LamprouMemo31

Memo 31 Harvey, David. 2005. // A Brief History of Neoliberalism. // Oxford University Press. This is a revolutionary book where through case studies Harvey explores what he calls an elites’ social movement. While reading it you can fully understand the consequences, the purposes, and the possible futures of the neoliberal economy. As a geographer Harvey has a great ability to connect and compare places and make you really feel how neoliberalism work and what does to the surviving of human beings. It moves in a great way from the macro to the meso to the micro level. I want my book to be able to do the same. Describe the institutions but at the same time the people. Frickel, Scott. 2004. //Chemical Consequences: Environmental Mutagens Scientist Activism, and the Rice of Genetic Toxicology.// New Brunswick, New Jersey, and London: Butgers University Press. I will call Frickel’s work a boundary analysis. His book is full of boundary objects (is genetic toxicology a scientific tool or a scientific discipline?), boundary subjects (are the actors scientists or activists?), and boundary institutions (is EMS a scientific institution or an environmental organization?). Maybe at the end why not say that Frickel’s work concerns boundary social movements? What Frickel offers us is a hybrid analysis about a hybrid movement. Even though there are moments where there seem to be unclear issues, I think that Frickel offers us a completely excellent new approach in his analysis where historical science studies research meets social movement theory, scientists meet activists, science meets politics, and (why not?) environmental values meet reform eugenics. I want my book to be in a sense a boundary book. Standards can be seen as boundary objects where technical issues meet sociocultural issues. And the public spheres as boundary institutions where lay knowledge meets experts knowledge. Dowie, Mark. 1995. //Losing Ground: American Environmentalism at the End of the Century//. Cambridge: MIT Press. Describing the shift in the environmental justice movement, Dowie identifies and explores three waves of the movement. From the environmentalists who were interested in preserving the environment, to the grassroots who were fighting in the courtrooms, to those who were interested in compromising in the boardrooms. Through case studies Dowie tells the story of changes of a movement that is been involved in environmental policy development for many years. The amazing shift from a fighting movement to an experts’ compromising movement is a sad, in a way, reality. My book I think is going to show that kind of sad reality. I hope that it will reveal a reality that will change the way people think about certain aspects of policy making.