Fences and Windows
Encyclopedia
Fences and Windows: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the Globalization Debate is a 2002 book by Canadian
journalist Naomi Klein
and editor Debra Ann Levy. The book is a collection of newspaper articles, mostly from The Globe and Mail
, with a few magazine articles from The Nation
and speech transcripts. The articles and speeches were all written by Klein in the 30 months after the publication of her first book, No Logo
, from December 1999 to March 2002. The articles focus upon the anti-globalization
movement, including protest events and responses by law enforcement. The book was published in North America and the United Kingdom in October 2002.
The imagery of fence
s and window
s appear through the work. The fences represent exclusion and barriers while the windows are opportunities for expressing alternative ideas. The book garnered both positive and negative reviews. Two of the articles were singled out as exceptional by several reviewers. One article, "America is not a Hamburger", discusses the US State Department
's attempt to re-brand America's image overseas. The second, "The Brutal Calculus of Suffering", discusses media portrayals of war.
, extended author and journalist Naomi Klein
's book tour beyond its original two week schedule. She spent the next 30 months traveling the world promoting the book, as well as writing newspaper articles covering the anti-globalization movement
. Most of her articles were originally published in the Canadian national newspaper The Globe and Mail
while some were published by The Nation
, The New York Times
and The Guardian
. During this time she resisted her publisher's urgings to write a new book and the pressure to match No Logos success was bearing down upon her. She relented to the pressure for another publication by collecting the best of the articles and speeches she had written since No Logo. She did not intend this new book to be a sequel or follow-up, but rather a stand alone collection of writing.
, International Monetary Fund
, and World Trade Organization
(WTO) protests in Washington, D.C.
, Prague
and Toronto
from April to September 2000. She describes the protesters as hundreds of decentralized groups with various independent interests, leaderless but organized and searching for a strategy.
The next section, "Fencing in Democracy" consists of articles from The Globe and Mail and the transcript of a speech. The section is divided into two sub-sections. The first explores some of the impacts that economic globalization has had on communities, focusing on Mexico and Argentina, and misconceptions that supporters of the WTO-associated organizations have of the anti-globalization movement. The second focuses on the co-opting of the commons
, such as genetics, culture, and public sector infrastructure, for private economic gains.
The next section "Fencing in the Movement" chronicles the escalation of security tactics to counter protesters. Klein finds that police have been removing the distinction between civil disobedience
and violence and purposefully normalizing violence so it is the expected outcome, not a rare event. She matches the decline of civil liberties
and freedom of speech
with the rise of free speech zone
s, indiscriminate use of tear gas and pepper spray, plain clothes officers, surveillance, and pre-emptive arrests. The fourth section "Capitalizing on Terror" discusses opportunism that used the September 11 attacks to further political and economic objectives. An editorial piece for the Los Angeles Times
, Klein argues that the US has sold its image too well as the land of opportunity and plenty and that rising anti-Americanism
was the result of the US inability to share this.
The final section "Windows to Democracy" contains two articles written for The Nation, two for The Globe and Mail and one for The Guardian. These articles examine potential directions for the movement to take, focusing upon the World Social Forum
, Mexican Zapatistas
, and political parties. The final article calls upon the movement to shift from attacking symbols of globalization at protests and use the decentralized local groups to provide alternatives; define themselves as fighting for, rather than against, something.
Most of the book's content is freely and legally available in the form of individual articles on Klein's website. It should be noted however that the printed text has often been edited or reworked, in some cases very heavily. These are the links to the individual articles in the printed list of contents order:
s and window
s. The fences represent exclusion and are portrayed, both literally and metaphorically, as the barriers that keep protesters away from the economic meetings, the walls between factories and neighbouring impoverished communities, and the restrictions on intellectual property or the commons. The windows are opportunities where dissenting or alternative voices and ideas can be expressed.
in the US, Vintage Canada in Canada, and Flamingo in the UK. It was released in October 2002 with little promotion. The resulting sales were lower than expected. A portion of the book's proceeds were given to a legal defense fund for activists and for education concerning global democracy. Just after the book's release, a debate on the topic of globablization was held between Klein and The Economist journalist Sameena Ahmad in New York.
Reception to the book was mixed. Reviewers found the collection of re-printed journalistic articles left the book sometimes repetitive, lacking details, historical context and analysis of its subjects. Some reviewers criticized the book's silence on alternatives to globalization or the democracy that lead to globalization. The writing is alternatively described as choppy, colourful, engaging, and straightforward. Singled out as being exceptionally well-done was the Los Angeles Times article "America is not a Hamburger" describing the American attempt to re-brand itself believing that rising anti-Americanism was a misunderstanding rather than a reaction to American policy directions. Klein's October 2001 speech at a journalism conference in Stockholm was also singled out as being very well-done, "The Brutal Calculus of Suffering" contrasting the media depictions of American versus non-American deaths.
Describing the book the reviewer for the feminist magazine Herizons wrote, "Fences and Windows was written to be read and shared and talked about and carried around in your bag. It is a book that begs you to write in the margins, and highlight relevant quotes because it's filled with stories, insights, shocking statistics, inspiring anecdotes and refreshing critiques. It's small, it's smart and it's jammed with information and ideas that inspire hope and motivate action." Similarly, reviewing for The Guardian
, Stuart Christie
wrote, "This is a book to be savoured and referred to every so often, even if just to recharge one's moral batteries." In The Globe and Mail, Stan Persky
wrote, "What I like about Klein's reflections on the nascent movement that she both participates in and analyzes is that she indulges in minimal rhetorical rah-rah. Nor does she fudge the shortcomings and screwups of the fledgling activists."
The reviews in The Economist
and Shane Neilson reviewing for Books in Canada were very negative. Neilson calls the work "idiocy", "intellectual sloppiness that approaches dishonesty" and writes that "The ideological failure of this book is total." He argues that Klein assumes, rather than proves, the international organizations which are being protested are guilty of the protesters' charges. The Economist review criticizes Klein for ignoring the "benefits" of globalization, like "lifting people out of poverty", and for failing to present a coherent alternative. The reviewer calls Klein "an angry adolescent" and opines that her reporting is assisting "a cause that can only harm the people she claims to care most about". Klein responded to The Economist review calling it "personal and childish".
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
journalist Naomi Klein
Naomi Klein
Naomi Klein is a Canadian author and social activist known for her political analyses and criticism of corporate globalization.-Family:...
and editor Debra Ann Levy. The book is a collection of newspaper articles, mostly from The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
, with a few magazine articles from The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
and speech transcripts. The articles and speeches were all written by Klein in the 30 months after the publication of her first book, No Logo
No Logo
No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies is a book by Canadian author Naomi Klein. First published by Knopf Canada in January 2000, shortly after the 1999 WTO Ministerial Conference protests in Seattle had generated media attention around such issues, it became one of the most influential books...
, from December 1999 to March 2002. The articles focus upon the anti-globalization
Anti-globalization
Criticism of globalization is skepticism of the claimed benefits of the globalization of capitalism. Many of these views are held by the anti-globalization movement however other groups also are critical of the policies of globalization....
movement, including protest events and responses by law enforcement. The book was published in North America and the United Kingdom in October 2002.
The imagery of fence
Fence
A fence is a freestanding structure designed to restrict or prevent movement across a boundary. It is generally distinguished from a wall by the lightness of its construction: a wall is usually restricted to such barriers made from solid brick or concrete, blocking vision as well as passage .Fences...
s and window
Window
A window is a transparent or translucent opening in a wall or door that allows the passage of light and, if not closed or sealed, air and sound. Windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or translucent material like float glass. Windows are held in place by frames, which...
s appear through the work. The fences represent exclusion and barriers while the windows are opportunities for expressing alternative ideas. The book garnered both positive and negative reviews. Two of the articles were singled out as exceptional by several reviewers. One article, "America is not a Hamburger", discusses the US State Department
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
's attempt to re-brand America's image overseas. The second, "The Brutal Calculus of Suffering", discusses media portrayals of war.
Background
The unexpected success of her first book, No LogoNo Logo
No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies is a book by Canadian author Naomi Klein. First published by Knopf Canada in January 2000, shortly after the 1999 WTO Ministerial Conference protests in Seattle had generated media attention around such issues, it became one of the most influential books...
, extended author and journalist Naomi Klein
Naomi Klein
Naomi Klein is a Canadian author and social activist known for her political analyses and criticism of corporate globalization.-Family:...
's book tour beyond its original two week schedule. She spent the next 30 months traveling the world promoting the book, as well as writing newspaper articles covering the anti-globalization movement
Anti-globalization movement
The anti-globalization movement, or counter-globalisation movement, is critical of the globalization of corporate capitalism. The movement is also commonly referred to as the global justice movement, alter-globalization movement, anti-globalist movement, anti-corporate globalization movement, or...
. Most of her articles were originally published in the Canadian national newspaper The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
while some were published by The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
and The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
. During this time she resisted her publisher's urgings to write a new book and the pressure to match No Logos success was bearing down upon her. She relented to the pressure for another publication by collecting the best of the articles and speeches she had written since No Logo. She did not intend this new book to be a sequel or follow-up, but rather a stand alone collection of writing.
Content
The first section entitled "Windows of Dissent" begins with an article written for The New York Times covering the 1999 Seattle protests, which she calls the coming out party of the anti-globalization movement. The remaining five articles in the section come from The Globe and Mail, with one from The Nation, and cover World BankWorld Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
, International Monetary Fund
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
, and World Trade Organization
World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...
(WTO) protests in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
and Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
from April to September 2000. She describes the protesters as hundreds of decentralized groups with various independent interests, leaderless but organized and searching for a strategy.
The next section, "Fencing in Democracy" consists of articles from The Globe and Mail and the transcript of a speech. The section is divided into two sub-sections. The first explores some of the impacts that economic globalization has had on communities, focusing on Mexico and Argentina, and misconceptions that supporters of the WTO-associated organizations have of the anti-globalization movement. The second focuses on the co-opting of the commons
The commons
The commons is terminology referring to resources that are owned in common or shared between or among communities populations. These resources are said to be "held in common" and can include everything from natural resources and common land to software. The commons contains public property and...
, such as genetics, culture, and public sector infrastructure, for private economic gains.
The next section "Fencing in the Movement" chronicles the escalation of security tactics to counter protesters. Klein finds that police have been removing the distinction between civil disobedience
Civil disobedience
Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of a government, or of an occupying international power. Civil disobedience is commonly, though not always, defined as being nonviolent resistance. It is one form of civil resistance...
and violence and purposefully normalizing violence so it is the expected outcome, not a rare event. She matches the decline of civil liberties
Civil liberties
Civil liberties are rights and freedoms that provide an individual specific rights such as the freedom from slavery and forced labour, freedom from torture and death, the right to liberty and security, right to a fair trial, the right to defend one's self, the right to own and bear arms, the right...
and freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
with the rise of free speech zone
Free speech zone
Free speech zones are areas set aside in public places for political activists to exercise their right of free speech in the United States. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution states that "Congress shall make no law... abridging.....
s, indiscriminate use of tear gas and pepper spray, plain clothes officers, surveillance, and pre-emptive arrests. The fourth section "Capitalizing on Terror" discusses opportunism that used the September 11 attacks to further political and economic objectives. An editorial piece for the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, Klein argues that the US has sold its image too well as the land of opportunity and plenty and that rising anti-Americanism
Anti-Americanism
The term Anti-Americanism, or Anti-American Sentiment, refers to broad opposition or hostility to the people, policies, culture or government of the United States...
was the result of the US inability to share this.
The final section "Windows to Democracy" contains two articles written for The Nation, two for The Globe and Mail and one for The Guardian. These articles examine potential directions for the movement to take, focusing upon the World Social Forum
World Social Forum
The World Social Forum is an annual meeting of civil society organizations, first held in Brazil, which offers a self-conscious effort to develop an alternative future through the championing of counter-hegemonic globalization...
, Mexican Zapatistas
Zapatista Army of National Liberation
The Zapatista Army of National Liberation is a revolutionary leftist group based in Chiapas, the southernmost state of Mexico....
, and political parties. The final article calls upon the movement to shift from attacking symbols of globalization at protests and use the decentralized local groups to provide alternatives; define themselves as fighting for, rather than against, something.
Most of the book's content is freely and legally available in the form of individual articles on Klein's website. It should be noted however that the printed text has often been edited or reworked, in some cases very heavily. These are the links to the individual articles in the printed list of contents order:
- Windows of Dissent
- Washington, D.C.
- What's Next?
- Los Angeles
- Prague
- Toronto
Seattle
- Washington, D.C.
- Fencing in Democracy:
Trade and Trade-Offs
- The Free Trade Area of the Americas
- IMF Go to Hell
- No Place for Local Democracy
- The War on Unions
- The NAFTA Track Record | (Postscript)
- Higher Fences at the Border
- Making -and Breaking- the Rules
Democracy in Shackles
The Market Swallows the Commons
- Genetic Pollution
- Foot-and-Mouth's Sacrificial Lambs
- The Internet as Tupperware Party
- Co-opting Dissent
- Economic Apartheid in South Africa
- Poison Policies in Ontario
- America's Weakest Front
Genetically Altered Rice
- The Free Trade Area of the Americas
- Fencing in the Movement: Criminalizing Dissent
- Pre-emptive Arrest
- Surveillance
- Fear Mongering
- The "Citizens Caged" Petition
- Infiltration
- Indiscriminate Tear-Gassing
- Getting Used to Violence
- Manufacturing Threats
- Stuck in the Spectacle
Cross-Border Policing
- Pre-emptive Arrest
- Capitalizing on Terror
- New Opportunists
- Kamikaze Capitalists
- The Terrifying Return of Great Men
- America is Not a Hamburger
The Brutal Calculus of Suffering
- New Opportunists
- Windows to Democracy
- Rebellion in Chiapas
- Italy's Social Centres
- Limits of Political Parties
- From Symbols to Substance
Democratizing the Movement
- Rebellion in Chiapas
Style and themes
The book takes the form of an anthology of news and magazine articles, along with the transcripts of several speeches, all written by Klein between December 1999 and March 2002. With the help of Debra Ann Levy, the articles were edited to fit them better together in the book. A preface, with original writing, is used by Klein to introduce her background on how she came to write the articles, provide context for the content, and set up the themes. The two most predominant themes are the two title images, fenceFence
A fence is a freestanding structure designed to restrict or prevent movement across a boundary. It is generally distinguished from a wall by the lightness of its construction: a wall is usually restricted to such barriers made from solid brick or concrete, blocking vision as well as passage .Fences...
s and window
Window
A window is a transparent or translucent opening in a wall or door that allows the passage of light and, if not closed or sealed, air and sound. Windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or translucent material like float glass. Windows are held in place by frames, which...
s. The fences represent exclusion and are portrayed, both literally and metaphorically, as the barriers that keep protesters away from the economic meetings, the walls between factories and neighbouring impoverished communities, and the restrictions on intellectual property or the commons. The windows are opportunities where dissenting or alternative voices and ideas can be expressed.
Publication and reception
Fences and Windows was published as a trade paperback by PicadorPicador (imprint)
Picador is an imprint of Pan Macmillan in the United Kingdom and Australia and of Macmillan Publishing in the United States. Both companies are owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group....
in the US, Vintage Canada in Canada, and Flamingo in the UK. It was released in October 2002 with little promotion. The resulting sales were lower than expected. A portion of the book's proceeds were given to a legal defense fund for activists and for education concerning global democracy. Just after the book's release, a debate on the topic of globablization was held between Klein and The Economist journalist Sameena Ahmad in New York.
Reception to the book was mixed. Reviewers found the collection of re-printed journalistic articles left the book sometimes repetitive, lacking details, historical context and analysis of its subjects. Some reviewers criticized the book's silence on alternatives to globalization or the democracy that lead to globalization. The writing is alternatively described as choppy, colourful, engaging, and straightforward. Singled out as being exceptionally well-done was the Los Angeles Times article "America is not a Hamburger" describing the American attempt to re-brand itself believing that rising anti-Americanism was a misunderstanding rather than a reaction to American policy directions. Klein's October 2001 speech at a journalism conference in Stockholm was also singled out as being very well-done, "The Brutal Calculus of Suffering" contrasting the media depictions of American versus non-American deaths.
Describing the book the reviewer for the feminist magazine Herizons wrote, "Fences and Windows was written to be read and shared and talked about and carried around in your bag. It is a book that begs you to write in the margins, and highlight relevant quotes because it's filled with stories, insights, shocking statistics, inspiring anecdotes and refreshing critiques. It's small, it's smart and it's jammed with information and ideas that inspire hope and motivate action." Similarly, reviewing for The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, Stuart Christie
Stuart Christie
Stuart Christie is a Scottish anarchist writer and publisher. Christie is best known for being arrested as an 18-year old while carrying explosives to assassinate the Spanish dictator General Franco. He was later alleged to be a member of the Angry Brigade, but was acquitted of related charges...
wrote, "This is a book to be savoured and referred to every so often, even if just to recharge one's moral batteries." In The Globe and Mail, Stan Persky
Stan Persky
Stan Persky is a Canadian writer, media commentator and philosophy instructor.- Early life :Persky was born in Chicago, Illinois. As a teenager, he made contact with and received encouragement from Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and other writers of the Beat Generation...
wrote, "What I like about Klein's reflections on the nascent movement that she both participates in and analyzes is that she indulges in minimal rhetorical rah-rah. Nor does she fudge the shortcomings and screwups of the fledgling activists."
The reviews in The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
and Shane Neilson reviewing for Books in Canada were very negative. Neilson calls the work "idiocy", "intellectual sloppiness that approaches dishonesty" and writes that "The ideological failure of this book is total." He argues that Klein assumes, rather than proves, the international organizations which are being protested are guilty of the protesters' charges. The Economist review criticizes Klein for ignoring the "benefits" of globalization, like "lifting people out of poverty", and for failing to present a coherent alternative. The reviewer calls Klein "an angry adolescent" and opines that her reporting is assisting "a cause that can only harm the people she claims to care most about". Klein responded to The Economist review calling it "personal and childish".