Number Thirteen (November 2011) of this movement journal of theory and practice from canada. Check out the introduction below:
As 2011 closes out, we can’t help but think that the currentmoment is ripe with opportunities. Uprisings in the MiddleEast and North Africa, anti-austerity protests in Europe, andopposition to homegrown austerity measures like Scott Walker’santi-labour legislation in Wisconsin prove that – given the chance– most of us desire revolutionary change.
And while we don’t yet have the advantage, it’s hard not tobe at least a little bit optimistic. As UTA 13 goes to press, tens ofthousands are occupying financial districts across North America.And while the Occupy Together movement remains young andvulnerable, it also points toward a growing disdain for the rulingclass and its plans for the remaining “ninety-nine percent” of us. Inmany cities, the radical left remains suspicious of this development. However, if we are going to build on the opportunities presented to us, we must hone our collective capacity to analyze and respondto emergent situations.
This is where Upping the Anti fits in. Responding to the ongoingcriminalization of dissent, this issue’s Editorial considers therelationship between activists and the law. How should we relateto legal proceedings? Is it better – politically speaking – to fightit out, or do we make a greater contribution by returning to ourcommunities as quickly as possible?
Our Interviews section begins with Faraz Vahid Shahidispeaking with Jesse Rosenfeld about his experiences on theGaza-bound Freedom Flotilla II. Next, Sharmeen Khan interviewsCopwatch LA organizer Joaquin Cienfuegos. David Hugill theninterviews geographer Neil Smith about revolutionary ambitionand the role of urbanization in class struggle. Finally, LorenzoFiorito assesses the recent Canadian Union of Postal Workers’Strike with Edmonton-based union activist Mikhail Bjorge.
In our Articles section, Erica R. Meiners, Liam Michaud,Josh Pavan, and Bridget Simpson begin by making the casefor queer opposition to sexual offender registries and carceralexpansion. Next, Sunera Thobani assesses how the post-9/11 globalconsensus has made social movements in the West susceptible toIslamophobia. Finally, Nick Dyer-Witherford suggests how Marx’sformula for the circulation of capital might be extended to considerthe revolutionary circulation of the common.
This issue’s Roundtable features four members of Toronto’s Queers Against Israeli Apartheid – Tim McCaskell, RichardFung, Natalie Kouri Towe, and Corvin Russell – who discuss thechallenges and opportunities confronted while doing queer anticolonial solidarity work.
Our book reviews begin with Kate Klein’s take on TheRevolution Starts at Home: Confronting Intimate Violence WithinActivist Communities, edited by Ching-In Chen, Jai Dulani, and LeahLakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha. Next, Alex Khasnabish tacklesAK Thompson’s Black Block, White Riot: Antiglobalization and theGenealogy of Dissent. Finally, Steve da Silva reviews Kevin ‘Rashid’ Johnson’s Defying the Tomb.
Although space restrictions have prevented us from printingall of the letters we received in response to content that appearedin UTA 12 in these pages, we’ve made a long letter we receivedfrom Derrick Jensen in response to John Sanbonmatsu’s articleBlood and Soil – along with Sanbanmatsu’s reply – available onlineat uppingthanti.org. The debate is an intersting one, and we hopethat it can continue to generate discussion.
On the administrative front, we’re very pleased to welcomeLorenzo Fiorito to the Editorial Committee. We’re also happy towelcome Kieran Aarons and Rob Nichols to the UTA Advisory Board. Finally, we would like to thank outgoing Advisory Board members Ernesto Aguilar and Erica Meiners for their contributions.We wish them well in their future endeavors.
Since its inception, Upping the Anti has been an importantvoice on the radical left. Our commitment to relying solely upondonations, subscriptions, and sustainer contributions has kept usfiercely independent; however, it has also meant that our financialsituation occasionally becomes precarious. To coincide with ourthirteenth issue, we’re launching a new sustainer’s drive. We urgeyou to commit to making a monthly donation – even a little goesa long way. Please visit our website for information on becoming a UTA sustainer.
With your help, we can move achieve the financialsustainability that will allow us to continue publishing the radicalnews and analysis you’ve come to expect.
If you’re interested in contributing to UTA 14 (scheduled forrelease in May 2011), please send a pitch touppingtheanti@gmail.com no later than December 3, 2011. For more information, pleasevisit us online athttp://www.uppingtheanti.org.
Enjoy the issue! As always, we look forward to your letters,submissions, and support.
In solidarity and struggle,
Aidan Conway, Lorenzo Fiorito, Kelly Fritsch, Tom Keefer, Sharmeen Khan, Robyn Letson, Adrie Naylor, Clare O’Connor, AK Thompson, Élise Thorburn, Simon Wallace
Toronto, November 2011
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Letters to the Editors
- Editorial
Interviews
- Jesse Rosenfeld: Palestine Solidarity & the New Internationalism
- Joaquin Cienfuegos: Their Eeys Were Watching Cops
- Mikhail Bjorge: Lesons from CUPW on Delivering the Good
- Neil Smith: Revolutionary Ambition in the Age of Austerity
Articles
- Erica R. Meiners et al.: "Worst of the Worst"?: Queer Investments in Challenging Sex Offender Registries
- Sunera Thobani: Breaking Consensus: The War on Terror, Islamophobia, and Social Movements
- Nick Dyer-Witheford: Networked Leninism?: The Circulation of Capital, Crisis, Struggle, and the Common
Roundtables
- Robyn Letson: Coming Out Against Apartheid with Richard Fung, Natalie Kouri-Towe, Tim McCaskell & Corvin Ruseell
Reviews
- Kate Klein: Ching-In Chen, Jai Dulani & Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha'sThe Revolution Starts at Home
- Alex Khasnabish: AK Thompson'sBlack Bloc, White Riot
- Steve da Silva: Kevin "Rashid" Johnson'sDefying the Tomb