Dave Berry was a lecturer in French politics and history at Loughborough University for over 30 years and was a cofounder of Loughborough’s Anarchism Research Group and of the Anarchist Studies Network. His doctoral thesis led to A History of the French Anarchist Movement, 1917–1945. Besides a number of chapters and articles on various aspects of the life and politics of Daniel Guérin, other publications include New Perspectives on Anarchism, Labour and
Syndicalism: The Individual, the National and the Transnational, coedited with Constance
Bantman; Libertarian Socialism: Politics in Black and Red, coedited with Alex Prichard, Ruth Kinna, and Saku Pinta; “Anarchism in 1968,” in Carl Levy and Matt Adams (eds.), The Palgrave
Handbook of Anarchism (2019); and “An Anarchist History of ‘Our Common Mother,’” an
introduction to a new edition of Peter Kropotkin’s The Great French Revolution, 1789–1793. He
also edited and introduced a selection of Guérin’s articles, translated for the first time: For a
Libertarian Communism. His biography of Guérin, A Life in the Service of Revolution: Daniel
Guérin, 1904–1988 is nearing completion.
For a Libertarian Communism
SKU: 9781629632360
Author: Daniel Guérin • Editor: David Berry • Translator: Mitchell Abidor
Publisher: PM Press/Revolutionary Pocketbooks
ISBN: 9781629632360
Published: 10/2017
Format: Paperback, mobi, ePub, PDF
Size: 8 x 5
Page count: 160
Subjects: Poltiical Theory
Praise
“Over six decades Daniel Guérin had a record of willingness to
cooperate with any section of the French left that shared his
fundamental goals of proletarian self-emancipation, colonial liberation,
and sexual freedom. He was a vigorous polemicist but saw no fragment of
the left, however obscure, as beneath his attention. He was also
typically generous, never seeking to malign his opponents, however
profoundly he disagreed with them. He was always willing to challenge
orthodoxy, whether Marxist or anarchist. Yet behind the varying
formulations one consistent principle remained: ‘The Revolution of our
age will be made from below—or not at all.’”
—Ian Birchall, author of The Spectre of Babeuf, Sartre Against Stalinism, and A Rebel’s Guide to Lenin
“Guérin provides an eloquent history of libertarian socialist
practice that is not just insightful but also an exemplary display of
straightforward writing, passion, and balance. The book is highly
valuable as a history of thought and action, to be sure, but, even more
important, as an exploration of issues and ideas directly relevant to
today’s world.”
—Michael Albert, author of Parecon: Life after Capitalism
“With the continual debasing of ‘libertarian’ to mean free-market
capitalist, the publication in English of Daniel Guérin’s classic For a Libertarian Communism
is very welcome. It shows why Guérin was one of France’s leading
libertarian thinkers and activists, for it discusses what remain the key
issues for socialists of all schools. His deep knowledge of both
anarchism and Marxism makes this book essential reading for all
radicals: Marxists will get their false notions of anarchism challenged
while those interested in anarchism will see that it is libertarian
socialism rather than some incoherent lifestyle choice.”
—Iain McKay, author of An Anarchist FAQ, Property Is Theft! A Pierre-Joseph Proudhon Reader, and Direct Struggle Against Capital: A Peter Kropotkin Anthology
“Daniel Guérin is the creator of a unique synthesis between Marxism
and anarchism: libertarian communism. His reflections are more than ever
relevant for the 21th century.”
—Michael Löwy, author of Ecosocialism: A Radical Alternative to Capitalist Catastrophe
Libertarian Socialism: Politics in Black and Red
SKU: 9781629633909
Editors: Alex Prichard, Ruth Kinna, Saku Pinta, and David Berry
Publisher: PM Press
ISBN: 9781629633909
Published: 8/2017
Format: Paperback, ePub, mobi, PDF
Size: 5.5 x 8.5
Page count: 368
Subjects: Politics-Anarchism/Politics-Socialism
Praise
“Libertarian Socialism: Politics in Black and Red is an
invaluable contribution to historical scholarship and libertarian
politics. The collection of essays contained in the book has the great
virtue of offering both analytical perspectives on ideas, and historical
perspectives on movements. The contributions examine classical themes
in anarchist politics such as individual liberty, whilst also exploring
more neglected thinkers and themes from a libertarian standpoint, such
as C.L.R. James and race. There can be little doubt that the volume will
be of major interest to historians, theorists, students and activists.”
—Darrow Schecter, reader in Italian, School of History, Art History and Philosophy, University of Sussex
“Just what we need as we move into a new phase of revolt against the
obscenity of capitalism: a recovery of the richness of our different
traditions of struggle, with their weavings and bumpings. Time to move
on, time to redeem the struggles of the past. A valuable and welcome
collection.”
—John Holloway, author of Change the World Without Taking Power and professor of sociology, Autonomous University of Puebla
“This is a welcome and essential collection that is sure to spark
debates and support ongoing efforts to build a liberatory movement in
which Marxists and anarchists can find common ground and practice mutual
respect and humility. In this period of late-capitalism, survival
itself is at stake. Theory and practice, whether Marxism or Anarchism in
their many manifestations, lead to dead ends without careful assessment
of the world as it is now.”
—Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, author of An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States
“An important, redemptive collection of essays that questions
narratives of sectarian difference without resorting to easy answers. In
exploring the productive frictions, convergences, agonisms and
affinities that have created and re-created the ‘black and red,’ the
contributors recover the neglected histories of a capacious Left, one
that repudiated ideological rigidity and sterile orthodoxies without
abandoning its socialist commons. Itself a model of such capaciousness,
this is a stimulating and necessary work.”
—Raymond B. Craib, associate professor, Department of History, Cornell University
Book Events
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Reviews
- Libertarian Socialism: Politics in Black and Red— A Review
- For a Libertarian Communism Reviewed in Anarchist Studies
- What is Libertarian Socialism? An Anarchist-Marxist Dialogue
- Libertarian Socialism: Politics in Black and Red — A Libcom review