A review by karis_dl
Anarchism and Other Essays by Emma Goldman

challenging funny slow-paced

3.75

This is a really interesting read. I had heard Goldman's name tossed around a couple times in academic settings and so I was intrigued to read the source material and see what she had to say. In case the title wasn't clear, this is a collection of essays on early 20th century anarchism. Goldman covers a range of topics from anarchism basics to nationalism, policing, the prison system, labour and wages, women's rights, marriage, and stage plays. I really enjoyed Goldman's definition of anarchy as a sort of collective commitment, its own kind of organization. This reading helped me clarify my understanding of anarchism which I think is super valuable. The chapters on policing and prisons were really interesting and I think unfortunately still remarkably relevant, they had me thinking about and wanting to re-read Angela Davis's work. In our current socio-political moment, I think the chapter on nationalism is also deeply important. Violent, (white supremacist) nationalism is a rising issue and we need to understand it in order to tackle it effectively. I also found the chapters on women's rights super fascinating. While Goldman does bring up some important and challenging ideas, she does at time seem to place too much onus on women for their own subjugation under patriarchy. I agree that looking inwards and pointing towards issues within our own communities is important but I think this could have been done with more nuance on Goldman's part. There are a couple of chapters that I found a little less engaging but I think that's because they are quite focused on Goldman's own temporal moment and so they perhaps don't translate as well if you are unfamiliar with some of the early 20th century figures she discusses. The chapter on plays and their role in spreading radical thought to the public was super cool, but felt sooooo out of place with the rest of the piece. Generally, I found her writing to be quite engaging and what struck me the most was just how funny Goldman manages to be. Her tone was so enjoyable and the humour is effective in making this content seem more down to earth.