This volume of interviews from the popular online journal Logo, are organized around the critical and interconnected themes of the decline of politics and culture, neo-liberalism and the rise of American imperialism, the crisis in the Middle East and the need to forge alternative visions and effective modes of resistance in contemporary struggle. These interviews offer key insights and galvanizing challenges to critically thinking scholars and citizens engaged in analyzing and struggling against current injustices. Although the interviews were conducted during the presidency of George W. Bush, they are especially relevant now. These critical insights and demands should not be abandoned because of the ease and relief engendered by the election of Barack Obama. Because of the volume's concern with defending democracy against the incursions of empire, the text emphasizes the need to reinvigorate discourse and rebuild the public sphere. The primary method of accomplishing these ends, frank and honest dialogue, is built into the very structure of the text. The insights and challenges offered in the interviews are crucial for active thinkers looking to respond thoughtfully, effectively and conscientiously to the crises that shape our times.
