Anarchy Alive!

Anarchy Alive!

First edition cover
Author Uri Gordon
Country United Kingdom
Subject Anarchism
Genre Political philosophy, sociology
Publisher Pluto Press
Publication date
 November 2007
Pages 183
ISBN 0-7453-2683-8
OCLC 154769337
320.5/7 22
LC Class HX833 .G626 2008

Anarchy Alive!: Anti-Authoritarian Politics from Practice to Theory is a book by Uri Gordon that investigates anarchist theory and practice.[1] An expanded reworking of the author's PhD thesis at the University of Oxford, the book was released by Pluto Press, a London-based radical publisher, in November 2007.[2][3] It is presented as "an anarchist book about anarchism",[2] and assumes some background knowledge and sympathy for anarchism on the part of the reader.[4] Gordon considers his approach in the book to have many commonalities with that of anthropologist David Graeber, author of Fragments of an Anarchist Anthropology.[5]

Contents

Anarchy Alive! was not designed to further debates about the finer points of anarchist theory within academia, nor as a history of ideas, but rather to serve as a tool for activists trying to engage with theory—leading reviewer Alex Pritchard to characterise it as "a user’s manual for anarchist activism".[6] It is divided into six chapters, addressing anarchism as a political culture, anarchism as an ideology, anarchist forms of organisation and power, anarchism and violence, anarchism and technology, and anarchism and nationalism (through the case study of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict).[2]

Reception

Anarchy Alive! was favourably reviewed in journals including Anarchy: A Journal of Desire Armed, New International and Anarchist Studies.[1][6][7][8][9][10][3][11] Reviewing the book in Anarchist Studies, Alex Pritchard predicted that "not only will Anarchy Alive! become required reading in the anarchist movement, but it will have a sizeable impact on the academy … this will be a defining text in anarchist circles for the next few years at the very least".[6] Richard Swift, in a review for New International, called the book "a short and thoughtful account", and granted it a four-out-out-of-four star rating.[4] The CrimethInc. collective recommended the work for its analysis of power and authority in an anarchist context.[12] Freedom reviewer Tom Jennings dissented, calling into question the theoretical coherence of the book.[13] Another critical view came from the Socialist Standard, which although conceding that the book was "well-written and can be read on a know-your-opponent basis", denounced the book for its anarchist critique of democracy.[14]

See also

Citations

  1. 1 2 Jarach, Lawrence. "An Academic Shines". Anarchy: A Journal of Desire Armed. Archived from the original on 1 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
  2. 1 2 3 Gordon 2007
  3. 1 2 Morse, Chuck (August 23, 2007). "The Past, the Future, and Around the World: Four New Books about Anarchism". Retrieved 2008-11-11.
  4. 1 2 Swift, Richard (July 2008). "Anarchy Alive!". New International (413). Archived from the original on 22 November 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
  5. ↑ Gordon 2007, p. 7
  6. 1 2 3 Prichard, Alex. "Reviews". Anarchist Studies. 16 (1). Retrieved 2008-11-11.
  7. ↑ Petrovato, John. "What's Happening: New books, 2008". Z Magazine. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
  8. ↑ Poole, Steven (March 22, 2008). "Rock, race and riots". The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
  9. ↑ Wurman, Joanna. "El Anarquismo Judío de Hoy en Día" (PDF). La Palabra Israelita. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
  10. ↑ Pantziarka, Pan (February 19, 2008). "Anarchy Alive!". London Book Review. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
  11. ↑ Roy, Jyoti (April 19, 2008). "Anarchy Alive!: Anti-authoritarian Politics from Practice to Theory". Feminist Review. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
  12. ↑ b. traven (September 3, 2009). "New Sticker: Power vs. Authority". CrimethInc. Far East Blog. CrimethInc. Ex-Workers' Collective. Retrieved September 3, 2009.
  13. ↑ Jennings, Tom (February 13, 2009). "Reviews: Anarchy Alive!". Freedom. Freedom Press. pp. 15–16. Archived from the original on 15 May 2009. Retrieved May 30, 2009.
  14. ↑ ALB. "Anarchists against democracy". Socialist Standard. Archived from the original on 6 October 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-11.

References

External links

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