The Power of Identity: The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture, Volume II (The Information Age) 2nd Edition [Paperback]

Manuel Castells (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1405107138 | ISBN-13: 978-1405107136 | Publication Date: 2004 | Edition: 2

The Power of Identity is the second volume of Manuel Castells trilogy The Information Age: Economy, Society, and Culture. It deals with the social, political, and cultural dynamics associated with the technological transformation of our societies and with the globalization of the economy.

• A brilliant account of social, cultural and political conflict and struggle all over the world.
  
• Analyzes the importance of cultural, religious and national identity as sources of meaning for people, and its implications for social movement.
  
• Throws new light on the dynamics of global and local change.
  
• New sections have been added on Al Qaeda and global terrorist networks, on the anti-globalization movement, American unilateralism and the conflicts of global governance, the crisis of political legitimacy throughout the world and the theory of network states.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In the second volume of his Information Age trilogy, Manuel Castells examines the threat posed to the nation-state by the rise of collective "resistance identities," which may over time develop into "project identities" with specific socially transformative goals in mind. His scope is broad, encompassing everything from Mexico's Zapatista movement to the rise of militias in the United States to broader antipatriarchal projects launched by feminists, gay communities, and environmental activists. Castell's dry academic style may be distancing to some readers; Benjamin R. Barber's Jihad vs. McWorld provides a similar argument (with equal intellectual rigor) in slightly more accessible prose. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Every now and then one reads a book of social science that is uplifting and mind-expanding. These books are ambitious and lustrous, teaching us much about our world. Such is this work from the brilliant sociologist Manuel Castells. There is no other sociological work today that brings together in one panoramic expanse so many of the changes now occurring. This is a story not simply of global economic change, but of cultural upheavals. It is a tale not simply of the decline of sovereign states, but of the emergence of the new bases of power. And it is a narrative not merely about computer technology or the media, but of the very terms in which those agents work." Contemporary Sociology

"A magnum opus if ever there was one. In my view, the finest piece of contemporary social analysis for at least a generation." British Journal of Sociology

"A truly stunning achievement. A scholar who, with remarkable mastery, has brought his experience over a lifetime to bear on astonishingly diversified data set, pulling them together into a compelling account of the complex relationship between the progressive and the reactionary, the globalizing and particularizing forces that are transforming our perplexing world." The Los Angeles Times Sunday Book Reviews

"This is a powerful and insightful book that adds to Castell's reputation as one of the foremost social theorists writing today, and it offers something of interest to specialist and general readers alike." Autobiography Journal

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Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 2 edition (2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1405107138
• ISBN-13: 978-1405107136
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,104,624 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Brave New World, January 10, 2000

By 

"denjohnh" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Power of Identity (The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture, Volume II) (Paperback)

Castells trilogy, The Information Age, was written in the late 20th century but it is really the first sociology classic of the 21st and, as such, comparable to the masterworks of Durkheim and Weber. The first audacious volume chronicled the rise of a new global order based on a network of information flows. Since Castells views the human species as essentially predatory, some remedial measures are needed to resist the injustices that will arise. This second volume is therefore prescriptive. A masterly presentation of the world's current social movements follows. The author's discussion of the affect of the internet on political action and political campaigns is especially useful. Despite the volatile subject matter, I thought that Castells never quite sacrificed his objectivity although a delicate balancing act does take place throughout the volume. This book and the previous one sometimes read like some great epic of science fiction but it is our own very real world in the 21st century that the author is discussing. As an introduction to our brave new planet, this book could hardly be bettered.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Globalized public sphere, June 12, 2002

By 

Suckwoo Lee (Seoul, Seoul South Korea) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Power of Identity (The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture, Volume II) (Paperback)

This is the second volume of 'Information Age'. This volume deals with how the social movement has changed through internet and globalization.
The public sphere is where social movement projects itself. The internet has had great impact on the public sphere with its global reach. We's witnessed that kind of potential on the some handful of anti-globalization protest in recent years.
But what has changed is not only the way of protest. According to Touraine's typology, a social movement is defined by three principles: the movement's identity; its adversary; its vision or social model. Globalization transformed the identity of social movement. Zapatistas and recent environmental movements are the graphic examples. Now adversary is not confined to local government, but the government representing the interests of global agencies like TNCs. They oppose their specific identity and the well-being of society against the global adversary. The impact of these movements comes from their media presence and from their effective use of IT. Castells argues that the ability or inability of the state to cope with these challenges will largely condition the future of society in the 21st century.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Time of Change.... ?, January 9, 2007

By 

Petr Lupac (Prague, Czech Republic) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Power of Identity: The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture, Volume II (The Information Age) 2nd Edition (Paperback)

The second book of already classic Castells' trilogy The Information Age, in which the author attempts to reveal structural similarities between various contemporary social movements opposing dominant socioeconomic order. Obviously inspired by Marxist's search for the subject of historical change, Castells tries to infer from these similarities what are necessary prerequisites for the rise of a successful global movement with a positive (constructive) program of social change - change that would remove at least the most serious inequalities and injustice that stem from capitalist logic of today's globalized world. Even if partly unsuccessful in its goal, this book represents very valuable source of sociologically, economically and historically relevant up-to-date (2004) information about contemporary resisting collective identities and their strategies - varying from feminists, Zapata and green movement to Al-Qaeda and Aum Shinrikyo. Castells is successful - although mostly in simplified form - in connecting development of selected collective identities with crisis of modern state, rise of network logic of social organization, development in the mass-media system, and globalization of national economies. This book represents essential reading for all social scientists who are interested in related problems. Because it is very readable and far from being assailed for academic babbling, I recommend this book to anyone who wishes to understand better the changes of the world we live in.