Curious About Anarchist History?
Thank you for your curiosity about anarchism and its history. Welcoming people into this field and maintaining their interest is no easy task, as anarchism has been misunderstood and vilified for decades. Its history is largely unknown to the general public. As an academic historian of anarchism, I am committed to changing my field’s unwarranted bad reputation.
For twenty years, I have researched anarchist history. I have written or edited several books and journal articles and presented new research at numerous academic conferences. Despite all this work being rewarding, it has largely remained within the confines of academia.
This is why I aim to bring anarchist history to a broader audience using a more popular, less analytical style and platform. The range of oppositional politics and creative resistance by women and men who proudly called themselves anarchists during the 19th and 20th centuries is surprisingly captivating and, I would argue, inspiring.
You don’t need to adhere to an anarchist philosophy to appreciate this history; a healthy curiosity about radicals who resisted authoritarian systems is enough. That said, anarchism as a contemporary philosophy is worth exploring. It is not a relic of the past but a distinct, resilient, transnational political philosophy and movement that is alive and well today.
I am not a trained political scientist or philosopher. I’m a historian, and that’s going to be my angle. If you are interested in my academic work, please visit my website (https://txgoyens.wixsite.com/tomgoyens) or my pages at Academia and ResearchGate. I recommend subscribing to the Anarchist Studies journal.
Occasionally, I send out information on new book releases in anarchist history. The social preview image for “Red-Hot” posts comes from the Libertaire Orde website
Thank you for exploring my newsletter. If you’re curious, please subscribe (it’s free!) and contact me with any feedback.
