Better Theory
The economic crisis which opened in 2008 confirms that the world is at the cusp of a major realignment. To a degree not seen since 1929, it places in fundamental doubt whether the capitalist organisation of the world is sustainable or desirable, and if so, in what form. This key moment in history will make weighty intellectual demands on those who wish to understand and shape the future.
A widespread failure to either anticipate or explain the crisis confirms the woeful inadequacy of the theories currently on offer. Over the last two decades, restrictive and apologetic themes such as ‘globalisation’ and ‘empire’ eclipsed earlier and richer discussions which – as now admitted by many commentators – offer a richer source of explanations and solutions.
As these superficial discourses exhaust themselves, earlier theories and debates, often uncompleted, constitute a necessary point of departure to understand the future of world capitalism. Neglected concepts of political economy such as property, class, exploitation and inequality once again command attention alongside forgotten seminal discussions of such ‘modern’ themes as gender, ethnicity, faith and nation.
The Future of World Capitalism Book Series aims to re-kindle discussion of the contemporary world as a material and historical process. It responds to the demand both among engaged citizens and critical academics, for a fresh look at the fundamental conceptual issues at play in world history, and at new and classical theories and debates which deal with them. The Series aims to be a a vehicle for the integrated re-examination of the entire range of issues needed for a rounded understanding of the current stage of world development, from history and political economy to philosophy and culture.
The Future of World Capitalism
Our flagship is the Future of World Capitalism book series, published by Pluto Press and distributed in the USA by Palgrave-McMillan and in Canada by Fernwood Press . The series aims to set a reference standard for modern critical publishing on the key concepts, thinkers, theories, and phenomenon of world capitalist development.
The series combines the rigour required for a scholarly audience with the accessibility and relevance demanded by an engaged one. The series consists of short or medium-sized, accessibly-priced works, 50-80,000 words in length, targeted as course textbooks across a range of disciplines. As editors we are working closely with authors and publishers to create a recognised and high-quality brand for innovative thinking about current problems in the practice and theory of world development. Prospective reviewer/editors, collaborators, and/or authors should contact us at mail@radicaldemon.org.
Introducing Radical Demon
The Radical Demon collective is a new concept in reading, writing and publishing books. It aims to promote collaboration between like-minded scholars on current and theoretical issues of world capitalist development, who share the broad views outlined in our mission statement. Our key current project is the Future of World Capitalism book series, published by Pluto Press.
The Future of World Capitalism series will be the focus of scholarly collaboration. We, and our authors, will also select additional books that contribute to understanding the state and dynamics of contemporary capitalism. We offer readers and teachers high quality, but accessible, resources for the mind: reading lists, study guides, and links to key discussions and events. We will also help authors write better books. The site will offer writing guides and advice, and let authors talk directly to readers, get feedback, and exchange ideas. And we will promote, and bring to public attention, works by emerging, critical, and dissenting writers, as well as those from the radical traditions of the past, who have been ignored and excluded by that very ‘dictatorship of the experts’ whose failure to explain or understand modern events has been laid bare by the economic, ecological and political crisis now sweeping the world.
Editor and Author Picks
We recommend a small number of other books that will help readers understand the issues raised in the Future of World Capitalism book series. We undertake to ensure that these meet the same standards as those in our series.
We want to hear your recommendations, and subscribers to the site are entitled to suggest new books for our inclusion on the site. In the Discussion section of the site, authors can post their recommendations. However this is not a publishers’ website and we are not a general marketplace for books; we don’t want to swamp our users with hundreds of titles and the site is organised around the needs of readers and teachers, so we have to be selective. Initially, we will therefore prioritise recommendations from authors of works in our series, and works which we think will be of special and particular interest to our readers. As the site develops, we hope to extend this facility so that readers can tell us, and our authors, what they find useful and what they want from our books.
Better Books
The book market is growing, but rapidly changing. Authors find it increasingly difficult to reach a wide audience, and readers are overwhelmed with the sheer volume of work available - yet at the same time, the ideas needed to understand what is happening to our planet have been ignored and bypassed.
We seek to put accessible, high-quality works on these issues within reach of ordinary people, creating a market to ensure they receive a proper hearing. The exchange of ideas will be vital to our success. We will promote this on the internet, at special-purpose seminars and symposia, and through panels and streams at relevance conferences
If you would like to work on any or all of these aims, please contact us at mail@radicaldemon.org