Philosopher, sociologist and urban theorist, Henri Lefebvre (1901–1991) was one of the great social theorists of the twentieth century and pioneered the theorization of everyday life and space.
In this fascinating book, which became a manifesto for urban activism upon its first publication in the 1960s, Lefebvre poses a major question: what gives a society undergoing constant change the illusion of stability? For Lefebvre, the answer is that our everyday lives are the product of decisions from which we are alienated, resulting in what he memorably describes as 'terror-enforced passivity'. Modern capitalism produces and controls the space around us: the buildings we work in, the roads we drive on and even the parks surrounding us are artificial and controlled, isolating the individual in a life of repetition. Lefebvre rejects such a world of control and monotony, urging instead a spontaneous, utopian creativity, in which human beings can engage in meaningful work and leisure.
Profound and prophetic for its insights into the impact of capitalism and urbanization, Everyday Life in the Modern World remains a classic work by a towering thinker and essential reading today.
This Routledge Classics edition includes a new Foreword by Claire Revol and Rob Shields.
By:
Henri Lefebvre Foreword by:
Claire Revol (Université Grenoble Alpes France), Rob Shields Imprint: Routledge Country of Publication: United Kingdom Dimensions:
Height: 216mm,
Width: 138mm,
Weight: 610g ISBN:9781032533940 ISBN 10: 1032533943 Series:Routledge Classics Pages: 224 Publication Date:28 September 2023 Audience:
General/trade
,
College/higher education
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ELT Advanced
,
Primary
Format:Hardback Publisher's Status: Active
Foreword to the Routledge Classics Edition Claire Revol and Rob Shields 1. An Inquiry, and Some Discoveries 2. The Bureaucratic Society of Controlled Consumption 3. Linguistic Phenomena 4. Terrorism and Everyday Life 5. Towards a Permanent Cultural Revolution. Index
Henri Lefebvre (1901–1991), philosopher, sociologist and urban theorist, was one of the great social theorists of the twentieth century and pioneered the theorization of everyday life and space.