Reclaiming America: Nike, Clean Air, and the New National Activism

Author:   Randy Shaw
Publisher:   University of California Press
ISBN:  

9780520217799


Pages:   320
Publication Date:   07 June 1999
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   Out of stock   Availability explained
The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available.

Our Price $55.95 Quantity:  
Add to Cart

Share |

Reclaiming America: Nike, Clean Air, and the New National Activism


Add your own review!

Overview

"Have activists taken the bumper-sticker adage ""Think Globally, Act Locally"" too literally? Randy Shaw argues that they have, with destructive consequences for America. Since the 1970s, activist participation in national struggles has steadily given way to a nearly exclusive focus on local issues. America's political and corporate elite has succeeded in controlling the national agenda, while their adversaries-the citizen activists and organizations who spent decades building federal programs to reflect the country's progressive ideals-increasingly bypass national fights. The result has been not only the dismantling of hard-won federal programs but also the sabotaging of local agendas and community instituions by decisions made in the national arena. Shaw urges activists and their organizations to implement a ""new national activism"" by channeling energy from closely knit local groups into broader causes. Such activism enables locally oriented activists to shape America's future and work on national fights without traveling to Washington, D.C., but instead working in their own backyards. Focusing on the David and Goliath struggle between Nike and grassroots activists critical of the company's overseas labor practices, Shaw shows how national activism can rewrite the supposedly ironclad rules of the global economy by ensuring fair wages and decent living standards for workers at home and abroad. Similarly, the recent struggles for stronger clean air standards and new federal budget priorities demonstrate the potential grassroots national activism to overcome the corporate and moneyed interests that increasingly dictate America's future. Reclaiming America's final section describes how community-based nonprofit organizations, the media, and the Internet are critical resources for building national activism. Shaw declares that community-based groups can and must combine their service work with national grassroots advocacy. He also describes how activists can use public relations to win attention in today's sprawling media environment, and he details the movement-building potential of e-mail. All these resources are essential for activists and their organizations to reclaim America's progressive ideals."

Full Product Details

Author:   Randy Shaw
Publisher:   University of California Press
Imprint:   University of California Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.00cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.454kg
ISBN:  

9780520217799


ISBN 10:   0520217799
Pages:   320
Publication Date:   07 June 1999
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Out of stock   Availability explained
The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Introduction Part One: Reclaiming America outside the Electoral Process: National Anti-Sweatshop Campaigns and the Movement for a Living Wage 1. Just Don't Buy It: Challenging Nike and the Rules of the Global Economy 2. From Challenging American Sweatshops to a Movement for a Global Living Wage Part Two: Reclaiming America through the Political Process: National Environmental Activism and the Pentagon Redirection Campaign 3. The New National Environmental Activism 4. The Pentagon: Reclaiming America by Giving Peace a Chance Part Three: Resources for National Activism: Community-Based Organizations, the Media, and the Internet 5. Community-Based Nonprofit Organizations: From Demobilizers to Agents of Change 6. The Media: Mobilizing through the Echo Effect 7. The Internet: Mobilizing in Cyberspace Conclusion Notes Index

Reviews

Shaw's nuts-and-bolts accounts of the fights to shut down sweatshops and strengthen environmental laws show how grassroots battles can become nationwide campaigns. His tips on enlisting nonprofits, the media, and the Internet should help activists take their local struggles to the next level. -- Sierra Magazine


"""Shaw's nuts-and-bolts accounts of the fights to shut down sweatshops and strengthen environmental laws show how grassroots battles can become nationwide campaigns. His tips on enlisting nonprofits, the media, and the Internet should help activists take their local struggles to the next level.""--""Sierra Magazine"


Author Information

Randy Shaw is Director of the Tenderloin Housing Clinic, located in San Francisco, California, and author of The Activist's Handbook (California, 1996).

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions
Latest Reading Guide

Aorrng

Shopping Cart
Your cart is empty
Shopping cart
Mailing List