Abstract
‘The fall of the Soviet Union caused political philosophers and theorists to step back and examine assumptions about what democracy was, from whence it came, how it comes about, the sources of how it comes about and why …’ (p. vii). John Buschman has examined and analyzed the role of libraries and educational institutions vis-à-vis democracy in a series of complex, insightful books and essays over the last decade (for example Buschman, 2003). There is something of John le Carré in these writings which note the ambiguity in our society – at once standing for democracy and yet undercutting it with neoliberal tropes.
In The Neoliberal Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, Late Capitalism, and the Remaking of New Orleans Cedric Johnson (2011: xx) observed that: ‘human agency and public choices were more to blame for the death, destruction, and suffering experienced along the Gulf Coast. Forces of nature were instrumental, but policy choices made by local and national publics were more decisive’. The results of neoliberal policies are not often as stark as a hurricane that caused 1800 deaths but the erosion of all aspects of our polity due to their implementation requires analysis. In his new book, Libraries, Classrooms, and the Interests of Democracy: Marking the Limits of Neoliberalism, John Buschman (Dean of University Libraries, Seton Hall University) establishes the necessity of educators and librarians staving off the erosion of democracy by neoliberal political forces. Buschman provides the analysis for libraries and schools that in their way are undergoing a catastrophic assault.
He sets forth to review the enterprise of democracy, education, and librarianship in the United States with extensive and close reading of the primary contributory sources. Part 1 of the book sets the stage. He begins in Chapter 1 by asking what appears to be an obvious question: ‘Should we be bothered by library marketing and advertising in the classroom, and if so, why?’ (p. 3), and he lays out the historical and sociological context. In the second and third chapters: ‘A historical view I: A précis on the entanglements of democracy, education and libraries in America’ and ‘A historical view II: A précis on advertising in schools, marketing in libraries, and the appeal of neoliberalism’ Buschman uses a dialogic approach to clarify the relationship between political theory and educative institutions. In Chapter 4: ‘From theoretical to empirical critiques of advertising: Have they deepened understanding of democracy and our educative institutions?’ Buschman presents a Marxist analysis and critiques the commodification of culture. He foretells the convergence of marketing and daily life as it is becoming increasingly indistinguishable for those immersed in social media.
The chapters in Part 2: ‘The insights of democratic theory,’ are well organized and deeply sourced. Chapter 5: ‘Tocqueville and the centrifugal/centripetal forces within America: Why (and how much) our practices in libraries and classrooms matter’, uses the insights of Alexis de Tocqueville in Democracy in America as well as his extensive correspondence (detailed with great care in the exhaustive references) to scrutinize the nascent consumerism that could infect the democratic experiment. The socio-psychological effects of consumption-oriented media use are reviewed in Chapter 6: ‘A practical communitarianism: Educative institutions, social bonds, and neoliberal incursions’. Buschman explores three examples that give hope: community activities surrounding libraries and schools; the library put together and curated by Occupy Wall Street; and the Brooklyn Free School.
A Habermasian perspective illuminates Buschman’s analysis of educative institutions in Chapter 7: ‘Deliberative democratic theory’s deeper critique: The profound effect of neoliberalism’s grammar in educative institutions’. The analysis is intended to look at policies and practices for libraries and classrooms in the interests of liberty, social solidarity and democratic deliberation. The concluding chapter: ‘Looking ahead at neoliberalism’s trajectory: The continuing interests of democracy and educative institutions – a conclusion’, is intended to critique and give reasons to oppose neoliberal justifications so that democracy might flourish. Strikingly Buschman ends by pointing out that these institutions are under local democratic control. ‘Marking the limits of neoliberalism in our libraries and classrooms,’ he asserts, ‘is a worthwhile political goal and defensible in theoretical terms’ (p. 188).
Extensive references (pp. 191–232) supplement the detailed documentation and notes that conclude each chapter. Buschman’s thoughtful book is undergirded by his deep reading of writers including Michael W. Apple, Benjamin R. Barber, John Dewey, Henry A. Giroux, Amy Gutman, Jürgen Habermas, Thomas Jefferson, Gerald M. Mara, John Stuart Mill, Alex Molnar, Michel J. Sandel, Alexis de Tocqeville, Mark E. Warren, Wayne A. Wiegand, and Sheldon S. Wolin. Too often librarians do not know well the philosophical underpinnings that really do contribute to our practice. Buschman’s rich and detailed reading list lends gravitas to the field. These are the writers and thinkers that provide foundational ideas for our practice.
Libraries, Classrooms, and the Interests of Democracy: Marking the Limits of Neoliberalism is essential reading to understand the status of library services in the 21st century. In addition to its usefulness as a foundational work in the development of librarianship, it defines the traditions and structure of the broader philosophical context within which librarianship operates. Buschman addresses the pluralism of democratic theories and what they have to tell us both about the culture that needs to underwrite/foster democracy and about democratic practices and neoliberalism. He is a deliberative democrat who has internalized and explains discourse ethics for librarianship and education.
John Buschman functions as librarianship’s post-cold war philosopher bringing to his writing a varied career in academic librarianship at the frontlines and as administrator; activism in professional associations; public presentations at conferences; authorship of books, essays and articles. More than any other writer in librarianship today he has grappled with issues of political philosophy. Buschman is librarianship’s five-tool player.