Encyclopedia of Political Anarchy [Library Binding]

Kathlyn Gay (Author), Martin K. Gay (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1999

The Encyclopedia of Political Anarchy charts history's most misunderstood social movement. Covering political anarchy worldwide for the past 300 years, the book also examines the ancient roots of the movement, spotlights key individuals, and explores important groups, organizations, events, laws, legal cases, and theories.

More than just a reference source, Encyclopedia of Political Anarchy also tells the interesting story of sophisticated and complex social and philosophical forces that left their mark on the world—from the 13th century Free Spirit movement against the oppressive power of the church in France to the present-day Zapatista National Liberation Army in Mexico.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Grade 9 Up-Cogent, concise articles, several paragraphs to several pages in length, examine major figures and describe organizations, revolutions, strikes, laws, and court cases marking significant milestones in the development of the anarchist movement. Along with well-known people such as Emma Goldman and Mikhail Bakunin are profiles of Noam Chomsky, Philip Berrigan, the "Haymarket Anarchists," and Thomas Paine. Entries on modern rebels and movements include the Zapatista National Liberation Army, Black Panthers, Earth First!, and American Antigovernment Extremists of the 1980s and 1990s. Topics linked by helpful see-also references and the thorough index make the information accessible. While Richard D. Sonn's Anarchism (Twayne, 1992) and Paul Avrich's Anarchist Portraits (Princeton Univ., 1988) provide more in-depth analyses of the history and lives involved in the movement, this encyclopedia offers balance to the stereotypical portrayals of anarchists found in some standard histories. An appendix discusses how the Internet, "...the quintessential example of a large scale anarchist organization," can be a source for further research and provides an extensive annotated list of Web sites. A generous bibliography of print materials adds to the value of this volume.
Douglas Wooley, Brooklyn Public Library, NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A first of its kind, the Encyclopedia of Political Anarchy is a thoroughly interesting and useful reference guide, providing a wealth of accessible information on anarchy over the past 300 years … this is a novel and highly recommended reference guide."

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Studies in Conflict & Terrorism

"The work opens with an excellent essay on anarchism and closes with a comprehensive bibliography and detailed subject index … well written … Recommended for public and academic libraries."

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Library Journal

"The Gays' work fills a niche and is recommended for political science research collections."

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Choice

"…this encyclopedia offers balance to the stereotypical portrayals of anarchists found in some standard histories. A generous bibliography of print materials adds to the value of this volume."

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School Library Journal

"This easy to read encyclopedia is recommended for the reference collections of public, academic, and school libraries."

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American Reference Books Annual

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Library Binding: 242 pages
• Publisher: ABC-CLIO (April 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0874369827
• ISBN-13: 978-0874369823
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,040,549 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Encycl. of Misrepresentations of Political Anarchy, June 20, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Encyclopedia of Political Anarchy (Library Binding)

...or, "Encyclopedia of Many Varieties of Dissidence, the Practitioners of Which May at One Time or Another Have Met Someone Who Was an Anarchist."

Who were the early catalysts... Who are the more recent key players... Is there an anarchist orthodoxy... What organizations are important... How do recent militia and libertarian movements interface with anarchist traditions... What about communism? These and other questions then served as the organizing structure for the inquiy, and the answers the de facto criteria for inclusion of various entires" (from the Preface). The Gays' don't deliver the goods.

No satisfactory answers to these questions appear in the pages of the Gays' encyclopedia; no anarchist orthodoxy is identified or explained. Their analysis of militias (what they call "American Antigovernment Extremists") is self-contradictory. "American extremists... are bent on taking over government at the local, state, and national level. They believe in an authoritarian rule that they themselves establish." Clearly this means that they are not against government, but against current governors. They want to substitute themselves for those whom they see as illegitamate political authorities, rather than agitating for the complete abolition of such authority. So how can they be called "antigovernment"? The Gays are confused.

Beyond that there are many examples of lazy research and sloppy scholarship. Many of the citations come from the internet; this has the advantages of not being limited to peer-reviewd essays and articles, but this also creates the disadvantage of therefore not being limited to essays and articles that make sense internally. In addition, it makes checking those citations impossible for anyone not hooked into the web.

This encyclopedia is not going to help you get a better understanding of what "political anarchy" is all about. Without a better background or familiarity with the subtleties of anarchist thought and practice over the last 150 years, it's difficult at best to try to come up with any kind of encyclopedia that is both comprehensive and critical at the same time. The authors set their sights too high, and wound up hitting way too low.

From Anarchy: A Journal of Desire Armed, #51

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative for Research for Kids, November 10, 2009

By 

L. A. Blaeser "book reader" (Evanston, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Encyclopedia of Political Anarchy (Library Binding)

This book is a good encyclopedia for young people learning about government, government theory and key players in anarchical political thought, past and present.