New Localism: Living in the Here and Now (Numanities - Arts and Humanities in Progress Book 10)

"This book examines 'New Localism' - exploring how communities have turned towards more local concerns: my street, my town, my state, as an expression of dissatisfaction with globalization. It details the ideas that have created a political force that academics have often misunderstood and provides a template for further investigation with a strong focus on how to harness the motivations behind such changes for the benefit of individuals, communities and the more-than-human environment. The book discusses human progress, both individual and collective, in terms of the interactions of the local and the global, the specific and the universal, and the concrete and the abstract. It also considers how forms of social progress can be understood and reconfigured in the context of the rejection of certain aspects of liberal intelligentsia orthodoxy over recent years. Developing his arguments with specific reference to the evolving, political landscape, the author helps readers to understand major events such as the Trump presidency and the British vote to leave the EU from a fully semiotic perspective. He also explains how educational processes can use and respond to such events in ways that are locally grounded but nevertheless not at odds with more abstract formulations of progress such as sustainability and social justice."-- Back cover Contents 6 1 Introduction 9 1.1 Background and Rationale 9 1.2 Knowledge and Understanding as ‘Recognition As’ 11 References 13 2 Globalisation and Dis-location: Theoretical Framework 15 2.1 The Problem 15 2.2 The Welcome Principle 17 2.3 Micro, Meso and Macro Structures 18 2.4 The Rise of Globalisation 23 2.4.1 Standardisation 24 2.4.2 Universalism, Impersonalism and Modernity 25 2.4.3 Modernity: The Long March of Applied Universal Reason 28 2.4.4 The Limits of Universal Ethics 32 2.5 The Performativity Problem 35 2.6 The Left-Behind Problem 38 2.7 Democratic Deficit 39 2.8 Modernism Cf. Humanism 40 2.9 In Summary: Globalisation/Dis-Location 41 2.9.1 Theoretical Resources and Possibilities 44 References 47 3 Localism and Protectionism 49 3.1 The Importance of Context 49 3.2 Forms of Local Production 51 3.2.1 Steel 52 3.2.2 Food and Drink 55 3.2.3 Music 57 3.2.4 Summary 58 3.3 Security of Supply 58 3.4 Community Cohesion 61 3.5 Environmental Health and Welfare 62 3.6 Cultural Diversity 64 References 64 4 Economic Localism 65 4.1 Economic Ideologies 65 4.2 Arational Utility Maximisation 69 4.3 Public Services 71 4.3.1 Health 72 4.3.2 Policing 72 4.3.3 Transport 73 4.4 Conclusions 73 References 74 5 Living in and for the Here-and-Now 75 5.1 Ethics of New Localism 75 5.2 Politics and Policy 77 5.3 Existential Localism 82 5.4 From Consumption to Production 84 5.5 Localism, Waste and Recycling 85 5.6 Borderless Crime and Local Action 88 References 89 6 New Localism, Arts and Culture 90 6.1 The Importance of Local Engagement 90 6.2 Synaesthesia: Relating the Local and the Global 94 6.3 Local Arts Organisations 95 6.4 Aesthetics, Environment and Policy 97 6.5 The Local Dimension of Other Aspects of Culture 99 6.6 From Measurement to Meaning 101 References 102 7 Going with the Flow of Human Aspirations 103 7.1 The Way and the Truth 103 7.2 Maximal Preference Utilitarianism as an Educational Aspiration 104 7.2.1 Abstract 104 7.2.2 Introduction 105 7.2.3 Justifying Maximal Preference Utilitarianism 105 7.2.4 History of Utilitarianism as an Educational Ideal 109 7.2.5 The Parameters of Maximal Preference Utilitarianism for Schoolchildren 111 7.2.6 Application Beyond Children 113 7.2.7 Concluding Remarks 114 7.3 Thinking About Capabilities as Well as Rights 115 References 116 This book examines zNew Localism' - exploring how communities have turned towards more local concerns: my street, my town, my state, as an expression of dissatisfaction with globalization. It details the ideas that have created a political force that academics have often misunderstood and provides a template for further investigation with a strong focus on how to harness the motivations behind such changes for the benefit of individuals, communities and the more-than-human environment. The book discusses human progress, both individual and collective, in terms of the interactions of the local and the global, the specific and the universal, and the concrete and the abstract. It also considers how forms of social progress can be understood and reconfigured in the context of the rejection of certain aspects of liberal intelligentsia orthodoxy over recent years. Developing his arguments with specific reference to the evolving, political landscape, the author helps readers to understand major events such as the Trump presidency and the British vote to leave the EU from a fully semiotic perspective. He also explains how educational processes can use and respond to such events in ways that are locally grounded but nevertheless not at odds with more abstract formulations of progress such as sustainability and social justice Front Matter ....Pages i-vii Introduction (Andrew Stables)....Pages 1-6 Globalisation and Dis-location: Theoretical Framework (Andrew Stables)....Pages 7-40 Localism and Protectionism (Andrew Stables)....Pages 41-56 Economic Localism (Andrew Stables)....Pages 57-66 Living in and for the Here-and-Now (Andrew Stables)....Pages 67-81 New Localism, Arts and Culture (Andrew Stables)....Pages 83-95 Going with the Flow of Human Aspirations (Andrew Stables)....Pages 97-112