In Defense of Looting : A Riotous History of Uncivil Action

Vicky Osterweil

ISBN 10: 1645036693 / ISBN 13: 9781645036692

Published by Publicaffairs Aug 2020, 2020

About this Item

Neuware - A fresh argument for rioting and looting as our most powerful tools for dismantling white supremacy.Looting -- a crowd of people publicly, openly, and directly seizing goods -- is one of the more extreme actions that can take place in the midst of social unrest. Even self-identified radicals distance themselves from looters, fearing that violent tactics reflect badly on the broader movement.But Vicky Osterweil argues that stealing goods and destroying property are direct, pragmatic strategies of wealth redistribution and improving life for the working class -- not to mention the brazen messages these methods send to the police and the state. All our beliefs about the innate righteousness of property and ownership, Osterweil explains, are built on the history of anti-Black, anti-Indigenous oppression.From slave revolts to labor strikes to the modern-day movements for climate change, Black lives, and police abolition, Osterweil makes a convincing case for rioting and looting as weapons that bludgeon the status quo while uplifting the poor and marginalized. In Defense of Looting is a history of violent protest sparking social change, a compelling reframing of revolutionary activism, and a practical vision for a dramatically restructured society.

Seller Inventory # 9781645036692

Bibliographic Details

• Title: In Defense of Looting : A Riotous History of Uncivil Action
• Publisher: Publicaffairs Aug 2020
• Publication Date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1645036693
• ISBN 13: 9781645036692
• Binding: Buch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 241W x 159H x 27D millimeters 241 millimeters width by 159 millimeters height by 27 millimeters depth
• Weight: 500 grams

About this title

Synopsis

A fresh argument for rioting and looting as our most powerful tools for dismantling white supremacy.


Looting -- a crowd of people publicly, openly, and directly seizing goods -- is one of the more extreme actions that can take place in the midst of social unrest. Even self-identified radicals distance themselves from looters, fearing that violent tactics reflect badly on the broader movement.




But Vicky Osterweil argues that stealing goods and destroying property are direct, pragmatic strategies of wealth redistribution and improving life for the working class -- not to mention the brazen messages these methods send to the police and the state. All our beliefs about the innate righteousness of property and ownership, Osterweil explains, are built on the history of anti-Black, anti-Indigenous oppression.




From slave revolts to labor strikes to the modern-day movements for climate change, Black lives, and police abolition, Osterweil makes a convincing case for rioting and looting as weapons that bludgeon the status quo while uplifting the poor and marginalized. In Defense of Looting is a history of violent protest sparking social change, a compelling reframing of revolutionary activism, and a practical vision for a dramatically restructured society.

About the Author

Vicky Osterweil is a writer, editor, and agitator and a regular contributor to the New Inquiry. Her writing has also appeared in the Baffler, the Nation, the Rumpus, Real Life, and Al Jazeera America.