The London Anarchist Federation are kicking off a monthly reading group in the downstairs shop space of Freedom Bookshop (84b Whitechapel High St, E1 7QX), 22nd May, 7pm. We will be reading and discussing an anarchist book, chapter or pamphlet each month.
For the first one we’re starting with some classics and will be reading two chapters from volume 1 of ‘Anarchism, a documentary history of libertarian ideas’, edited by Robert Graham. We will be discussing chapters 8 ‘Anarchist Communism’ and 9 ‘Anarchy and anarchism’. A pdf of the texts can be found on Libcom: https://tinyurl.com/jcv5s7f
The chapters include the follow essays/extracts:
Carlo Cafiero: Anarchy and Communism (1880)
Kropotkin: The Conquest of Bread (1892)
Kropotkin: Fields, Factories and Workshops (1898)
Luigi Galleani: The End of Anarchism (1907)
Jose Llunas Pujols: What is Anarchy (1882)
Charlotte Wilson: Anarchism (1886)
Elisee Reclus: Anarchy (1894)
Jean Grave: Moribund Society and Anarchy (1893)
Gustav Landauer: Anarchism in Germany (1895)
Kropotkin: On Anarchism (1896)
E. Armand: Mini-Manual of the Anarchist Individualist (1911)
After this trip to the 19th Century we intend to look at some more modern texts in future months although book choice will be agreed by those attending. Suggestions so far include:
Barbara J. Fields and Karen Elise Fields, Racecraft: The Soul of Inequality in American Life
François Martin and Gilles Dauvé, The Eclipse and Re-emergence of the Communist Movement
Silvia Federici, Caliban And The Witch
C.L.R.James, A History of Pan-African Revolt
Adolph Reed Jr, Class notes
Raj Patel and Jason W. Moore, A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things: A Guide to Capitalism, Nature, and the Future of the Planet
Hopefully something there will pique your interest. Attending every month is not a requirement- just come along when we’re discussing a text you like!