Public Power in the Age of EmpireIn her major address to the 99th annual meeting of the American Sociological Association on August 16, 2004, "Public Power in the Age of Empire," broadcast nationally on C-Span Book TV and on Democracy Now! and Alternative Radio, writer Arundhati Roy brilliantly examines the limits to democracy in the world today. Bringing the same care to her prose that she brought to her Booker Prize-winning novel The God of Small Things, Roy discusses the need for social movements to contest the occupation of Iraq and the reduction of "democracy" to elections with no meaningful alternatives allowed. She explores the dangers of the "NGO-ization of resistance," shows how governments that block nonviolent dissent in fact encourage terrorism, and examines the role of the corporate media in marginalizing oppositional voices. |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
actions actually Afghanistan Africa Age of Empire allow America Andhra Pradesh armed army battle become Bush called capital choice civil colonialism confrontation Congress Party corporate countries course critically danger democracy democratic devastation dissent economic effect elections Empire expected fact farmers fighting force formal freedom funded globalization happen human hundreds Hussein imperialism Indian International Iraq Iraqi It's John Kashmir killed lack laws less live look markets mass mean ment militants millions neoliberal NGOs nonviolent occupation once ordinary policies political poor POTA President privatization public power reform repression resistance movements salt sarkar showed social society soldiers South speak strategies structural struggle terrorism terrorist things thousands tion turn understand United victims violence vote wars weapons whole workers