Anarchism
Anarchism and anarchists and anything associated with the thinking, the people, or the history generally get a raw deal from the media and even mainstream historians. It is true that anarchism is profoundly anti-authoritarian, but its popular association with violence (wild-eyed bearded men throwing bombs) is exaggerated, even fictionalized by the very forces threatened by it, namely governments and the media with vested interests in things as they are.
As with any subversive political and economic movement, some proponents became impatient and felt justified in striking out in vengeance or justice. Thus you have Alexander Berkman and his attempted assassination of Pennsylvanian Henry Clay Frick in 1892 and Leon Czolgosz and his successful assassination of President William McKinley in 1901. Berkman, however, served his time in jail, wrote a deep and insightful account of his experience and went on to write more worthwhile books on the subject which possessed his life. (Czolgosz did not have that opportunity, being executed forty-five days after the death of his victim.)
Anarchism survived its dramatic beginnings in the 19th Century, however, and interested readers can find its articulate concern with agricultural reform, labor rights, and prophetic worries about the growth of the surveillance state in many excellent books. Here you will find books and a superb documentary on Sacco and Vanzetti (as well as Woody Guthrie's cd of his investigation into the miscarriage of justice). Here you will find histories, biographies, anthologies, memoirs, and fiction. It is a rich tradition, relevant to this day and to the future.
The Accumulation of Freedom: Writings on Anarchist Economics
The Accumulation of Freedom: Writings on Anarchist Economics
The only crisis of capitalism is capitalism itself. Let's toss credit default swaps, bailouts, environmental externalities and, while we're at it, private ownership of production in the dustbin of history. The Accumulation of Freedom brings together economists, historians, theorists, and activists for a first-of-its-kind study of anarchist economics. The editors aren't trying to subvert the notion of economics—they accept the standard definition, but reject the notion that capitalism or central planning are acceptable ways to organize economic life.
Praise for Accumulation of Freedom:
"The Accumulation of Freedom fills a vital need for beginning a serious dialogue about alternatives to capitalist globalization and the continuing ruthless exploitation of labor and natural resources. This is a comprehensive guide for all of us to think about how we might create not only a sustainable future, but one based on justice, community and freedom."—Benjamin Frymer, Project Censored
"This is an amazing, timely, and important book, providing a needed alternative perspective on the future, if we are to have one."—Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, author of Outlaw Woman
"This book addresses a broadening interest in anarchism – as both theory and politics – in the wake of the deepening economic and social crisis in the United States and elsewhere. It is a very timely collection of articles that boldly confronts the urgent need for a fundamental alternative to the existing bankrupt power structure."—Carl Boggs, author of Imperial Delusions
"Given the vast overburden of tomes delineating every theoretical nuance of 'free market,' mixed, and marxian economies, material addressing anarchist alternatives has always been rendered conspicuous by its absence. Accumulation of Freedom fills the void rather neatly, providing a broadly-framed and accessible survey of this crucially important field." —Ward Churchill, author
Contributors include Robin Hahnel, Iain McKay, Marie Trigona, Chris Spannos, Ernesto Aguilar, Uri Gordon, and more.