Exploring the implications of environmental degradation and societal collapse, the book examines the role of state and corporate power in driving desertification and dystopia. It highlights the concerns of various groups, from activists to governments, about the future of our planet. Despite the pervasive crises fueled by capitalism, the narrative also uncovers the emergence of hopeful alternatives, suggesting that a radically different future is possible amidst the challenges.
Vincent Gerber is the author of several articles and two books in French on social ecology, including Murray Bookchin et l'écologie sociale. He's the founder of the website 'Ecologie Sociale.ch', which gathers all material on social ecology that is available in French. Living in Geneva, he works in a social housing cooperative. Bruce Wilson is an independent medical and science writer and editor living in Québec, Canada.
How cities can better address the concerns of their citizens through federations. Reclaiming Cities is a global history of the city and the citizen that documents experiences with direct democratic governance and explores the theoretical groundwork that underpins such movements. The mutual interests of the state and multinational corporations routinely thwart any meaningful actions on a wide variety of issues of concern to citizens, such as climate change, labor policy, civil rights, and gun control—issues better addressed by citizens concerned for the well-being of their communities. Yavor Tarinski argues that instead of relying on bureaucratic summits and centralized solutions, cities ought to band together in federations, beyond national boundaries, uniting citizens in struggles against ecological catastrophe and other existential crises.
A book about the fundamental conflict between democratic aspirations and the imposed norms of capitalism.