Agents of Possibility

Societies are – like hearts, economies, and ecosystems – complex dynamic systems. They cannot be entirely controlled and directed. Even well-informed interventions can trigger unpredictable and deleterious effects. For this reason, it can be difficult to imagine how a system can be escaped or fundamentally altered. For example, how should we understand the systematic interaction between broad structures of race, gender, and class? And how can we dismantle them in whole or in part? In this fascinating new book, Sally Haslanger shows that a theory of society that draws on complexity theory can help us in the task of finding ways of bringing about transformative change.