The Long Revolution Revisited

Article


Rustin, M. 2007. The Long Revolution Revisited. Soundings: A Journal of Politics and Culture.
AuthorsRustin, M.
Abstract

In this article Michael Rustin argues that the ideas of Raymond Williams in The Long Revolution (first published in 1961) have much to offer the contemporary left.
Williams had a vision of all citizens participating fully in a ‘common culture’. He focused attention on the role of media technologies and education in the development of modern societies. He believed that the deepest understanding of a way of life was to be found in its imaginative explorations - in novels, plays, cultural criticism - rather than in its formal political writings. In this article Professor Rustin argues that the contemporary left needs to return to William’s imaginative modes of understanding in order to fashion a critique of the current order. He argues that the possibilities which Williams identified in The Long Revolution and in Towards 2000 remain valid starting points for the renewal of the socialist project today.

KeywordsRaymond Williams; Socialist politics; literary criticism; cultural theory; political theory; left-wing
JournalSoundings: A Journal of Politics and Culture
ISSN1362-6620
Year2007
Accepted author manuscript
License
CC BY-ND
Web address (URL)http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/lwish/sou/2007/00000035/00000001/art00003
Publication dates
PrintMar 2007
Publication process dates
Deposited07 Oct 2009
Additional information

Citation:
Rustin, M. (2007) ‘The Long Revolution Revisited’ Soundings 35, March pp 16-30.

Page range16-30
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https://repository.uel.ac.uk/item/86654

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