Autonomy, Refusal, and the Black Bloc

These are fighting words. Part genealogy of critical theory's strongest sinews, part corrective to the distortions of posers, Carley's mastery of the literature is bested only by his contempt for those who fake it. Every theory must find its limit situation, and Carley makes plain that, at its threshold, "autonomy" demands the repolarization of our one-dimensional world. Read at your own risk! -- AK Thompson, Author of Premonitions: Selected Essays on the Culture of Revolt and Black Bloc, White Riot: Antiglobalization and the Genealogy of Dissent
Contra Antonio Negri’s criticism of the black bloc movement as “solitary” and “individual,” Carley argues powerfully and lucidly that the black bloc movement involves not merely isolated incidents of revolt, but an “affirmative and active” practice of progressive and constructive reconfigurations of social relations. This is an important contribution for anyone attempting to theorize, and support, contemporary social movements, and particularly the urgent issue of their organization or lack thereof. -- Pierre Lamarche, Professor of Philosophy, Utah Valley University