John Asimakopoulos
Encyclopedia
John Asimakopoulos, born September 10, 1970, is associate professor of sociology
at the City University of New York
-Bronx. He is also a social justice
activist, author, and public intellectual.
, Asimakopoulos returned to the United States. He attended Rutgers University
(New Jersey) from 1989 to 1992, where he received a bachelor's degree in sociology
and economics
; from 1992 to 1993 receiving his master’s degree in economics; from 1993 to 1994 receiving his master’s degree in political science
; and the sociology program at the CUNY Graduate Center
for his Ph.D. from 1996 to 1999.
-Bronx. He came to public attention in 2006, when the City University of New York refused to renew his contract. Asimakopoulos alleged this was a political firing because of his outspoken libertarian socialist ideology. Asimakopoulos filed for arbitration which he consequently won in 2008 returning to his position.
Asimakopoulos has collaborated on various projects with intellectual figures such as Stanley Aronowitz
, Ruth Kinna
, Peter McLaren
, Michael Parenti
, and Howard Zinn
. He has written books and papers on labor, globalization, and social theory focusing on social movements for social justice. His works advocate working class counter ideology, independent media and educational institutions, and direct action
.
Asimakopoulos is founding editor-in-chief of Theory in Action
, an interdisciplinary journal and sits on the editorial board of the Peace Studies Journal. He is a reviewer for a number of academic journals. In 2010, Asimakopoulos launched a video e-journal Crushing Capitalism with Dr. Asimakopoulos offering commentary on academic topics and current events.
He is in the process of establishing a new accredited graduate school based on the principles of critical pedagogy
.
. His interdisciplinary work draws from a number of fields including economics
, political science
, sociology
, history
and philosophy
and theoretical traditions extending from Marx to Chomsky
. He is an advocate of direct democracy
, vigorously opposing the anti-democratic tendencies of neoliberalism
, militarism
, empire
, religious fundamentalism, and the ongoing attacks against social programs, the working class, the poor, and public and higher education. Asimakopoulos is noted for his contributions to Social Structures of Accumulation (SSA) theory continuing the work of American economist David Gordon
. Asimakopoulos also coined the concept of Globally Segmented Labor Markets expanding theoretical work in the area of labor market segmentation
.
Asimakopoulos has been noted by conservatives as the intellectual forefather of the 2011 “Occupy Wall Street” movement
(TSI), a progressive 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational think tank based in the United States. It “was created to provide an inclusive educational space for research and practice for social justice by academics, community organizers, activists, and political leaders”. TSI is noted as a model for engaging college students with public sociology and increased civic engagement.
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
at the City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
-Bronx. He is also a social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
activist, author, and public intellectual.
Background
After attending high school in Athens, GreeceGreece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Asimakopoulos returned to the United States. He attended Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
(New Jersey) from 1989 to 1992, where he received a bachelor's degree in sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
and economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
; from 1992 to 1993 receiving his master’s degree in economics; from 1993 to 1994 receiving his master’s degree in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
; and the sociology program at the CUNY Graduate Center
CUNY Graduate Center
The Graduate Center of the City University of New York brings together graduate education, advanced research, and public programming to midtown Manhattan hosting 4,600 students, 33 doctoral programs, 7 master's programs, and 30 research centers and institutes...
for his Ph.D. from 1996 to 1999.
Academic career
After teaching as an adjunct professor at New Jersey and New York area universities, in 2004 he began as an assistant professor of social sciences at the City University of New YorkCity University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
-Bronx. He came to public attention in 2006, when the City University of New York refused to renew his contract. Asimakopoulos alleged this was a political firing because of his outspoken libertarian socialist ideology. Asimakopoulos filed for arbitration which he consequently won in 2008 returning to his position.
Asimakopoulos has collaborated on various projects with intellectual figures such as Stanley Aronowitz
Stanley Aronowitz
Stanley Aronowitz is professor of sociology, cultural studies, and urban education at the CUNY Graduate Center. He is also a veteran political activist and cultural critic and an advocate for organized labor.-Social Text:...
, Ruth Kinna
Ruth Kinna
Ruth Ellen Kinna is a politics lecturer at Loughborough University, working in the Department of Politics, History and International Relations where she specialises in political philosophy. Since 2007 she has been the editor of the journal Anarchist Studies....
, Peter McLaren
Peter McLaren
Peter McLaren is a Professor in the Division of Urban Schooling, the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, University of California, Los Angeles . He is the author and editor of forty-five books and hundreds of scholarly articles and chapters...
, Michael Parenti
Michael Parenti
Michael Parenti is an award-winning, internationally known American political scientist, historian, and culture critic who has been writing on a wide range of both scholarly and popular subjects for over forty years. He has taught at several universities and colleges and has been a frequent guest...
, and Howard Zinn
Howard Zinn
Howard Zinn was an American historian, academic, author, playwright, and social activist. Before and during his tenure as a political science professor at Boston University from 1964-88 he wrote more than 20 books, which included his best-selling and influential A People's History of the United...
. He has written books and papers on labor, globalization, and social theory focusing on social movements for social justice. His works advocate working class counter ideology, independent media and educational institutions, and direct action
Direct action
Direct action is activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political, economic, or social goals outside of normal social/political channels. This can include nonviolent and violent activities which target persons, groups, or property deemed offensive to the direct action...
.
Asimakopoulos is founding editor-in-chief of Theory in Action
Theory in Action
Theory in Action is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering sociology and political science. It takes an interdisciplinary approach, examining interconnections between theory and action aimed at promoting social justice...
, an interdisciplinary journal and sits on the editorial board of the Peace Studies Journal. He is a reviewer for a number of academic journals. In 2010, Asimakopoulos launched a video e-journal Crushing Capitalism with Dr. Asimakopoulos offering commentary on academic topics and current events.
He is in the process of establishing a new accredited graduate school based on the principles of critical pedagogy
Critical pedagogy
Critical pedagogy is a philosophy of education described by Henry Giroux as an "educational movement, guided by passion and principle, to help students develop consciousness of freedom, recognize authoritarian tendencies, and connect knowledge to power and the ability to take constructive...
.
Theory
Asimakopoulos has been a contributor to the field of critical pedagogyCritical pedagogy
Critical pedagogy is a philosophy of education described by Henry Giroux as an "educational movement, guided by passion and principle, to help students develop consciousness of freedom, recognize authoritarian tendencies, and connect knowledge to power and the ability to take constructive...
. His interdisciplinary work draws from a number of fields including economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
, sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
, history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and theoretical traditions extending from Marx to Chomsky
Chomsky
Chomsky Khomsk ") is a Belarus'-origin surname, and may refer to:* Aviva Chomsky , American historian* Carol Chomsky , American linguist and wife of Noam Chomsky* Elsie Chomsky, American educator...
. He is an advocate of direct democracy
Direct democracy
Direct democracy is a form of government in which people vote on policy initiatives directly, as opposed to a representative democracy in which people vote for representatives who then vote on policy initiatives. Direct democracy is classically termed "pure democracy"...
, vigorously opposing the anti-democratic tendencies of neoliberalism
Neoliberalism
Neoliberalism is a market-driven approach to economic and social policy based on neoclassical theories of economics that emphasizes the efficiency of private enterprise, liberalized trade and relatively open markets, and therefore seeks to maximize the role of the private sector in determining the...
, militarism
Militarism
Militarism is defined as: the belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests....
, empire
Empire
The term empire derives from the Latin imperium . Politically, an empire is a geographically extensive group of states and peoples united and ruled either by a monarch or an oligarchy....
, religious fundamentalism, and the ongoing attacks against social programs, the working class, the poor, and public and higher education. Asimakopoulos is noted for his contributions to Social Structures of Accumulation (SSA) theory continuing the work of American economist David Gordon
David Gordon
David Gordon is an American author and trainer and early contributor to the development of Neuro-Linguistic Programming.Gordon has helped create and shape the field of NLP since some decades yet. Gordon's main areas of contribution have been the use of therapeutic metaphors, inspired by his work...
. Asimakopoulos also coined the concept of Globally Segmented Labor Markets expanding theoretical work in the area of labor market segmentation
Labor market segmentation
A labor market is seen as segmented if it "consists of various sub-groups with little or no crossover capability". Segmentation can result in different groups, for example men and women, receiving different wages for the same work...
.
Asimakopoulos has been noted by conservatives as the intellectual forefather of the 2011 “Occupy Wall Street” movement
Activism
In 2007 Asimakopoulos co-founded the Transformative Studies InstituteTransformative Studies Institute
The Transformative Studies Institute is an independent 501 nonprofit educational think tank based in the United States. It “was created to provide an inclusive educational space for research and practice for social justice by academics, community organizers, activists, and political leaders”...
(TSI), a progressive 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational think tank based in the United States. It “was created to provide an inclusive educational space for research and practice for social justice by academics, community organizers, activists, and political leaders”. TSI is noted as a model for engaging college students with public sociology and increased civic engagement.
Interviews
- Interview with Sociologists Without Borders
- Jeff Farias Interviews Dr. John Asimakopoulos (April 28, 2009)
- Jeff Farias Interviews Dr. John Asimakopoulos (March 3, 2009)
Books
His most recent books include:- Shannon, Deric, Nocella, Anthony J. and Asimakopoulos, John. (Eds.). (2012). The Accumulation of Freedom: Writings on Anarchist Economics. Oakland: AK PressAK PressAK Press is a worker-managed independent publisher and book distributor that specialises in radical left and anarchist literature. It is collectively owned and operated.-History:...
. ISBN 978-1849350945 - Asimakopoulos, John. (2011). Revolt! The Next Great Transformation from Kleptocracy Capitalism to Libertarian Socialism through Counter Ideology, Societal Education, & Direct Action. New Jersey: Transformative Studies Institute Press. ISBN 978-0983298205
- Asimakopoulos, John. The Society. (forthcoming)
Essays & articles
- Asimakopoulos, John. 2010. Putting Theory in Action, in Kathleen Odell Korgen, Jonathan M. White, and Shelley K. White (Eds.), Sociologists in Action. Pine Forge Press. ISBN 978-1412982832
- Asimakopoulos, John. 2010. The Civil Rights-Black Power Era, Direct Action, and Defensive Violence: Lessons for the Working-Class Today. Theory in Action 3(3):42-62.
- Asimakopoulos, John. 2009. The Role of Free Universities in Creating Free Societies, in Anthony J. Nocella II, Steven Best, and Peter McLaren (eds.), Academic Repression: Reflections from the Academic Industrial Complex. Oakland: AK PressAK PressAK Press is a worker-managed independent publisher and book distributor that specialises in radical left and anarchist literature. It is collectively owned and operated.-History:...
. ISBN 978-1904859987 - Asimakopoulos, John. 2009. Globally Segmented Labor Markets. Critical Sociology, 35(2):175-198.
- Asimakopoulos, John. 2008. Counter Ideology and Evolutionary Change. Theory in Action, 1(1):1-22.
- Asimakopoulos, John. 2007. Societal Education, Direct Action, and Working-Class Gains, 2007. Journal of Poverty, 11(2):1-22.
- Asimakopoulos, John. 2006. The Private Property Elephant: An Anarcho-SSA analysis of globalization. In McDonough, Terrence, Michael Reich, David M. Kotz, and Maria-Alejandra Gonzalez-Perez (eds.) Growth and Crisis: Social Structure of Accumulation: Theory and Analysis. Galway, Ireland: Centre for Innovation & Structural Change at the National University of Ireland, Galway, National University of Ireland, Galway
- Asimakopoulos, John. February 2006. Economic Civil Disobedience. Infoshop.
See also
- Anti-capitalismAnti-capitalismAnti-capitalism describes a wide variety of movements, ideas, and attitudes which oppose capitalism. Anti-capitalists, in the strict sense of the word, are those who wish to completely replace capitalism with another system....
- Anti-imperialismAnti-imperialismAnti-imperialism, strictly speaking, is a term that may be applied to a movement opposed to any form of colonialism or imperialism. Anti-imperialism includes opposition to wars of conquest, particularly of non-contiguous territory or people with a different language or culture; it also includes...
- Critical pedagogyCritical pedagogyCritical pedagogy is a philosophy of education described by Henry Giroux as an "educational movement, guided by passion and principle, to help students develop consciousness of freedom, recognize authoritarian tendencies, and connect knowledge to power and the ability to take constructive...
- Critical realismCritical realismIn the philosophy of perception, critical realism is the theory that some of our sense-data can and do accurately represent external objects, properties, and events, while other of our sense-data do not accurately represent any external objects, properties, and events...
- Critical theoryCritical theoryCritical theory is an examination and critique of society and culture, drawing from knowledge across the social sciences and humanities. The term has two different meanings with different origins and histories: one originating in sociology and the other in literary criticism...
- Direct actionDirect actionDirect action is activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political, economic, or social goals outside of normal social/political channels. This can include nonviolent and violent activities which target persons, groups, or property deemed offensive to the direct action...
- Direct democracyDirect democracyDirect democracy is a form of government in which people vote on policy initiatives directly, as opposed to a representative democracy in which people vote for representatives who then vote on policy initiatives. Direct democracy is classically termed "pure democracy"...
- Educational theory
- Antonio GramsciAntonio GramsciAntonio Gramsci was an Italian writer, politician, political philosopher, and linguist. He was a founding member and onetime leader of the Communist Party of Italy and was imprisoned by Benito Mussolini's Fascist regime...
- International political economyInternational political economyInternational political economy , also known as global political economy, is an academic discipline within the social sciences that analyzes international relations in combination with political economy. As an interdisciplinary field it draws on many distinct academic schools, most notably ...
- Libertarian socialismLibertarian socialismLibertarian socialism is a group of political philosophies that promote a non-hierarchical, non-bureaucratic, stateless society without private property in the means of production...
- MarxismMarxismMarxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
- Marxist humanismMarxist humanismMarxist humanism is a branch of Marxism that primarily focuses on Marx's earlier writings, especially the Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844 in which Marx espoused his theory of alienation, as opposed to his later works, which are considered to be concerned more with his structural...
- Noam ChomskyNoam ChomskyAvram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an Institute Professor and Professor in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at MIT, where he has worked for over 50 years. Chomsky has been described as the "father of modern linguistics" and...
- Paulo FreirePaulo FreirePaulo Reglus Neves Freire was a Brazilian educator and influential theorist of critical pedagogy.-Biography:...
- Praxis interventionPraxis interventionPraxis Intervention is a form of participatory action research. Where other forms of participatory action research emphasize the collective modification of the external world, the praxis intervention model emphasizes working on the Praxis potential of its participants...
- Praxis SchoolPraxis SchoolThe Praxis school was a Marxist humanist philosophical movement. It originated in Zagreb and Belgrade in the SFR Yugoslavia, during the 1960s.Prominent figures among the school's founders include Gajo Petrović and Milan Kangrga of Zagreb and Mihailo Marković of Belgrade...
- StructuralismStructuralismStructuralism originated in the structural linguistics of Ferdinand de Saussure and the subsequent Prague and Moscow schools of linguistics. Just as structural linguistics was facing serious challenges from the likes of Noam Chomsky and thus fading in importance in linguistics, structuralism...
- Teaching for social justiceTeaching for social justiceTeaching for social justice is an educational philosophy designed to promote socioeconomic equality in the learning environment and instill these values in students. Educators may employ social justice instruction to promote unity on campus, as well as mitigate boundaries to the general curriculum...
- Transformative Studies InstituteTransformative Studies InstituteThe Transformative Studies Institute is an independent 501 nonprofit educational think tank based in the United States. It “was created to provide an inclusive educational space for research and practice for social justice by academics, community organizers, activists, and political leaders”...
Further reading
Journal articles by John Asimakopoulos- The Civil Rights-Black Power Era, Direct Action, and Defensive Violence: Lessons for the Working-Class Today - pdf.
- Globally Segmented Labor Markets: The Coming of the Greatest Boom & Bust, Without the Boom - pdf
- Counter Ideology and Evolutionary Change: A Proposal for a Research and Political Action Program – pdf
- Societal Education, Direct Action, and Working-Class Gains: An Anarchist Perspective - pdf
- The Private Property Elephant: An Anarcho-SSA analysis of globalization - pdf
- Loot the Rich: Economic Civil Disobedience - http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=2006loot_the_rich