Active Distribution
1/2023, paperback booklet
SKU: 9781909798557
This zine looks at contemporary anarchist theory and practice on crime and justice, though it won't be using these terms. The first half will be a critical examination of Transformative Justice-based accountability processes, an approach with origins in US anarchist circles now taking seed in parts of Europe. The other half looks at retributive approaches, such as survivor-led direct action against rapists. The subsection essays are listed below:
"On Crime" argues that we need to reconsider what we understand as problem behaviour before searching for solutions. In doing so, it attempts to lay the conceptual ground for the subsequent discussions.
"Beautiful, Difficult, Powerful" presents an accountability process in detail. It is a zine in its own right and has been taken from the book The Revolution Starts at Home: confronting intimate violence within activist communities.
"Accounting for Ourselves" gives an excellent overview of the history and difficulties of accountability processes. Written by the anarchist collective, CrimethInc, it is very much rooted in US punk and DIY culture.
“Anarchist rapist gets the bat" and "Communiqué" are statements written by groups in the US who've taken direct action to physically confront their rapists.
"Beyond Revenge & Reconciliation" seeks to draw together the points of disagreement and lessons learnt to help develop a
pragmatic and anti-dogmatic approach to dealing with oppressive behaviour in our communities.