The State of Freedom
A Social History of the British State since 1800
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Cambridge University Press
Published:4th Apr '13
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
This book offers a new perspective on the state by exploring its everyday elements and the people who shape it, particularly in Britain.
In The State of Freedom, Patrick Joyce delves into the fundamental question of what constitutes the state. He presents a fresh perspective by examining the everyday elements that make up the British state, from government documents to educational institutions. By scrutinizing these seemingly mundane aspects, Joyce encourages readers to reconsider the significance of the people and places that shape governance.
Joyce's exploration extends beyond mere structures; it encompasses the individuals who operate within the state. He highlights the environments of power, including the offices where decisions are made and the prestigious halls of learning that mold future leaders. This approach emphasizes that understanding the state requires an appreciation of the social and material contexts in which it exists.
Ultimately, The State of Freedom serves as both a novel interpretation of political history and a comprehensive account of modern Britain. Joyce's work is a call to recognize the intricate connections between ordinary life and the mechanisms of state power, presenting a pioneering narrative that intertwines history, theory, and the lived experiences of those who interact with the state.
'[An] acute analysis of the state we're in.' Morning Star
'The State of Freedom is the most sophisticated book yet from Patrick Joyce. It is hard to believe that anyone could write a more brilliant book than The Rule of Freedom, but he has. Joyce reveals with impressive detail the subtle and surprising means by which the liberal state operates and has done so historically.' Chandra Mukerji, University of California, San Diego, and author of Impossible Engineering
'This is vintage Joyce: critical, provocative and theoretically engaged.' Frank Trentmann, Birkbeck, University of London, and author of Free Trade Nation
'Written with great verve and characterized by an original historical imagination, this challenging book offers fresh conceptual tools and rich empirical assessments to grapple with what it calls the social history of the British state. Moving across borders and institutions, The State of Freedom chronicles the state as actor, identifies the means used to fashion the persons who govern the state, and impressively shows how freedom and constraint can be mutually constitutive.' Ira Katznelson, Columbia University, and author of Fear Itself: The New Deal and the Origins of Our Time
'Joyce makes a sophisticated and informed argument that the state and its homogenous, elite leadership enshrined commitment to political freedom and institutions of order and authority that over time became systematized with considerable operational continuity … An important and stimulating historical study of governing and governance that should be in good library collections.' M. J. Moore, Choice
ISBN: 9781107694552
Dimensions: 228mm x 152mm x 18mm
Weight: 620g
387 pages