''Anarchism: A Documentary History of Libertarian Ideas'' is a three-volume

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically cate ...

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not necessar ...

writings edited by historian Robert Graham. The anthology is published by Black Rose Books. Each selection is introduced by Graham, placing each author and selection in their historical and ideological context. The focus of the anthology is on the origins and development of anarchist ideas; it is not a documentary history of the world's anarchist movements, although the selections are geographically diverse.

Volume One

''Volume One: From Anarchy to Anarchism (300 CE to 1939)'' was published in Montreal by Black Rose Books in 2005. Anarchist writer and publisher Stuart Christie wrote of the first volume in the ''

Independent on Sunday ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publishe ...

'' that it "provides a good, comprehensive introduction to the strands, ideas and themes of anarchist and libertarian thought from the feudal era (AD300) to 1939".

George Fetherling Douglas George Fetherling (born 1949), is a Canadian poet, novelist, and cultural commentator. One of the most prolific figures in Canadian letters, he has written or edited more than fifty books, including a dozen volumes of poetry, five book-len ...

of ''

The Georgia Straight ''The Georgia Straight'' is a free Canadian weekly news and entertainment newspaper published in Vancouver, British Columbia, by Overstory Media Group. Often known simply as ''The Straight'', it is delivered to newsboxes, post-secondary schools, ...

'' compared the collection favourably to Daniel Guérin's '' No Gods No Masters: An Anthology of Anarchism'', observing that in contrast to Guérin's focus on the established canon of 19th-century European anarchist thinkers and adversarial style, Graham's collection "goes much farther afield, not only in scope and time but also in geography", and takes an informative, non-confrontational tone. The Kate Sharpley Library praised the collection for avoiding both repetitive drabness and the temptation to opt for selections of misrepresentative novelty, and singled out the Latin American and Asian selections as "especially valuable because so little is easily available elsewhere". The volume was also recommended by Kenneth Gregg in a literature review for the

anarcho-capitalist Anarcho-capitalism (or, colloquially, ancap) is an anti-statist, libertarian, and anti-political philosophy and economic theory that seeks to abolish centralized states in favor of stateless societies with systems of private property enfo ...

website

LewRockwell.com Llewellyn Harrison Rockwell Jr. (born July 1, 1944) is an American author, editor, and political consultant. A libertarian and a self-professed anarcho-capitalist, he founded and is the chairman of the Mises Institute, a non-profit dedicated to ...

, and by mutualist scholar Shawn P. Wilbur. In a review of the collection for the Fall 2006 issue of ''

Labour/Le Travail ''Labour/Le Travail'' is an academic journal which publishes articles on the labour movement in Canada, sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social inte ...

'', leading

post-anarchism Contemporary anarchism within the history of anarchism is the period of the anarchist movement continuing from the end of World War II and into the present. Since the last third of the 20th century, anarchists have been involved in anti-globalisa ...

theorist

Saul Newman Saul Newman (born 22 March 1972) is a British political theorist who writes on post-anarchism. He is professor of political theory at Goldsmiths College, University of London. Newman took up the term "post-anarchism" as a general term for poli ...

declared it to be "symptomatic of a growing interest in anarchism and a revitalization of the anarchist tradition", and that it would "serve as an excellent introduction to the anti-authoritarian tradition, and an important resource for the scholar of anarchism". While identifying the collection's assembly of such a diverse range of material as its strength, Newman found its "eclecticism and sheer panoramic scope" also to be a weakness, in that the brevity of the selections often left the reader with only a superficial understanding of the author's work. Being an anthology encompassing a wide range of topics and numerous authors, readers are encouraged to consult the original sources if they wish to learn more about a particular topic or autho

Subsequent volumes

Volume 2, subtitled "The Emergence of the New Anarchism", covers the period from 1939, with the defeat of the Spanish Revolution of 1936, Spanish Revolution and the start of the Second World War, to 1977, by which time there had been a significant resurgence in anarchist ideas and movements. It includes material from

Herbert Read Sir Herbert Edward Read, (; 4 December 1893 – 12 June 1968) was an English art historian, poet, literary critic and philosopher, best known for numerous books on art, which included influential volumes on the role of art in education. Read ...

Emma Goldman Emma Goldman (June 27, 1869 – May 14, 1940) was a Russian-born anarchist political activist and writer. She played a pivotal role in the development of anarchist political philosophy in North America and Europe in the first half of the ...

, Daniel Guérin,

Marie Louise Berneri Marie Louise Berneri (born Maria Luisa Berneri; 1 March 1918 – 13 April 1949) was an anarchist activist and author. Born in Italy, she spent much of her life in Spain, France, and England. She was involved with the short-lived publication, '' ...

Paul Goodman Paul Goodman (1911–1972) was an American writer and public intellectual best known for his 1960s works of social criticism. Goodman was prolific across numerous literary genres and non-fiction topics, including the arts, civil rights, decen ...

Martin Buber Martin Buber ( he, מרטין בובר; german: Martin Buber; yi, מארטין בובער; February 8, 1878 – June 13, 1965) was an Austrian Jewish and Israeli philosopher best known for his philosophy of dialogue, a form of existentialism ...

André Breton André Robert Breton (; 19 February 1896 – 28 September 1966) was a French writer and poet, the co-founder, leader, and principal theorist of surrealism. His writings include the first '' Surrealist Manifesto'' (''Manifeste du surréalisme'') ...

Peggy Kornegger Peggy Kornegger is an American writer. In the 1970s she identified herself as an anarcha-feminist, and was an editor of the American feminist magazine ''The Second Wave''. Her article "Anarchism: The Feminist Connection" (1975) was reprinted as ...

Noam Chomsky Avram Noam Chomsky (born December 7, 1928) is an American public intellectual: a linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, social critic, and political activist. Sometimes called "the father of modern linguistics", Chomsky i ...

Murray Bookchin Murray Bookchin (January 14, 1921 – July 30, 2006) was an American social theorist, author, orator, historian, and political philosopher. A pioneer in the environmental movement, Bookchin formulated and developed the theory of social ...

Colin Ward Colin Ward (14 August 1924 – 11 February 2010)

Ivan Illich Ivan Dominic Illich ( , ; 4 September 1926 – 2 December 2002) was an Austrian Roman Catholic priest, theologian, philosopher, and social critic. His 1971 book ''Deschooling Society'' criticises modern society's institutional approach to edu ...

, Pierre Clastres,

Paul Feyerabend Paul Karl Feyerabend (; January 13, 1924 – February 11, 1994) was an Austrian-born philosopher of science best known for his work as a professor of philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley, where he worked for three decades (195 ...

, Carol Ehrlich and many others. Its publication was announced by Graham on April 12, 2009. AK Pres

''Revolution by the Book'

describes Volume 2 as an exciting read, "because you discover new writers and/or writers you've only seen referenced or briefly quoted before (all contextualized by Robert's introductions)." Volume 3, subtitled "The New Anarchism" covers the period from 1974 to 2012, showcasing the different currents in anarchist theory and practice which have developed since the 1970s. It was published in November 201

Contributors include Peter Marshall, Murray Bookchin, Carole Pateman, Noam Chomsky, Todd May, David Graeber, Jeff Ferrell, Richard Sonn, Mark Leier, Saul Newman, Richard Day and many others. Chapters cover a variety of topics, including anarchism and self-managing democracy, global justice movements, especifismo, anarchist politics, revolutionary movements across the globe, direct action, the logic of state power, anarchy and ecology, personal, social and sexual liberation, art and anarchy, anti-capitalism, post-anarchism and the relevance of anarchism today. Andrew Cornell has described the anthology as "both a map of a movement and a treasure trove of ideas – a valuable textbook for political militants and scholars alike." Iain McKay calls it "essential reading for all those interested in libertarian thought. The breadth of authors and subjects is both comprehensive and impressive, giving a much needed overview of anarchism as an evolving and relevant social movement and theory." Alan Antliff says that the three volume series "is an invaluable resource, with texts encompassing a remarkable range of theorists, organizations, and thematic issues

References

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External links

Anarchism: A Documentary History of Libertarian Ideas
at Black Rose Books
Robert Graham's Anarchism Weblog
intended to provide additional commentary and selections to accompany the anthology Books about anarchism 2005 non-fiction books Canadian anthologies English-language books

Volume One

Subsequent volumes

See also

References

External links