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This paper was accepted for publication in the journal Anarchist Studies and the definitive published version is available at https://www.lwbooks.co.uk/anarchist-studies/23-2/to-hell-with-culture-fascism-rhetoric-and-war-for-democracy ; To Hell With Culture was Herbert Read's most concise exposition of his aesthetic politics, but it was a work moulded by the particular context in which he wrote. Starting life as a contribution to a series of pamphlets pondering the shape of Britain in the aftermath of the Second World War, Read drew on a deep reading of socialist intellectual history to plot a new, radical path for democracy. His text was a necessary utopia, presenting an outcry against the cultural barbarities of both the capitalist and totalitarian superpowers, and entering a battle of ideas to determine the shape of post-war Europe.

This paper was accepted for publication in the journal History of Political Thought and the definitive published version is available at http://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/imp/hpt/2014/00000035/00000001/art00007 ; Kropotkin's anarchism looked to a future defined by communalism. However, his understanding of this potential communal future has rarely been subject to analysis. Particularly important was his distinction between communalism and the tradition of communal experimentation in the US, which drew heavily on the ideas of Charles Fourier. Kropotkin was influenced by Fourier, but thought that attempts to found phalanstèries had been disastrous, vitiating the power of communalist propaganda. To defend the idea of a communal future, Kropotkin therefore advanced a tripartite critique of the US model of utopian experimentation. The image of American utopianism he created consequently served as a useful rhetorical device, allowing him to advance a counter-image of the anarchist communal theory that lay at the heart of his political theory.

It is popularly believed that British anarchism underwent a 'renaissance' in the 1960s, as conventional revolutionary tactics were replaced by an ethos of permanent protest. Often associated with Colin Ward and his journal Anarchy, this tactical shift is said to have occurred due to growing awareness of Gustav Landauer's work. This article challenges these readings by focusing on Herbert Read's book Education through Art, a work motivated by Read's dissatisfaction with anarchism's association with political violence. Arguing that aesthetic education could remodel social relationships in a non-hierarchical fashion, Read pioneered the reassessment of revolutionary tactics in the 1940s that is associated with the 1960s generation. His role in these debates has been ignored, but the broader political context of Read's contribution to anarchist theory has also been neglected. The reading of Read's work advanced here recovers his importance to these debates, and highlights the presence of an indigenous strand of radical thought that sought novel solutions for the problems of the age. [Copyright Elsevier Ltd.]

This is an Open Access Article. It is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence (CC BY). Full details of this licence are available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ ; While the study of anarchism has undergone a renaissance in recent years, historical scholarship has been a relatively minor aspect of this renewed focus. Presenting an historiographical examination of the main forms of writing on anarchist ideas, this article argues that the predominance of 'canonistic' approaches to anarchism is in part a consequence of the disciplinary dominance of political theory in the study of anarchism. Despite anarchism's complex intellectual history, intellectual historians continue to overlook this rich political tradition. The article concludes by reflecting on the possibilities offered by an intellectual history of anarchism informed by recent methodological developments in cultural history. Not only does this allow us to see beyond the canon, but it also offers new insights on anarchism's most influential thinkers.

This book chapter is in closed access. ; Peter Kropotkin is often accused of advancing a narrowly optimistic vision of human nature to support his anarchist politics. His faith in the possibility of establishing non-hierarchical society, it is argued, is founded on his depiction of humans as naturally cooperative. However, Kropotkin's critics assert that his vision of human nature is naïve and fails to take into account humanity's egotistical impulses. This paper takes issue with such interpretations. First, it is suggested that these readings fail to treat Kropotkin's thought as a synthetic whole, focusing narrowly on a select number of texts. Taking a broader view of Kropotkin's oeuvre, the argument here is that Kropotkin was conscious of the importance of selfish instincts and presented human behaviour as defined by a perpetual clash of these forces. Finally, it is argued that Kropotkin saw the value conflict generated by these clashes as socially beneficial and vital to a post-capitalist society. Instead of basing his politics on a view of human nature, it is concluded that Kropotkin's anarchism should be seen as advancing an image of a stateless society complete with mechanisms aimed at maximising liberty and maintaining cohesion.

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in History of European Ideas on 19 Nov 2012, available online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13825585.2012.736220 ; It is popularly believed that British anarchism underwent a 'renaissance' in the 1960s, as conventional revolutionary tactics were replaced by an ethos of permanent protest. Often associated with Colin Ward and his journal Anarchy, this tactical shift is said to have occurred due to growing awareness of Gustav Landauer's work. This article challenges these readings by focusing on Herbert Read's book Education through Art, a work motivated by Read's dissatisfaction with anarchism's association with political violence. Arguing that aesthetic education could remodel social relationships in a non-hierarchical fashion, Read pioneered the reassessment of revolutionary tactics in the 1940s that is associated with the 1960s generation. His role in these debates has been ignored, but the broader political context of Read's contribution to anarchist theory has also been neglected. The reading of Read's work advanced here recovers his importance to these debates, and highlights the presence of an indigenous strand of radical thought that sought novel solutions for the problems of the age.

This paper is in closed access. ; Kropotkin's commitment to a concept of evolution has often been viewed as a problematic aspect of his political thought, and the adoption of the evolutionary metaphor has led to the marginalisation of his historical works. Mainstream readings suggest that he adhered to a fatalist position, seeing anarchism as an inevitable future state, revealed by a careful reading of the historical record. It is argued here that Kropotkin's use of evolution is more subtle. A closer analysis of his historical writing reveals that he did not adopt a straightforward notion of progression, and that reaction played a central role in his analysis of history. Thus, for Kropotkin, anarchism was not the inevitable culmination of the historical process, and active revolutionary activity remained essential. Moreover, Kropotkin did not see anarchism as representing an end to history. As a potential mode of future organisation Kropotkin's image of anarchism enshrined a principle of flux, concomitant with an anarchist emphasis on maximising freedom. Far from conflicting with his anarchist politics, Kropotkin's approach to history reflects its central principles.

"Anarchism and religion have historically had an uneasy relationship. Indeed, representatives of both sides have regularly insisted on the fundamental incompatibility of anarchist and religious ideas and practices. Yet, ever since the emergence of anarchism as an intellectual and political movement, a considerable number of religious anarchists have insisted that their religious tradition necessarily implies an anarchist political stance.
Reflecting both a rise of interest in anarchist ideas and activism on the one hand, and the revival of religious ideas and movements in the political sphere on the other, this multi-volume collection examines congruities and contestations between the two from a diverse range of academic perspectives.
The third volume of Essays in Anarchism & Religion includes five essays focusing on particular individuals – Abraham Heyn, Leo Tolstoy, Herbert Read, Daniel Guérin and Martin Buber – one essay on the affinities between mysticism and anarchism, and one surveying the vast territory of 'spiritual anarchism'.
In a world where political ideas increasingly matter once more, and religion is an increasingly visible aspect of global political life, these essays offer scholarly analysis of overlooked activists, ideas and movements, and as such reveal the possibility of a powerful critique of contemporary global society.
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Intro -- Dedication -- Praise Page -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Contents -- List of Contributors -- Chapter 1: Introduction -- The Revival of Anarchism as Politics, Methodology, and Its Presence in Academia -- Overview of This Handbook -- Conclusion -- Part I: Core Problems/Problématiques -- Chapter 2: The State -- Introduction -- Government and Authority -- The Illegitimacy of Authority -- The Nation-State -- Anarchist vs. Marxist Views of the State -- Conclusion -- Chapter 3: Individual and Community -- The Anarchist Ideal of Communal Individuality -- Social Anarchism and Lifestyle Anarchism -- Anarchist Democracy -- The Anarchist Utopian Literary Imagination -- Conclusion -- Chapter 4: Freedom -- Introduction -- The Philosophical Context of Anarchist Accounts of Freedom -- Freedom From -- Freedom To -- Freedom In or Freedom With? Anarchism and the Question of Institutions -- Against Empowerment, Autonomy and Independence -- Conclusions -- Chapter 5: Anti-Capitalism and Libertarian Political Economy -- The Libertarian Critique of Capitalism -- Then Why Capitalism? -- Libertarian Political Economy/Anti-Capitalism/Post-Capitalism -- Mutualism -- Collectivism -- Communist Anarchism -- Libertarian Political Economy and Anti-Capitalism -- Chapter 6: Tactics: Conceptions of Social Change, Revolution, and Anarchist Organisation -- Introduction -- Sources and Categorisation of Tactics -- Classic Tactics -- Contemporary Tactics -- Meaning and Diffusion of Tactics -- Chapter 7: Anarchism and Cosmopolitanism -- Introduction: The Two Faces of Cosmopolitanism -- Anarchist Cosmopolitanism and the Origins of Modernity -- The Anarchist Cosmopolitan Turn and World Politics -- Post-Modernism, Post-Anarchism, Libertarian Socialism and Cosmopolitanism -- Cosmopolitanism, Anarchism, Ethnicity and Patriotism.