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Benjamin R. Barber (August 2, 1939 – April 24, 2017) was an American
political theorist A political theorist is someone who engages in constructing or evaluating political theory, including political philosophy. Theorists may be academics or independent scholars. Ancient * Aristotle * Chanakya * Cicero * Confucius * Mencius * ...
and author, perhaps best known for his 1995 bestseller, '' Jihad vs. McWorld'', and for 2013's ''If Mayors Ruled the World''. His 1984 book of political theory, '' Strong Democracy'', was revised and reissued in 2004. He was an adviser to political leaders including
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
,
Howard Dean Howard Brush Dean III (born November 17, 1948) is an American physician, author, consultant, and retired politician who served as the 79th governor of Vermont from 1991 to 2003 and chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from 2005 to 20 ...
, and
Muammar Gaddafi Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi (20 October 2011) was a Libyan military officer, revolutionary, politician and political theorist who ruled Libya from 1969 until Killing of Muammar Gaddafi, his assassination by Libyan Anti-Gaddafi ...
. He was a board member of the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation.


Personal life

Barber was born in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
in 1939. He was educated at
Grinnell College Grinnell College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, United States. It was founded in 1846 when a group of Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalis ...
(B.A., 1960) and
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
(M.A., 1963; Ph.D., 1966), after earning certificates at
Albert Schweitzer Ludwig Philipp Albert Schweitzer (; 14 January 1875 – 4 September 1965) was a German and French polymath from Alsace. He was a theologian, organist, musicologist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher, and physician. As a Lutheran minister, ...
College (1959) and the
London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...
(1957). Barber's father, Philip W. Barber, directed the New York City unit of the
Federal Theatre Project The Federal Theatre Project (FTP; 1935–1939) was a theatre program established during the Great Depression as part of the New Deal to fund live artistic performances and entertainment programs in the United States. It was one of five Federal ...
, which produced plays including ''
Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...
'' and the
Living Newspaper Living Newspaper is a theatrical form presenting factual information on current events to a popular audience. Historically, Living Newspapers have also urged social action (both implicitly and explicitly) and reacted against naturalistic and r ...
. His mother, Doris Frankel, was a playwright and wrote for television show such as ''
All my children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2 ...
''. Barber was also active as a playwright, lyricist (libretto for George Quincy's opera ''Home and the River'') and film-maker (''The Struggle for Democracy'', with Patrick Watson, and ''Music Inn'', with Ben Barenholtz). Barber died on April 24, 2017, after a four-month battle with cancer.


Career

Barber was a senior research scholar at The Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society of The Graduate Center, The
City University of New York The City University of New York (CUNY, pronounced , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven ...
, the president and founder of the Interdependence Movement, and
Walt Whitman Walter Whitman Jr. (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist; he also wrote two novels. He is considered one of the most influential poets in American literature and world literature. Whitman incor ...
Professor of Political Science Emeritus,
Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...
. In 2001 he joined the Department of Government and Politics at the
University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...
as Kekst Professor of Civil Society. From 2007 till 2012, he was a distinguished senior fellow at
Demos Demos may refer to: Computing * DEMOS, a Soviet Unix-like operating system * DEMOS (ISP), the first internet service provider in the USSR * Demos Commander, an Orthodox File Manager for Unix-like systems * Plural for Demo (computer programming ...
. As a political theorist, Barber argued for a renewed focus on
civil society Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.democracy Democracy (from , ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitiv ...
, particularly in the post-
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
world. His work examined the failure of nation-states to address global problems, and argued that cities and intercity associations are more effectively addressing shared concerns. Barber was a senior fellow at the USC Center on Public Diplomacy in 2005–2017. In February 2016, he joined the
Fordham University Fordham University is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in New York City, United States. Established in 1841, it is named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its origina ...
Urban Consortium as its first Distinguished Senior Fellow and announced the inaugural convening of the Global Parliament of Mayors. Barber was an outside adviser to President
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
and a foreign policy adviser to Howard Dean's 2004 presidential campaign. He advised political parties and political leaders in the UK, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Finland and Italy on civic education and participatory institutions. Barber met with and worked alongside civil society and government leaders in Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, China, and
Muammar Gaddafi Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi (20 October 2011) was a Libyan military officer, revolutionary, politician and political theorist who ruled Libya from 1969 until Killing of Muammar Gaddafi, his assassination by Libyan Anti-Gaddafi ...
's Libya.


Thesis on ''Freedom''

In his book ''The Death of Communal Liberty: A History of Freedom in a Swiss Mountain Canton'' published in 1974 Barber reflects on the history of Canton Graubünden. He argued that the inhabitants of the Canton regarded freedom as the liberty to live under
self-government Self-governance, self-government, self-sovereignty or self-rule is the ability of a person or group to exercise all necessary functions of regulation without intervention from an external authority. It may refer to personal conduct or to any ...
and the right to be bound by own
choice A choice is the range of different things from which a being can choose. The arrival at a choice may incorporate Motivation, motivators and Choice modelling, models. Freedom of choice is generally cherished, whereas a severely limited or arti ...
. Instead of rat-racing for ever more money and consumer goods, the Swiss citizen in that Canton felt enough
solidarity Solidarity or solidarism is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. True solidarity means moving beyond individual identities and single issue politics ...
to uphold a
community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...
. This is why, according to Barber, Swiss citizens resisted guest workers in the 1960s and 1970s.


Thesis on ''Strong Democracy''

In the 2004 preface to his ''Strong Democracy,'' Barber explains the central premise of that book: "Once established strongly in the political and civic realm, democracy can assure sufficient equality and justice to coexist with a variety of economic systems." He goes on to say that his goal in writing that book was not "to replace representative with strong democracy, but to thicken thin democracy with a critical overlay of participatory institutions." Barber went on to propose "a national initiative and referendum act" which would "permit Americans to petition for a legislative referendum either on popular initiatives or on laws passed by Congress."


Honors

Barber's honors included a knighthood from the French Government ( Palmes Academiques/Chevalier) (2001), the Berlin Prize of the American Academy in Berlin (2001) and the John Dewey Award (2003). He was also awarded Guggenheim, Fulbright, and Social Science Research Fellowships, honorary doctorates from Grinnell College, Monmouth University and Connecticut College, and held the chair of American Civilization at the
École des hautes études en sciences sociales The School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (, EHESS) is a graduate ''grande école'' and '' grand établissement'' in Paris focused on academic research in the social sciences. The school awards Master and PhD degrees alone and conj ...
in Paris.


2016 elections

In November 2016, Barber expressed the opinion that Black Americans who vote for Republicans vote against their own interests in an undercover video produced by controversial
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
activist group Project Veritas earlier that year. When confronted about his remarks by news station WRAL, Barber responded that the analogy to ''
Sonderkommando ''Sonderkommandos'' (, ) were Extermination through labor, work units made up of Nazi Germany, German Nazi death camp prisoners. They were composed of prisoners, usually Jews, who were forced, on threat of their own deaths, to aid with the di ...
s'' "was an overstatement and not one that I would make in public. I stand by the basic view that people of color – Latinos and African-Americans and others – who are voting for
Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
are voting in total disregard of their own long-range interests and in total obliviousness to everything that Trump has said about Latinos, about immigrants, about African-Americans, his own racist record."Ross donor criticized for racially charged remarks at fundraiser, November 2, 2016
WRAL


Donations

Barber donated $12,825 to various political campaigns between 2008 and 2016, and described himself as an experienced fundraiser in his biography.


Publications

* ''Superman and Common Men: Freedom, Anarchy and the Revolution'' (1971) * ''The Death of Communal Liberty: A History of Freedom in a Swiss Mountain Canton'' (1974) * ''Liberating Feminism'' (1976) * ''Marriage Voices'' ( 1981 novel) * '' Strong Democracy: Participatory Politics for a New Age'' (1984) * ''The Conquest of Politics: Liberal Philosophy in Democratic Times'' (1988) * ''An Aristocracy of Everyone: The Politics Of Education and the Future of America'' (1992) * ''America Skips School'' (1993) appeared in ''
Harper's Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the United States. ''Harper's Magazine'' has ...
'' * '' Jihad vs. McWorld: How Globalism and Tribalism Are Reshaping the World'' (1996) * ''A Place for Us: How to Make Society Civil and Democracy Strong'' (1998) * ''A Passion for Democracy: American Essays'' (2000) * ''The Truth of Power: Intellectual Affairs in the Clinton White House'' (2001) * ''Fear's Empire: War, Terrorism, and Democracy in an Age of Interdependence'' (2003) * '' Strong Democracy: Participatory Politics for a New Age'' (Twentieth Anniversary Revision 2004) * ''Schwächt oder stärkt E-Technologie die Demokratie?'', in: Robertson-von Trotha, Caroline Y. (ed.): ''Kultur und Gerechtigkeit'' (= Kulturwissenschaft interdisziplinär/Interdisciplinary Studies on Culture and Society, Vol. 2), Baden-Baden (2007) * ''Consumed: How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilize Adults, and Swallow Citizens Whole'' (2007) *
If Mayors Ruled the World: Dysfunctional Nations, Rising Cities
' (2013) * ''Cool Cities: Urban Sovereignty and the Fix for Global Warming'' (2017)


Blog and media appearances

* * ** (TEDGlobal 2013) * *
The Interdependence Movement


* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070403045922/http://www.will.uiuc.edu/am/mediamatters/default.htm Barber discusses his book Consumed: How markets corrupt.... Audio on Media Matters April 15, 2007 UIUC.EDU] * *


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barber, Benjamin 1939 births 2017 deaths Writers from New York City Alumni of the London School of Economics Anti-consumerists American political philosophers Harvard University alumni Grinnell College alumni Chevaliers of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques University of Maryland, College Park faculty American expatriates in the United Kingdom Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs