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Please join The School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution in recognizing Dr. Jack R. Censer's new book entitled: Debating Modern Revolution: The Evolution of Revolutionary Ideas
Please RSVP Here
Jack R. Censer will present his new book, and the event will be moderated by S-CAR Professor Richard Rubenstein.
Biography
Jack R. Censer is Professor of History at George Mason University, USA. He is the author of Exploring the French Revolution, Visions and Revisions in Eighteenth-Century France, The French Press in the Age of Enlightenment and The French Revolution and Intellectual History. He is also the co-author, along with Lynn Hunt, of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity: Exploring the French Revolution.
Richard E. Rubenstein is University Professor of Conflict Resolution and Public Affairs at George Mason University, holding degrees from Harvard College, Oxford University (as a Rhodes Scholar), and Harvard Law School. A former lawyer, political scientist, and director of S-CAR, he is the author of eight books about various types of violent social conflict and the possibilities of resolving them nonviolently. Rubenstein teaches grad and undergrad courses on conflict theory and speaks publicly on issues of peace and social justice.
Book Review
Revolution is an idea that has been one of the most important drivers of human activity since its emergence in its modern form in the 18th century. From the American and French revolutionaries who upset a monarchical order that had dominated for over a millennium up to the Arab Spring, this notion continues but has also developed its meanings. Equated with democracy and legal equality at first and surprisingly redefined into its modern meaning, revolution has become a means to create nations, change the social order, and throw out colonial occupiers, and has been labelled as both conservative and reactionary.
In this concise introduction to the topic, Jack R. Censer charts the development of these competing ideas and definitions in four chronological sections. Each section includes a debate from protagonists who represent various forms of revolution and counterrevolution, allowing students a firmer grasp on the particular ideas and individuals of each era. This book offers a new approach to the topic of revolution for all students of world history.