Rps / 2044: An Oral History of the next American Revolution - Paperback

by Miguel Guevara (Author), Michael Albert (Author)

RPS/2044 is an oral history of the next American Revolution. The interviews were conducted in 2040-2041 by Miguel Guevara. Eighteen interviewees describe their participation in Revolutionary Participatory Society - RPS - from its initial conception in 2020 to 2044. Their interviews describe events, campaigns, vision, strategy, feelings, thoughts, debates, and resolutions. You can find out much more on the book's web site at www.rps2044.org And here are some testimonials: "Basing himself on a lifetime of dedicated and highly productive activism and many years of detailed inquiry into the kind of society to which we should aspire, Mike Albert has now undertaken a novel and imaginative approach to leading us to think seriously about these fundamental issues and concerns - which may fade under the impact of immediate demands but should be prominent in our minds as we develop ways to deal with concerns of the moment More than anyone I know, Mike has emphasized the need to relate long-term vision to devising practical strategies for today. This imaginative oral history from the future is a provocative and most welcome contribution to this urgent and ever-present task." - Noam Chomsky, U.S. "Writing in 1946, Albert Camus proposed that in the midst of a murderous would, wherein 'we're in history up to our necks, ' people could nevertheless decide to 'give a chance for survival to later generations better equipped than we are' by staking everything on what Camus termed a 'formidable gamble: that words are more powerful than munitions.' Michael Albert bravely takes a fictional leap into a future where survival is enabled and sanity prevails. He gambles on literature, in the form of meaningful fiction, to help readers puzzle through crucial ethical questions. Once he equips himself, and us, with the fanciful chance to look back on a developing history, he clearly delights in the kind of curiosity that has motivated his earlier writings. He takes time to dwell on interesting personalities who lived through the earlier, more desperate times. With Michael Albert's capable guidance, we flip on the switch and discover ideas and even hopes that otherwise might have been hidden. Throughout this imaginative and needed novel, the essential ethical question persists: how can we learn to live together without killing one another?" - Kathy Kelly, U.S. "Mike Albert is attempting here something I wouldn't dare - a description of a revolution in the future based on the mayhem of today. Aldous Huxley and George Orwell did something similar and provided us with ways of measuring our regression. In an era when the dominant propaganda attempts to convince us we are living in an "eternal present" (Time magazine), this original and wonderfully ambitious project feels like a welcome antidote." - John Pilger, Aus "Michael Albert has with great determination and creativity put strategy and vision front and center of his lifelong work for radical social change. RPS/2044 is his most inventive work to date. A journalist interviews key participants in 2044 about the years that led to the Revolution for a Participatory Society. They share the strategies that brought about victories, the breakthroughs in healing the divides that kept people apart, and the discipline and commitment that was necessary to survive tumultuous but exciting times. In current times, we know a lot about what's wrong, and we have access to reasonably effective short-term tactics. But long-term strategy and vision are largely missing from our movements. With RPS/2044, we get a taste of what it could look like - a large-scale, radical overturning of current systems, which then puts in place new systems based on solidarity, diversity, and equity. This work fills a huge gap in our social movement literature." - Cynthia Peters, U.S

Author Biography

Michael Albert is a long time social activist, public speaker, author, and publisher. Author of over 20 books, he is co-author of the social vision named Participatory Economics, and founder and still worker at Z Magazine and ZNet - Z Communications.