Nate Hawthorn, writing in the most recent Ideas and Action, a North American anarcho-syndicalist paper, says the following in a a review with the wonderful title "Let’s Talk About Another Burning Color: Black Flame vs. Red Fire Extinguisher?"
"The book is so good that every anarchist should read it and set up discussion groups on it. The organization I belong to, the Workers Solidarity Alliance, and our sister organizations should hold speaking events for this book, where we present its main arguments and encourage people to read it. We should also discuss the book more in our movements’ publications, both carrying out further analysis using the book’s framework as well as debating the framework. I mean all this sincerely: go read the book".
Every rose has some thorns, of course, and here's some from Nate's paper: "At the same time, in this article I’m going to talk about one area where the book is not as good, which is Black Flame’s treatment of marxism". He argues we need to engage with libertarian Marxists, and treat Marxism too harshly and crudely.
A small reply:
We will do a formal response in Ideas and Action soon (ish), but its worth stressing that we do agree that libertarian Marxists have a lot in common with anarchists, and that there should be a discussion - although not a synthesis - between the two. However, there is no getting around the fact that the "classical Marxism" that Black Flame discusses is far and away the the main current in Marxism, comprising most of Marxist history, most Marxists and (of course) every single Marxist regime. And Marx's "public persona" (Black Flame, p. 93) stressed precisely the determinism (pp. 93-4) and statism upon which these regimes drew (pp. 23-24, 88). We're for a historical - which means properly balanced - view of Marxism, not the view that all Marxisms are equally worthy of discsussion.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
EXCHANGE on "Black Flame" between Spencer Sunshine and the authors, in recent "Anarchist Studies"
NEW: Italian translation here.
Anarchist Studies, which describes itself as "an inter-disciplinary journal of scholarly research into the history, culture and theory of anarchism", recently carried a critical review of Black Flame by Spencer Sunshine. The authors were permitted to write a reply, which addressed some of the issues raised by Sunshine.
In summary, Sunshine's review praised Black Flame for "the best assemblage of research I have encountered on classical anarchism’s complex relationship to questions of nationalism, imperialism and race", and its "stress on the rich anarchist and syndicalist traditions in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean," "a ‘crucial corrective to Eurocentric accounts’". However, he also claimed the book was "infuriating", since it had a "highly unusual" definition of anarchism (i.e. anarchism as a form of libertarian socialism), leading to the exclusion of the (so-called) "philosophical, individualist, spiritual and ‘lifestyle’ traditions" (supposedly the "majority" of today's anarchists).
In response, Lucien van der Walt noted that Sunshine provided no serious evidence to refute the book's core theses e.g. that the global anarchist movement emerged in the First International, that syndicalism is an integral part ... that this tradition centres on rationalism, socialism and anti-authoritarianism ... the writings of Mikhail Bakunin and Pyotr Kropotkin ... and that this ‘narrow’ definition is both empirically defensible and analytically useful". In presenting the book's view of anarchism as a "highly unusual", he ended up having to present the views of pretty much all major anarchists and syndicalist activists and movements as "highly unusual" forms of anarchism, and to do this through the use of loaded rhetoric.
Anarchist Studies, which describes itself as "an inter-disciplinary journal of scholarly research into the history, culture and theory of anarchism", recently carried a critical review of Black Flame by Spencer Sunshine. The authors were permitted to write a reply, which addressed some of the issues raised by Sunshine.
In summary, Sunshine's review praised Black Flame for "the best assemblage of research I have encountered on classical anarchism’s complex relationship to questions of nationalism, imperialism and race", and its "stress on the rich anarchist and syndicalist traditions in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean," "a ‘crucial corrective to Eurocentric accounts’". However, he also claimed the book was "infuriating", since it had a "highly unusual" definition of anarchism (i.e. anarchism as a form of libertarian socialism), leading to the exclusion of the (so-called) "philosophical, individualist, spiritual and ‘lifestyle’ traditions" (supposedly the "majority" of today's anarchists).
In response, Lucien van der Walt noted that Sunshine provided no serious evidence to refute the book's core theses e.g. that the global anarchist movement emerged in the First International, that syndicalism is an integral part ... that this tradition centres on rationalism, socialism and anti-authoritarianism ... the writings of Mikhail Bakunin and Pyotr Kropotkin ... and that this ‘narrow’ definition is both empirically defensible and analytically useful". In presenting the book's view of anarchism as a "highly unusual", he ended up having to present the views of pretty much all major anarchists and syndicalist activists and movements as "highly unusual" forms of anarchism, and to do this through the use of loaded rhetoric.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
VIDEO: Michael Schmidt, "Black Flame" co-author, speaks in Canada, 2010
Michael Schmidt, co-author of Black Flame: The Revolutionary Class Politics of Anarchism and Syndicalism, talks to an audience at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario in March 2010. The talk was presented by Common Cause and AK Press.
Go here.
Go here.
From a new review in the "South African Journal of Philisophy" (extracts)
Ian Liebenberg and Petrus de Kock, " Review Article: Transforming the state away from the State? Radical social action and ‘minority attractions’ under scrutiny", South African Journal of Philosophy, 2010, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 195-208
"Anyone interested in the theory and socio-philosophical background to anarchism and syndicalism will find the Black Flame an active reflective utterance and a valuable reference work for some years to come ... despite ‘multiple deaths’, anarchist philosophy and action still manifests itself [and] forms part of and influences social movements that continue to utter a radical “No!” to centralist power, global capitalism and economic exploitation, ecological destruction included".
"Anyone interested in the theory and socio-philosophical background to anarchism and syndicalism will find the Black Flame an active reflective utterance and a valuable reference work for some years to come ... despite ‘multiple deaths’, anarchist philosophy and action still manifests itself [and] forms part of and influences social movements that continue to utter a radical “No!” to centralist power, global capitalism and economic exploitation, ecological destruction included".
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Jozi Book Fair event: BLACK FLAME: The revolutionary class politics of anarchism and syndicalism, SUN 8 August @ 3 pm
Jozi Book Fair event:
BLACK FLAME: The revolutionary class politics of anarchism and syndicalism, SUN 8 August @ 3 pm
JOZI BOOK FAIR 2010
http://www.jozibookfair.org.za/
BOOK LAUNCH/ EVENT
BLACK FLAME: The revolutionary class politics of anarchism and syndicalism
Lucien van der Walt & Michael Schmidt
'Black Flame' examines the anti-authoritarian class politics of the anarchist/syndicalist movement, and its 150 years of popular struggle on five continents.
BLACK FLAME: The revolutionary class politics of anarchism and syndicalism, SUN 8 August @ 3 pm
JOZI BOOK FAIR 2010
http://www.jozibookfair.org.za/
BOOK LAUNCH/ EVENT
BLACK FLAME: The revolutionary class politics of anarchism and syndicalism
Lucien van der Walt & Michael Schmidt
'Black Flame' examines the anti-authoritarian class politics of the anarchist/syndicalist movement, and its 150 years of popular struggle on five continents.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Endorsement by Prof. Martin Miller
Professor Martin Miller, Duke University editor of The Russian Revolution (2001) and P. A. Kropotkin. Selected Writings on Anarchism and Revolution (1970, 1976) , and author of Freud and the Bolsheviks: Psychoanalysis in Imperial Russia and the Soviet Union (1998), The Russian Revolutionary Emigres, 1830-1870 1986) and the definitive biography Kropotkin (1976), writes:
This extraordinary volume should be required reading for anyone interested in the relevance of political thought on all sides of the spectrum. It is the most comprehensive analysis of anarchist theory to date, covering the entire sweep of the 19th and 20th centuries. While making clear their own interpretive preferences for the transnational and syndicalist aspects of anarchism, the authors are judicious in their assessment of the entire movement’s wide range of thinkers from Bakunin to Bookchin. The scholarship is impressive and the book provides a wealth of references for further research. Black Flame not only succeeds in bringing anarchist ideas into vivid relief in their historical contexts, but also shows the increasing relevance of an anarchist critique for our own time.
This extraordinary volume should be required reading for anyone interested in the relevance of political thought on all sides of the spectrum. It is the most comprehensive analysis of anarchist theory to date, covering the entire sweep of the 19th and 20th centuries. While making clear their own interpretive preferences for the transnational and syndicalist aspects of anarchism, the authors are judicious in their assessment of the entire movement’s wide range of thinkers from Bakunin to Bookchin. The scholarship is impressive and the book provides a wealth of references for further research. Black Flame not only succeeds in bringing anarchist ideas into vivid relief in their historical contexts, but also shows the increasing relevance of an anarchist critique for our own time.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
A fine review in 'Labour/Le Travail', no. 65, 2010, by Mark Leier
Mark Leier, review essay 'Under the Black Flag: Anarchist Histories', Labour/ Le Travail, no. 65, 2010, pp. 175-180
The contribution of this book is three-fold: it offers a much-needed corrective to the liberal lifestyle and philosophical trends that have attached themselves to anarchism; it demonstrates and contributes to the diversity,themes, and arguments within anarchism; and it draws our attention to movements that have ... too often been ignored, often for political rather than historical reasons. In lively yet carefully crafted prose, the authors have provided an excellent analysis of anarchism rooted in class struggle, and a proposed second volume will examine the influence of anarchism around the world. The depth and breadth of the research are impressive, the arguments sophisticated, and the call to organize timely.
The contribution of this book is three-fold: it offers a much-needed corrective to the liberal lifestyle and philosophical trends that have attached themselves to anarchism; it demonstrates and contributes to the diversity,themes, and arguments within anarchism; and it draws our attention to movements that have ... too often been ignored, often for political rather than historical reasons. In lively yet carefully crafted prose, the authors have provided an excellent analysis of anarchism rooted in class struggle, and a proposed second volume will examine the influence of anarchism around the world. The depth and breadth of the research are impressive, the arguments sophisticated, and the call to organize timely.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Review in "Amandla" by Devan Pillay
Devan Pillay (University of the Witwatersrand), in Amandla ("SA's new progressive magazine, covering politics and more. Now stocked at more than 80 booksellers nationwide!"), Issue 13 March / April 2010
"For those who have learnt about anarchism only through the writings of Marxists and Leninists, this volume gives fascinating insight into the early world of anarchism. It is a highly readable synthesis of a wide range of secondary sources, covering events and personalities in many different countries. It deserves to be read by all those on the Left seeking to understand the diverse contributions to democratic socialist thinking and practice.
"For those who have learnt about anarchism only through the writings of Marxists and Leninists, this volume gives fascinating insight into the early world of anarchism. It is a highly readable synthesis of a wide range of secondary sources, covering events and personalities in many different countries. It deserves to be read by all those on the Left seeking to understand the diverse contributions to democratic socialist thinking and practice.
Review: "A Flame to Extinguish Capital" - Deric Shannon in "Interface: a journal for and about social movements"
"If you have a passing interest in radical politics, get this book. If you have an interest in anarchism, get this book. If you are an anarchist already, whether you agree with the authors' perspective or not, get this book. This is a thoroughly researched narrative of a political movement that promises freedom, equality, and social viability for us all..."
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Review in the "South African Labour Bulletin"
"What is unique about Black Flame is that it illustrates the universality of anarchism, which until now, other literature has not done as it has tended to focus on the European anarchist tradition ... [with] ... countless examples of large movements globally from Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Cuba and the United States, to South Africa, Egypt, Korea and Japan, and of course Spain, Italy, Russia, the UK and Ireland ...
"For South Africans in particular the final chapter provides important insights into the anarchist perspective on issues which continue to undermine our struggles. It shows how anarchism, based on the fundamental tenets of equality and solidarity, was non-racial, non-sexist and supportive of the struggles against imperialism long before other socialist movements.
"For South Africans in particular the final chapter provides important insights into the anarchist perspective on issues which continue to undermine our struggles. It shows how anarchism, based on the fundamental tenets of equality and solidarity, was non-racial, non-sexist and supportive of the struggles against imperialism long before other socialist movements.
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