Anarchist Studies
Encyclopedia
Anarchist Studies is a biannual academic journal
on anarchism
. It takes an interdisciplinary approach, examining the history, culture, and theory of anarchism. The journal was established in 1993 and is edited by Ruth Kinna
and published by Lawrence and Wishart
, London
.
, science-fiction, and "anarchism after September 11
", as well as historical research articles on Leo Tolstoy
, Taoism
, John Locke
, and post-structuralism
. More recently, a central focus of the journal has been anarchism's relation to globalisation.
, Murray Bookchin
, John Moore
, Janet Biehl
, Ruth Kinna
, Val Plumwood
, L. Susan Brown
, Süreyya Evren
, and Lewis Call
. From 1993-1995 the journal was edited by Tim Cahill
, who was succeeded by Sharif Gemie. , Ruth Kinna is the editor in chief
.
after it published a negative review of his books Neoist Manifestos and The Art Strike Papers and denied Home's request to publish his rebuttal as a matter of policy. Home alleges that Gemie wrote him a conciliatory letter dated November 14, 1996, in which Gemie promised to include a positive review of Home's What Is Situationism??? in the Spring 1997 issue. Home subsequently referred to Anarchist Studies as a "sad and reactionary 'academic' journal" that is "patently unable to engage in ... critical debate".
Academic journal
An academic journal is a peer-reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research...
on anarchism
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
. It takes an interdisciplinary approach, examining the history, culture, and theory of anarchism. The journal was established in 1993 and is edited by Ruth Kinna
Ruth Kinna
Ruth Ellen Kinna is a politics lecturer at Loughborough University, working in the Department of Politics, History and International Relations where she specialises in political philosophy. Since 2007 she has been the editor of the journal Anarchist Studies....
and published by Lawrence and Wishart
Lawrence and Wishart
Lawrence & Wishart is a British publishing company formerly associated with the Communist Party of Great Britain. It was formed in 1936, through the merger of Martin Lawrence, the Communist Party's press and Wishart Ltd, a family-owned liberal and anti-fascist publisher.It publishes the journals...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Overview
The journal aims "to broaden the scope of anarchist discourse by introducing themes, topics, perspectives and methodologies which have not traditionally been considered relevant to anarchism." Its focusses on three broad themes: the re-evaluation of anarchist history, with regard to issues of culture, philosophy and political action; the potential future of anarchism as a form of critical political action; and the application of anarchist ideas as an instrument of scholarly research. The journal publishes special issues on topics which have included sexualityHuman sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
, science-fiction, and "anarchism after September 11
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
", as well as historical research articles on Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy
Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy was a Russian writer who primarily wrote novels and short stories. Later in life, he also wrote plays and essays. His two most famous works, the novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are acknowledged as two of the greatest novels of all time and a pinnacle of realist...
, Taoism
Taoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
, John Locke
John Locke
John Locke FRS , widely known as the Father of Liberalism, was an English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers. Considered one of the first of the British empiricists, following the tradition of Francis Bacon, he is equally important to social...
, and post-structuralism
Post-structuralism
Post-structuralism is a label formulated by American academics to denote the heterogeneous works of a series of French intellectuals who came to international prominence in the 1960s and '70s...
. More recently, a central focus of the journal has been anarchism's relation to globalisation.
Contributors
Notable contributors include Noam ChomskyNoam Chomsky
Avram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an Institute Professor and Professor in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at MIT, where he has worked for over 50 years. Chomsky has been described as the "father of modern linguistics" and...
, Murray Bookchin
Murray Bookchin
Murray Bookchin was an American libertarian socialist author, orator, and philosopher. A pioneer in the ecology movement, Bookchin was the founder of the social ecology movement within anarchist, libertarian socialist and ecological thought. He was the author of two dozen books on politics,...
, John Moore
John Moore (anarchist)
John Moore was a British anarchist author, teacher and organiser. He died of a heart attack after collapsing on his way to work as a creative writing lecturer at the University of Luton...
, Janet Biehl
Janet Biehl
Janet Biehl is a writer associated with social ecology, the body of ideas developed and publicized by Murray Bookchin. In 1986 she attended the Institute for Social Ecology and there began a collaborative relationship with Bookchin, working intensively with him over the next two decades in the...
, Ruth Kinna
Ruth Kinna
Ruth Ellen Kinna is a politics lecturer at Loughborough University, working in the Department of Politics, History and International Relations where she specialises in political philosophy. Since 2007 she has been the editor of the journal Anarchist Studies....
, Val Plumwood
Val Plumwood
Val Plumwood , formerly Val Routley, was an Australian ecofeminist intellectual and activist, who was prominent in the development of radical ecosophy from the early 1970s through the remainder of the 20th century....
, L. Susan Brown
L. Susan Brown
L. Susan Brown is a Canadian anarcho-communist writer and theoretician.Brown is best-known for her germinal text The Politics of Individualism , in which she makes a distinction between "existential individualism" and "instrumental individualism" and examines how these forms are utilized in...
, Süreyya Evren
Süreyya Evren
Süreyya Evren is a writer working on literature, contemporary art, and radical politics focusing on Turkish post-structuralist anarchism . His real name is Süreyya Evren Türkeli. He added the third “y” in “Süreyya”....
, and Lewis Call
Lewis Call
Lewis Call is an American academic notable for being a central post-anarchist thinker. He is best known for his 2002 book Postmodern Anarchism, which develops an account of postmodern anarchism through philosophers such as Friedrich Nietzsche and cyberpunk writers such as William Gibson and Bruce...
. From 1993-1995 the journal was edited by Tim Cahill
Tim Cahill
Timothy Filiga "Tim" Cahill is an football player of Australian nationality who plays for Everton and the Australian national football team...
, who was succeeded by Sharif Gemie. , Ruth Kinna is the editor in chief
Editor in chief
An editor-in-chief is a publication's primary editor, having final responsibility for the operations and policies. Additionally, the editor-in-chief is held accountable for delegating tasks to staff members as well as keeping up with the time it takes them to complete their task...
.
Home dispute
The journal had a long-running dispute with Stewart HomeStewart Home
Stewart Home is an English artist, filmmaker, writer, pamphleteer, art historian, and activist. He is best known for his novels such as the non-narrative 69 Things To Do With A Dead Princess , his re-imagining of the 1960s in Tainted Love , and earlier parodistic pulp fictions Pure Mania, Red...
after it published a negative review of his books Neoist Manifestos and The Art Strike Papers and denied Home's request to publish his rebuttal as a matter of policy. Home alleges that Gemie wrote him a conciliatory letter dated November 14, 1996, in which Gemie promised to include a positive review of Home's What Is Situationism??? in the Spring 1997 issue. Home subsequently referred to Anarchist Studies as a "sad and reactionary 'academic' journal" that is "patently unable to engage in ... critical debate".