Compassionate authority

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Linda Kintz

Linda Kintz makes explicit the crucial need to understand the psychological makeup of born-again Christians as well as the sociopolitical dynamics involved in their cause. She focuses on the role of religious women in right-wing Christianity and asks, for example, why so many women are attracted to what is often seen as an antiwoman philosophy. The result, a telling analysis of the complexity and appeal of the "emotions that matter" to many Americans, highlights how these emotions now determine public policy in ways that are increasingly dangerous for those outside familiarity's circle. With texts from such organizations as the Christian Coalition, the Heritage Foundation, and Concerned Women for America, and writings by Elizabeth Dole, Newt Gingrich, Pat Robertson, and Rush Limbaugh, Kintz traces the usefulness of this activism for the secular claim that conservative political economy is, in fact, simply an expression of the deepest and most admirable elements of human nature itself. The discussion of Limbaugh shows how he draws on the skepticism of contemporary culture to create a sense of absolute truth within his own media performance - its truth guaranteed by the market. Kintz also describes how conservative interpretations of the Holy Scriptures, the U.S. Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence have been used to challenge such causes as feminism, women's reproductive rights, and gay and lesbian rights. In addition to critiquing the intellectual and political left for underestimating the power of right-wing grassroots organizing, corporate interests, and postmodern media sophistication, Between Jesus and the Market discusses the proliferation of militia groups, Christian entrepreneurship, and the explosive growth and "selling" of the Promise Keepers.

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Adolph Reed, Jr

"In this latest volume, Reed begins with a consideration of the theoretical and practical effect of the decline of the American left over at least that last two decades. First, he outlines the sources and consequences of what he characterizes as the main manifestations of a defeated and demoralized activist politics - sectarianism and the often solipsistic approaches of identity politics. He then argues forcefully for the centrality of class-based political interpretation and action as the indispensable foundation for any progressive movement that can hope to succeed in the United States."--BOOK JACKET.

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Jude C. Hays

This book explores how domestic institutions shape the ways governments redistribute the risks and benefits of economic globalization, identifying the Anglo-American democracies because of their majoritarian polities and decentralized competitive economies, as uniquely vulnerable to the challenges of globalization.

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Bill Ashcroft and Pal Ahluwalia

"The field of post-colonial studies would not be what it is today without the work of Edward Said. Similarly, he has played a vital role in bringing the plight of Palestine before a world audience." "This volume introduces the ideas at the heart of Said's work, both scholarly and journalistic. Together these ideas make a highly influential statement on the nature of identity formation in the post-colonial world and offer a new understanding of the links between text or critic and their material contexts ('the world'). The authors ask why this work has proved so important, examining its contexts, implications and impact." "With its accessible style, clear explanations of key terms, end-of-chapter summaries and fully annotated guide to further reading, this revised and fully updated edition of a book first published in 1999 is the ideal companion for readers new to Said."--Jacket.