John P. Clark

John P. Clark is a native of the Island of New Orleans, where his family has lived for thirteen generations, and where he and his children and grandchildren continue to reside. He is director of La Terre Institute for Community and Ecology and Professor Emeritus at Loyola University, where he taught philosophy and environmental studies for many years. His books include Max Stirner’s Egoism, The Philosophical Anarchism of William Godwin, The Anarchist Moment, Anarchy, Geography, Modernity, The Impossible Community, The Tragedy of Common Sense, Between Earth and Empire, and (as Max Cafard) The Surregionalist Manifesto and Other Writings, FLOOD BOOK, Surregional Explorations, and Lightning Storm Mind, in addition to various edited works and translations.  His interests include dialectical thought, ecological philosophy, environmental ethics, anarchist and libertarian theory, the social imaginary, the critique of domination, Buddhist and Daoist philosophy, theory of social transformation, and the crisis of the Earth. An archive of over four hundred of his texts can be found at http://loyno.academia.edu/JohnClark. He has long been active in the radical ecology and communitarian anarchist movements. His recent work has focused on ecological resistance work with No Bayou Bridge, No New Leases, 350 NOLA and other grassroots organizations.  His work with La Terre Institute includes educational and organizational programs in New Orleans and on an 88-acre site on Bayou La Terre, in the coastal forest of the Gulf of Mexico. He is a member of the Education Workers’ Union of the Industrial Workers of the World.

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Titles by John

Forewords by John

Praise

“In this often insightful and illuminating book John P. Clark sets out his vision for a radically democratic ‘communitarian anarchism.’ . . . Clark’s deep commitment to the anarchist ethics that he advocates, and his work in putting them into effect, lend weight to the distinction between ethics as working ideals and the kind of ‘abstract moralism’ he criticizes. . . . This book is valuable for several important reasons. . . . Clark adeptly deploys Marx, Hegel, Aristotle, Enlightenment philosophers, Žižek, and a host of other modern and ancient thinkers, making this work erudite and rich.”
—Chris Tomlinson, Red Pepper 

“In The Impossible Community, John Clark proposes something that is sorely lacking in today’s landscape: the prospect of going beyond our obsessions with catastrophe in all its guises—environmental, geopolitical, financial, etc.—to the exploration of new forms of social organization based on voluntary anarchist cooperation. Clark is able to bring to bear his immense erudition and experience with alternative modes of social organization, both historical and geographical, and thus can lead us, like Ariadne with her thread, out of the labyrinth of our present-day paralysis.”
—Ronald Creagh, professor emeritus, Université Montpellier 3, France

“At a time of growing social and ecological crisis, John Clark is a very welcome voice, bringing hope with his version of communitarian anarchism. He writes very vividly and persuasively, whether it be general theory or particular case studies. The Impossible Community should be widely discussed and realized, as it shows brilliantly a way out of our present predicament.”
—Peter Marshall, author of Demanding the Impossible: A History of Anarchism

“The Impossible Community is a magnificent book, distilled from a lifetime of radical practice. I know of no other work that so successfully integrates rigorous philosophical inquiry with on-the-ground struggle. Generous and compassionate in spirit, fierce in critique, prodigious in learning, and universal in scope, this celebration of the anarchist way is a beacon of hope for our afflicted times.”
—Joel Kovel, author of The Enemy of Nature

“A text that is wide-ranging and challenging in the best sense of the word. It fuses passion, will, and reason. It combines deep theory with practical examples of social transformation. Where there is sustained complex analysis, it is not gratuitous; it is pertinent to the overall argument, demonstrating how anarchism’s account of social solidarity alongside a creative individualism is not idealist, abstract, or contradictory. The intricate arguments are well illustrated in the reflective chapter on the Katrina tragedy and the sections on contemporary communal movements in the Indian subcontinent. The Impossible Community makes a valuable contribution to those interested in the growing anarchistic social movements and how they link the local to the global.”
—Benjamin Franks, www.e-ir.info

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Praise

“Whether in Rojava, where women are fighting for their people’s survival, or in the loss and terror of New Orleans after the Katrina flood, Clark finds models of communality, care, and hope. Finely reasoned and integrative, tracing the dialectical play of institution and ethos, ideology and imaginary, this book will speak to philosophers and activists alike.”
—Ariel Salleh, author of Ecofeminism as Politics

“Clark presents very sophisticated philosophical concepts in a style that is quite comprehensible to the general public. Each page sheds new light on our age of planetary turbulence and demolishes all pseudo-truths about it.”
—Ronald Creagh, author of American Utopias

“John Clark’s book is a measured manifesto. It is a must read for any activist or scholar concerned with the alternatives to capitalism’s ongoing war on nature.”
—Andrej Grubačić, coauthor of Living at the Edges of Capitalism

“John Clark’s Between Earth and Empire is a guide to that which is obvious yet confoundingly obscure—namely, that models of social organization based in care and cooperation are infinitely more constructive and mutually beneficial than those based in competition and conquest.”
—Alyce Santoro, conceptual/sound artist and activist

“This book is a compass, polarized in the superlative subtropiques of the Gulf Coast, orienting cardinal points in the landscapes of the Zapatistas, the Black Panther Party, the Kurdish freedom movement, and West Papua. The diamantine dialectics of freedom breathing through the pages of this book will be a decisive factor in the final battles between earth and empire, between evolution and extinction. Which side are you on?”
—Quincy Saul, cofounder of Ecosocialist Horizons, and editor of Maroon Comix

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Praise

“For far too long Elisée Reclus has stood in the shadow of Godwin, Proudhon, Bakunin, Kropotkin, and Emma Goldman. Now John Clark has pulled Reclus forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with Anarchism’s cynosures. Reclus’ light brought into anarchism’s compass not only a focus on ecology, but a struggle against both patriarchy and racism, contributions which can now be fully appreciated thanks to John Clark’s exegesis and [his and Camille Martin’s] translations of works previously unavailable in English. No serious reader can afford to neglect this book.”
—Dana Ward, Pitzer College

“Finally! A century after his death, the great French geographer and anarchist Elisée Reclus has been honored by a vibrant selection of his writings expertly translated into English.”
—Kent Mathewson, Louisiana State University

“Maintaining an appropriately scholarly style, marked by deep background knowledge, nuanced argument, and careful qualifications, Clark and Martin nevertheless reveal a passionate love for their subject and adopt a stance of political engagement that they hope does justice to Reclus’ own commitments.”
—Historical Geography

“Clark and Martin have opened the door, through their deep introduction and selected reprints, to one of the great thinkers of 19th century anarchist thought.”
—Anarchy

“This inspiring analysis and anthology does an excellent job of placing Reclus in his anarchist and social context.”
—Anarchist Studies

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Forewords by John P. Clark

Praise

“The most comprehensive and richly detailed work yet to appear on Godwin as thinker, writer, and person.”
—John P. Clark, The Tragedy of Common Sense

“An ambitious study that offers a thorough exploration of Godwin’s life and complex times.”
—Library Journal

“Marshall steers his course . . . with unfailing sensitivity and skill. It is hard to see how the task could have been better done.”
—Michael Foot, The Observer

“It brings back a thinker who was at once visionary and confident, and who had the good fortune to write when utopian ideas did not seem utopian.”
—David Bromwich, New York Times

“An absorbing biography . . . presenting a sympathetic portrait of a principled, embattled humanist. Peter Marshall describes these voluminous and multifaceted writings discerningly.”
—M.B. Freidman, Choice

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Praise

“Peter Marshall has produced the most useful modern account of Godwin’s life and now the most useful modern anthology of his writings. Marshall’s selection is sensible and valuable, bringing out the important points. . . . His introduction is a good summary of Godwin’s life and work. . . . Marshall is right to see him as ‘the most profound exponent of philosophical anarchism.’”
—Nicolas Walter, New Statesman

“A handsome and handy little book, excavating nuggets of Godwinian wisdom from the whole range of his writings.”
—Colin Ward, Times Educational Supplement

“An anarchist classic . . . with a valuable sketch of Godwin’s life and an interpretation of his work. Much of what Godwin says is obvious common sense.”
—Henry Geiger, Manas Journal

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Praise

“This is a refreshing book. Written with the humility of the learner, or the absence of the arrogant knower, the Zapatista dictum to ‘command obeying’ becomes to ‘know learning.’”
—Marisol de la Cadena, author of Earth Beings: Ecologies of Practice across Andean Worlds

“Autonomy Is in Our Hearts is perhaps the most important book you can read on the Zapatista movement in Chiapas today. It stands out from the rest of the Anglophone literature in that it demonstrates, with great sensitivity, how a dialectic between traditional culture and institutions and emerging revolutionary and regenerative forces can play a crucial role in liberatory social transformation. It shows us what we can learn from the indigenous people of Chiapas about a politics of community, care, and mutual aid, and—to use a word that they themselves use so much—about a politics of heart. A great strength of the work is that the author is a very good listener. He allows the people of Chiapas to tell their own story largely in their own words, and with their own distinctive voice.”
—John P. Clark, from the Foreword

“Autonomy Is in Our Hearts takes us step by step through the first two grades of the Zapatistas’ international primary school in politics called the escuelita, and carefully describes the ongoing revolution of everyday life in the autonomous municipalities of Chiapas. Most importantly, this book studies the Zapatistas in their own language. In the syntax and semantics of precolonial languages are encoded the seeds and harvest of a post-capitalist present and future. If, as the Zapatistas say, ‘the word is our weapon,’ then this book is a glimpse into an armory for decolonization.”
—Quincy Saul, coeditor of Maroon the Implacable and member of the East Coast Chiapas Solidarity Committee

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Praise

“scott crow’s trenchant memoir of grassroots organizing is an important contribution to a history of movements that far too often goes untold.”
—Amy Goodman, host and executive producer of Democracy Now!

“This revised and expanded edition weaves scott crow’s frontline experiences with a resilient, honest discussion of grassroots political movement-building.” 
—Will Potter, author of Green Is the New Red: An Insider’s Account of a Social Movement Under Siege

“It is a brilliant, detailed, and humble book written with total frankness and at the same time a revolutionary poet’s passion. It makes the reader feel that we too, with our emergency heart as our guide, can do anything; we only need to begin.” 
—Marina Sitrin, author of Horizontalism: Voices of Popular Power in Argentina

“This book is a key document in that real and a remarkable story of an activist’s personal and philosophical evolution.” 
—Rebecca Solnit, author of A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster

“This is a compelling tale for our times.” 
—Bill Ayers,author of Fugitive Days

“The story of the Common Ground Collective is that of one of the greatest triumphs of democratic self-organization in American history.” 
—David Graeber, author of Debt: The First 5,000 Years

“Can anarchism actually work? Yes, as a matter of fact. scott crow’s lucid first-hand account is a story that simply must be told. This book should be read as widely as possible.”
—Ward Churchill, author of Wielding Words like Weapons

“…crow is a puppetmaster involved in direct action.”
—Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

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Book Events

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Reviews

• John Clark’s Possible Community
• On John Clark’s The Impossible Community
• John Clark’s Possible Community
• Between Earth and Empire: A Review in AAG Review of Books
• Between Earth and Empire: A CHOICE Review
• Romantic Rationalist: A William Godwin Reader: A Review
• Anarchy, Geography, Modernity Review in AAG Review of Books
• Repression against grassroots hurricane relief lingers in New Orleans
• Sunflowers in the Concrete: Black Flags and Windmills reviewed on Center for a Stateless Society
• Solidarity Not Charity
• Construyendo desde abajo. Acción anarquista en los Estados Unidos
• Black Mask: Trip Through an Anarchist Turf War
• Black Flags and Windmills: 1 of the top 5 books to read in 2011
• Black Flags and Windmills on The Rag Blog
• Founding Common Ground
• Text as Folk Art: Black Flags and Windmills
• Black Flags and Windmills: A Razorcake Review
• Blackflags and Windmills on Earth First! Newswire
• scott crow’s Black Flags and Windmills reviewed on Mission District
• Black Flags and Windmills in Anarchist Studies Journal
• Black Flags and Windmills in Maximum Rock n Roll
• How a Radical Leftist Became the FBI’s BFF
• Between Earth and Empire— Recommended book for EcoSocialists
• Green Pioneer: Anarchy, Geography, Modernity: Selected Writings of Elisée Reclus: A Review
• Anarchy, Geography, Modernity Review in Antipode
• Anarchy, Geography, Modernity: Selected Writings of Elisée Reclus in Publishers Weekly
• Liberty, Equality, Geography: An Interview with John P. Clark on the Revolutionary Eco-Anarchism of Elisée Reclus
• Anarchy, Geography, and Modernity: A Glimpse into the Depth of Anarchism
• Between Earth and Empire in Foreword Reviews

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Interviews

• John P. Clark on A Brief Chat with Jason Crane
• John Clark on the Spectacle, Direct Action, the Necrocene, the Zapatistas, Anarchism, and Elisee Reclus
• Social Movements and State Repression: An Interview with scott crow
• Black Flags and Radical Relief Efforts in New Orleans: An Interview with scott crow
• RE/search magazine interview with scott crow
• Community Organizer scott crow Talks Shifting Culture Without Government
• scott crow on The Circled A
• Construyendo desde abajo. Acción anarquista en los Estados Unidos
• scott crow on Writerscast
• Black Flags and Windmills on STIR Magazine
• scott crow speaks to Restore the 4th Austin, interrupted by angry veteran
• scott crow: Excerpt of Wooden Shoe talk April 2013
• Watch scott crow at Law & Disorder Conference, PSU April 2012
• Interview with scott crow or: How I Learned To Not Care About Winning Over Cops To Join Occupy Wall Street
• scott crow- Histories and Reflections on Community Armed Self-Defense on Freedom News
• John P. Clark on Letters and Politics

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Mentions

• Repression against grassroots hurricane relief lingers in New Orleans— Black Flags and Windmills
• scott crow in Chico: As the crow flies
• Austin Film Fest’12: Sparks Fly At Premiere of “Informant” About Controversial Ex-Activist Brandoon Darby
• scott crow on CNN: What you need to know about Antifa
• Check out scott crow on RT talking about Houston decentralized disaster relief efforts

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Blog

• John Clark’s Possible Community
• On John Clark’s The Impossible Community
• Communitarian Anarchism
• On John Clark’s The Impossible Community
• Between Earth and Empire: A Review in AAG Review of Books
• Anarchic Justice at the End of History— By John P. Clark
• Anarchic Justice at the End of History— in the Fifth Estate Magazine
• Resurgent Solidarity in a Time of Crisis: The New Orleans Mutual Aid Group
• Revisiting Earth Day 20: A Radical Ecological View— By John P. Clark
• Anniversaries So We Don’t Forget: Katrina, Common Ground and New Orleans four years on.
• Eating Crow: Mistakes, Brandon Darby, the FBI and Our Resilience
• Lessons from the School of Radical Change: Notes of a Slow Learner
• Ghosts, Warriors and those the state tries to bury alive
• For Anarchist, Details of Life as F.B.I. Target
• Mike German & scott crow Discuss FBI’s Expanded Domestic Surveillance Program on Democracy Now!
• To Catch a Terrorist
• Katrina Plus Ten: Climate Justice in Action
• A Political Philosophy of Self-Defense
• Presidential Candidates Can’t Discuss Gun Deaths Without Discussing Cops
• Another Sun Is Possible: Solstice Reflections
• Ecological Thinking and the Crisis of the Earth
• Power to the Community: The Black Panthers’ Living Legacy of Grassroots Organization
• Rumi and the Fall of the Spectacular Commodity Economy
• Critical Comments on The Politics of Cosmology
• A letter to Cynicism and the Circular Firing Squad that is Us
• A Critical Introduction to Bookchin’s Theses on Libertarian Municipalism