Silvia Federici

With women's anger, empowerment, and the critical importance of intersectional feminism taking center stage in much of the dialogue happening in feminist spaces right now, an anthology like this has never been more important. The voices in this collection of essays and interviews offer perspectives and experiences that help women find common ground, unity, and allyship. Through personal essays and interviews about what it is like to live as a woman (cis + trans) in this modern world--with all of our love, anger, complexities, and desires for justice--All of Me: Stories of Love, Anger, and the Female Body includes vulnerable, painful truths and bold inspiration. This anthology is for seasoned feminists and young feminists alike--anyone looking to find inspiration in radical activism, creativity, healing, and more. This book covers topics of social and economic justice, creativity, racism, transgender perspectives, sexuality, sex work, addiction and recovery, reproductive rights, assault, relationship dynamics, families, fitting and not fitting in, radical self-care, witchcraft, and more. If love and anger are two sides of the same coin, for women there are worlds to be explored with every flip of that coin. Readers will find a glimpse into those worlds in the pages of All of Me.

In this edited collection of work spanning more than 20 years, Silvia Federici provides a detailed history and critique of the politics of the commons from a feminist perspective. In her clear and combative voice, Federici provides readers with an analysis of some of the key issues in contemporary thinking on this subject. Drawing on rich historical research, she maps the connections between the previous forms of enclosure that occurred with the birth of capitalism and the destruction of the commons and the "new enclosures" at the heart of the present phase of global capitalist accumulation. Considering the commons from a feminist perspective, this collection argues that women and reproductive work are crucial to both our economic survival and the construction of a world free from the capitalist hierarchies. Federici is clear that the commons should not be understood as happy islands in a sea of exploitative relations--but rather autonomous spaces from which to challenge the existing organization of life and labor.

The world is witnessing a new surge of interpersonal and institutional violence against women, including new witch hunts. This surge of violence has occurred alongside an expansion of capitalist social relation. In this new work, Silvia Federici examines the root causes of these developments and outlines the consequences for the women affected and their communities. She argues, that this new war on women, a mirror of witch hunts in 16th- and 17th-century Europe and the "New World," is a structural element of the new forms of capitalist accumulation. These processes are founded on the destruction of people's most basic means of reproduction. Like at the dawn of capitalism, the factors behind today's violence against women are processes of enclosure, land dispossession, and the remolding of women's reproductive activities and subjectivity.

Literary Nonfiction. CALIBAN AND THE WITCH is a history of the body in the transition to capitalism. Moving from the peasant revolts of the late Middle Ages to the witch-hunts and the rise of mechanical philosophy, Federici investigates the capitalist rationalization of social reproduction. She shows how the battle against the rebel body and the conflict between body and mind are essential conditions for the development of labor power and self-ownership, two central principles of modern social organization." It is both a passionate work of memory recovered and a hammer of humanity's agenda." Peter Linebaugh, author of The London Hanged"

The complexity of African society entering the 21st century necessitates an interdisciplinary examination of Africa's political, social, and cultural developments and challenges. Focusing on Social Movements and Literature, Social Change and Culture, the book brings together a wide range of essays by committed scholars, writers, and activists concerned with progressive approaches to Africa's dilemmas. Beginning with an overview by anthropologist Cheryl Mwaria, African Visions addresses such issues as structural adjustments, religious freedom, human rights, democratization, educational movements, and health care. Particular analyses consider intellectual property, student activism, and the AIDS epidemic. Mwaria, Federici, and McLaren also explore the way social and cultural questions have been treated in literary works and theoretical studies dealing with hybridity, sexual politics, literacy, socialist orientations, and language. Noted literary scholars Odun Balogun and Alamin Mazrui consider aspects of these issues. The collection also examines trends in literature, publishing, and theater in such countries as Algeria, Niger, Nigeria, and South Africa in relation to themes such as gender, popular culture, African novels, and protest. Highlighting articles by two of Africa's leading activist/writers Dennis Brutus of South Africa, stressing regional cooperation, and Ngûgî wa Thiong'o of Kenya, advocating African languages, African Visions avoids the pessimism associated with numerous 20th century studies. Brutus and Ngûgî consider the economic and cultural effects of globalization and the necessity for promoting self-determination. An essential resource for all scholars and students concerned with contemporary African life and culture.

What do we mean by Western Civilization? When did the expression originate and why? At a time when there is a widespread perception that Western Civilization is undergoing a historic crisis, and when postmodernism, feminist theory, afrocentrism, deconstruction, and other current philosophical schools define themselves as alternatives to, or critiques of, Western Civilization, this book seeks to trace the development of the concept of Western Civilization and to examine the reasons for its endurance. It also suggests ways in which proponents of Western Civilization can co-opt ideas from opponents. Written from a multidisciplinary viewpoint, the essays in this volume trace the development of the concept of Western Civilization and seek to explode many standing beliefs—primarily those which concern the very existence of a Western tradition. Bound to be controversial, the book will be of interest to scholars and activists in the fields of cultural history, anthropology, and the history of ideas, as well as general readers interested in the enduring discussion of the notion of Western Civilization.

What do we mean by Western Civilization? When did the expression originate and why? At a time when there is a widespread perception that Western Civilization is undergoing a historic crisis, and when postmodernism, feminist theory, afrocentrism, deconstruction, and other current philosophical schools define themselves as alternatives to, or critiques of, Western Civilization, this book seeks to trace the development of the concept of Western Civilization and to examine the reasons for its endurance. It also suggests ways in which proponents of Western Civilization can co-opt ideas from opponents. Written from a multidisciplinary viewpoint, the essays in this volume trace the development of the concept of Western Civilization and seek to explode many standing beliefs—primarily those which concern the very existence of a Western tradition. Bound to be controversial, the book will be of interest to scholars and activists in the fields of cultural history, anthropology, and the history of ideas, as well as general readers interested in the enduring discussion of the notion of Western Civilization.