The New Press is publishing a collection of Conversations with History interviews entitled "Political Awakenings."
PAPERBACK ORIGINAL:
Stories of insight and inspiration from twenty leaders and thinkers who have changed the world—including Tariq Ali, Noam Chomsky, Ron Dellums, Oronto Douglas, Shirin Ebadi, Daniel Ellsberg, Roya Hakakian, Eva Harris. Amira Hass, Chalmers Johnson, Jane Mayer, Kenzaburo Oe, Michael Pollan, Ahmed Rashid, Albie Sachs, Phillipe Sands, Joan Wallach Scott, Oliver Stone, Elizabeth Warren, Howard Zinn.
“All these interviewees stand out because they came to see their world in a radically different way with important implications for The World. They embraced ideas and actions that implied a different way of perceiving politics. Politics means in this context more than party affiliation; it
refers to an understanding of power relations. They applied these insights in a variety of arenas, whether world affairs, the role of women in society, the impact on the environment of human behavior. In their own lives, the insights of these guests didn’t just happen but were the consequences of life experiences that helped clarify the way things held together—moments of political awakening. Invariably, because of the interface between past and present, because of the limits and opportunities of their profession, or because of the interaction of different worlds, my guests were positioned to imagine alternatives to the conventional wisdom. A new way of seeing emerged in their thinking, in their writing, in their activism; with courage, perseverance, and determination, they took their ideas to a broader audience. In so doing, their world and the Politics of their World were changed forever.”