Socialisme ou Barbarie : An Anthology

Resumen del libro

The first English language anthology of writings from the French
libertarian socialist journal of the 1950s and early 1960s
- Socialisme ou Barbarie was hugely influential within French theory and on
the European radical left - its influence can be felt from Situationism to
Autonomism
- Members with writings in this text include Cornelius Castoriadis, Claude
Lefort, Jean-Francois Lyotard and Guy Debord
Socialisme ou Barbarie was arguably one of the most important far-left organisations
of the twentieth century. Rejecting the dominant Leninist paradigm, they set out to
develop a new current in revolutionary theory that saw the direct democracy of
workers councils as the antidote to the failures of really-existing socialism. The
groups journal became a hub of European radical thought - featuring writing from
Cornelius Castoriadis, Guy Debord, Jean-Francois Lyotard and many others - and
exerted a major influence on the American radical left which continues to be felt
today.
Presented here is the first comprehensive collection of Socialisme ou Barbaries
writings to appear in English. Containing essays and contributions reflecting the full
breadth and depth of thought that animated the project, its subject matter touches
on everything from the bureaucratisation of European society to national liberation
struggles in China and Algeria, and from the failure of statist socialisms to the
vitality of proletarian experience.
Now more than ever, the radical alternatives proposed by Socialisme ou Barbarie
deserve a wide audience, and this book aims to makes that possible.