Together

Resumen del libro

Living with people who differ - racially, ethnically, religiously, or economically - is one of the most urgent challenges facing us today. Though our society is becoming ever more complicated materially, we tend to avoid engaging with people unlike ourselves. Modern politics emphasizes unity and similarity, encouraging the politics of the tribe rather than of complexity. Together: the rituals, pleasures and politics of Co-operation explores why this has happened and what might be done about it. The book argues that living with people unlike ourselves requires more than goodwill: it requires skill. Co-operation is a craft. The foundations for skillful co-operation lie in learning to listen well and to discuss rather than debate. People who develop these capacities earn a reward: they can take pleasure in the company of others. Together traces the evolution of cooperative rituals in medieval churches and guilds, Renaissance workshops and courts, early modern laboratories and diplomatic embassies. Today it explains the trials and prospects of cooperation online, face-to-face in ethnic conflicts, among financial workers and community organizers. Exploring the nature of cooperation, why it has become weak, and how it could be strengthened, this visionary book offers a new way of seeing how humans can live together.

Biografía del autor

Richard Sennett es profesor honorario del Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose en Bartlett, University College of London, miembro del Council of Urban Iniatiatives de ONU-Habitat y Chair de Theatrum Mundi de LSE Cities. Como consultor de la ONU, lleva más de treinta años asesorando en proyectos de desarrollo urbano. Entre sus muchas obras se incluyen "La corrosión del carácter: Las consecuencias personales del trabajo en el nuevo capitalismo", "El artesano", "Construir y habitar: ética para la ciudad" o "Carne y piedra. El cuerpo y la ciudad en la civilización occidental", publicado en Alianza Editorial.