When Lefebvre's book first appeared in the 1960s it was considered a manifesto for a social movement that focused on the quality of life experiÂenced by the individual—by the comÂmon man and woman. His emphasis on the quality of life will have even more appeal to those currently living with the problems of inflation, unemÂployment, and dwindling natural reÂsources.
Basing his discussions on everyday life in France, Lefebvre shows the deÂgree to which our lived-in world and our sense of it are shaped by decisions about which we know little and in which we do not participate. He evaluates the achievements and shortcomings of applying variousphilosophical perspectives such as Marxism and Structuralism to daily life, studies the impact of conÂsumerism on society, and looks at efÂfects on society of linguistic phenomÂena and various kinds of terrorism communicated through mass media.
In his new introduction to this ediÂtion, Philip Wander evaluates Lefebvre's ideas by relating many of them to current contexts. He discusses the political and economic aspects of daily life in the 1980s, the work enviÂronment, communications, and the world of science and technology.