Banning the Bomb, Smashing the Patriarchy

Banning the Bomb, Smashing the Patriarchy
Ray Acheson
RRP:
NZ$ 90.18
Our Price:
NZ$ 72.14
Hardback
h216 x 140mm - 438pg
1 Jun 2021 UK
9781786614896
Out Of Stock
Currently no stock in-store, stock is sourced to your order
Two years ago, at the United Nations in New York, activists and diplomats banned nuclear weapons. This book covers the story of their collective activism-a story of courage and hope, as well as lessons learned, that will hopefully inform and inspire others working for social justice. The story of banning the bomb belongs to these diplomats, along with activists who brought a legacy of protest and vision for an alternative future to the international table. This is, ultimately, a story of resistance and of movement building. It is a story of people saying, "!Ya basta!," enough, to the nuclear-armed governments. But this movement did not just reject what the nuclear-armed were offering. It consciously, creatively, and collectively sought to build something new-to generate and promote ideas, arguments, and frameworks that would disrupt mainstream myths and narratives about nuclear weapons, institute new international norms and laws, and ultimately set in place key mechanisms for the abolition of the atomic bomb. I was directly involved in this work as an activist with one of the partner organizations of ICAN. I represented my organization, the Women' s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), on ICAN' s International Steering Group. The steering group is the policy-making body of ICAN, a group of ten activist organizations from around the world that works with ICAN' s staff team to lead the campaign. As a genderqueer feminist peace activist, I tried to promote a feminist vision of both process and product in my work with ICAN-to bring theories and experiences of feminist and queer activists to the task of banning nuclear weapons. The nuclear weapon policy and discourse space is one that commonly reeks of toxic masculinity.
Written from the perspective of an activist who is intimately involved in the process of shifting the discourse of nuclear weapons from deterrence and national security to humanitarian considerations, this book is an excellent case study on how interests, identities, and norms can change--how these are socially constructed. The material from the author' s interviews with diplomats and activists provide essential strategies for effective campaigning. --Kristen P. Williams, Clark University A comprehensive and engaging account of the history and efficacy of the fight to eliminate nuclear weapons. Acheson uses this careful case study to illuminate the nuanced and powerful process of collective action for social change. An inspiring read!--Deva Woodly, Associate Professor of Politics at The New School An illuminating insider account that cracks the code of disarmament diplomacy to explain how a movement came together with key governments to ban the suicidal, genocidal, and ecocidal nuclear bomb. Acheson tells the story of seven decades of activism transforming an impossible dream into international law. --Felicity Ruby, First Staff Member of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) An urgent and inspiring case study on the power of grassroots organising to shake up violent institutions at the highest level. Ray Acheson puts you in the front row of a tenacious network of abolitionists transforming the dangerous stalemate of disarmament diplomacy into genuine action. The road to nuclear disarmament has been blocked for decades. This fascinating and well-timed record of how that road was opened is essential reading for anyone who wants to live in a world free of nuclear weapons. --Scott Ludlam, Former Senator and Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens As monuments to racism and colonialism are being toppled around the world, Banning the Bomb, Smashing the Patriarchy takes a sound whack at the toxic myth of "strategic security. " But this tome is no facile paean to "woke" culture. Rather, its story unfolds on the global stage like the grand drama that it is. On one side, a cabal of nuclear powers remains entrenched in the nihilistic construct of the "deterrence doctrine. " On the other side, a sea of peacemakers from diverse nations, occupations, experiences and identities, call for a nuclear-free world that prioritizes humanitarian values. Hooray for the peacemakers, who prevail in the end! They -- and Acheson -- have gifted us with a deliciously relevant organizing model for challenging any status quo. --CODEPINK: Women for Peace Banning the Bomb, Smashing the Patriarchy is courageous and inspiring. Ray Acheson beautifully articulates the complex background and evolution of the antinuclear movement. The success of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is due to the laser-focus placed on the humanitarian perspective on nuclear weapons. As a second generation Hibakusha, I had an epiphany reading this book and it clarified my role in this far-reaching, collaborative social movement. I shed tears several times in appreciation for the many people who fought so hard for decades. --Mitchie Takeuchi, Producer of The Vow from Hiroshima Banning the Bomb, Smashing the Patriarchy is more than just an informative negotiating history of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. By placing the Treaty in the context of the movement that created it, Ray Acheson has written an authoritative account of nuclear disarmament efforts from a civil society and feminist perspective. --Izumi Nakamitsu, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs In Banning the Bomb, Smashing the Patriarchy, Ray Acheson provides a detailed account of how a global ban on nuclear weapons was achieved. From inception to ratification, Acheson takes the reader on a journey showing the struggles, commitment, and dedication it took to make the impossible possible. Acheson' s work provides much needed hope for the future and tells the story of when millions around the world decided to speak with one voice in saying: No More Hiroshimas. --Vincent Intondi, author of African Americans Against the Bomb In 2017, the vast majority of countries in the world negotiated and adopted the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in the face of stubborn recalcitrance on the part of the countries that possess these means of mass terrorism. Ray Acheson provides a unique and detailed view of this effort to prohibit the most destructive of weapons. We learn here of power politics and decisions made by the high and mighty behind closed doors, of creative struggles and building coalitions of the not-so-powerful, of personalities and personal risks. Written from the dual perspective of an analyst who is among the best informed about the state of nuclear disarmament diplomacy, and from that of a committed activist, the book provides an understanding of why nuclear weapons exist, who they benefit, and how we can fight against their influence and change this risky state of affairs. Reading this, you will understand why abolishing nuclear weapons is, and has to be, part of the larger struggle for a peaceful, anti-capitalist, anti-racist, anti-colonial, and feminist future. In the face of the multiple ecological and social crises that we are confronting, such a future is the only one that offers any hope of justice and sustainability. --M. V. Ramana, Professor and Simons Chair in Disarmament, Global and Human Security, School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, University of British Columbia Likely to be a crucial source of feminist-inflected inspiration for activists working for global change, this book is also a must-read for scholars of the global nuclear order, of international norm change, and of transnational advocacy networks. At its heart is a forensic dissection of the Humanitarian Initiative and the negotiations resulting in the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Acheson tells a gripping story of why and how diplomats from non-nuclear states and antinuclear campaigners together achieved the seemingly impossible. Fighting back against the gendered, racialised, and colonial underpinnings of mainstream ' nuclearism' and ' nuclearspeak' , the power plays of nuclear states, and the stalled Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty negotiations, these dissident actors refocused attention on the devastating social and ecological impact of the stockpiling, use, and testing of nuclear weapons and reimagined the role of international law as a catalyst for change. Acheson sheds particular light on the role of the Nobel prize-winning ICAN network in this process, illuminating its internal tensions as well as its impact. An engaging mix of scholarly erudition and insider knowledge, this book is also a powerful demonstration of the importance of an intersectional feminist approach to the struggle for a safer and more just world. --Catherine Eschle, Senior Lecturer in Politics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow Nuclear weapons are finally illegal! Acheson shines a ray of light and hope as she guides us through the talk, tensions, and collective efforts that have delivered our best chance to get rid of our worst weapons. This is an important record of a critical time and a timely call for us to redefine the limits of what is possible. --Dave Sweeney, Leader of the Australian Conservation Foundation' s Nuclear Free Campaign Ray Acheson tells a profoundly important and timely story of movements and resistance, of protest and vision, of diplomats and activists who have committed to banning the bomb. This book will make you understand the urgent need to prohibit and eliminate nuclear weapons. --Katrina vanden Heuvel, Editorial Director and Publisher, The Nation Ray Acheson, renowned feminist peace activist and winner of the Nuclear Free Future Award for 2020, exposes the deeply entrenched systems of exterminist thought and practice that have sustained nuclear weapons for more than seventy years and tells a compelling story of a new generation of transnational activists, diplomats, academics working together to challenge and change the foundational narratives of the nuclear age about what is necessary, credible and possible. In her vivid account of how the first global treaty banning nuclear weapons was achieved, she highlights key lessons and challenges about building a movement and a campaign informed by feminist queer, Indigenous, antiracist, and postcolonial perspectives, on the importance of grounding politics in the real life worlds of people, and shares insights on how a radical feminist democratic politics can inform the many struggles for justice around the world. --Zia Mian, School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University Ray Acheson' s fascinating book on how the nuclear ban treaty was won is essential reading for everyone. Bringing years of rigorous reporting on the UN and disarmament labyrinths, she explains and unpacks this exciting story with feminist understanding, wisdom, and subversive wit. Beautifully written and accessible, this is a brilliant achievement of academic analysis and feminist-humanitarian activism. --Rebecca Johnson, Acronym Institute for Disarmament Diplomacy Seventy-five years after the first international effort to outlaw nuclear weapons, the United Nations has finally banned them. Ray Acheson tells the remarkable story of the activists and diplomats behind that achievement. And she reveals how sexism, racism, militarism, and colonialism have long been inextricably linked to the nuclear threat. We cannot eliminate one of these crimes against humanity, Acheson makes clear, without changing the mindset and the power structure responsible for them all. --Eric Schlosser, author of Command and Control and Fast Food Nation This timely book by Ray Acheson is an imperative read for all who are deeply concerned about the survival of life on earth. Summarizing the many attempts by wonderful people and organisations over the past 75 years to induce nuclear disarmament, a startlingly new initiative to ban nuclear weapons at the United Nations is about to reach fruition and Ray has been one of the leaders. --Helen Caldicott, Founding President of Physicians for Social Responsibility and the author of Missile Envy This vitally important book tells the story behind the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, one of the most significant international agreements of this still-young century. Ray Acheson, an insider to the process, captures in rich personal detail the motivations, emotions, political obstacles, strategic maneuvering, and successes and failures of the activism and negotiations that brought the Treaty to reality. It' s a story of relevance to all those who believe it' s still possible to change the trajectory of human civilization in a positive direction and who want to see how it can be done in practice. --Thomas Homer-Dixon, author of Commanding Hope and The Upside of Down With an articulate and reasoned voice, Acheson deconstructs and debunks the dominant narrative of nuclear weapons as mandatory tools for national and international security and demonstrates the extreme and immediate humanitarian and environmental dangers of nuclear weapons across the globe. Set within the larger antinuclear movement since 1945, Ban the Bomb, Smash the Patriarchy illuminates the magnificent efforts by activists, diplomats, and nuclear survivors to create an enormous international coalition, reframe the narrative of nuclear weapons, defy powerful nuclear armed states, and establish an international treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons from the world. This book is essential reading for anyone who strives to find new ways to redefine power, confront the complex and seemingly impenetrable political and economic authority of some nations, and create social and political change for our own and future generations. --Susan Southard, author of Nagasaki: Life After Nuclear War Ray Acheson shows us in gritty detail how nuclear weapons have been sustained by the workings of patriarchal masculinity, expert exclusivity, corporate profit, diplomatic complicity, political cynicism and false narratives of security. Then she reveals how each has been effectively challenged by ICAN, an innovative, women-led global social justice movement. This is a book for every IR course, every social justice and gender politics course. On every page I learned something new. --Cynthia Enloe, author of Globalization and Militarism: Feminists Make the Link This is a fascinating and much-needed dive into the ICAN movement and the history of Anti-Nuclear protest from the 60s and 70s to present day. A key strength to this story is the centrality of the author to the events reported, offering readers a pleasing participant observation angle to the events. --Kate Hudson, General Secretary for Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and Activist
Ray Acheson is currently Program Director, Women' s International League for Peace and Freedom, New York. As Director of WILPF' s disarmament program, Reaching Critical Will, I lead the organization' s work on stigmatizing war and violence, advocating for disarmament and arms control, and raising gender perspectives on militarism and weapons. I provide analysis, reporting, research, and advocacy across of range of issues, including nuclear weapons, armed drones, autonomous weapons, small arms, the arms trade, and the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. I represent WILPF within the International Steering Group of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), which won the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize. For ICAN, I worked closely with other activist partners and with governments to develop the key strategies and advocacy for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons from 2010 to 2017, when the Treaty was negotiated and adopted at the United Nations.
Status: Active
ISBN-13: 9781786614896
Published: 1 Jun 2021
Published In: United Kingdom
Imprint: Rowman & Littlefield International
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield International
Format: Hardback
Height: 216mm
Width: 140mm
Pages: 438

In stock - for items in stock we aim to dispatch the next business day. For delivery in NZ allow 2-5 business days, with rural taking a wee bit longer.

Locally sourced in NZ - stock comes from a NZ supplier with an approximate delivery of 7-15 business days.

International Imports - stock is imported into NZ, depending on air or sea shipping option from the international supplier stock can take 10-30 working days to arrive into NZ. 

Pre-order Titles - delivery will vary depending on where the title is published, if local stock is available in NZ then 5-7 business days, for international imports it can be 10-30 business days. In all cases we will access the quickest supply option.

Delivery Packaging - we ship all items in cardboard sleeves or by box with either packing paper or corn starch chips. (We avoid using plastics bubble bags)

Tracking - Orders are delivered by track and trace courier and are fully insured, tracking information will be sent by email once dispatched.

View our full Order & Delivery information

Details of the product above will be automatically included with your enquiry.