On Wednesday 28th August 2024, from 7.30-9.30pm, Stroud Radical Reading Group will host a discussion of Anarcho-Indigenism: Conversations on Land and Freedom – edited by Edited by Francis Dupuis-Déri and Benjamin Pillet. We will meet at 10 John St, GL5 2AH. Below you can find links to free resources related to the book, to buy a physical copy of the book at a discount, information about the event and venue.

Anarcho-Indigenism is a dialogue between anarchism and indigenous politics. In their interviews, contributors Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, Véronique Hébert, Gord Hill, Freda Huson, J. Kēhaulani Kauanui, Clifton Ariwakehte Nicholas and Toghestiy reveal what indigenous thought and traditions and anarchism have in common, without denying the scars left by colonialism even within this anti-authoritarian movement. They ultimately offer a vision of the world that combines anti-colonialism, feminism, ecology, anti-capitalism and anti-statism.

You can buy the book from the Yellow Lighted Bookshop (Nailsworth, Tetbury or Chalford pick up or delivery at £3.50) via the previous link – RRP £14.99. When looking at your “basket” enter the “couponcode” stroudradical24 for a 12% discount – final book price £13.19, a saving of £1.80). The ebook is £9.99 from publishers Pluto Press.

Free resources

• Pages 1-11 are available in a free preview pdf (direct link – only click when on WiFi/unlimited data)
• The whole book is available free online via JSTOR if you have a login via a library
• Episode 1 of Season 10 of Anarchy on Air radio show (broadcast January 2020) focusing “on a blockade at the base of Mauna Kea, a mountain on the “Big Island” of Hawai‘i”
• Independent video documentaries ‘Elsipogtog: No Fracking Way!‘ and ‘Karistatsi Onienre: The Iron Snake‘ made by Kanienkeha’ka activist and contributor to the book Clifton Ariwakehte Nicholas (embedded below – content warning for police brutality)
• “Canadian Anti-Colonialism In The 21st Century : A Case Study Of Anarcho-Indigenism” – freely available academic journal article by editor Benjamin Pillet

About our events and the venue

Stroud Radical Reading Group events are free to attend, though we will make a collection to cover costs – please bring some cash. We try to create a comfortable discussion space for everyone, including people who have not been part of a reading group or been to university. Anyone is welcome to listen to the discussion, though we encourage contributions only from those who have read at least some of the book we are discussing.

We will meet at 10 John St, GL5 2AH. This is near the centre of town, a short walk from Stroud Railway Station and a slightly longer walk from the Merrywalks Bus Station. There are stands to lock bikes to outside, and parking for cars nearby in either Brunel Mall, Fawkes Place, or Church St car park. There is a low step to enter the building, which is flat. There are no toilet facilities. Please get in touch if you’d like to get more of an idea of what the sessions are like or if you have any accessibility needs.

About the book, editors and contributors

“As early as the end of the 19th century, anarchists such as Peter Kropotkin and Élisée Reclus became interested in indigenous peoples, many of whom they saw as societies without a state or private property, living a form of communism. Contemporary thinkers such as David Graeber and John Holloway have continued this tradition of engagement with the practices of indigenous societies and their politics, while indigenous activists and intellectuals coined the term ‘anarcho-indigenism’, in reference to a long history of (often imperfect) collaboration between anarchists and indigenous activists, over land rights and environmental issues, including recent high profile anti-pipeline campaigns.”

Publishers description (Pluto Press)

Francis Dupuis-Déri is a Professor of Political Science and a member of the Institut de Recherches et d’études Féministes at the Université du Québec à Montréal.

Benjamin Pillet is a translator and community organizer.

Gord Hill is an Indigenous writer, artist and activist from the Kwakwaka’wakw nation.

Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz is Professor Emerita of Ethnic Studies at California State University. She is author of An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States.

Clifton Ariwakehte Nicholas is a Kanienkeha’ka activist, film-maker and entrepreneur from Kanesatake. He made a number of independent documentaries such as ‘Elsipogtog: No Fracking Way!‘ and ‘Karistatsi Onienre: The Iron Snake‘ on the pipeline project called Énergie Est (embedded below)

Véronique Hébert is an actor, theatre director and writer from the Atikamekw First Nation of Wemotaci.

Freda Huson is a Wet’suwet’en land defender and representative of the Wet’suwet’en Camp in North West British Columbia, blocking various tar sands and fracked gas pipelines.

Toghestiy is a Wet’suwet’en land defender and representative of the Wet’suwet’en Camp in North West British Columbia blocking various tar sands and fracked gas pipelines. Toghestiy is a hereditary chief of the Likhts’amisyu Clan.

J. Kēhaulani Kauanui is a diasporic Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) born in southern California on traditional homeland of the Tongva people. She is the co-producer for Anarchy on Air, a majority POC radio show co-produced with a group of students.

Longer biographies are available on the Pluto Press website, or via the links above)

On Wednesday 31st July 2024, from 7.30-9.30pm, Stroud Radical Reading Group will host a discussion of Means and Ends: The Revolutionary Practice of Anarchism in Europe and the United States by Zoe Baker. We will meet at 10 John St, GL5 2AH. Below you can find links to free resources related to the book, to buy a physical copy of the book at a discount, information about the event and venue.

Means and Ends is a new overview of the revolutionary strategy of anarchism in Europe and the United States between 1868 and 1939. Zoe Baker clearly and accessibly explains the ideas that historical anarchists developed in order to change the world. This includes their views on direct action, revolution, organization, state socialism, reforms, and trade unions. The consistent heart of anarchism was the idea that anarchist ends can only be achieved through anarchist means. Baker draws upon a vast assortment of examples to show how this simple premise underpinned anarchist attempts to put theory into action.

You can buy the book from the Yellow Lighted Bookshop (Nailsworth, Tetbury or Chalford pick up or delivery at £3.50) via the previous link – RRP £21. When looking at your “basket” enter the “couponcode” stroudradical24 for a 12% discount – final book price £18.48, a saving of £2.52).

About our events and the venue

Stroud Radical Reading Group events are free to attend, though we will make a collection to cover costs – please bring some cash. We try to create a comfortable discussion space for everyone, including people who have not been part of a reading group or been to university. Anyone is welcome to listen to the discussion, though we encourage contributions only from those who have read at least some of the book we are discussing.

We will meet at 10 John St, GL5 2AH. This is near the centre of town, a short walk from Stroud Railway Station and a slightly longer walk from the Merrywalks Bus Station. There are stands to lock bikes to outside, and parking for cars nearby in either Brunel Mall, Fawkes Place, or Church St car park. There is a low step to enter the building, which is flat. There are no toilet facilities. Please get in touch if you’d like to get more of an idea of what the sessions are like or if you have any accessibility needs.

About the book and author

“Means and Ends is a new overview of the revolutionary strategy of anarchism in Europe and the United States between 1868 and 1939. Zoe Baker clearly and accessibly explains the ideas that historical anarchists developed in order to change the world. This includes their views on direct action, revolution, organization, state socialism, reforms, and trade unions.
Throughout, she demonstrates that the reasons anarchists gave for supporting or opposing particular strategies were grounded in a theoretical framework—a theory of practice—which maintained that, as people engage in activity, they simultaneously change the world and themselves. This theoretical framework was the foundation for the anarchist commitment to the unity of means and ends: the means that revolutionaries propose to achieve social change have to involve forms of activity which transform people into individuals who are capable of, and driven to, both overthrow capitalism and the state and build a free society. The consistent heart of anarchism was the idea that anarchist ends can only be achieved through anarchist means. Cutting through misconceptions and historical inaccuracies, Baker draws upon a vast assortment of examples to show how this simple premise underpinned anarchist attempts to put theory into action.”

Publishers description (Pluto Press)

Zoe Baker is a libertarian socialist philosopher with a PhD on the history of anarchism. She is known for popularizing the theory and history of anarchism, feminism, and Marxism on her popular YouTube and Twitter platforms

Free resources:

• A short piece by Zoe Baker titled “Means and Ends: The Anarchist Critique of Seizing State Power”
• Full text of book available online as text or download as a pdf from libcom.org (Baker has granted permission, but please support radical publisher AK Press or her if possible)
• 17 minute video by Zoe Baker – “Means and Ends: The Anarchist Critique of Seizing State Power” (embedded below)
• 78 minute audio “From Below” podcast episode interview with Zoe Baker
• Zoe Baker’s @anarchopac YouTube channel
• Zoe Baker/@anarchopac on Twitter