Raymond Williams: A Short Counter Revolution

"The most important Marxist cultural theorist after Gramsci, Williams' contributions go well beyond the critical tradition, supplying insights of great significance for cultural sociology today...I have never read Williams without finding something worthwhile, something subtle, some idea of great importance" - Jeffrey C. Alexander, Professor of Sociology, Yale University "Culture," wrote Raymond Williams "is one of the most complicated words in the English language." Ironically, the most important British writer on culture in the post-war period is also one of the most poorly digested among today's readers. Originally published in 1983, and conceived as the sequel to The Long Revolution, Towards 2000 has been unfairly classified as a period piece. In this new edition, Jim McGuigan makes a totally convincing case to read the book as a contemporary classic. With the permission of the Williams Estate, the book has been re-titled A Short Counter-Revolution -- Towards 2000 Revisited. Leading Williams scholar McGuigan has added a chapter that updates the original book with a survey of developments since 1983, par-ticularly concerning the impact of neoliberalism, a phenomenon that was sighted early by Williams and named 'Plan X'. It remains an indispensable guide to exploring: * Power and Inequality * Class Politics * Post-industrial society * Globalization * The crisis in democracy Thoroughly edited and updated, the book speaks from the grave to illuminate the present in remarkable, decisive ways.