Title:
Anarchism : a very short introduction / Colin Ward.
Author:
Ward, Colin.
Publication Information:
Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2004.
Call Number:
HX833 .W36 2004
Abstract:
What do anarchists want? It seems easier to classify them by what they don't want, namely, the organizations of the State, and to identify them with rioting and protest rather than with any coherent ideology. But with demonstrations like those against the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund being blamed on anarchists, it is clear that an explanation of what they do stand for is long overdue. Colin Ward provides answers to these questions by considering anarchism from a variety of perspectives: theoretical, historical, and international, and by exploring key anarchist thinkers, from Kropotkin through to Chomsky. He looks critically at anarchism by evaluating key ideas within it, such as its blanket opposition to incarceration, and policy of 'no compromise' with the apparatus of political decision-making. Can anarchy ever function effectively as a political force? Is it more 'organized' and 'reasonable' than is currently perceived? Whatever the politics of the reader, Ward's argument ensures that anarchism will be much better understood after experiencing this book.
Electronic Access:
Table of contents only http://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip0418/2004013626.html
ISBN:
9780192804778
Series:
Very short introductions ; 116
Very short introductions ; 116.
Physical Description:
109 p. : ill. ; 18 cm.
Contents:
Definitions and ancestors -- Revolutionary moments -- States, societies, and the collapse of socialism -- Deflating nationalism and fundamentalism -- Containing deviancy and liberating work -- Freedom in education -- The individualist response -- Quiet revolutions -- The federalist agenda -- Green aspirations and anarchist futures.
Personal Author:
