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Social Science Future Studies

Revolution or Renaissance

Making the Transition from an Economic Age to a Cultural Age

by (author) D. Paul Schafer

Publisher
University of Ottawa Press
Initial publish date
Apr 2008
Category
Future Studies, Cultural Policy
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9780776618302
    Publish Date
    Apr 2008
    List Price
    $22.99
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9780776606729
    Publish Date
    Apr 2008
    List Price
    $45.00 USD

Classroom Resources

Where to buy it

Out of print

This edition is not currently available in bookstores. Check your local library or search for used copies at Abebooks.

Description

In Revolution or Renaissance, D. Paul Schafer subjects two of the most powerful forces in the world – economics and culture – to a detailed and historically sensitive analysis. He argues that the economic age has produced a great deal of wealth and unleashed tremendous productive power; however, it is not capable of coming to grips with the problems threatening human and non-human life on this planet. After tracing the evolution of the economic age from the publication of Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations in 1776 to the present, he turns his attention to culture, examining it both as a concept and as a reality. What emerges is a portrait of the world system of the future where culture is the central focus of development. According to Schafer, making the transition from an economic age to a cultural age is imperative if global harmony, environmental sustainability, economic viability, and human well-being are to be achieved.

About the author

Contributor Notes

D. Paul Schafer has worked in the cultural field for four decades, taught at York University and the University of Toronto, and undertaken a number of missions for UNESCO. He is the author of many publications on culture and the arts, and is director of the World Culture Project.

Editorial Reviews

In Revolution or Renaissance, D. Paul Schafer deftly illustrates 'culture' as the framework within which the spirit of the times emerges, and 'economy' as the blood supply which has nourished its function across the arcs of civilization. Schafer