Andrej Grubacic

Andrej Grubačić is the Founding Chair of the Anthropology and Social Change department at CIIS-San Francisco, an academic program with an exclusive focus on anarchist anthropology. He is the editor of the Journal of World-Systems Research and is an affiliated faculty member at the Berkeley Center for Social Medicine, UC Berkeley. He is the author of several books, including Living at the Edges of Capitalism: Adventures in Exile and Mutual Aid (coauthored with Denis O’Hearn), Don’t Mourn, Balkanize!, and Wobblies and Zapatistas (with Staughton Lynd). He is the editor of the PM Press Kairos imprint.

Following the collapse of Yugoslavia, Grubacic was based in Belgrade, before leaving his position as assistant lecturer of History at the University of Belgrade (due to tensions relating to his political activism) and relocating to the Fernand Braudel Center at SUNY Binghamton in New York, United States where he taught in the Sociology department.

Grubacic is founding member of the Global Balkans network of the Balkan anti-capitalist diaspora, the Yugoslav Initiative for Economic Democracy, Kontrapunkt magazine, and ZBalkans – a Balkan edition of Z Magazine on whose editorial board he also sits. He is or has been active as an anarchist organizer in networks such as Planetary Alternatives Network, the post-Yugoslav coalition of anti-authoritarian collectives DSM!, Peoples Global Action, the World Social Forum, Freedom Fight and, most recently, as a program director for the Global Commons.

His works include books in Balkan languages, chapters and numerous articles related to the history and utopian present of the Balkans.

His affinity towards anarchism arose as a result of his experiences as a member of the Belgrade Libertarian Group that derives from the Yugoslav Praxis experiment.

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• More from Andrej

Titles by Andrej

Forewords/Introductions by Andrej

Praise

“These thoughtful essays offer us a vivid picture of the Balkans experience from the inside, with its richness and complexity, tragedy and hope, and lessons from which we can all draw inspiration and insight.”
—Noam Chomsky, MIT

“The history of Yugoslavia is of global relevance, and there’s no one better placed to reveal, share, and analyse it than Andrej Grubacic. From the struggle of the Roma to the liberating possibilities of ‘federalism from below,’ this collection of essays is required and radical reading.”
—Raj Patel, author of Stuffed and Starved

“This book of essays shows a deep grasp of Yugoslav history and social theory. It is a groundbreaking book, representing a bold departure from existing ideas, and an imaginative view to how a just society in the Balkans might be constructed.”
—Howard Zinn, author of A People’s History of the United States

“I cannot think of another work that even tries to accomplish what Andrej Grubacic has artfully undertaken in this volume. Don’t Mourn, Balkanize! is the first radical account of Yugoslav history after Yugoslavia, surveying this complex history with imagination and insight. Grubacic’s book provides essential information and perspective for all those interested in the recent history of this part of the world.”
—Michael Albert, author of Parecon

“Andrej Grubacic is a rare genuine authority on the recent history and politics of the Balkans. I have known him for a decade, have followed and read his work with profit, and corresponded with him on matters which I found difficult in doing my own writing in this field.”
—Edward S. Herman Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

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About

From Here To There collects unpublished talks and hard-to-find essays from legendary activist historian Staughton Lynd.

The first section of the Reader collects reminiscences and analyses of the 1960s. A second section offers a vision of how historians might immerse themselves in popular movements while maintaining their obligation to tell the truth. In the last section Lynd explores what nonviolence, resistance to empire as a way of life, and working class self-activity might mean in the 21st century. Together, they provide a sweeping overview of the life, and work—to date—of Staughton Lynd.

Both a definitive introduction and further exploration, it is bound to educate, enlighten, and inspire those new to his work and those who have been following it for decades. In a wide-ranging Introduction, anarchist scholar Andrej Grubacic considers how Lynd’s persistent concerns relate to traditional anarchism.

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Praise

“There’s no doubt that we’ve lost much of our history. It’s also very clear that those in power in this country like it that way. Here’s a book that shows us why. It demonstrates not only that another world is possible, but that it already exists, has existed, and shows an endless potential to burst through the artificial walls and divisions that currently imprison us. An exquisite contribution to the literature of human freedom, and coming not a moment too soon.”
—David Graeber, author of Fragments of an Anarchist Anthropology and Direct Action: An Ethnography

“In these desperate, often tragic, times, we look backward, forward, even to our dreams to be able to keep imagining a world in which justice may be part of more people’s lives. We look to lives lived before ours, to stories and their meanings, to strategies culled from the worlds of politics or ancient wisdoms. We look in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe, and here in the United States. We are willing to entertain any new idea or revamped strategy. Staughton Lynd’s life and work put him in a unique position to seek out someone like Grubacic, ask the pertinent questions, and tell the meaningful stories. Grubacic’s experience perfectly compliments Lynd’s. Here we have the best of a non-dogmatic Marxism listening to a most creative and humane anarchism. But this book is never weighted down by unforgiving theory. Just the opposite: it is a series of conversations where the reader feels fully present. It provides a marvelous framework for enriching the conversation that’s never really stopped: about how we may make this world a better place.”
 —Margaret Randall, author of Sandino’s Daughters, When I Look Into the Mirror and See You, and Narrative of Power

“I have been in regular contact with Andrej Grubacic for many years, and have been most impressed by his searching intelligence, broad knowledge, lucid judgment, and penetrating commentary on contemporary affairs and their historical roots. He is an original thinker and dedicated activist, who brings deep understanding and outstanding personal qualities to everything he does.” —Noam Chomsky

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Forewords/Introductions by Andrej Grubacic

Praise

“What Is Anarchism? is a classic. It brings together a marvellous selection of inspiring texts with a clear, comprehensive introduction—now updated—to provide a brilliant account of the cares, concerns and commitments that animate anarchist politics and activities of British anarchists since 1945.”
—Ruth Kinna, author of Anarchism: A Beginner’s Guide

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Praise

“Holloway’s work is infectiously optimistic.”
—Steven Poole, the Guardian 

“Holloway’s thesis is indeed important and worthy of notice”
—Richard J.F. Day, Canadian Journal of Cultural Studies

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Book Events

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Reviews

• Yugoslavia: Peace, War, and Dissolution – A Review
• The Staughton Lynd Factor: A Dispatch from the Frontline Trenches of Higher Education in Middle America
• Don’t Mourn, Balkanize! in the New York Journal of Books
• Don’t Mourn, Balkanize! on Counterpunch
• Don’t Mourn, Balkanize! on Znet
• In, Against, and Beyond Capitalism: A Review
• In, Against, and Beyond Capitalism: An Antipode Review
• Some Thoughts on Synthesis and Political Identity
• Can We Make a New Haymarket Synthesis?
• Staughton Lynd Tackles Wobblies and Zapatistas

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Interviews

• Andrej Grubacic Talking about Wobblies & Zapatistas
• Watch Andrej Grubacic Speak about Anarchist History of Capitalism
• Andrej Grubacic: New Rounds of Enclosure and Resistance: Fighting Notes from “Transitional” Serbia
• Today on Your Call: What’s the Relevance of Anarchism Today?
• Andrej Grubacic: Reconsidering Yugoslav Socialism
• Anarchism, Marxism, and Zapatismo
• Dismantling the Self-Constructed Barrier
• Video of discussion on Wobblies and Zapatistas at Bluestockings Books
• Anarchism, Marxism, and Zapatismo
• Wobblies and Zapatistas on ZNet

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Mentions

• The Staughton Lynd Factor

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Blog

• Exile, World Systems Analysis and Anarchism with Andrej Grubačić on The Final Straw Radio
• Is Interscience Interdisciplinary? Towards a Single Adventure of the Mind
• The Anarchist Century: A Response to Gabriel Kuhn