Postnormal Times Publications for 2019
THE POSTNORMAL TIMES READER
Edited by Ziauddin Sardar
We live in a period of accelerating change. New trends, technologies and crisis emerge rapidly and transform familiar social and political landscapes. Established and cherished ideals, with deep historical roots, can be overturned overnight. Unconventional and uncommon notions and events can appear as though from nowhere, proliferate, and become dominant. The last few years alone have witnessed the emergence of populism and the far right in Europe and the us, Brexit, cracks in the European Union, cyber wars accompanied by the re-emergence of cold war. China as increasingly dominant new superpower. Pandemics like Ebola and Zika virus. Climate change leading to extreme weather events. Driverless cars. A1. ‘False News’. ‘Alternative Facts’. ‘Post-Truth’. ‘Disruptive technologies’ that disrupt and often corrupt everything. Everything seems to be in flux, nothing can be trusted. All that we regard as normal is melting away right before us. The postnormal times theory attempts to make sense of a rapidly changing world, where uncertainty is the dominant theme and ignorance has become a valuable community. The Postnormal Times Reader is a pioneering anthology of writings on the contradictory, complex and chaotic nature of our era. It covers the origins, theory and methods of postnormal times; and examines a host of issues, ranging from climate change, governance, Middle East to religion and science, from the perspective of postnormal times. By mapping some of the key local and global issues of our transitional age, the Reader suggest a way of navigating our turbulent futures. Ziauddin Sardar is the Director of the Centre for Postnormal Policy and Futures Studies, a network of scholars and futurists who work on postnormal times and promote futures literacy with a particular focus on marginalised people.
ISBN: 978-1-56564-991-0 (paperback)
ISBN: 978-1-56564-958-3 (Book-in-Brief) - Abridged by C. Scott Jordan
MUSLIM SOCIETIES IN POSTNORMAL TIMES: Foresight for Trends, Emerging Issues and Scenarios
by Ziauddin Sardar, Jordi Serra, Scott Jordan
Where will Muslim societies be tomorrow? The world is increasingly and constantly changing, making it hard to keep up. This makes the state much more dire and troublesome for those already marginalised – particularly Muslim societies. Normal is no longer capable of upholding the promise of tomorrow’s certainty. These are postnormal times. In this storm of ignorance and uncertainty, Muslim societies stand to lose the most. But this is not destiny. In the cultivation of a new type of literacy – futures literacy – there resides a hope. Muslim Societies in Postnormal Times offers an alternative where we can ‘rescue’ and decolonise our futures. Sardar, Serra, and Jordan take an open and plural approach to the future revealing the true potentials that lie before us. Through detailed analysis of contemporary trends, the road to destruction is revealed. Through identifying and exploring emerging issues, agency through options can allow for positive change. And in the extrapolation of these ideas into scenarios, the authors pave the way for us to navigate our own preferred futures. Their study challenges the reader to think about the future in a new way, redefining the monolithic future as three tomorrows (Extended Present, Familiar Futures, and Unthought Futures), along the way ever watchful for Black Swans, Black Elephants, and the illustrious Black Jellyfish that could disrupt the path ahead. The authors pull no punches in critically evaluating the possibilities and nightmares that could potentially befall Muslim societies. Through a display of creativity and imagination, this book looks beyond the conventional to illuminate impacts in the context of the complex, interconnected world we find ourselves in. This informative and enlightening text will push readers to see beyond popular, yet native notions of present and future. In the exposition of the reader’s ignorance and uncertainty, they will begin to look for the unthought and take agency in recolonising and navigating their preferred tomorrow.
ISBN: 978-1-56564-992-7 (paperback)
ISBN: 978-1-56564-957-6 (hardback) - in progress