The Past, the Future, and Around the World: Four New Books about Anarchism

David Graeber on on Charlie Rose.

The volume of anarchist literature will likely grow significantly in the next several years as authors who came of age during the anti-globalization movement (1999 – 2001) publish their works.

For instance, there is David Graeber’s forthcoming Possibilities: Essays on Hierarchy, Rebellion, and Desire, which is sure to challenge and captivate (AK Press, September, 400 Pages). AK Press describes the book in the following terms:

In this new collection, David Graeber revisits questions raised in his popular book, Fragments of an Anarchist Anthropology. Written in an unpretentious style that uses accessible and entertaining language to convey complex theoretical ideas, these twelve essays cover a lot of ground, including the origins of capitalism, the history of European table manners, love potions in rural Madagascar, and the phenomenology of giant puppets at street protests. But they’re linked by a clear purpose: to explore the nature of social power and the forms that resistance to it have taken, or might take in the future.

Anarchism is currently undergoing a worldwide revival, in many ways replacing Marxism as the theoretical and moral center of new revolutionary social movements. It has, however, left little mark on the academy. While anarchists and other visionaries have turned to anthropology for ideas and inspiration, anthropologists are reluctant to enter into serious dialogue. David Graeber is not. These essays, spanning almost twenty years, show how scholarly concerns can be of use to radical social movements, and how the perspectives of such movements shed new light on debates within the academy.

Another instance is Uri Gordon’s Anarchy Alive! Anti-authoritarian Politics from Practice to Theory (Pluto Press, November, 2007). The publisher offers this description:

Anarchy Alive! is a fascinating, in-depth look at the practice and theory of contemporary anarchism. Uri Gordon draws on his activist experience and on interviews, discussions and a vast selection of recent literature to explore the activities, cultures and agendas shaping today’s explosive anti-authoritarian revival. Anarchy Alive! also addresses some of the most tense debates in the contemporary movement, using a theory based on practice to provocatively reshape anarchist discussions of leadership, violence, technology and nationalism.

This is the ideal book for anyone looking for a fresh, informed and critical engagement with anarchism, as a mature and dynamic political force in the age of globalization.

Of course, anarchism has a long history. One particularly troubled and troubling chapter in this history is the state-sponsored murder of Sacco and Vanzetti. A new book has just been appeared on the topic, whose publication coincides with the eightieth anniversary of their executions: Bruce Watson’s Sacco and Vanzetti: The Men, the Murders, and the Judgment of Mankind. The publisher states:

In the first full-length narrative of the case in thirty years, Bruce Watson unwinds a gripping tale that opens with anarchist bombs going off in a posh Washington, D.C., neighborhood and concludes with worldwide outrage over the execution of the “good shoemaker” and the “poor fish peddler.” Sacco and Vanzetti mines deep archives and new sources, unveiling fresh details about these naïve dreamers and militant revolutionaries. This case still haunts the American imagination. Authoritative and engrossing, Sacco and Vanzetti will capture fans of true crime books and everyone who enjoys riveting American history.

Finally, Spanish readers will want to check out: Sergio Grez Toso’s Los anarquistas y el movimiento obrero. La alborada de “la Idea” en Chile, 1893-1915 (in English: The Anarchists and the Workers Movement: The Dawn of “the Idea” in Chile, 1893-1915). As the title implies, this book explores the origins of the anarchist movement in Chile. Its release is noteworthy because Chile has largely been neglected in the literature on anarchism in the Americas. Hopefully this publication will prompt the emergence of a fuller depiction of the movement’s legacy.