Social activism and dissent have become global phenomena for ourtimes. Ordinary people across the world are fighting back. Thisnewly potent political force has defeated governments in India andSpain, and has brought down the EU draft constitution. Disaffectedby the triumph of markets, public goods, public interest and publicspaces are regaining political ground.
Daniel Drache argues that, feeding off distrust and suspicion ofgovernments, and assisted by the new cultural flows of people,ideas and information, this is a political phenomenon withouthistorical precedent. No-one owns the new public, elites remainbaffled by its power and impact. No-one can contain its innovative,inclusive and rapidly evolving organizational style. No-one candetermine when the current cycle of dissent will peak.
This lively and engaging book is a must-read for anyoneinterested in the role of protesters and publics in contemporarypolitics.

List of figures viiAcknowledgements viiiIntroduction: Goals and Values that are Inescapably Public 11 The Crowded Public Sphere and its Discontents 242 Market Fundamentalism and the Worried Public 543 Digital Publics and the Culture of Dissent 894 Nixers, Fixers, and the Axes of Conformity 1155 Infinite Varieties of the Modern Public: Novelty, Surprise, and Uncertainty 144Appendix: Critical Human Rights Conventions of the Global Public Domain 172A Note on Sources 179Select Bibliography 184Index 187