回歸人心：極權鄰近的香港文化經濟學

by 許寶強

本書討論香港民間論述中常見的憂慮：一國兩制的消亡與威權或極權的興起，循此進入最根本的問題：香港是否進入了 Karl Polanyi 意義下的新一輪大轉型或 Heinrich Geiselberger 等作者所指的大倒退？

作者指出，來自政權、建制、資本家的力量，正在改造香港人的文化生活和價值觀念，物質或狹隘經濟利益，成為了人生的唯一的目標，人心在變化中。在這個時候，各式社會運動的興起擴大，包括保育自然生態、生活空間、歷史文物，追求平等公義、民主自由、尊重差異、獨立自主、人權大愛，正是「人心」抗拒墮入生物層次，希望從「獸性」「回歸人心」的明證。

本書分析香港過去二十年的情感經濟(affective economy)和文化政治的轉變。儘管檢視的焦點在於過去二十年，尤其是雨傘前後的時段，但探討兩種相反意義下的「人心未回歸」，有必要同時置放於更長的歷史脈絡中考察。

160 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 2018

Reviews

[Mizuki · Rating 5 out of 5]

書裏面有一句:

「會被極權政府挑選的人只會是騙子和傻瓜」

People who got chosen by dictators are usually fools and grifters, for their lack of creativity makes them safe labors and servants.

There is more:

What dictatorship always want: reducing citizens into money making animals by limiting power of the civil society.

Part of the lesson of WWII: do not obey and follow orders thoughtlessly.

Another thoughtful book from a Hong Kong scholar and it is a good book about the city's social and political theories and events.

[Morgan Chu]

Insightful in using the concept of "democracy factique" to shed light on the social movement of Hong Kong 2019 onward. A good reader of grasping the key concepts of his teacher and his teacher's teacher's ideas: Giovanni Arrighi, Fernand Braudel and Wallerstein. If every secondary school students have read Hui's work, I am sure they could use a structural, historical and global point of views to explain the place they are in now and what they ought to do.

[Allison Tsui · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although nothing very new, a timely read for HK nowadays. With some theoretical discussion while still accessible for average readers.