I highly recommend "An Anarchist FAQ" :
https://www.anarchistfaq.org/afaq/index.html
This FAQ is what turned me to an Anarchist.
Seconding this.
AFAQ gives overviews on topics with a lot of quoting from books and essays. It often notes that a book is 'essential reading' for a certain topic.
So it's not only an informative read in itself, it's a great source for people looking for reading recommendations.
Awesome, thanks! Sounds a lot like what I've been looking for
You may join local IWW, help with local food not bombs, go to some anarchist bookfair near you etc. About theory, there is a website called the anarchist library with a lot of books concerning anarchism for free!
Thanks for the tips! I've found a mutual aid group in my city and apparently there's a food not bombs chapter here too. I've looked through the anarchist Library a few times but their search function isn't the greatest and being pretty new to leftist ideology, anarchism in particular, a lot of the authors are completely unfamiliar to me. I'm not sure if what I'll be digging into is any good and/or too much for me to wrap my head around. I was hoping to find the general consensus among anarchists of where to start, what to look into, etc. so id be able to read more confidently and with most of the basics covered
I haven't read any anarchist books myself yet, but I have read plenty of shorter texts I found online (mostly from The Anarchist Library).
Here are a few I found to be worth a read (in no particular order):
- Abolish Money! - Shūsui Kōtoku
- Are We Good Enough? - Peter Kropotkin
- Are You An Anarchist? The Answer May Surprise You! - David Graeber
- Ethics: Morality of the State - Mikhail Bakunin
- Power Corrupts the Best - Mikhail Bakunin
- Prisons and Crime - Alexander Berkman
- The Jobless - Alexander Berkman
- Where I Stand - Mikhail Bakunin
Since you already read The Conquest of Bread I decided to leave out most of Kropotkin's shorter texts, as I assume that you should already be familiar with his ideas and principles.
Although not anarchists, I still find many libertarian Marxists to be pretty insightful as well (some may as well be Anarchists in denial). Anton Pannekoek's and Rosa Luxemburg's works being some I really enjoy reading.
- Letter on Workers Councils - Anton Pannekoek
- Theses On The Fight Of The Working Class Against Capitalism - Anton Pannekoek
I also have What is Anarchism? (by Alexander Berkman) and Anarcho-Syndicalism (by Rudolf Rocker) standing on my bookshelf, but I haven't gotten around to reading them quite yet. If they sound interesting enough you could give them a try.
Thanks! I'll check them out
On Anarchism, Noam Chomsky.
first off, I'm a Marxist but y'all are my comrades, so my suggestions are coming from the outside but these are a couple pieces I used when I was finding my feet politically. These are a couple of the works that I found that make a compelling case for anarchism.
https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/errico-malatesta-anarchy
https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/petr-kropotkin-mutual-aid-a-factor-of-evolution and anything else Kropotkin, sounds like you read the bread book and liked it (it's a banger)
https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/anonymous-desert
https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/dean-spade-mutual-aid (haven't read this one but heard good things)
Thank you, I appreciate it! I'm not 100% an anarchist but I've really become enamored with the concept and wanted to dive deeper. It scratches that social libertarian itch that a lot of other leftist ideologies don't spend a lot of time on (at least in my reading so far)
It really does. That is one upshot of anarchism for sure, it provides a framework for individual liberty that right-libertarianism kind of falls flat on by allowing corporate power to influence individuals as a stand-in for a state. Marxism also doesn't scratch that itch, you have to buy in to the need for a balance between the rights of the individual and the rights of the collective (which then come back around and benefit the individual, if all things go according to plan)
I also find a lot of Marxism to be agreeable. I've read a bit of Marx, the principles of communism by Engles, I'm about half way through Imperialism by Lenin. I've done some reading on life in the USSR, the Chinese revolution, as well as Allende and project cybersyn. There's some great concepts laid out and good arguments as well. Where Marxism/ML/MLM kind of lose me is social liberties. I'm coming from the perspective of "my rights end where yours begin". We all ultimately make concessions to our freedom in order to peacefully live in a society. I feel a governments only duty to social issues is to intervene when a groups rights are being violated and to not interfere otherwise. There's some nuance to that obviously but speaking generally I feel it's a good rule to go by
I see a lot of praise for China and modern day Russia from Marxists spaces online. And while I'm able to admit I'm not the most informed on life in either of these countries, China particularly because its pretty difficult to find reliable info on the social climate there. Things like the Uyghur concentration camps, LGBT rights, racism, and general discrimination along social lines seems pretty common and largely accepted. I get it's kind of the pot calling the kettle black on these things coming from the US, but I'd think a socialist government would be better equipped and much more willing to tackle these problems. Support for modern Russia just straight up doesn't make sense to me. They're a capitalist society, rife with inequities and corruption like every other capitalist state. I see no reason to support them. The amount of support for them leaves a sour taste in my mouth. As I continue to learn that may change but it's hard reconciling what I read with what I see
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An aside, but you should consider crossposting this to !anarchism101@lemmy.ca - it could use the posts!
EDIT: It could use more subscribers, too, of course!
Can do!
Fan of Bookchins work myself. I would suggest googling him, and if you're into podcasts: give srsly wrong a listen. Its libertarian socialist thought broken down in a podcast with skits and well humored education/interviews. Their discord also has a fantastic bookclub with live readings and discussion.
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In addition to the great suggestions others have already provided, check out Emma Goldman's writings if you haven't already. They might appeal to you and she has some interesting takes.
Here's a good starting point: http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_Archives/goldman/GoldmanCW.html
Sweet, thanks!
Good youtube channels would be nice too. So far i just know of submedia
Noncompete is pretty good, but posts infrequently. They have a sizeable backlog though. He's an intersectionalist ancom if you're curious
Sweet, thanks
Hey, someone posted some more comments in this thread and while I was here I thought of your comment. I just found zoe baker, she's a PHD in anarchism and I've liked a lot of her content. You may be interested in it as well
I also recommend Renegade Cut, Andrewism and Think That Through.
Thanks! Ill search for her work
My only suggestion is that much of Errico Malatesta's writings are better than Conquest of Bread. Don't take Conquest of Bread too seriously, in my opinion.
I found "At The Café" dialogues by Malatesta to be a very entertaining yet insightful reas, especially when it comes to discussions among leftists about power structures.
Sounds interesting, I'll check it out!
Sandströms anarchist accounting and most stuff by Öcalan.
What is Property by Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
The Conquest of Bread by Peter Kropotkin
Luigi Galleani
Emma Goldman
There's a lot. I could make a more comprehensive list when I get done with work, if you'd like.
Awesome, thank you! I'd be happy to hear any other recommendations you have. I'm reading an anarchist programme by Malatesta next, then it's on to anarchy by Malatesta. I might dive a bit deeper into David Graeber's works after that. Bullshit Jobs was fascinating
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Pyter Kropotkin's Mutual aid and conquest of bread.
Both have somethings that are out dated. But both are very good for foundational understanding of anarchy.
He's not an anarchist, per se, but Noam Chomsky is always good to read. I heard Neal Stephenson's book The Diamond Age is about anarchy? As well as Kim Stanley Robinson's book Red Planet. Sadly, those are the only two I am aware of!
Beyond theory I found practical examples were extremely helpful in understanding how anarchist politics relate to real life, so I'd recommend Revolution in Rojava: Democratic Autonomy and Women's Liberation in Syrian Kurdistan.
Revolution in Rojava: Democratic Autonomy and Women’s Liberation in Syrian Kurdistan
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in new ways of community building or the current events unfolding in the region.
I started with A Crime Called Freedom: Writings of Os Cangaceiros, but try as I might I can't find volume 2 of it anywhere.
For a comprehensive overview of the diverse currents of anarchist thought and practice, I am really enjoying the Palgrave Handbook of Anarchism. It can be downloaded on Annas Archive.
I also like this Wikipedia list of Books about Anarchism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_books_about_anarchism
The best libertarian left anarchism-compatible modern critique of capitalism has been put forward by libertarian left economist David Ellerman. He himself is not an anarchist, but his critique was cited in the anarchist FAQ. He also explains why capitalist economists defense of capitalism is besides the point.
A link to a short article where he explains his argument: https://www.ellerman.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Council_DemocracyCaseForWorkplaceDemocracy.pdf
His book where he completely details his anti-capitalist argument: https://www.ellerman.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Ellerman-Property-and-Contract-Book.pdf
A legal system backed by state violence is *NOT* "anarchism-compatible".
Legal systems don't have to be backed by state violence per se
I just read this: https://slrpnk.net/post/9405230
and the OP (though not the pamphlet author) sent me here.
Specifically, with a question. The author mentions offhandedly that in an anarchistic society there would be no need for lawyers. But in a society governed by consensus and consent, wouldn't professional advocates be more useful, not less? Any insight?
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this post was submitted on 19 Jul 2023
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