Political science

Change the World Without Taking Power

John Holloway

Beautiful edition of Marx and Engels' classic manifesto, introduced by renowned social theorist David Harvey.

As If Already Free. Anthropology and Activism After David Graeber.

Holly High & Joshua O. Reno (eds)

'A highly original thinker' - New York Times David Graeber (1961-2020) was an American anthropologist and anarchist activist, who left us with new ways to understand humankind. This collection of new writing brings together his insights into one book, showing how deeply his work continues to influence us today. Graeber's writing resonates with both scholars and activists looking to shake things up. The impact of his work is broad in scope, from birth to banking, and he picks open social hierarchy and political power to expose what really makes human society tick. In today's neoliberal world, we can turn to his legacy to provide a way for us to understand what went wrong, and how to fix it. This collection of writings by colleagues and friends is both an introduction to his life and works, a guide to his key ideas, and an inspiring example of of how anthropologists are continuing to use his work today.

We Do Not Fear Anarchy. We Invoke It. The First International and the Origins of the Anarchist Movement

Robert Graham

From 1864 to 1880, socialists, communists, trade unionists, and anarchists synthesized a growing body of anticapitalist thought through participation in the First International—a body devoted to uniting left-wing radical tendencies of the time. Often remembered for the historic fights between Karl Marx and Michael Bakunin, the debates and experimentation during the International helped to refine and focus anarchist ideas into a doctrine of international working class self-liberation. An unprecedented analysis of an often misunderstood history.

The First Socialist Schism. Bakunin vs. Marx in the International Working Men's Association.

Wolfgang Eckhardt. Robert M. Homsi, Jesse Cohn, Cian Lawless, Nestor McNabb & Bas Moreel (trans)

The First Socialist Schism chronicles the conflicts in the International Working Men's Association (First International, 1864-1877), which represents an important milestone in the history of political ideas and socialist theory. This can be seen as a decisive moment in the history of political ideas: the split between centralist party politics and the federalist grassroots movement. The separate movements in the International - which would later develop into social democracy, communism and anarchism - found their greatest advocates in Bakunin and Marx.

Gramsci is Dead. Anarchist Currents in the Newest Social Movements

Richard J. F. Day

Gramsci and the concept of hegemony cast a long shadow over radical political theory. Yet how far has this theory got us? Is it still central to feminism, anti-capitalism, anti-racism, anarchism, and other radical social movements today? Unlike previous revolutionary movements, Day argues, most contemporary radical social movements do not strive to take control of the state. Instead, they attempt to develop new forms of self-organisation that can run in parallel with---or as alternatives to---existing forms of social, political, and economic organization. This is to say that they follow a logic of affinity rather than one of hegemony. This book draws together a variety of different strands in political theory to weave together an innovative new approach to politics today. Rigorous and wide-ranging, Day introduces and interrogates key concepts. From Hegel's concept of recognition, through theories of hegemony and affinity to Hardt and Negri's reflections on Empire, Day maps academia's theoretical and philosophical concerns onto today's politics of the street. Ideal for all students of political theory, Day's fresh approach combines Marxist, Anarchist and Post-structuralist theory to shed new light on the politics and practice of contemporary social movements.

For Workers' Power. The Selected Writings of Maurice Brinton

Maurice Brinton

The only collection of Maurice Brinton's work, now with additional material and a new Introduction.

The Anarchist Turn

Jacob Blumenfeld, Chiara Bottici & Simon Critchley (eds)

The concept of anarchy is often presented as a recipe for pure disorder. The Anarchist Turn brings together innovative and fresh perspectives on anarchism to argue that in fact it represents a form of collective, truly democratic social organization. The book shows how in the last decade the negative caricature of anarchy has begun to crack. Globalization and the social movements it spawned have proved what anarchists have long been advocating: an anarchical order is not just desirable, but also feasible. The contributors, including leading anarchist and critical theorists, argue that with the failure of both free-markets and state socialism the time has come for an "anarchist turn" in political philosophy. In doing so they relate the anarchist hypothesis to a range of other disciplines such as politics, anthropology, economics, history and sociology.

Now and After. The ABC of Communist Anarchism

Alexander Berkman

ABC of Anarchism

Alexander Berkman

Classic exposition of the ideas of anarchist communism.

What is Anarchism?

Alexander Berkman

For those who have questions about Anarchism, or seek a better world, Berkman has the answers.

Order Without Power. An Introduction to Anarchism: History & Current Challenges.

Normand Baillargeon

With the rise of the global protestor—from Arab Spring to the Occupy movement—the term "anarchist" has been littered throughout mainstream media as never before. But just as frequently, its definition is skewed or left wanting: anarchists are painted as nihilists, supporters of chaos, or even terrorists. In Order without Power, an informative primer, Normand Baillargeon thoroughly defines anarchism and recounts its long history. In outlining the forerunners of this movement, he illuminates the differences between collectivists, federalists, communists, syndicalists, and further strains such as anarcho-feminism, pacifist anarchism, and religious anarchism. With sharp examples and concise, lively language, Baillargeon describes the contributions from early anarchists like William Godwin, Max Stirner, Pierre Joseph Proudhon, Mikhail Bakunin, and Pierre Kropotkin, through Noam Chomsky, as well as the uprisings, struggles, revolts, and revolutions that tested or expanded the theories. From the International Workingmen’s Association to Haymarket, from the Russian Revolution to May 1968, Baillargeon unpacks anarchism’s position on various issues and reveals this political theory’s vibrant heart: anti authoritarianism, or the rational and conscious refusal of any form of illegitimate authority and power.