Counterculture Through the Ages: From Abraham to Acid House

Counterculture Through the Ages: From Abraham to Acid House

As long as there has been culture, there has been counterculture. At times it moves deep below the surface of things, a stealth mode of being all but invisible to the dominant paradigm; at other times itâ‚¬s in plain sight, challenging the status quo; and at still other times it erupts in a fiery burst of creativeâ‚¬â€œor destructiveâ‚¬â€œenergy to change the world forever.

But until now the countercultural phenomenon has been one of historyâ‚¬s great blind spots. Individual countercultures have been explored, but never before has a book set out to demonstrate the recurring nature of counterculturalism across all times and societies, and to illustrate its dynamic role in the continuous evolution of human values and cultures.

Countercultural pundit and cyberguru R. U. Sirius brilliantly sets the record straight in this colorful, anecdotal, and wide-ranging study based on ideas developed by the late Timothy Leary with Dan Joy. With a distinctive mix of scholarly erudition and gonzo passion, Sirius and Joy identify the distinguishing characteristics of countercultures, delving into history and myth to establish beyond doubt that, for all their surface differences, countercultures share important underlying principles: individualism, anti-authoritarianism, and a belief in the possibility of personal and social transformation.

Ranging from the Socratic counterculture of ancient Athens and the outsider movements of Judaism, which left indelible marks on Western culture, to the Taoist, Sufi, and Zen Buddhist countercultures, which were equally influential in the East, to the famous countercultural moments of the last centuryâ‚¬â€œParis in the twenties, Haight-Ashbury in the sixties, Tropicalismo, womenâ‚¬s liberation, punk rockâ‚¬â€œto the cutting-edge countercultures of the twenty-first century, which combine science, art, music, technology, politics, and religion in astonishing (and sometimes disturbing) new ways, Counterculture Through the Ages is an indispensable guidebook to where weâ‚¬ve been . . . and where weâ‚¬re going.

From the Hardcover edition.
Country USA
Brand Random House Books for Young Readers
Manufacturer Random House Publishing Group
Binding Paperback
ItemPartNumber 63433
Color Yellow
ReleaseDate 2005-09-13
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780812974751

Country	USA
Brand	Random House Books for Young Readers
Manufacturer	Random House Publishing Group
Binding	Paperback
ItemPartNumber	63433
Color	Yellow
ReleaseDate	2005-09-13
UnitCount	1
EANs	9780812974751

Counterculture Through the Ages: From Abraham to Acid House

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