This summer, we (Greg and Silas) want to invite you to read a bunch of books with us. We've each chosen three books for a total of 6 books. We'll be writing posts about the books when we finish each one and we want to invite you to take part in a conversation about these books.
Greg brings some political thinking, Silas is bringing some theology, and we are mixing and matching in a big stew of summer goodness. We wanted to put together a list that would be a good way of bringing together some religious, anarchic, economic, political, and decentralized thought. The list below has come together and it might just accomplish that lofty goal.
So without further ado, here are our book choices.
Greg's Choices:
The Kingdom Of God Is Within You - Leo Tolstoy
"Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” - Luke 17:20-21
Most know Tolstoy for his literary masterpieces including War and Peace and Anna Karenina. However, there are many who also know Tolstoy as a theorist of Christian anarchism. The Kingdom of God is Within You is considered to be Tolstoy's primary text in articulating the Christian anarchist way of life. This book was apparently influential in helping develop Ghandi's theories of non-violent resistance. I'm choosing this book because Christian anarchism fascinates me.
Post-Scarcity Anarchism - Murray Bookchin
Bookchin is an interesting character with an ideological history that flirts with socialist, anarchist and sometimes libertarian thought. Post-Scarcity Anarchism is a collection of essays that are said to be the beginning of his theory of Social Ecology. In his own words, "Social ecology is based on the conviction that nearly all of our present ecological problems originate in deep-seated social problems. It follows, from this view, that these ecological problems cannot be understood, let alone solved, without a careful understanding of our existing society and the irrationalities that dominate it."
The God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy
The God of Small Things is written by Indian activist Arundhati Roy. Roy, who won the 1998 Man Booker Prize for Fiction for this novel, is a strong critic of neo-imperialism and advocates for a number of environmental and anti-globalisation causes. The God of Small Things is listed on BBCs "The Big Read," a collection of 100 books that listeners of the BBC feel that everyone should read. According to Wikipedia, "It is a story about the childhood experiences of fraternal twins whose lives are destroyed by the "Love Laws" that lay down "who should be loved, and how."
Silas’ Choices:
The Darker Side of Western Modernity: Global Futures, Decolonial Options – Walter Mignolo
Greg and I came across this writer in Al Jazeera’s opinion pieces. He wrote a piece on non-western modes of thought, which was a very insightful piece on checking one’s ethnocentrism, privilege, and more specifically one’s epistemic (how you know what you know) context. As two white privileged Canadians compiling a series of books to read, what could be better than reading a book that looks into the future in non-western ways? The book itself critiques colonial logic, which has dominated the globe via modern project. That mono view of the world is fading as we have entered the 21st century, and this book examines some of the other ways of being and knowing that are challenging the western norm.
Living in The End Times - Slavoj Žižek
managed to do so. Yet it is not without controversy. Zizek has an almost cult like following, and on the other side people scoff when they say his name. This blog has linked, used, and alluded to some Žižek work with an occasional Youtube link. But there comes a time to move beyond Youtube; as such, it is time to read some of his work.
Living in the End Times is an examination of the global capitalist system. Žižek argues this system is nearing its nadir due to the ecological crisis, biogenetics, imbalances within the system, and social divisions (Amazon). As a cultural critic, he uses cultural references to make his point. The title can be read as an allusion to The End of History by Francis Fukuyama, who wrote about capitalism, democracy, and the nation state as the logical end of history that would eventually win out (1992). Twenty years later, I for one am a skeptic, and so is Slavoj.
The Weakness of God – John Caputo
For those who want to get their theology-nerd on! Caputo is a deconstructive philosopher influenced by Derrida, a Catholic, and pre-eminent scholar. How is that for a mix?! I have been looking forward to reading this for some time. I enjoy dabbling in pacifism, post-modernity, and theological liberalism. I anticipate these themes to collide within this work. In framing God as event, Caputo is able to re-conceptualize what/who/how of God. This may be a difficult read, but I figure that is why we are reading as a group!
THE CHALLENGE
Our goal: Two weeks per book. Finishing the first book by May 1st. This is an intense time-frame, we know that. For those quick at math you might be wondering, “Hey, six books, at two weeks per book, that only equals 3 months! Is summer not 4 months long?” And you would be correct in that calculation. But life happens! We might not make it through all our books in the time-frame we have set as our goal, which is why we give ourselves some wiggle room. If we do manage to keep to our time-frame, we may add two more books (there are plenty of books we had to cut for this reading list!) So if you are up to the challenge, start acquiring copies of these books, and get your read on!
Join Us For ONE Read
We also know that you are busy people, and you have reading lists of your own. So if you want to read just ONE of the books we have listed that would be GREAT. Join us and comment on the blog when we get to it! It will be super awesome.
The reading order:
The Kingdom Of God Is Within You - Leo Tolstoy
Post-Scarcity Anarchism - Murray Bookchin
Living in The End Times - Slavoj Žižek
The Darker Side of Western Modernity: Global Futures, Decolonial Options – Walter Mignolo
The God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy
The Weakness of God – John Caputo
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