Best of
Political-Science

1985

The Making of America: The Substance and Meaning of the Constitution


W. Cleon Skousen - 1985
    This has resulted in some of their most unique contributions for a free and prosperous society becoming lost or misunderstood. Therefore, there has been a need to review the history and development of the making of America in order to recapture the brilliant precepts which made Americans the first free people in modern times.The Making of America provides a wealth of material on the Founding Father's intentions when drafting the American Constitution. It is one of the most thorough compilations of statements by the Framers relating to constitutional interpretation, and addresses the Constitution clause by clause -- providing resources on the Founder's intent of each clause. The National Center for Constitutional Studies, a nonprofit educational foundation, was created in order to revive those original American concepts in all of their initial brilliance and vitality. The very fact that many of them are becoming obscure and misunderstood emphasizes the urgency of the task. The study for The Making of America extended over a period of nearly 40 years, and an organized effort to present this information in a published text was a concerted endeavor of nearly 14 years.It will be observed that many new insights are provided in the writings of the Founders for the solution to serious economic, political and social problems plaguing the world today. It is felt that a study of The Making of America can be of lasting value to all who have a serious concern for the general welfare of not only America but all mankind.

Weapons of the Weak: Everyday Forms of Peasant Resistance


James C. Scott - 1985
    Anderson, Cornell University"The book is a splendid achievement. Because Scott listens closely to the villagers of Malaysia, he enormously expands our understanding of popular ideology and therefore of popular politics. And because he is also a brilliant analyst, he draws upon this concrete experience to develop a new critique of classical theories of ideology."—Frances Fox Piven, Graduate Center of the City University of New York“An impressive work which may well become a classic.”—Terence J. Byres, Times Literary Supplement“A highly readable, contextually sensitive, theoretically astute ethnography of a moral system in change…. Weapons of the Weak is a brilliant book, combining a sure feel for the subjective side of struggle with a deft handling of economic and political trends.”—John R. Bown, Journal of Peasant Studies“A splendid book, a worthy addition to the classic studies of Malay society and of the peasantry at large…. Combines the readability of Akenfield or Pig Earth with an accessible and illuminating theoretical commentary.”—A.F. Robertson, Times Higher Education Supplement“No one who wants to understand peasant society, in or out of Southeast Asia, or theories of change, should fail to read [this book].”—Daniel S. Lev, Journal of Asian Studies“A moving account of the poor’s refusal to accept the terms of their subordination…. Disposes of the belief that theoretical sophistication and intelligible prose are somehow at odds.”—Ramachandra Guha, Economic and Political Weekly“A seminally important commentary on the state of peasant studies and the global literature…. This enormously rich work in Asian and comparative studies is… an essential contribution to participatory development theory and practice.”—Guy Gran, World DevelopmentJames C. Scott is professor of political science at Yale University.

The Community of Self


Na'im Akbar - 1985
    The Community of Self has been adapted as stage play, used as a guide for education of African-American children.. applied in workshops for social services and mental health providers, and used as a personal development and self-help book by thousands of people worldwide.

Charter of the United Nations and Statute of the International Court of Justice


United Nations - 1985
    The Statute of the International Court of Justice forms part of the Charter. The aim of the Charter is to save humanity from war; to reaffirm human rights and the dignity and worth of the human person; to proclaim the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small; and to promote the prosperity of all humankind. The Charter is the foundation of international peace and security.

Philosophical Papers: Volume 1, Human Agency and Language


Charles Taylor - 1985
    A selection of his published papers is presented here in two volumes, structured to indicate the direction and essential unity of the work. He starts from a polemical concern with behaviourism and other reductionist theories (particularly in psychology and the philosophy of language) which aim to model the study of man on the natural sciences. This leads to a general critique of naturalism, its historical development and its importance for modern culture and consciousness; and that in turn points, forward to a positive account of human agency and the self, the constitutive role of language and value, and the scope of practical reason. The volumes jointly present some two decades of work on these fundamental themes, and convey strongly the tenacity, verve and versatility of the author in grappling with them. They will interest a very wide range of philosophers and students of the human sciences.

Philosophical Papers: Volume 2, Philosophy and the Human Sciences


Charles Taylor - 1985
    A selection of his published papers is presented here in two volumes, structured to indicate the direction and essential unity of the work. He starts from a polemical concern with behaviourism and other reductionist theories (particularly in psychology and the philosophy of language) which aim to model the study of man on the natural sciences. This leads to a general critique of naturalism, its historical development and its importance for modern culture and consciousness; and that in turn points, forward to a positive account of human agency and the self, the constitutive role of language and value, and the scope of practical reason. The volumes jointly present some two decades of work on these fundamental themes, and convey strongly the tenacity, verve and versatility of the author in grappling with them. They will interest a very wide range of philosophers and students of the human sciences.

On Call: Political Essays


June Jordan - 1985
    

SNCC: The New Abolitionists


Howard Zinn - 1985
    SNCC: The New Abolitionists influenced a generation of activists struggling for civil rights and seeking to learn from the successes and failures of those who built the fantastically influential Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. It is considered an indispensable study of the organization, of the 1960s, and of the process of social change. Includes a new introduction by the author.

Novus Ordo Seclorum: The Intellectual Origins of the Constitution


Forrest McDonald - 1985
    Forrest McDonald, widely considered one of the foremost historians of the Constitution and of the early national period, reconstructs the intellectual world of the Founding Fathers--including their understanding of law, history political philosophy, and political economy, and their firsthand experience in public affairs--and then analyzes their behavior in the Constitutional Convention of 1787 in light of that world. No one has attempted to do so on such a scale before. McDonald's principal conclusion is that, though the Framers brought a variety of ideological and philosophical positions to bear upon their task of building a "new order of the ages," they were guided primarily by their own experience, their wisdom, and their common sense."A witty and energetic study of the ideas and passions of the Framers."-- New York Times Book Review "Bristles with wit and intellectual energy."-- Christian Science Monitor "A masterpiece. McDonald's status as an interpreter of the Constitution is unequalled--magisterial."-- National Review

Frederick The Great: A Military Life


Christopher Duffy - 1985
    In this detailed life of Old Fritz, Christopher Duffy, who has written widely on the army of Frederick and on the armies of his adversaries, Austria and Russia, has produced a definitive account of his military genius. "

Frantz Fanon and the Psychology of Oppression


Hussein Abdilahi Bulhan - 1985
    It presents an absorbing and careful ac- count of several impressive themes. First is the review and assessment of Fanon's life. Second is a theory of psychology, by the author, which will aug- ment and prove useful to theorists and practitioners who focus on Third World people. And lastly there is a broad and systematic integration of many areas of scholarship including philosophy, anthropology, political science, history, so- ciology, mythology, public health, and economics. Bulhan's writing is lucid, creative, and persuasive. It demonstrates that all these scholarly areas must be handled with erudition in order to build a baseline for understanding both Fanon and the psychology of oppression. Readers of Fanon will be familiar with the psychology of oppression which he presented so forcefully. How life events and experiences led to the formula- tion of this psychology is the chief emphasis of the author. Yet the book also gives scintillating clinical proof that Fanon made many other significant con- tributions to his field. He was an outstanding and dedicated physician as well as a philosopher and political activist.

The Sole Spokesman: Jinnah, the Muslim League, and the Demand for Pakistan


Ayesha Jalal - 1985
    Seven years later Pakistan was created amidst a communal holocaust of unprecedented proportions. Concentrating on the All-India Muslim League and its leader, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, The Sole Spokesman assesses the role of religious communalism and provincialism in shaping the movement for Pakistan.

The Homewood Books


John Edgar Wideman - 1985
    . . but of a culture, a way of seeing and being seen.”  Three voices and three perspectives dominate the story narrated in Hiding Place: Bess, who has lost a son to the war, living a hermetic existence of Bruston Hill; tommy, who is fleeing the police for a murder charge he is not guilty of; and Clement, a simple boy who makes deliveries to Bess’s house.Damballah is a powerful collection of interrelated stories spanning a century in Homewood.  The tales celebrate a community of people who, in the face of crisis, need, and fear, uphold each other through grace, courage, and dignity.Winner of the 1984 PEN/Faulkner Award for fiction and named as one of the fifteen best books of 1983 by the New York Times Book Review, Sent for You Yesterday traces, through its narrator, Doot, the intertwining lives through time of the inhabitants of Homewood-- Lucy, Brother Tate, Albert Wilkes, Carl French, and their ancestors and offspring--- from the blues-oriented 1920s to the drug-influenced 1970s.

The Politics of Production: Factory Regimes Under Capitalism and Socialism


Michael Burawoy - 1985
    

Is Democracy Possible?


John Burnheim - 1985
    In a bold and original discussion of how and why the present system fails and what we might do to bring about genuine democracy, Burnheim offers the outline of a new kind of society, forcing us to reexamine our assumptions about the limits and possibilities of modern political systems.

Psychology and Deterrence


Robert Jervis - 1985
    Now available in paperback, Psychology and Deterrence reveals deterrence strategy's hidden and generally simplistic assumptions about the nature of power and aggression, threat and response, and calculation and behavior in the international arena.

English-Speaking Justice


George Parkin Grant - 1985
    Newcomers to Grant's thought will discover Canada's most influential philosopher and social commentator.[From the back cover]

Shadow Dancing in the U.S.A.


Michael Ventura - 1985
    

Waiting for the End of the World


Madison Smartt Bell - 1985
    A New York City photographer working at Bellevue falls in with a gang of terrorists and is witness to a series of violent, inexplicable events.

Her Majesty's Secret Service: The Making of the British Intelligence Community


Christopher Andrew - 1985
    6 pages of black-and-white photographs.

Missile Envy: The Arms Race and Nuclear War


Helen Caldicott - 1985
    Includes Caldicott's famous interview with Ronald Reagan, which had a positive effect on the president's conception of the nuclear arms race.

Forfeiting Property Rights


Henry J. Hyde - 1985
    

Nuclear Deterrence: Ethics and Strategy


Russell Hardin - 1985
    

The Rise and Fall of Economic Justice and Other Essays


Crawford Brough Macpherson - 1985
    Closely considering the past ups and downs of the concept of economic justice, Macpherson surveys subject matter that ranges from an examination of the extent to which human rights are implemented in different parts of the world, to the probable future of workers' participation in industrial decision-making in both capitalist and socialist countries, to a discussion of the roots of modern liberalism that also reexamines Hobbes, this time as an economist. Taking a sweeping look backwards over the history of theory, this book elicits the role of economic assumptions in political theory and opens new doors to an understanding of state, class, and property.