History463W:RebellionandRevolution:TopicsintheTheoryandPracticeof
Resistance
Spring2016 Friday:9:30-1:20
AQ5004
MarkGrueter:mgrueter@sfu.ca
OfficeHours:Friday2:00-4:00,AQ6243
AnarchistHistoriesandPerspectives
CourseDescription
Thiscoursewilllookatthehistoryofmodernanarchism,bothasasocialmovementand
politicaltheory.Theanarchistmovementisdefinedbyitsownideasforaclassless,
stateless,self-governingsocietyandbyitsinvolvementwithandinterpretationofhistorical
eventssuchastheParisCommune,theRussianRevolution,andtheSpanishCivilWar.The
coursewillthusprovidenotonlyahistoryofanarchistmovementsbutalsoviewsofhistory
andmajorhistoricaleventsfromanarchistperspectives.Forexample,whileanarchist
groupsweredirectlyinvolvedintheRussianRevolution,anarchistsalsodevelopedtheir
critiqueofpoliticalpowerandhierarchybasedonthatexperience—acritiquethatremains
relevanttoday.
Inrecentdecades,anarchismhasre-emergedasaninfluentialforceontheLeft.Abasicidea
ofthiscourseistoexplorethemovement’shistoryandsomeoftheideological,politicalas
wellashistoriographicaldebatesconcerninganarchismanditsrelationtoMarxism.This
backgroundwillprovidestudentswithamoremeaningfulunderstandingofleft-wing
politicsandactivismtodaywhilemanypopularmisconceptionssurroundingtheterm
‘anarchism’willbeaddressed.Intheprocess,studentswillstudyabstractanarchist
principlesaswellasanarchistviewsonconcretehistoricalandpoliticalmatters.Students
willalsolearnandthinkaboutconceptspromotedbyanarchistssuchas‘socialrevolution’,
‘prefigurativepolitics’and‘directaction’.
CourseAssignments/Evaluation
Attendance 10%
Participation 15%
Writing
15%
- In-classwritingassignmentsbasedonthereadingsandclassroomdiscussions
Slidedeck(PowerPoint)onacoursereading 5%
- Prepareaslidedeckononeormorecoursereadingthatshoulddemonstratean
understandingofthematerial.Youwon'tshowitinclass,butprintitoutsoIcansee
it,amaximumof10slides,withascriptandwithlittletextontheslides.Youshould
imaginehowyouwouldexplainthereadingquickly(concisely)toagroupofsmart
peoplewhoarenewtothetopic.Thislow-stakesexercisewillhelpprepareyoufor
researchpresentationsofyourownwork.Youwillhoweverbeexpectedtoverbally
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giveyourinterpretationofthereadingtotherestoftheclass.Weeks2-5.(Choosea
readingandnotifyme)
Firstpowerpointpresentationofresearchpaper(Week8) 10%
- 3minutepresentations(10slides,20secondseach)—anassignmentdesignedto
helpyoudevelopyourfinalpaper.Youwillreceivefeedbackfromotherstudents
andtheinstructor,inaworkshopformat.
Secondslidedeckpresentationofresearchpaper(Week11)
15%
- Again,3minutepresentations—todemonstrateprogressandreceivefinalfeedback.
Studentswillalsosubmitafirstdraftordetailedoutline.
Finalresearchpaper (FinalWeek) 30%
RequiredBooks:
PaulAvrich,AnarchistPortraits
- Avrich’shistoriescanbedescribedasdetailed,factual,objectiveaccountsof
individualanarchistsandtheirideas.Hisapproach,ashewritesinthepreface,“has
beenlargelybiographical,seekingtoevoketheflavorofthemovementthroughthe
livesofselectedparticipants.”
JamesC.Scott,TwoCheersforAnarchism
- IncontrasttoAvrich,anthropologistJamesScottdoesnotprovideahistoryof
anarchistmovementsbutratherhelpsusthinkabouthistoryfromanarchist
perspectives.Hewritesabouttheideaof‘puttingonanarchistglasses’toseethe
world.
EmmaGoldman,MyDisillusionmentinRussia(1922)
GeorgeOrwell,HomagetoCatalonia
Recommended:
DavidGraeber,TheUtopiaofRules(inbookstoreandonline)a‘left-wingcritiqueof
bureaucracy’
WeeklyReadings:
Week1
PeterKropotkin,EncyclopediaBritannicaentryonAnarchism,1910(online)
WhatisAnarchism,andhowtodoesitrelatetoothersocialistcurrents?Whatdoyouthink
whenyouhearthewords‘anarchism,’‘anarchist’,‘anarchy’or‘anarchistcommunism’?
Whatabout‘socialrevolution,’‘directaction,’‘prefigurativepolitics,’‘sabotage,’‘propaganda
ofthedeed’?WhataresomehistoriographicaldebatesconcerningAnarchism?
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Week2
PeterMarshall,DemandingtheImpossible.Introduction(pp.ix-xv)
PaulAvrich,AnarchistPortraits,chapter1“TheLegacyofBakunin”pp.5-15
JamesC.Scott:TwoCheersforAnarchism(Preface+Chapter1-thrupage29)
RuthKinna,Anarchism:aBeginner’sGuide,Chapter1:WhatisAnarchism?(pp.3-38)
CindyMilstein,AnarchismandItsAspirations(pp.17-36)
Avrich,AnarchistPortraits,Chapter4,“Kropotkin’sEthicalAnarchism”pp.53-78
Week3
Avrich,AnarchistPortraits,Chapters2-3onBakunin(pp.16-52)andChapter5on
Kropotkin(pp.79-106);also,Chapter17onTheParisCommune(pp.229-239)
"Anarchism,Marxism,andTheIdeologicalCompositionoftheChicagoIdea,"bySakuPinta,
publishedinWorkingUSA:TheJournalofLaborandSociety(pp.421-444)
JamesScott,TwoCheersforAnarchism,Chapter2-3(pp.30-83)
Recommended:
StephenJayGould,“KropotkinWasNoCrackpot”(online)
PeterKropotkin,TheConquestofBread(1906)(online)
Week4
GuestlessonwithProfessorMarkLeier
*ReadMarkLeier’sIntroductiontoTheFirstSocialistSchism:BakuninVs.MarxInThe
InternationalWorkingMen'sAssociation(senttoyouremail)
JohnSeed,MarxforthePerplexed,Chapter1,“Introduction,ReadingMarx”–SFUlibrary
online
Scott,TwoCheersforAnarchism,Chapter4,“TwoCheersforthePettyBourgeoisie”(pp.84100)
Recommended:
“TheFirstInternational”–EncyclopediaBritannica(reference)
Bakunin,“CritiqueoftheMarxistTheoryoftheState”fromStatismandAnarchy
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Week5
“TheWobblies”–adocumentarynarratedbyRogerBaldwin
StaughtonLyndandAndrejGrubacic,WobbliesandZapatistas(pp.15-20)
MarkLeier,WheretheFraserRiverFlows:TheIndustrialWorkersoftheWorldinBritish
Columbia,Ch.1(pp.1-26)
SalvatoreSalerno,RedNovemberBlackNovember,Introduction(pp.1-17),Ch.3(pp.69-90),
Ch.5(pp.119-140)
EmmaGoldman,AnarchismandOtherEssays
Chapter8:TheTrafficinWomen
Chapter9:WomanSuffrage
Chapter10:TheTragedyofWoman’sEmancipation
Chapter11:MarriageandLove
VoltairinedeCleyre,“SexSlavery”
Background:KellyVee,“SexSlaveryRevisited”
Week6–ReadingWeek(noclass)
StartreadingsontheRussianRevolution
-Beginbywatching“TheRussianRevolutioninColour”–documentaryfilm,online
Week7
EmmaGoldman,MyDisillusionmentinRussia(pp.5-59)(coursebook)
PaulAvrich,“TheAnarchistsintheRussianRevolution”RussianReview
Vol.26,No.4(Oct.,1967),pp.341-350
DavidShub,“KropotkinandLenin”RussianReviewVol.12,No.4(Oct.,1953)
pp.227-234
PaulAvrich,“RussianAnarchistsandtheCivilWar”RussianReviewVol.27,No.3
(Jul.,1968),pp.296-306
NoamChomsky,“TheSovietUnionvs.Socialism”(online,3minutevideo)
Scott,TwoCheersforAnarchism,Chapter6(pp.129-142)
Week8
FirstResearchPresentations
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*Onreserve:PaulAvrich,Kronstadt,1921(pp.3-7,157-218)
EmmaGoldman,MyDisillusionmentinRussia(finish)
Supplemental/Optional:
LeonTrotsky,“HueandCryOverKronstadt”(1938)(online)
EmmaGoldman,“TrotskyProtestsTooMuch”(online)
Avrich,AnarchistPortraits,Chapter6-7(pp.107-124);andChapter14(pp.200-208)
Week9
SpanishCivilWarvideo“3MinuteHistory”
“IntroductoryEssay”byMurrayBookchinand“TheTwoRevolutions”bySamDolgoffinThe
AnarchistCollectives:Workers’Self-ManagementintheSpanishRevolution,1936-1939edited
bySamDolgoff
GeorgeOrwell,HomagetoCatalonia(pp.1-105)
DanielGuerin,“AnarchismintheSpanishRevolution”inAnarchism:FromTheorytoPractice
onreservepp.114-143
Week10
Orwell,HomagetoCatalonia(pp.106-196andAppendixII)
NoamChomsky,“ObjectivityandLiberalScholarship”(SectionIIpp.41-75)
PeterMarshall,DemandingtheImpossible,Ch.35,“TheNewLeftandtheCounter-Culture”
(pp.539-558)
MauriceBrinton,“TheCommune,Paris1871”
MauriceBrinton,“France:ReformorRevolution?”
Supplemental/Optional:
SakuPinta,“CouncilCommunistPerspectivesontheSpanishCivilWarandRevolution,
1936-1939”inLibertarianSocialism:PoliticsinBlackandRed(pp.116-136,SFUlibrary
online)
DavidBerry,“TheSearchforaLibertarianCommunism:DanielGuerinand‘Synthesis’of
MarxismandAnarchism,”inLibertarianSocialism:PoliticsinBlackandRed(pp.187-203,
SFUlibraryonline)
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Week11
SecondPresentations
MauriceBrinton,“France:ReformorRevolution?”
DanielCohn-Bendit,TheMarch22Movement:“YourStruggleIsOurStruggle,”May21,1968
MauriceBrinton,“France:TheTheoreticalImplications”
NoamChomskyinterview,“Anarchism,Marxism&HopefortheFuture”
Week12–GoodFriday(noclass)
Week13
DavidGraeber,“SituatingOccupy”Adbusters
AndrewCornell,“WhiteSkin,BlackMasks,”inLibertarianSocialism:PoliticsinBlackand
Red(pp.167-183,SFUlibraryonline)
CarolEhrlich,“Socialism,FeminismandAnarchism”
PeggyKornegger,“Anarchism:TheFeministConnection”
Jean-ChristopheAngaut,“BeyondBlackandRed:TheSituationistsandtheLegacyofthe
Workers’Movement,”inLibertarianSocialism:PoliticsinBlackandRed(pp.232-245,SFU
libraryonline)
Week14
*ResearchPaperDue
DavidGraeber,“TheNewAnarchists”intheNewLeftReview
Graeber,TheUtopiaofRules,Introduction,“TheIronLawofLiberalismandtheEraofTotal
Bureaucratization”(pp.3-44)
JorisLeverink,“MurrayBookchinandtheKurdishresistance,”inRoarMagazine
GarAlperovitzandSteveDubb,“ThePossibilityofaPluralistCommonwealthanda
Community-SustainingEconomy”TheGoodSocietyVol.22,No.1(2013),pp.1-25
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