyses of the occupation I've read. His voice cries out to be heard."e;Jonathan Cook, author of Blood and Religion (2006) and Israel and the Clash of Civilisations (2008)In this book, the Israeli anthropologist and activist Jeff Halper throws a harsh light on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the point of view of a critical insider. While the Zionist founders of Israel created a vibrant society, culture and economy, they did so at a high price: Israel could not maintain its exclusive Jewish character without imposing on the country's Palestinian population policies of ethnic cleansing, occupation and discrimination, expressed most graphically in its ongoing demolition of thousands of Palestinian homes, both inside Israel and in the Occupied Territories.An Israeli in Palestine records Halper's journey 'beyond the membrane' that shields his people from the harsh realities of Palestinian life to his 'discovery' that he was actually living in another country: Palestine. Without dismissing the legitimacy of his own country, he realises that Israel is defined by its oppressive relationship to the Palestinians. Pleading for a view of Israel as a real, living country which must by necessity evolve and change, Halper asks whether the idea of an ethnically pure 'Jewish State' is still viable. More to the point, he offers ways in which Israel can redeem itself through a cultural Zionism upon which regional peace and reconciliation are attainable.

A comprehensive quantitative and qualitative study of the effect of neoliberalism on violent conflict and war-making.

Footwork is an original street-corner ethnography drawing on the themes of urban regeneration, lost space and the 24-hour city. From the rough sleeping homeless to street drinkers and sex workers, it shows how urban modernisation, development and austerity politics impact the hidden lives of people living and working on the streets. *BR**BR*To create this anthropology of the modern British city, Footwork follows the work of a team of outreach workers in Cardiff, tasked to look out for the homeless and others similarly vulnerable, harried and exposed. Tom Hall's fieldwork study encompasses aspects of urban geography, care work and street-level poverty, violence and isolation, this book reveals the stories of the vulnerable and isolated - people living in the city we often choose to ignore.

The 2008 Israeli offensive in Gaza was described by Amnesty international as '22 days of death and destruction'. This eyewitness account brings home the horror of life in Gaza beneath the bombs.*BR**BR*Travelling to the Gaza strip with the Free Gaza Movement, Sharyn Lock believed the greatest danger she faced was the Israeli sea blockade in a fishing boat, but on the 27th December the bombs started falling and did not stop until almost 1500 were dead. With others from the International Solidarity Movement, Sharyn volunteered with Palestinian ambulances, assisting them as they faced overwhelming civilian casualties. Her candid and dramatic writing from Gaza gave the world an insight into the conflict that the mainstream media - unable to enter Gaza - couldn't provide.*BR*

This is the plight of the thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israel

Politics in Cuba have long been analysed as a 'socialist experiment', from the perspective of internal dynamics or international relations, but what if the revolutionary process is part of a counter-current against neoliberal globalisation? *BR**BR*Rather than presenting Cuba as a socialist survivor, whose performance must be measured against the standards set by the 'international community', George Lambie judges Cuban socialism on the goals that the revolution sets for itself. He shows that despite Cuba's isolation in the 'New World Order', and the enormous pressures it has faced to 'conform', its faith in an alternative socialist project has continued and grown. *BR**BR*After the 2008 financial crash, we have seen neoliberalism's fallibility first-hand, conversely Cuba's promotion of socialist values has a renewed relevance. Lambie argues that Cuba is again becoming a symbol, and practical example, of socialism in action.