Reclaim the State: Experiments in Popular Democracy (Seagull, 2009)

Hilary Wainwright

Oct 27 2009

Reclaim the State sets out on a journey from Brazil to Britain to discover how people are creating new, stronger forms of democracy. The book shows that the foundations for new political directions for deepening democracy already exist, and provides imaginative and practical tools for building on them.

From Seattle to Cancun, protest movements have taken centre stage in global politics. But if the momentum of these international movements is to grow, they must be rooted in local action to create greater democratic and economic justice in everyday life. Reclaim the State sets out on a quest to discover how people are creating new, stronger forms of democracy.

The journey starts in the deep south of Brazil, in Porto Allegre and the Workers Party´s radical model for public investment decisions. In East Manchester - the origins of Britain´s industrial revolution - the government´s promise of ‘community-led’ regeneration is tested as public money is used to rebuild shattered neighbourhoods. On the outskirts of the commuter town of Luton, ex-squatters and ravers join with established residents´ groups to take control of public resources and forge a new social economy. Finally, in Newcastle, council workers see off an attempt by British Telecom to take over local services and win the battle for a democratic public alternative.

Reclaim the State shows that the foundations for new political directions already exist, and provides imaginative and practical tools for building on them.

‘An extremely valuable contribution to the debate about concrete alternatives to Neo-Liberalism.’
Naomi Klein

‘Hilary Wainwright has gone in search of the questions to the key issues of our time - how can we gain access to the levers of power, democratize them and then use them to effect progressive change? She returns with answers free of dogma and full of insight.’
The Guardian

Pages:

470pages

Publisher:

Seagull Books

ISBN:

13-978-1-9054-2-260-9

You can buy a copy here:

http://www.seagullindia.com/books/detailviewlon.asp?prodid=3187

Hilary Wainwright

Research Director of the TNI New Politics programme

Hilary Wainwright is a leading researcher and writer on the emergence of new forms of democratic accountability within parties, movements and the state. She is the driving force and editor behind Red Pepper, a popular British new left magazine, and has documented countless examples of resurgent democratic movements from Brazil to Britain and the lessons they provide for progressive politics.

As well as TNI fellow, she is also Senior Research Associate at the International Centre for Participation Studies at the Department for Peace Studies, University of Bradford, UK and previously research fellow at the Centre for the Study of Global Governance at the London School of Economics. She has also been a visiting
Professor and Scholar at the University of California, Los Angeles; Havens Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison and Todai University, Tokyo. Her books include Reclaim the State: Adventures in Popular Democracy (Verso/TNI, 2003) and Arguments for a New Left: Answering the Free Market Right (Blackwell, 1993).

Wainwright founded the Popular Planning Unit of the Greater London Council during the Thatcher years, and was convenor of the new economics working group of the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly from 1989 to 1994.

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