Confronting the Democratic Discourse of Librarianship: A Marxist Approach

by Sam Popowich

The idea that libraries are crucial democratic institutions has a long history in librarianship. It remains dominant despite a long tradition of critical library movements within the profession. In Confronting the Democratic Discourse of Librarianship, Sam Popowich argues that the democratic tradition is part of a larger liberal tradition within librarianship which sees librarianship as neutral, pragmatic, and independent of social, economic, or political concerns. It is this perspective that lends librarianship a “sacred” aura which needs to be dismantled if we truly want to change the profession.

Taking a broadly Marxist approach, Confronting the Democratic Discourse of Librarianship traces the connections between library history and the larger history of capitalist development. These connections suggest that the relationship between the library and capitalism is closer and more insidious than the democratic tradition allows. Drawing on theories of ideology and politics, and looking at recent research in critical librarianship, this book makes a case for the structural interconnection of librarianship and capitalist exploitation. As a result, oppression is entrenched within the profession due to the library’s role in the social reproduction of capitalism, while the oppressive structures of society are obscured by the very ideology of democracy that holds sway within the field.

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy

334 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2019

About the author

Sam Popowich is the Discovery an Wed Services Librarian at the University of Alberta and a PhD student in Political Science and International Studies at University of Birmingham. His research interests include critical theory, technology, and labor.

Reviews

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoughtful and systematic exploration of the library origin stories we tell ourselves. Founded on an interrogation of whether we really live in a free, democratic society, the author explores the idea of the library as a democratic institution that promotes civic engagement and upholds intellectual freedom, particularly in light of its history as a structurally elitist, censoring institution and its commitment to alleged "neutrality." As a final, personal, note - to be reading this during the week of a coup attempt in the US was absolutely surreal. As Sam says, "given the explicit rise of the far right, libraries and library workers will have to decide what side they are on."

[Eric Phetteplace · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main strength of this work was its "broadly Marxist" nature, in that it covers much more than you would think, framing libraries and librarianship not just in terms of economic structures but other struggles (racism, sexism, ableism). It's worth reading for anyone interested in critical librarianship, whether or not they're a Marxist. There's a great intersection developed between some of the best critical LIS literature and broader theory, with Frederic Jameson being perhaps the biggest reference point but many, many others included. The work is chock full of blockquotes, which I dislike especially at this frequency, and does get distracted in places or tread over the same ground (the exact same Malm "global cooling" blockquote appears twice), but not enough to detract from its quality.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tentei ler completamente, mas talvez eu tenha me equivocado com o foco do livro. A contínua referência à história da biblioteconomia e ao clima política norte-americano orienta o desenvolvimento do livro, e se de início eu pensei que esse foco seria moderado, com o passar do tempo essa restrição foi diluindo meu interesse quando se tornou cada vez mais difícil encontrar algo em comum a forma como esse problemas ocorrem no meu contexto. Um segundo problema é que frequentemente ao longo do livro o autor perde o tema da biblioteconomia e passa a escrever longos capítulos sobre o marxismo. Se meu interesse inicial fosse marxismo, teria ficado satisfeito, pois são boas explicações. Mas como comecei o livro na expectiva de ver uma vinculação estreita entre biblioteconomia e críticas marxistas, acabei ficando frustrado.

Acabei deixando pela metade. Mas talvez seja o livro certo para outras pessoas.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found a lot of this book challenging. I wouldn't mind reading it again after studying a basic philosophy book . . . I agreed with most of the points I understood. Just not sure how to implement the changes the author talks about especially at my level.