The illegalists - Doug Emrie
Short background of illegalism, and one of its proponents, Marius Jacob. Originally published in Anarchy: a Journal Of Desire Armed, 1994/5 and taken from http://recollectionbooks.com/siml/library/illegalistsDougImrie.htm
It is idiotic that those who have figured things out are forced to wait for the mass of cretins who are blocking the way to evolve. The herd will always be the herd. So let's leave it to stagnate and work on our own emancipation (... ) Put your old refrains aside. We have had enough of always sacrificing ourselves for something.
Your job after "the revolution"
Submitted by Rob Ray on Apr 26 2012 09:16
As some people on libcom may already know I write a column in Black Flag magazine called Breathing Utopia, about the ways different workers see their roles and industries changing in a communist society. I'd like to expand it to book length.
I've been doing this for a few years now and the answers people come up with, often at very short notice, can be fascinating.
A librarian for example reckoned his industry would expand to provide expert help finding and sharing everything you might need once in a while, from books to heavy machinery.
The Bonnot Gang: The story of the French illegalists - Richard Parry
Submitted by wojtek on Apr 22 2012 05:43
This is the story of the infamous Bonnot Gang: the most notorious French anarchists ever, and the inventors of the motorized get-away. It is the story of how the anarchist taste for illegality developed into illegalism - the theory that theft is liberating. And how a number of young anarchists met in Paris in the years before the first world war, determined to live their lives to the full, regardless of the inevitable - and tragic - consequences.
A gripping historical thriller, Parry narrates their lives and background - a Paris of riots, strikes and savage repression. A stronghold of foreign exiles and home-grown revolutionaries. Victor Serge and 'l'anarchie' the individualist weekly. Their robberies, daring and violent, would give them a lasting notoriety in France.
Anarchism and the workers' unions - Fernand Pelloutier
In the following 1895 article, Fernand Pelloutier, a French anarchist and labour leader, developed the theoretical foundations of revolutionary syndicalism by encouraging workers to organise unions run on libertarian principles of direct democracy and self-management both as a way of retaining control over their own struggles against the autocratic relationships characteristic of capitalist relations of production and of preparing the way for a collective transition to an economically democratic, classless society.
Fernand Pelloutier (1867-1901), educated through the religious schools and then Saint-Nazaire College, had turned his back on the bourgeoisie to throw in his lot with the people. At a very early age he embarked upon a career in journalism.
The Staines Howler
Local news bulletin produced by The Staines Anarchists, a collective formed by local anarchists in 2012.
The (other) reason I'm against electoralism
Submitted by Phil on Apr 10 2012 22:03
Most of the arguments against voting point out (rightly) that it achieves nothing. This is reflected in slogans such as "if voting changed anyting, they'd abolish it" and "whoever you vote for, government wins." I'm writing this post to focus on the other problem with parliamentary democracy - namely, that it is worse than useless.
See here for a longer post of mine on the theory behind anarchist anti-electoralism. Also worth a read is my exposition on why you can't fight the cuts by voting.
Let’s Talk About Another Burning Color: Black Flame vs. Red Fire Extinguisher?
Nate Hawthorne reviews the book, Black Flame: The Revolutionary Class Politics of Anarchism and Syndicalism in which he disagrees with the author's treatment of Marxism.
In this article I discuss the treatment of marxism in a recent book on the anarchist tradition, Black Flame: The Revolutionary Class Politics of Anarchism and Syndicalism. I argue that the book’s treatment of marxism is not up to the book’s otherwise high standards. This is not simply a matter of historical interest.
Interview with the Kurdistan Anarchist Forum (KAF)
Submitted by working class s... on Apr 1 2012 22:27
An informative interview with Kurdish anarchists from 2010.
There is no such thing as “Kurdish Anarchism”, no more than there is such a thing as Russian, Spanish or French Anarchism. However, what there can be is a free association of Anarchists people originating from the same region, like Kurdistan, and seeking to militate for their ideals among the population they originate from.
Between infoshops and insurrection: U.S. anarchism, movement building, and the racial order
Joel Olson argues against two major tendencies in American anarchism, counter-institution building and militant street protests, and suggests building a movement against the racial order should be a priority.
This is a slightly revised version of a chapter from the new book Contemporary Anarchist Studies, edited by Randall Amster, Luis Fernandez, etc. (Routledge 2009). Joel Olson teaches political theory at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff and has been around anarchist circles in the United States for many years.
Refusing to wait: anarchism and intersectionality
This essay argues that anarchists can learn from the theory of "intersectionality" that emerged from the feminist movement. Indeed, anarchist conceptions of class struggle have widened as a result of the rise of feminist movements, civil rights movements, gay and lesbian liberation movements, etc. But how do we position ourselves regarding those struggles? What is their relationship to the class struggle? Do we dismiss them as "mere identity politics"?
Anarchism can learn a lot from the feminist movement. In many respects it already has. Anarcha-feminists have developed analyses of patriarchy that link it to the state form. We have learned from the slogan that "the personal is political" (e.g. men who espouse equality between all genders should treat the women in their lives with dignity and respect).
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