Charles Radcliffe
Encyclopedia
Charles Radcliffe, December 07, 1941 (age 70) is an English
cultural critic
, political activist and theorist known for his association with the Situationist movement.
A member of the direct-action wing of the peace movement of the early 1960s, he became a regular contributor to the anarchist
press in Britain and in 1966 launched Heatwave, a radical magazine produced in London
. It lasted for just two issues, but was cited in the Situationist tract On the Poverty of Student Life
as an example of one of the "profoundly revolutionary tendencies in the critique of all aspects of the prevailing way of life." Its treatment of popular culture has since been hailed as path-breaking: the critic Jon Savage
has said that one piece by Radcliffe "laid the foundation for the next 20 years of sub-cultural theory."
Heatwave was closely associated with Rebel Worker, a short-lived but influential magazine published in Chicago
by Franklin Rosemont
, Penelope Rosemont
, and Bernard Marszalek, to which Radcliffe was a contributor. They were members of the Industrial Workers of the World
with links to the Surrealist
movement in France, the British libertarian socialist group Solidarity
and the Situationist International.
Radcliffe became a member of the English section of the S.I. in December 1966, alongside Chris Gray, Donald Nicholson-Smith
and T. J. Clark
. He resigned in November 1967, and Gray, Nicholson-Smith and Clark were expelled shortly thereafter. Radcliffe subsequently became involved with the magazine Friends
, sharing a flat with its editor, Alan Marcuson.
Radcliffe is a descendant of Moll Davies and currently lives in Spain
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
cultural critic
Cultural critic
A cultural critic is a critic of a given culture, usually as a whole and typically on a radical basis. There is significant overlap with social and cultural theory.-Terminology:...
, political activist and theorist known for his association with the Situationist movement.
A member of the direct-action wing of the peace movement of the early 1960s, he became a regular contributor to the anarchist
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...
press in Britain and in 1966 launched Heatwave, a radical magazine produced in 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...
. It lasted for just two issues, but was cited in the Situationist tract On the Poverty of Student Life
On the Poverty of Student Life
On the Poverty of Student Life: A Consideration of Its Economic, Political, Sexual, Psychological and Notably Intellectual Aspects and of a Few Ways to Cure it is a pamphlet first published by students of the University of Strasbourg and the Situationist International in 1966...
as an example of one of the "profoundly revolutionary tendencies in the critique of all aspects of the prevailing way of life." Its treatment of popular culture has since been hailed as path-breaking: the critic Jon Savage
Jon Savage
Jon Savage , real name Jonathon Sage, is a Cambridge-educated writer, broadcaster and music journalist, best known for his award winning history of the Sex Pistols and punk music, England's Dreaming, published in 1991.-Career:...
has said that one piece by Radcliffe "laid the foundation for the next 20 years of sub-cultural theory."
Heatwave was closely associated with Rebel Worker, a short-lived but influential magazine published in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
by Franklin Rosemont
Franklin Rosemont
Franklin Rosemont was a poet, artist, historian, street speaker, and co-founder of the Chicago Surrealist Group...
, Penelope Rosemont
Penelope Rosemont
Penelope Rosemont , attended Lake Forest College. She has been a painter, photographer, collagist and writer, and "graphic designer for [Arsenal/Surrealist Subversions] and other...
, and Bernard Marszalek, to which Radcliffe was a contributor. They were members of the Industrial Workers of the World
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World is an international union. At its peak in 1923, the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. Its membership declined dramatically after a 1924 split brought on by internal conflict...
with links to the Surrealist
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
movement in France, the British libertarian socialist group Solidarity
Solidarity (UK)
Solidarity was a small libertarian socialist organisation from 1960 to 1992 in the United Kingdom. It published a magazine of the same name. Solidarity was close to council communism in its prescriptions and was known for its emphasis on workers' self-organisation and for its radical...
and the Situationist International.
Radcliffe became a member of the English section of the S.I. in December 1966, alongside Chris Gray, Donald Nicholson-Smith
Donald Nicholson-Smith
Donald Nicholson-Smith is a translator and freelance editor, interested in literature, art, psychoanalysis, social criticism, theory, history, crime fiction, and cinema.. Born in Manchester, England, he was an early translator of Situationist material into English. He joined the English section of...
and T. J. Clark
T. J. Clark (historian)
Timothy James Clark often known as T.J. Clark, is an art historian and writer, born in 1943 in Bristol, England.-Life and work:Clark attended Bristol Grammar School. He completed his undergraduate studies at St. John's College, Cambridge University, he obtained a first-class honours degree in 1964....
. He resigned in November 1967, and Gray, Nicholson-Smith and Clark were expelled shortly thereafter. Radcliffe subsequently became involved with the magazine Friends
Friends (magazine)
Friends magazine was launched in London in winter 1969 as a direct result of the closure by its US parent of the short-lived UK edition of Rolling Stone....
, sharing a flat with its editor, Alan Marcuson.
Radcliffe is a descendant of Moll Davies and currently lives in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
Further reading
- Rosemont, Franklin and Radcliffe, Charles. Dancin' in the Streets: Anarchists, IWWs, Surrealists, Situationists and Provos in the 1960s as Recorded in the Pages of Rebel Worker and Heatwave. Charles H Kerr. 2005. ISBN 0-88286-301-0