Orlando Patterson zkoumá hluboké propojení mezi svobodou a kulturou na Západě, přičemž jeho práce osvětluje dynamiku sociálních struktur a lidské identity. Jeho sociologický přístup proniká do podstaty svobody a zkoumá její formování v průběhu dějin a její vliv na západní civilizaci. Pattersonův styl se vyznačuje intelektuální hloubkou a pečlivým zkoumáním, které čtenářům nabízí nové pohledy na složité společenské jevy. Prostřednictvím svých rozsáhlých analýz podněcuje čtenáře k zamyšlení nad základními kameny lidské společnosti a nad neustálým vývojem svobody v rámci kultury.
Orlando Patterson returns to Jamaica, his birthplace, to reckon with its history and culture. Locals claim to be some of the world's happiest people, and their successes in music and athletics are legendary. Yet the country remains violent and poor. In Jamaica the dilemmas of globalization and postcolonial politics are thrown into stark relief.
"A classic study of the social institution of slavery, now available in paperback"-- Provided by publisher
For many years Orlando Patterson has been a major contributor to the public discussion of race in America. Now the author of the National Book Award winning Freedom in the Making of Western Culture presents a comprehensive exploration of contemporary interethnic relations.Unflinching in his analysis, Patterson chides professional race advocates, the mainstream media, and his fellow academics for homogenizing the 33 million Americans of African ancestry into a single group beset by crises and intractable dilemmas. His willingness to challenge the received wisdom of conservatives, liberals, and genetic determinists alike affords us the opportunity to critically examine our own preconceived notions and prejudices. Standing as a challenge to those who insist on dwelling on the failures of race relations, The Ordeal of Integration admonishes Americans to stop exaggerating the intractability of persistent ethnic problems and start focusing on what works.
Patterson discusses the internal dynamics of slavery in 66 societies over time. These include Greece and Rome, medieval Europe, China, Korea, the Islamic kingdoms, Africa, the Caribbean islands, and the American South. Slavery, he argues, is a single process of recruitment, incorporation on the margin of society, and eventual manumission or death.