What I’ve been reading

Two Cheers for Anarchism

A couple of years ago I read both Against the Grain and Seeing like a State and just loved them as academic writing. James Scott is probably one of the best political scientist to read. I was compelled to go back to this works when I learned that he passed away in June this year.

This short volume is a great introduction to some of his core ideas and perspectives on society. “Don’t confuse visual order with working order” is probably the insight that resonated with me the most in this reading. But also the practice of miniaturization as a tool for hierarchical domination.

It also made me want to read the classic Jane Jacobs book The Death and Life of Great American Cities, but I guess I should go back and finish Alain Bertauds Order Without Design instead or at least read them in companion.

Elsa och Natanael Beskow - En kärlekshistoria

Another book in Swedish that was aptly published to mark the 150 anniversary of Swedish Childrens Book author Elsa Beskow. We read a lot of Beskow at home since out daughter loves them. I have also been struck by the fact that these, more than 100 year old books, still work as marvelous books for children today. And the illustrations are unmatched in their combination of natural realism with fantastic imagination and playfulness.

So I wanted to learn more about the woman behind the art and this book seemed like a good choice. Elsa Beskow was also very much a part of the circle of progressive and politically minded women around the turn of the century that we study in out Women’s Suffrage project.

This book is centered around the relationship between the spouses Beskow and is based on their letters to eachother. Natanael Beskow was a progressive preacher and is associated with the Swedish Settelment movement that I did not know that much about before.

I hate the Ivy Leauge

Malcolm Gladwell takes on the American system of higher education and does so with the expected brilliance and storytelling savvy one can expect.

There was one chapter on funding where Gladwell elaborated on the difference between strong link and weak link problems that I found very interesting.