FROM THE PANOPTICON REVIEW ARCHIVES
(Originally posted on April 17, 2024):
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
IMPORTANT NEW BOOKS:
Fascism on Trial: Education and the Possibility of Democracy
by Henry A. Giroux and Anthony Dimaggio
Bloomsbury Academic, 2024
[Publication date: February 22, 2024]
REVIEWS:
“With
the world burning and flooding and the political system unraveling,
with wars on the rise and many displaced due to storms and violence,
with politicians holding our finances and intellectual freedoms hostage,
unable to act to reduce hardship or build towards peace, many may feel
alone and isolated. Giroux and Dimaggio teach us that this is not so.
With insight and anger, Giroux and Dimaggio guide us along the path to
continued critical thought and ongoing organizing in the face of attacks
on democracy. An essential, hard-hitting intervention! A powerful
rallying call!!” ―Robin Goodman, Professor of English, Florida State
University, USA
“A powerful weapon for free-thinking
intellectuals at a time when fascistic education and the organized
assault on critical thinking have taken on increasingly dangerous
dimensions. Giroux and DiMaggio's oppositional brilliance and lifelong
dedication to essential human justice have never wavered with the years
and are on display again.” ―Jonathan Kozol, author of "Death at an Early
Age", "Savage Inequalities", and (forthcoming) "An End to Inequality"
“A
spectre is haunting the United States, and its name is fascism. Giroux
and DiMaggio explain why. But most importantly, they warn us that our
future will be bleak unless we recognize the fascist threat and organize
not just to stop it but to build a world worth living in.” ―Michael D.
Yates, Director of Monthly Review Press, author of "Can the Working
Class Change the World?"
“Giroux and DiMaggio masterfully explain
rising U.S. fascism, gangster capitalism, and the embrace of white
supremacy and authoritarianism. A must-read for all who seek to
understand the frightening ramifications of the rightwing assault on
democracy” ―Marjorie Cohn, Professor Emerita, Thomas Jefferson School of
Law, USA
“With the rise and blind acceptance of authoritarian
tendencies, the increasing normality of uncivil political discourse, the
utter perversion of objective truth, and the warped threat of religious
nationalism, this book is a wise, thoughtful-megaphone necessarily in
hand-heralding call to the U.S. in particular, to the world in
general-to wake up, before it is too late.” ―James D. Kirylo, Professor
of Curriculum Theory, Critical Pedagogy, & Literacy, University of
South Carolina, USA
“This timely book investigates how fascist
ideology has taken root in American culture and how urgently we need to
ponder its repercussions in an age where deception and alternate-reality
reasoning are common tactics for deploying necropolitical technologies
worldwide. The attack on critical pedagogy engendered by fascism compels
us, critical educators, to reorient ourselves in such a way as to
reprioritize education as a public good to oppose fascist politics and
ideology, as advocated by Giroux and DiMaggio.” ―Débora B. A. Junker,
Associate Professor of Critical Pedagogies, Garrett-Evangelical
Theological Seminary, USA
“In an era marked by increasing
political polarization, rising authoritarianism, and the erosion of
democratic values, this book serves as a crucial resource for educators,
academics, and anyone concerned with the future of our societies. By
exploring the complex intersections between fascism and education,
Giroux and DiMaggio challenge us to critically examine the ways in which
fascism shapes ideologies and infiltrates institutions, often subtly
and deceptively.” ―Charles L. Lowery, Associate Professor of Educational
Leadership at Virginia Tech, USA
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
by Federico Finchelstein
University of California Press, 2024
"An important book about the most significant threat to global democracy." ― Kirkus Reviews
"Exploring the histories and ideologies of fascism and populism, The Wannabe Fascists exposes a new political force on the rise that blends the two—a danger to democracy everywhere." ― Foreword Reviews
From the Back Cover:
"Federico Finchelstein's timely and carefully argued book unpacks the differences between fascism and populism and argues that many populists in the US, Europe, and Latin America are increasingly using violence, propaganda, xenophobia, and styles of self-presentation in ways that recall historic fascism and classic dictatorship."—Ruth Ben-Ghiat, author of Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present
"The Wannabe Fascists is a brilliant and provocative book of interest to those who want to learn how to defend democracy from fascist nightmares."—Carlos de la Torre, author of Populisms and Director of the Center for Latin American Studies, University of Florida
"Finchelstein is a leading figure in right-wing studies and offers us a new concept that is clever and very relevant in our contemporary political context."—Mabel Berezin, author of Making the Fascist Self and Distinguished Professor of Arts and Sciences in Sociology, Director of the Institute for European Studies, Cornell University
"Finchelstein, who is one of the world's leading experts on both fascism and populism, is essential reading for the times in which we live."—Times Literary Supplement
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Federico Finchelstein is a world-renowned expert on fascism, populism, and dictatorship and is Professor of History at the New School for Social Research and Eugene Lang College in New York City. His previous books include From Fascism to Populism in History and A Brief History of Fascist Lies.
