Mon, 02 Apr 2018, 17:30
Mayday Rooms, London, Mayday Rooms, 88 Fleet Street, London, EC4Y 1DH
London launch for this new anthology on the world's biggest trade union
This book is the first to look at the history of the IWW from an international perspective. Bringing together a group of leading scholars, it includes lively accounts from a number diverse countries including Australia, Canada, Mexico, South Africa, Sweden and Ireland, which reveal a fascinating story of global anarchism, syndicalism and socialism.
The Industrial Workers of the World is a union unlike any other. Founded in 1905 in Chicago, it rapidly gained members across the world thanks to its revolutionary, internationalist outlook. By using powerful organising methods including direct-action and direct-democracy, it put power in the hands of workers. This philosophy is labeled as ‘revolutionary industrial unionism’ and the members called, affectionately, ‘Wobblies’.
Drawing on many important figures of the movements such as Tom Barker, Har Dayal, Joe Hill, James Larkin and William D. “Big Bill” Haywood, and exploring particular industries including shipping, mining, and agriculture, this book describes how the IWW and its ideals travelled around the world.
Reviews
“Finally! A book about the IWW that takes seriously their global self-description. This book is a landmark and a sea beacon in the history of the planetary proletariat.” – Marcus Rediker, Slave Ship: A Human History
“A splendid project and a vitally important contribution to the understanding of labor as a social movement.” – Paul Buhle, Wobblies!: A Graphic History of the Industrial Workers of the World“As a second-generation member of the IWW, I am delighted to see this outstanding collection of essays on the Wobblies, their achievements, and their substantial impact despite severe repression.” – Noam Chomsky
About the Author
David M. Struthers is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Copenhagen. He is the editor of Wobblies of the World (Pluto, 2017).
