Abolition: Politics, Practices, Promises, Vol. 1 - Softcover

Davis, Angela Y.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0241994586 ISBN 13: 9780241994580

Publisher: Penguin, 2025

Synopsis

‘A woman of undeniable courage. She should be heard’ New York Times

From trailblazing political activist Angela Y. Davis, a major new collection of essays and interviews that argue for a radical rethinking of our prison systems

An icon of revolutionary politics, Angela Y. Davis has been at the forefront of collective movements for prison abolition for over fifty years. Abolition: Politics, Practices, Promises, the first of two important new volumes, brings together an essential collection of Davis’s essays, conversations, and interviews over the years, showing how her thinking has sharpened and evolved even as she has remained uncompromising in her commitment to collective liberation.

Davis traces a genealogy of the penal system, from slavery to the prison industrial complex, offering a trenchant analysis of the relationship between the prison system and capitalism, both in the US and on a global scale. Combining decades of analytical brilliance and lessons from organising both inside and beyond prison walls, Davis addresses the history of abolitionist practice, details the unique contributions of women to abolitionist struggles, and offers the radical tools we need for revolutionary change.

Powerful and rewarding, filled with insight and provocation, Abolition: Politics, Practices, Promises, is essential reading for anyone seeking to imagine a world without prisons.

'A brilliantly observant, profoundly knowledgeable, and unfailingly original text . . . A must-read essay collection for anyone invested in racial equity' Kirkus (starred review)

‘She has eyes in the back of our head. With her we can survive and resist’ John Berger

About this title

About the Author

ANGELA Y. DAVIS is Professor Emerita of History of Consciousness and Feminist Studies at UC Santa Cruz. An activist, writer and lecturer, her work focuses on prisons, police, abolition and the related intersections of race, gender and class. She is the author of many books, including Women, Race and Class and Freedom Is a Constant Struggle.

From the Back Cover

From trailblazing political activist Angela Y. Davis, a major new collection of essays and interviews that argue for a radical rethinking of our prison systems

An icon of revolutionary politics, Angela Y. Davis has been at the forefront of collective movements for prison abolition for over fifty years. Abolition: Politics, Practices, Promises, the first of two important new volumes, brings together an essential collection of Davis's essays, conversations, and interviews over the years, showing how her thinking has sharpened and evolved even as she has remained uncompromising in her commitment to collective liberation.

Davis traces a genealogy of the penal system, from slavery to the prison industrial complex, offering a trenchant analysis of the relationship between the prison system and capitalism, both in the US and on a global scale. Combining decades of analytical brilliance and lessons from organising both inside and beyond prison walls, Davis addresses the history of abolitionist practice, details the unique contributions of women to abolitionist struggles, and offers the radical tools we need for revolutionary change.

Powerful and rewarding, filled with insight and provocation, Abolition: Politics, Practices, Promises, is essential reading for anyone seeking to imagine a world without prisons.

Reviews:

'A woman of undeniable courage. She should be heard.' - New York Times

'In a brilliantly observant, profoundly knowledgeable, and unfailingly original text, the author's passion and eloquence render even the driest facts fascinating... even the staunchest Davis devotees are likely to discover new material and new ways to reimagine a more just world. A must-read essay collection for anyone invested in racial equity.' - Kirkus (Starred Review)

'She has eyes in the back of our head. With her we can survive and resist.' - John Berger

'Angela Davis has stood her ground on every issue important to the health of our people and the planet. It is impossible to read her words or hear her voice and not be moved to comprehension and gratitude for our incredible luck in having her with us.' - Alice Walker

Edition details

• Publisher: Penguin
• Publication date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0241994586
• ISBN 13: 9780241994580
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320