Friends in Common: Radical Friendship and Everyday Solidarities

‘I’ve been waiting for this book for years – a beautifully written, compelling study of the significance of the dense bonds of friendship in fostering and preserving progressive politics. A joyful, empowering read’ Lynne Segal, author of Lean on Me

‘A moving exploration of the importance and the difficulty of forging intimate relationships within capitalism’ Hannah Proctor, author of Burnout

Friendship is full of revolutionary potential in the face of a profoundly anti-social capitalist system. Friends in Common explores friendship as a radical practice, capable of upending hierarchies and producing social change.

Friendship can transcend social boundaries and political borders. It is vital in building communities and underpinning solidarity. But its transformative potency ensures that it is heavily policed and restrained by the state. Understanding the radical possibilities of friendship can help us rethink our approach to family, work and politics, and show us new routes to resistance and ways to open up spaces of solidarity and escape.

Friends in Common shows that friendship as a political practice is foundational to strengthening revolutionary ideas and projects, and can be the antidote to capitalist despair.

Laura C. Forster is a historian and writer based in Newcastle. She is a lecturer in Modern History at the University of York, and has written for Tribune, ROAR and DOPE. Joel White is a writer and researcher based in Glasgow. His writing has appeared in the Guardian, Wire and Tribune. He co-runs the record label GLARC.

Laura C. Forster is a lecturer in Modern History at the University of York. Her research is concerned with intimacy, radical ideas, and political activism in the long nineteenth century. Laura has written for Tribune, ROAR, DOPE, and Novara Media. She lives in Newcastle and is part of Food & Solidarity.

Joel White is a writer and researcher based in Glasgow. He is involved with groups in the city that organise around mutual aid, migrant solidarity, prison abolition and anti-racism. His writing has appeared in Guardian, Wire, Tribune and the LRB blog. He co-runs the record label GLARC.