Abstract

Kant defined the Enlightenment as humanity's attempt to leave behind its self-imposed immaturity. Social theory is thus charged with enlightening the human condition and its social constitution in order to achieve maturity and human dignity. Enlightenment is a thoroughly subversive business. The authors to this volume are in no way disturbed by the claim that everybody contributes to society according to their ability and that everybody receives according to their needs. What is disturbing, though, is that the demand for such a 'change' appears outdated and that, instead, many commentators espouse the idea that society's 'laws of development' are governed by an invisible hand. The Politics of Change takes issues with such views. It does so through a timely assessment of the debate on globalization and contemporary versions of neo-liberal and neo-functionalist thought, which underpin much of the globalization discourse. The Politics of Change emphasizes 'change' as a project of human emancipation.