Scott reviewed Deciding for Ourselves by Cindy Milstein
Review of 'Deciding for Ourselves' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
I am admittedly biased as I contributed a chapter to this anthology, but I still think it's a fantastic collection. It is a powerful series of essays looking at contemporary struggles from sites around the globe that speak to and demonstrate the messy, beautiful, difficult, and hopeful results and practices that emerge when people come together to meet, defend, articulate, and envision their own needs, aspirations, and futures without mediation from the state, capitalism, or other coercive constructs and institutions.
For me, the most poignant aspect of this book is that while it refers to "direct democracy," the pieces magnificently illustrate the multiplicity of forms this concept can take on, depending on the context and content of a given struggle or location. Rather than putting forward a "how to" on direct democracy, Deciding for Ourselves instead offers a variety of inspiring examples of how it is already being done. As …
I am admittedly biased as I contributed a chapter to this anthology, but I still think it's a fantastic collection. It is a powerful series of essays looking at contemporary struggles from sites around the globe that speak to and demonstrate the messy, beautiful, difficult, and hopeful results and practices that emerge when people come together to meet, defend, articulate, and envision their own needs, aspirations, and futures without mediation from the state, capitalism, or other coercive constructs and institutions.
For me, the most poignant aspect of this book is that while it refers to "direct democracy," the pieces magnificently illustrate the multiplicity of forms this concept can take on, depending on the context and content of a given struggle or location. Rather than putting forward a "how to" on direct democracy, Deciding for Ourselves instead offers a variety of inspiring examples of how it is already being done. As such, it is a collection that is particularly relevant to our current moment.
