The Best of Social Anarchism

by Howard J. Ehrlich, A.H.S. Boy (Editor)

Since 1980, Social Anarchism: A Journal of Theory and Practice has developed into a premier anarchist periodical, a feat that is honored in this anthology that showcases the journal's finest pieces. Dividing its focus equally between theoretical works and descriptions of contemporary practice, the anthology boasts such notable contributors as Colin Ward, Brian Morris, Kingsley Widmer, and John Clark, and all contributions have been reviewed by an international board of editors—avoiding the sectarian diatribes that characterize so much of political writing. The book is divided into five major sections that cover theory, practice, education, historical figures, and contemporary voices, and each article includes a summary abstract written by the editors. This fascinating and relevant collection presents a unique and rewarding perspective on the fresh and vital contributions of anarchism to the modern world.

Genres: Politics, History

350 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Lowarn Gutierrez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read any political theory on anarchism before, somehow, despite being idealogically anarchist for a very long time. This, for me, was a pretty good introduction, both in terms of the range of topics within the book and the articles' references to other books I've added to my to-read list.

It's certainly a bit dry, at times, which is to be expected, but the essays were, as a whole, interesting - I appreciated that they didn't all repeat each other, and some even exhibited perspectives that opposed each other. Even the essays that I didn't particularly agree with tended to be well-argued and were, to me, well worth reading and thinking over.

One thing that did irk me a little (just in a pet peeve sense) was that, despite the generally formal tone, the quality of writing varied somewhat and it seemed the proofreading wasn't always the best. I haven't taken that into account for my rating because it didn't detract from what was being said, which is what actually matters in this sort of book. In an essay that was probably one of my favourites (for unrelated reasons!) there was a typo resulting in the fantastic phrase "battle-testes", which, if anything, made me enjoy the essay even more!

[Dylan Lawless · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good collection of essays. Some were very well written while others less so. As a collection, it was well organized for being an introduction to the subject.