Jeffrey Shantz – författare

Anarchism has re-emerged as one of the most important social movements of the twenty-first century. Anarchist politics and practices provide the inspiration for growing numbers of activists within contemporary struggles in the context of neoliberal capitalist globalization. Yet anarchism remains misunderstood, overlooked or disparaged both within popular media accounts and within works of social science. Active Anarchy: Political Practice in Contemporary Movements offers a lively and thoughtful engagement with anarchist ideas and projects, properly situating anarchism as a vital political movement. Written from the unique perspective of a long time participant in the projects discussed, Active Anarchy presents a compelling vision of contemporary anarchist movements, their promise and prospects. That the reader might appreciate the complex and evolving practices of anarchists engaged in ongoing social struggles, the author focuses on a variety of organizational practices ranging from direct action tactics and shorter term actions as well as more permanent anarchist infrastructures.Active Anarchy shows in an exciting and engaging way that despite popular misconceptions anarchist political practice poses significant challenges to statist and capitalist relations. Anarchist organizing builds upon tendencies towards mutual aid and solidarity that are present in everyday life, in order to develop a real world alternative both to capitalist and statist institutions and social relations. At the same time anarchists challenge authoritarian forms of radical politics based on the exceptionalism of political vanguards. The deployment of diverse, and not necessarily complementary, tactics by anarchist groups shows the richness of anarchist politics. Active Anarchy demonstrates serious and grounded practices that draw on previous traditions and practices while also innovating and experimenting. This is a crucial work for anyone with an interest in current social and political movements an

Organizing Anarchy details the remarkable growth and diversity of anarchist organizational practice in a range of spheres of activity, from community centers to online activism to labor and workplace militancy, over the first decades of the twenty-first century. These projects involve innovative approaches by which anarchists resist current forms of exploitation and oppression while building anarchist relations for the future post-capitalist world in the present. Through direct action and solidarity they make anarchism manifest today, rather than encountering it as a distant goal.Organizing Anarchy critically examines the possibilities and problems facing these anarchists who seek to pose effective challenges to capitalist forms of exploitation and domination. The work also engages theoretical developments around their emerging political practices, particularly the social movement theories that tend to downplay, overlook, or misunderstand anarchist movements and forms of organizing.

Anarchy and Society explores the many ways in which the discipline of Sociology and the philosophy of anarchism are compatible. The book constructs possible parameters for a future 'anarchist sociology', by a sociological exposition of major anarchist thinkers (including Kropotkin, Proudhon, Landauer, Goldman, and Ward), as well as an anarchist interrogation of key sociological concepts (including social norms, inequality, and social movements). Sociology and anarchism share many common interests-although often interpreting each in divergent ways-including community, solidarity, feminism, crime and restorative justice, and social domination. The synthesis proposed by Anarchy and Society is reflexive, critical, and strongly anchored in both traditions.