‘Genuine radicalism depends on the provision of hope. It provokes through a scandalous insistence that life can be otherwise, that we aren’t doomed to economic and environmental decline, and that the future can exceed than the past.’

Jeff Sparrow is one of Australia’s leading public intellectuals. From great controversies to the heroes and villains of our time, Provocations raises arguments that matter.

History gets made by actions, not by words alone. Yet these pages are filled with the kind of words that inspire action. By showing us that Australia has a history of slavery it needs to reckon with. That amidst the turmoil of catastrophic weather events, Christmas beetles are disappearing as we look the other way. That while war was once an anomaly in a world increasingly devoted to peace, no one believes that anymore.

In Provocations, Jeff Sparrow brings together some of his most challenging and continuously relevant work alongside daring new writing.