Description
Since 2016, the UK has been in a crisis of its own making: but this is not the fault of Brexit but of a larger problem of our politics. The status of political parties, the mainstream media, public experts and officials have all been disrupted. Along the way, there have been shocking and exhilarating events: the unforeseen 2017 election result, the horrific details of Grenfell Tower and the Windrush scandal, the sudden rise and fall of the Brexit Party.As the 'mainstream' of politics and media has come under attack, the basic norms of public life have been thrown into question.
This Is Not Normal takes stock of a historical moment that no longer recognises itself. Davies tells a story of the apparently chaotic and irrational events, and extracts their underlying logic and long-term causes. What we are seeing is the effects of the 2008 financial crash, the failure of the British neoliberal project, the dying of Empire, and the impact of the changes that technology and communications have had on the idea of the public sphere as well as the power of information. This is an essential book for anyone who wants to make sense of this current moment. .
What just happened and how did we get into this mess?
About the Author
William Davies is a Reader in Political Economy at Goldsmiths, University of London, where he is Co-Director of the Political Economy Research Centre [PERC]. He is the author of The Limits of Neoliberalism, The Happiness Industry and Nervous States. He writes regularly for the Guardian, London Review of Books and the New York Times.
Reviews
This book presses pause on the dazzling contingent brightness of the present, and allows the reflections of the evening to gather and turn towards a new day. * Manchester Review of Books *
Brilliant ... Davies will be one of the experts to turn to guide us through the coming years. * WIRED *
As William Davies brilliantly articulates in his most recent book, This is Not Normal: The Collapse of Liberal Britain, it's hard to convincingly advocate for normality, or indeed for norms in general, if you've spent years openly trashing the very notion. -- Dublin Review of Books
This Is Not Normal: The Collapse of Liberal Britain seeks to pore over the deeper roots, expressions and manifestations of four interlocking crises in British politics, addressing some of the most pressing and perplexing questions facing the UK ... as Davies so skillfully shows, it would be foolish to make any firm predictions of what happens next. * LSE Review of Books *
This Is Not Normal: The Collapse of Liberal Britain seeks to pore over the deeper roots, expressions and manifestations of four interlocking crises in British politics ... as Davies so skillfully shows, it would be foolish to make any firm predictions of what happens next. * Brave New Europe *
But as an example of what its author calls "real-time sociology," the book harbors more ambition and more value than just a chronicle. Building on theoretical insights developed in his earlier work, Davies undertakes an applied investigation into the intertwined fates of liberalism, democracy, and media in the Anglo-American present, an investigation anchored in the problem of trust. -- Adam Kelly * LA Review of Books *
Brilliant . explains how the rhetoric of competition has invaded almost every domain of our existence -- Evgeny Morozov, author of To Save Everything, Click Here * [for The Limits of Neoliberalism] *
Book Information
ISBN 9781839760990
Author William Davies
Format Paperback
Page Count 256
Imprint Verso Books
Publisher Verso Books
Weight(grams) 213g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 17mm
This Is Not Normal takes stock of a historical moment that no longer recognises itself. Davies tells a story of the apparently chaotic and irrational events, and extracts their underlying logic and long-term causes. What we are seeing is the effects of the 2008 financial crash, the failure of the British neoliberal project, the dying of Empire, and the impact of the changes that technology and communications have had on the idea of the public sphere as well as the power of information. This is an essential book for anyone who wants to make sense of this current moment. .
What just happened and how did we get into this mess?
About the Author
William Davies is a Reader in Political Economy at Goldsmiths, University of London, where he is Co-Director of the Political Economy Research Centre [PERC]. He is the author of The Limits of Neoliberalism, The Happiness Industry and Nervous States. He writes regularly for the Guardian, London Review of Books and the New York Times.
Reviews
This book presses pause on the dazzling contingent brightness of the present, and allows the reflections of the evening to gather and turn towards a new day. * Manchester Review of Books *
Brilliant ... Davies will be one of the experts to turn to guide us through the coming years. * WIRED *
As William Davies brilliantly articulates in his most recent book, This is Not Normal: The Collapse of Liberal Britain, it's hard to convincingly advocate for normality, or indeed for norms in general, if you've spent years openly trashing the very notion. -- Dublin Review of Books
This Is Not Normal: The Collapse of Liberal Britain seeks to pore over the deeper roots, expressions and manifestations of four interlocking crises in British politics, addressing some of the most pressing and perplexing questions facing the UK ... as Davies so skillfully shows, it would be foolish to make any firm predictions of what happens next. * LSE Review of Books *
This Is Not Normal: The Collapse of Liberal Britain seeks to pore over the deeper roots, expressions and manifestations of four interlocking crises in British politics ... as Davies so skillfully shows, it would be foolish to make any firm predictions of what happens next. * Brave New Europe *
But as an example of what its author calls "real-time sociology," the book harbors more ambition and more value than just a chronicle. Building on theoretical insights developed in his earlier work, Davies undertakes an applied investigation into the intertwined fates of liberalism, democracy, and media in the Anglo-American present, an investigation anchored in the problem of trust. -- Adam Kelly * LA Review of Books *
Brilliant . explains how the rhetoric of competition has invaded almost every domain of our existence -- Evgeny Morozov, author of To Save Everything, Click Here * [for The Limits of Neoliberalism] *
Book Information
ISBN 9781839760990
Author William Davies
Format Paperback
Page Count 256
Imprint Verso Books
Publisher Verso Books
Weight(grams) 213g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 17mm
