New Age Politics

Forget the term "New Age," says Mark Satin in the introduction to this 40th Anniversary Edition of his book New Age Politics. That term was tied to an historical moment. What this book is really about is the new politics arising out of the social movements of our time, among them the spiritual, ecological, feminist, human-potential, and decentralist movements. New Age Politics was the first book to show that these movements were producing a coherent new political perspective or ideology. Today that perspective goes by many names: green, holistic, radical centrist, transformational, transpartisan. It has made many advances through movements as diverse as the Green Party, Tea Party, and Occupy. But as futurist David Spangler points out in a new foreword, the foundational statement of this still-emerging new perspective was New Age Politics. This new edition, streamlined and updated for our time, draws on nearly 200 texts, and at least that many late-night conversations with activists. It is all here: our drive for a life-loving new consciousness and better values. Our critique of "deep monopolies" like the private automobile and doctor-dependent health care, not just brand-name monopolies. Our vision of an all-win future that empowers local communities and enhances global cooperation. Our strategy that encompasses both "inner work" (personal growth) and "outer work" - everything from electoral activity to nonviolent action that respects one's audiences. Today, New Age Politics is more relevant than ever. In his foreword to the German edition, systems thinker Fritjof Capra calls it "the blueprint for a new politics beyond ... left and right," and in his introduction Satin holds up this edition as a "common ground" on which all the real alternative movements of our time can stand. Those who want to steer contemporary movements away from the twin shoals of Marxism and liberalism and toward a healing future that is uniquely their own will find this book especially useful.

An essential introduction to the visionary, beyond-left-and-right political activism of the last 60 years, and a deeply honest insider account of why those activists have—so far—fallen short. “I appreciate that Satin is willing to be so candid. It helps us all learn. And he writes in a way that touches the soul.” —Christa Slaton, First platform coordinator for the U.S. Green Party movement, and co-editor of the book Transformational Politics: Theory, Study, and Practice In a gripping first-person narrative that reads like a novel, using his own experiences as a lens, Mark Satin tells the story of three generations of thinkers and activists who tried—and are still trying—to create a post-socialist, post-conservative, visionary and healing new politics for the U.S. In this book, Satin shows that the increasingly militant movements of the Sixties drove many young people away—and into a search for a political system and world that could work for everyone. He looks at initiatives and organizations that over the next 30 years tried to further that search, such as the New World Alliance and the early U.S. Green Party movement. Then he illuminates the 21st century turn to “radical centrist” and “transpartisan” political initiatives. Each chapter begins with a brief, context-setting introduction. Throughout the book are intense, blow-by-blow accounts of organization- and movement-building, as well as brief glimpses at over 40 often underappreciated visionary books. And always there are deeply honest accounts of Satin’s and other activists’ often shaky relationships with colleagues, family, and lovers—because getting healing politics right cannot be divorced from getting personal and interpersonal behavior right. You will enjoy watching Satin’s encounters with civil rights militant Hardy Frye, Weather Underground terrorist Mark Rudd, environmental activist Paul Hawken, “beyond GNP” economic thinker Hazel Henderson, futurists John Naisbitt and Alvin Toffler, Nobel Peace Prize nominee Gene Sharp, Aquarian Conspiracy author Marilyn Ferguson, critical race theory co-creator Derrick Bell, radical centrist author John Avlon, and more. Nobody, least of all Satin, comes across as all-wise here, and long before this subtle and courageous book ends you will realize that a truly visionary and healing politics can only be built if we’re willing to address all the behavioral, intellectual, organizational, and attitudinal issues this book raises.

The New Age, contrary to its stereotype of crystals, incense, and Tarot cards, describes important cultural movements of the 18th through 20th centuries which share a preoccupation with political change, experimental art, sex, new ideas about medicine, primitivism, and the familiar axis of love/nature/peace/spirituality. Green analyzes the influence of Gandhi, Tolstoy, Jung, William Blake, Gary Snyder, Rachel Carson, and many others, presenting an immense amount of diverse material in a coherent, imaginative, and convincing form.

The third edition of The Dynamics of Political Communication continues its comprehensive coverage of communication and politics, focusing on problematic issues that bear on the functioning of democracy in an age of partisanship, social media, and political leadership that questions media’s legitimacy. The book covers the intersections between politics and communication, calling on related social science disciplines as well as normative political philosophy. This new edition is thoroughly updated and includes a survey of the contemporary political communication environment, unpacking fake news, presidential communication, hostile media bias, concerns about the waning of democracy, partisan polarization, political advertising and marketing, the relationship between social media and the news media, and the 2020 election, all the while drawing on leading new scholarship in these areas. It's ideally suited for upper-level undergraduate and graduate political communication courses in communication, journalism, and political science programs. This edition again features online resources with links to examples of political communication in action, such as videos, news articles, tweets, and press releases. For instructors, an instructor’s manual, lecture slides, and test questions are also provided. Access the support material at www.routledge.com/9780367279417