Dr Lucien van der Walt of the Sociology Department, Wits University and frayintermedia Training Director Michael Schmidt have just released the first book of their two-volume non-fiction work, representing nine years of research into the history and theory of global directly-democratic working-class struggle.

Black Flame: The Revolutionary Class Politics of Anarchism and Syndicalism (AK Press, USA, 2009) examines the democratic class politics of the worldwide anarchist movement, its vision of a decentralised planned economy, and its impact on popular struggles on five continents over the course of the past 150 years.

From anarchism’s first glimmers as a nineteenth-century ideology to today’s anti-capitalist struggles, Black Flame traces anarchism’s lineage and contemporary relevance, outlining the movement’s insights into questions of race, gender, class, and imperialism.

Publisher AK Press says: “With Black Flame, Michael Schmidt and Lucien van der Walt, both writers and activists in South Africa, have begun what promises to be the definitive synthetic account of the international anarchist tradition. Nearly exhaustive in scope, and rigorous in its scholarly detail, this first volume significantly reframes the work of previous historians and, espe cially, examines coherent alternatives to Marxist and nationalist approaches to revolutionary theory and practice. [This is] an indispensable conceptual roadmap to the history and continuing relevance of anarchist praxis.”

Reviews of Black Flame

“A well-thought out and nuanced study of the intellectual, political, and social history of anarchism.” — Prof Steven Hirsch, University of Pittsburgh

“This book fulfills a daunting task. Covering anarchism in all parts of the world and emphatically tying it to class struggle, the authors present a highly original and challenging account of the movement, its actions and ideas. This work is a must for everybody interested in nonauthoritarian social movements.” — Prof Bert Altena, Rotterdam University

“This highly worthwhile book represents the fruit of considerable scholarship and deep reflection. The authors have done a remarkable job in drawing together a vast international body of literature. They show convincingly that anarchism and syndicalism were far more significant political forces in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century world than historians have generally given them credit for. They provide excellent accounts of the movement’s global political reach, supported by an impressive knowl edge of disparate literatures. Schmidt and van der Walt also make a powerful and lucidly written case for anarchism as a serious and coherent political philosophy.”— Prof Jonathan Hyslop, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg

Black Flame will be launched at Xarra Books in Newtown, Johannesburg, and at other venues on dates to be announced shortly. It is also purchasable online from http://www.akpress.org/2007/items/blackflameakpress