Overview

Why are we so obsessed by the pursuit of happiness? With new ways to measure contentment we are told that we have a right to individual joy. But at what cost? In an age of increasing individualism, we have never been more alone and miserable. But what if the true nature of happiness can only be found in others? In Radical Happiness, leading feminist thinker Lynne Segal believes that we have lost the art of radical happiness—the art of transformative, collective joy. She shows that only in the revolutionary potential of coming together it is that we can come to understand the powers of flourishing. Radical Happiness is a passionate call for the re-discovery of the political and emotional joy that emerge when we learn to share our lives together.

Full Product Details

9781786637444

Table of Contents

Reviews

A powerful manifesto for dealing with the march of time. * Observer [Out of Time] * Compassionate, seasoned, honest, and wise, which asks questions about age but aims to enlighten, rather than frighten us. -- Elaine Showalter * [Out of Time] * A profound and lively examination of what it means to age, to confront the prejudices against the old, and to find a way to affirm their passion and fantasy, their bonds, and their sorrows -- Judith Butler * [Out of Time] * Wide ranging in its analyses of feminist, political and social theory -- Margaret Drabble * [Out of Time] * She turns on the subject a critical eye honed by social psychology, psychoanalysis, feminism and radical politics. An original, probing and unsettling exploration -- Stuart Hall * [Out of Time] *

The socialist feminist we need to listen to right now. Her book is an important one because we need 'a politics of hope' like never before. --Emma Rees, Times Higher Education Radical Happiness ultimately arrives at a convincing argument about our need to overcome the now-common tendency to view dystopian thinking as a political act in and of itself ... If happiness is 'not so much an emotion, a psychic state or inner disposition, but rather a way of acting in the world, ' then so is the path to real social change. It is defined not by a list of demands, but by a commitment to the common good. A feminism that's about showing up for each other and not merely ourselves: how radical. --Charlotte Shane, Nation An expansive and contemplative exploration of love, joy, desire, and the concepts surrounding Utopias, all of which find the author navigating human psychology, sociology, societal mores, and the economics of happiness. A calm, refreshing breath of fresh air in a dangerously uncertain moment in human history. --Kirkus An engaging, enlightening read for anyone who wants to ponder the links between personal dissatisfaction and political disengagement--and possible remedies. The idea of collective happiness as the root of much satisfaction is simple, but deceptively hard to write about, let alone achieve. Segal succeeds in inspiring on many levels. --Isabel Berwick, Financial Times Radical Happiness ultimately arrives at a convincing argument about our need to overcome the now-common tendency to view dystopian thinking as a political act in and of itself. --Charlotte Shane, Nation A vital intervention that draws on on a wide range of radical thinkers to offer a real breadth and depth of perspectives in an accessible read. Segal reminds us that a joy shared has a longer-lasting impact, and her defiant approach to radical happiness is thorough, frank and refreshing. --Red Pepper

Author Information

Lynne Segal is Anniversary Professor of Psychology and Gender Studies in the Department of Psychosocial Studies at Birkbeck College. Her books include Is the Future Female? Troubled Thoughts on Contemporary Feminism; Slow Motion: Changing Masculinities, Changing Men; and Straight Sex: Rethinking the Politics of Pleasure. She co-wrote Beyond the Fragments: Feminism and the Making of Socialism with Sheila Rowbotham and Hilary Wainwright. Her most recent book was Out of Time: The Pleasures and Perils of Aging.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available