The Future of Revolutions

The 20th Century was pre-eminently an age of revolutions – in Russia, China, Cuba and elsewhere – that fundamentally transformed the nature of politics and social arrangements. As we enter a new century, has it got harder for revolutions to occur in the new unipolar, globalized world? Here, John Foran asks: is the era of revolution over?; if so, why?; and if not, what might the revolutions of the future? The contributors analyse past and present, and look speculatively forward. They examine a range of recent cases, from the backward-looking movement of the Taliban in Afghanistan to the magical revolution in progress in Chiapas, Mexico. The book includes thematic discussion on globalization, political agency and visions of revolutionary futures.

Author Biography

John Foran is Professor of Sociology at the University of California at Santa Barbara, California. His published works include Fragile Resistance: Social Transformation in Iran from 1500 to the Revolution (Westview Press, 1993) and Theorizing Revolutions (Routledge, London, 1997). The contributors are eminent historians, sociologists and political scientists specialising in revolutionary processes in various parts of the world.