Lifestyle Politics and Radical Activism

The cultural and political contexts in the U.S. today allow for individual tactics of resistance to co-exist with collective identities and shared desires for social change. This groundbreaking book examines this tension between the individual and the collective by looking at "lifestyle politics," or the attempt by individuals to enact their political ideologies in their daily life. Drawing on feminism and other radical movements that claim that "the personal is political," the book explores how anarchist activists position their own lifestyle within strategies of radical political resistance. A variety of lifestyle practices, from personal consumption to self representation and sexuality is studied to address questions of identity and cultural practices as tools of political dissent. An accessible and provocative text, Lifestyle Politics and Radical Activism blends theory with empirical materials to highlight issues that are important not only to anarchists, but also to anyone engaged in social activism. This unique analysis of activism will contribute to the development of anarchist theory and practice and will appeal to anyone interested in political activism and social movements.

Laura Portwood-Stacer is Lecturer at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA. She has published several journal articles, including "Constructing Anarchist Sexuality: Queer Culture, Identity, and Politics in the Anarchist Movement." (2010).

1. Introduction2. The Personal Politics of Anti-Consumption3. Style and the communication of radical political dissent4. Constructing an Anarchist Sexuality5. The Politics of Anarchist Identity6. "Lifestylism" and Political Possibility: Bridging the chasm?