Publisher's Synopsis
"A thoughtful and inspiring guide to capitalism and anti-capitalism. This really is the first book that carefully explains the different varieties of anti-capitalist thought ... I thoroughly recommend that you read Babylon and Beyond."
Caroline Lucas, MEP
"There are far too many books on anti-capitalism out there already -- but with Babylon and Beyond, Derek Wall has removed the need to read most of them. Just read this one: a succinct, intelligent and witty summary of what it's all about."
Paul Kingsnorth, author of One No, Many Yeses: A Journey to the Heart of the Global Resistance Movement
"A synthesis of Red and Green is the future of progressive politics. Wall illuminates the interface of ecological and socialist ideas; divining common threads and offering the hope of a democratic, just and sustainable future for humankind."
Peter Tatchell, human rights campaigner
Babylon and Beyond provides the first clear and accessible guide to the economics of anti-capitalism. Anti-capitalism is a diverse movement: critics accuse it of knowing what it is against, but not knowing what it is for. Anti-capitalists want radical change, but what shape should that change take?
The truth is that different sections of the movement advocate distinct -- sometimes complementary, sometimes contradictory -- programmes for change. This book concentrates on perhaps the most divisive issue of all in the anti-capitalist struggle: how to transform the economy.
There are greens who think we must hold back economic growth and Marxists who believe the economy must move forward along capitalist lines before there can be revolutionary change; there are those who remain faithful to notions of collective or state ownership of all aspects of the economy, and those who think various kinds of reform or regulation of capitalist practice is more appropriate.
Babylon and Beyond is a modern guidebook to the complicated terrain of alternatives to global capitalism. Derek Wall explains and summarises the rich variety of theories available within the anti-capitalist movement. Chapters cover Marxism, Autonomism, Anarchism, Ecosocialism, Capitalist reformers (like George Soros and Joseph Stiglitz), Green localists (like Colin Hines), and others. Unique in its coverage, clear and accessible, the book is ideal for activists, and anyone who is trying to find a useful way forward.
This book is published in association with the Green Economics Institute.
