Anarchism and Political Modernity

Description

This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. Anarchism and Political Modernity looks at the place of 'classical anarchism' in the postmodern political discourse, claiming that anarchism presents a vision of political postmodernity. The book seeks to foster a better understanding of why and how anarchism is growing in the present. To do so, it first looks at its origins and history, offering a different view from the two traditions that characterize modern political theory: socialism and liberalism. Such an examination leads to a better understanding of how anarchism connects with newer political trends and why it is a powerful force in contemporary social and political movements. This new volume in the Contemporary Anarchist Studies series offers a novel philosophical engagement with anarchism and contests a number of positions established in postanarchist theory. Its new approach makes a valuable contribution to an established debate about anarchism and political theory. It offers a new perspective on the emerging area of anarchist studies that will be of interest to students and theorists in political theory and anarchist studies.

Nathan Jun is Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Philosophy Program Coordinator at Midwestern State University, USA. He specializes in Social and Political Philosophy, and his research interests include the history and philosophy of anarchism, left-socialism, and left-libertarianism. Dr. Jun has published two books, Deleuze and Ethics (ed. with Daniel W. Smith, 2010) and New Perspectives on Anarchism (ed. with Shane Wahl, 2009).

"This book stands out among works of the emerging new generation of anarchist theorists. Unlike much of the trendy "post-anarchism," it is firmly grounded in political philosophy and the history of anarchist thought. Jun shows that ideas often seen as bold new "post-modern" innovations-above all, the critique of representation--are in fact deeply rooted in the anarchist tradition. He debunks the equation of classical anarchist theory with the weakest aspects of modernism and shows anarchism to be a powerful radical tradition that goes beyond the limits of conventional liberalism and socialism. Jun presents strong evidence that anarchism is now becoming most the promising theoretical alternative within the dissident academy." John P. Clark, Gregory Curtin Distinguished Professor of Humane Studies and the Professions and Professor of Philosophy, Loyola University. "Nathan Jun argues the concerns we identify as "post-modern" have already been theorized and integrated into anarchist thought, indeed, that anarchism's project has always been to escape the limitations of modernity through radical political action. This is a provocative book, sure to spark debate." - Allan Antliff, Canada Research Chair, University of Victoria "Feisty,opinionated and well-argued this is a both a powerful defense and explanation of the complexity and excitement of anarchist thought and practice.Jun offers a rich examination of how ideas have developed and in doing so provides a compelling history of oppositional thinking that frames those moments in time when another world seemed possible." - Barry Pateman, Associate Editor, The Emma Goldman Papers, University of California at Berkeley. Press release listed on Infoshop News, an online anarchist news network. http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20120213004047875