'This is an extremely important book by one of the foremost social scientists of our time. Beck's work more than any other has brought social theory into the public domain of political debate and environmental policy. In The Reinvention of Politics he charts the terrain of [a] radical ecological politics. Against a global background of rising fundamentalist tendencies he shows the potential for a remoralization of science and industrialism and a citizen politics beyond left and right, East and West. Powerful arguments and brilliant analyses make this book a must for academics and practitioners alike.' Barbara Adam, University of Wales, Cardiff 'A book that makes a dramatic difference to our understanding of modernity. Beck delivers sociological insight of startling originality with his central image of politics oscillating between modern institutions and counter-modern repudiations. His accounts of the destructive symbiosis between Enlightenment ideals and Romantic shibboleths should inspire fundamental changes in social and political thought.' Ira Cohen, Rutgers University 'Insightful overview of the changing face of modern politics.' The Sociological Review