#28: Anarcha-Feminism, Part II: Early Critiques and Visions – Back in Episode 26, the Ex-Worker shared a panorama of dramatic stories from the lives and struggles of 19th and early 20th century anarchist women… but we didn’t focus much on their ideas. In the second episode of our three-part series on anarcha-feminism, we return our focus to the first generations of rebels who brought together anarchist and feminist currents, this time to explore their distinctive revolutionary visions. We survey the context of early revolutionary and feminist ideas, and the distinct perspectives of early anarcha-feminists on marriage, sexuality, economic and bodily autonomy, suffrage, revolutionary sexism, and strategies for women’s emancipation. The Chopping Block discusses Free Women of Spain, Martha Ackelsberg’s classic study of the Spanish anarchist women’s group Mujeres Libres. Listeners weigh in on sports, a special guest contributor offers a correction about indigenous resistance to fracking, and we begin a fascinating conversation on solidarity actions and anonymity amidst the news, event announcements, statements from political prisoners, and more.

Trigger warning: This episode includes a few passing references to sexual or domestic violence: nothing too graphic, but we wanted to give all of you a heads up. The references appear at 11:40, 35:50, 41:25, 1:04:50, and 1:33:44.

You can download this and all of our previous episodes online. You can also subscribe in iTunes here or just add the feed URL to your podcast player of choice. Rate us on iTunes and let us know what you think, or send us an email to podcast@crimethinc.com. You can also call us 24 hours a day at 202–59-NOWRK, that is, 202–596–6975.

#27: Anti-Police Riots in Ferguson – Since the murder of Mike Brown by police on August 9th, Ferguson, Missouri has been the site of intense riots, looting, and clashes with police. In this episode, we share first-hand accounts from participants and reflections on the rebellion, as well as an analysis which unpacks the designation of “outside agitators.” Two texts discussing other recent anti-police uprisings appear on the Chopping Block: “Unfinished Acts” a discussion of the Oscar Grant riots in Oakland, and “Unforgiving and Inconsolable”, a collection of texts about the response to the death of Chuy Huerta in Durham, North Carolina. Supporters of Luke O’Donovan update us on his trial and how to show solidarity. Clara and Alanis share a slew of listener feedback, exploring the origins of the term feminism, correcting some mistakes about the IWW, and getting into a testy debate over the politics of sports. News, prisoner birthdays, Contradictionary terms, and upcoming events round out another packed episode.

You can download this and all of our previous episodes online. You can also subscribe in iTunes here or just add the feed URL to your podcast player of choice. Rate us on iTunes and let us know what you think, or send us an email to podcast@crimethinc.com. You can also call us 24 hours a day at 202–59-NOWRK, that is, 202–596–6975.

#26: Anarcha-Feminism, Part I: Introduction and Herstory – What is anarcha-feminism, and what contribution has it made to both feminism and anarchism? The Ex-Worker is back with our longest episode to date as we kick off a series exploring anarcha-feminism in the past and present. After framing the issue and dealing with some thorny questions around definitions of feminism and gender, we take a whirlwind tour through the history—or herstory, if you like—of anarchist women from the barricades of the Paris Commune to the front lines of the Spanish Civil War. In addition to Louise Michel, Lucy Parsons, Emma Goldman, and a few other big names, we’ll share lesser-known stories of Russian nihilists, Puerto Rican tobacco workers, Japanese journalists, Mexican guerrillas, and many other unsung heroines of late 19th and early 20th century anarchist struggles. The anthology Quiet Rumors: An Anarcha-Feminist Reader appears on the Chopping Block, and while a member of the Revolutionary Anarcha-Feminist Group from Dublin, Ireland joins us for an interview. Clara and Alanis even take issue with a term from the Contradictionary, on top of a packed calendar of upcoming events, news, and more.

You can download this and all of our previous episodes online. You can also subscribe in iTunes here or just add the feed URL to your podcast player of choice. Rate us on iTunes and let us know what you think, or send us an email to podcast@crimethinc.com. You can also call us 24 hours a day at 202–59-NOWRK, that is, 202–596–6975.

#25: The Brazil World Cup Protests – The recent World Cup prompted widespread protests across Brazil. In our 25th episode, we discuss why these protests took place, who participated, and how they connected to the uprisings of the last year. We share an audio collage of protest voices, an interview with Brazilian anarchists, and a Situationist-inspired critique of mass sports spectacles. The new green anarchist journal Black Seed appears on the Chopping Block, while a Ukrainian anarchist offers perspective on why things may not be so bleak there for anarchists as we thought. And there’s hooliganism, a June 11th rundown, prisoner updates, reflections on the “global village,” and more.

You can download this and all of our previous episodes online. You can also subscribe in iTunes here or just add the feed URL to your podcast player of choice. Rate us on iTunes and let us know what you think, or send us an email to podcast@crimethinc.com. You can also call us 24 hours a day at 202–59-NOWRK, that is, 202–596–6975.

Work has just been published in German, thanks to our comrades Black Mosquito. Our poster depicting the pyramid of capitalism is available alongside it in German translation, as well. A German-language speaking tour to present the book is ongoing, following last spring’s Engish-language tour on the same subject.

Black Mosquito recently suffered a police raid in which the authorities used a pretext to steal their computers and merchandise. Our comrades remain unstoppable, but should the authorities continue to harass them, we will call for solidarity actions. We would also like to express our appreciation to everyone who has been involved in the occupation of the Hauptmann School in Berlin, taking direct action against police attacks on refugees.

We reproduce here in English our introduction to the German version of Work, which briefly reviews the goals of the project, the context in which it appeared, and the preliminary results.

Read the introduction.