The Coming Insurrection
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Summary
A call to arms by a group of French intellectuals that rejects leftist reform and aligns itself with younger， wilder forms of resistance。
Thirty years of “crisis，” mass unemployment， and flagging growth， and they still want us to believe in the economy。。。 We have to see that the economy is itself the crisis。 It's not that there's not enough work， it's that there is too much of it。 The Coming Insurrection is an eloquent call to arms arising from the recent waves of social contestation in France and Europe。 Written by the anonymous Invisible Committee in the vein of Guy Debord—and with comparable elegance—it has been proclaimed a manual for terrorism by the French government （who recently arrested its alleged authors）。 One of its members more adequately described the group as “the name given to a collective voice bent on denouncing contemporary cynicism and reality。” The Coming Insurrection is a strategic prescription for an emergent war-machine capable of “spreading anarchy and live communism。” Written in the wake of the riots that erupted throughout the Paris suburbs in the fall of 2005 and presaging more recent riots and general strikes in France and Greece， The Coming Insurrection articulates a rejection of the official Left and its reformist agenda， aligning itself instead with the younger， wilder forms of resistance that have emerged in Europe around recent struggles against immigration control and the “war on terror。” Hot-wired to the movement of '77 in Italy， its preferred historical reference point， The Coming Insurrection formulates an ethics that takes as its starting point theft， sabotage， the refusal to work， and the elaboration of collective， self-organized life forms。 It is a philosophical statement that addresses the growing number of those—in France， in the United States， and elsewhere—who refuse the idea that theory， politics， and life are separate realms。
Thirty years of “crisis，” mass unemployment， and flagging growth， and they still want us to believe in the economy。。。 We have to see that the economy is itself the crisis。 It's not that there's not enough work， it's that there is too much of it。 The Coming Insurrection is an eloquent call to arms arising from the recent waves of social contestation in France and Europe。 Written by the anonymous Invisible Committee in the vein of Guy Debord—and with comparable elegance—it has been proclaimed a manual for terrorism by the French government （who recently arrested its alleged authors）。 One of its members more adequately described the group as “the name given to a collective voice bent on denouncing contemporary cynicism and reality。” The Coming Insurrection is a strategic prescription for an emergent war-machine capable of “spreading anarchy and live communism。” Written in the wake of the riots that erupted throughout the Paris suburbs in the fall of 2005 and presaging more recent riots and general strikes in France and Greece， The Coming Insurrection articulates a rejection of the official Left and its reformist agenda， aligning itself instead with the younger， wilder forms of resistance that have emerged in Europe around recent struggles against immigration control and the “war on terror。” Hot-wired to the movement of '77 in Italy， its preferred historical reference point， The Coming Insurrection formulates an ethics that takes as its starting point theft， sabotage， the refusal to work， and the elaboration of collective， self-organized life forms。 It is a philosophical statement that addresses the growing number of those—in France， in the United States， and elsewhere—who refuse the idea that theory， politics， and life are separate realms。
Reviews
Isa
，
this book: is titled 'the coming insurrection'me when it calls for an actual armed insurrection: 😮 this book: is titled 'the coming insurrection'me when it calls for an actual armed insurrection: 😮 。。。more
Cel
，
me gustaría leerlo con más atención pero me ha gustado， me parece reconfortante encontrar una descripción tan coherente y reciente de cómo son las cosas que además ofrece una propuesta
Nico Ransome
，
There is a tragicomedy to be seen in the 1-star reviews of this magnificent （and magnificently short） book， reviews left by a horde of angry right-wing Boomers， a counterrevolution lead by no less than far right conspiracy theorist Glenn Beck。 It's enough to bring back memories of angry and frivolous arguments with propagandized minds over whether or not the establishment's golden boy was actually born in America。 The past， however， is the past。 The Boomers moved onwards and rightwards to crypto There is a tragicomedy to be seen in the 1-star reviews of this magnificent （and magnificently short） book， reviews left by a horde of angry right-wing Boomers， a counterrevolution lead by no less than far right conspiracy theorist Glenn Beck。 It's enough to bring back memories of angry and frivolous arguments with propagandized minds over whether or not the establishment's golden boy was actually born in America。 The past， however， is the past。 The Boomers moved onwards and rightwards to crypto-fascism， Glenn Beck moved on from Fox News， and Barack Obama is still American。 So what can we say of the book itself in lieu of these developments？Well， it's all kind of irrelevant。 Few of the 2010 era reviews actually discuss the content of the book， instead being generic admonitions against the socialist threat within， clear signs of discontent with simulacra of a movement rather than the movement itself。 Simply put， this book nails the neuroses of our era and recommends tactics to usurp the dominant power structures guiding the neuroses into new markets。 It's the lovechild Mark Fisher or Adam Curtis could have produced with the insurrectionary anarchist movement， a document running parallel to the great revolutionary prophets of our era。 I am no anarchist but I can't help admiring even the tactics and the ideology in play。 As a Marxist， there are many points of disagreement， but I can't discount the possibility that the insurrectionary anarchists could be entirely right about the fate of the system。 The collapse really does appear rapidly approaching and， as with any other collapse in history， it's difficult to speak in the final outcome。 Thankfully， we do have works of these calibers to guide us in at least the revolutionary aspect of the final battles in the temple of capital。 Let's hope it works。 。。。more
tyler
，
this is one of the first politico-philosophical writings i've read （and certainly the first written in the 21st century） - I absolutely did not understand all of this， i'll be revisiting this & related works。despite not grasping this in its entirety， i certainly felt scared & energized while reading it， so。。。 goal accomplished， Invisible Committee。 this is one of the first politico-philosophical writings i've read （and certainly the first written in the 21st century） - I absolutely did not understand all of this， i'll be revisiting this & related works。despite not grasping this in its entirety， i certainly felt scared & energized while reading it， so。。。 goal accomplished， Invisible Committee。 。。。more
Štangla
，
One might say that the author（s） are just swearing in a pub， but my god！ They do it beautifully！ Indeed， their communist worldview is absurd and if you are not a character from Michel Houellebecq's novell， you can not take their society analysis seriously， because you just do not live in the world they are decscibing。 I think however that， as a hyperbole - just like Michel Houellebecq's books - this one expreses something some people are really strugling with。 Therefore this piece should be read One might say that the author（s） are just swearing in a pub， but my god！ They do it beautifully！ Indeed， their communist worldview is absurd and if you are not a character from Michel Houellebecq's novell， you can not take their society analysis seriously， because you just do not live in the world they are decscibing。 I think however that， as a hyperbole - just like Michel Houellebecq's books - this one expreses something some people are really strugling with。 Therefore this piece should be read not because the vision of the revolution the authors are describing in the second half can be a real threat anytime soon， but because the motives that lead the authors to write and their readers to appreciate this book will be real forces shaping our future reality in the more suble way。 Let's not let them become invisible。 。。。more
Jerbi akram
，
Très incisif et engageant
Tora
，
All the people review bombing this with one star are conservatives， fearful of things they don’t understand。 They refuse to acknowledge injustice， so when they see people try to fix things they get scared。 They are cowardly， ignorant people。 This book is a modern classic， a historic work by a person or people I would be glad to call my comrade（s）。
Helmwald
，
Lite för edgy， lite för vagt， dock inte totalt ointressant。
Varapanyo Bhikkhu
，
A few quotes:From whatever angle you approach it， the present offers no way out。 This is not the least of its virtues。 From those who seek hope above all， it tears away every firm ground。 Those who claim to have solutions are contradicted almost immediately。 Everyone agrees that things can only get worse。 “The future has no future” is the wisdom of an age that， for all its appearance of perfect normalcy， has reached the level of consciousness of the first punks。*Business is not a place where we A few quotes:From whatever angle you approach it， the present offers no way out。 This is not the least of its virtues。 From those who seek hope above all， it tears away every firm ground。 Those who claim to have solutions are contradicted almost immediately。 Everyone agrees that things can only get worse。 “The future has no future” is the wisdom of an age that， for all its appearance of perfect normalcy， has reached the level of consciousness of the first punks。*Business is not a place where we exist， it’s a place we pass through。 We aren’t cynical， we are just reluctant to be deceived。 All these discourses on motivation， quality and personal investment pass us by， to the great dismay of human resources managers。 They say we are disappointed by business， that it failed to honor our parents’ loyalty， that it let them go too quickly。 They are lying。 To be disappointed， one must have hoped for something。 And we have never hoped for anything from business: we see it for what it is and for what it has always been， a fool’s game of varying degrees of comfort。 On behalf of our parents， our only regret is that they fell into the trap， at least the ones who believed。*We have to see that the economy is not “in” crisis， the economy is itself the crisis。*The collapse of the socialist bloc was in no way victory of capitalism; it was merely the bankrupting of one of the forms capitalism takes。 Besides， the demise of the USSR did not come about because a people revolted， but because the nomenclature was undergoing a process of reconversion。 When it proclaimed the end of socialism， a small fraction of the ruling class emancipated itself from the anachronistic duties that still bound it to the people。 It took private control of what it already controlled in the name of “everyone。” In the factories， the joke went: “we pretend to work， they pretend to pay us。” The oligarchy replied， “there’s no point， let’s stop pretending！” They ended up with the raw materials， industrial infrastructures， the military-industrial complex， the banks and the nightclubs。 Everyone else got poverty or emigration。*It goes like this: they hired our parents to destroy this world， now they’d like to put us to work rebuilding it， and — to top it all off — at a profit。 The morbid excitement that animates journalists and advertisers these days as they report each new proof of global warming reveals the steely smile of the new green capitalism， in the making since the 70s， which we waited for at the turn of the century but which never came。 Well， here it is！ It’s sustainability！ Alternative solutions， that’s it too！ The health of the planet demands it！ No doubt about it anymore， it’s a green scene; the environment will be the crux of the political economy of the 21st century。 A new volley of “industrial solutions” comes with each new catastrophic possibility。 The inventor of the H-bomb， Edward Teller， proposes shooting millions of tons of metallic dust into the stratosphere to stop global warming。 NASA， frustrated at having to shelve its idea of an anti-missile shield in the museum of cold war horrors， suggests installing a gigantic mirror beyond the moon’s orbit to protect us from the sun’s now-fatal rays。 Another vision of the future: a motorized humanity， driving on bio-ethanol from Sao Paulo to Stockholm; the dream of cereal growers the world over， for it only means converting all of the planet’s arable lands into soy and sugar beet fields。 Eco-friendly cars， clean energy， and environmental consulting coexist painlessly with the latest Chanel ad in the pages of glossy magazines。 We are told that the environment has the incomparable merit of being the first truly global problem presented to humanity。 A global problem， which is to say a problem that only those who are organized on a global level will be able to solve。 And we know who they are。 These are the very same groups that for close to a century have been the vanguard of disaster， and certainly intend to remain as such， for the small price of a change of logo。 That EDF had the impudence to bring back its nuclear program as the new solution to the global energy crisis says plenty about how much the new solutions resemble the old problems。*The roads could certainly be transformed into bicycle paths， we ourselves could perhaps， to a certain degree， be grateful one day for a guaranteed income， but only at the price of an entirely therapeutic existence。 Those who claim that generalized self-control will spare us from an environmental dictatorship are lying: the one will prepare the way for the other， and we’ll end up with both。 As long as there is Man and Environment， the police will be there between them。 Everything about the environmentalist’s discourse must be turned upside-down。 Where they talk of “catastrophes” to label the present system’s mismanagement of beings and things， we only see the catastrophe of its all too perfect operation。*Environmentalism’s present paradox is that under the pretext of saving the planet from desolation it merely saves the causes of its desolation。*In France， literature is the prescribed space for the amusement of the castrated。 It is the formal freedom conceded to those who cannot accommodate themselves to the nothingness of their real freedom。 That’s what gives rise to all the obscene winks exchanged， for centuries now， between the statesmen and men of letters in this country， as each gladly dons the other’s costume。 That’s also why intellectuals here tend to talk so loud when they’re so meek， and why they always fail at the decisive moment， the only moment that would’ve given meaning to their existence， but that also would’ve had them banished from their profession。*A disintegrated society survives by propagating an epidemic of sociability and entertainment。*There is no “clash of civilizations。” There is a clinically dead civilization kept alive by all sorts of life-support machines that spread a peculiar plague into the planet’s atmosphere。*At this juncture， any strictly social contestation that refuses to see that what we’re faced with is not the crisis of a society but the extinction of a civilization becomes an accomplice in its perpetuation。 It’s even become a contemporary strategy to critique this society in the vain hope of saving this civilization。 So we have a corpse on our backs， but we won’t be able to rid ourselves of it just like that。 Nothing is to be expected from the end of civilization， from its clinical death。 In and of itself， it can only be of interest to historians。 It’s a fact， and it must be translated into a decision。 Facts can be conjured away， but decision is political。 To decide on the death of civilization， then to work out how it will happen: only decision will rid us of the corpse。*The feeling that one is living a lie is still a truth。 It is a matter of not letting it go， of starting from there。 A truth isn’t a view on the world but what binds us to it in an irreducible way。 A truth isn’t something we hold but something that carries us。 It makes and unmakes me， constitutes and undoes me as an individual; it distances me from many and brings me closer to those who also experience it。 An isolated being who holds fast to a truth will inevitably meet others like her。 In fact， every insurrectional process starts from a truth that we refuse to give up。 During the 1980s in Hamburg， a few inhabitants of a squatted house decided that from then on they would only be evicted over their dead bodies。 A neighborhood was besieged by tanks and helicopters， with days of street battles， huge demonstrations — and a mayor who， finally， capitulated。 We can no longer even see how an insurrection might begin。 Sixty years of pacification and containment of historical upheavals， sixty years of democratic anesthesia and the management of events， have dulled our perception of the real， our sense of the war in progress。 We need to start by recovering this perception。 。。。more
RuloZetaka
，
La insurrección que viene es un libro que tiene muy pocas líneas de lectura， puedes entenderlo como una invitación a la acción o un manifiesto de la acción de un colectivo/comuna y de como construyen el devenir。 Esto hace que el manifiesto， cómo prefiero nombrarlo， comparta características con otros famosos manifiestos que han hecho girar al mundo: señalar las fibras que unen el tejido de opresión， apuntar hacía una crisis （colapso） inminente， ponderar una propuesta de transformación abierta e i La insurrección que viene es un libro que tiene muy pocas líneas de lectura， puedes entenderlo como una invitación a la acción o un manifiesto de la acción de un colectivo/comuna y de como construyen el devenir。 Esto hace que el manifiesto， cómo prefiero nombrarlo， comparta características con otros famosos manifiestos que han hecho girar al mundo: señalar las fibras que unen el tejido de opresión， apuntar hacía una crisis （colapso） inminente， ponderar una propuesta de transformación abierta e incluyente según la época que se habita。Propongo pues， la lectura de la insurrección que viene no como una invitación a intervenir las vías de comunicación y trastocar el avituallamiento de las instituciones， sino como una posibilidad， leyéndolo desde las epistemes de Zemelman y otres， como una potencialidad de transformación que se reflexiona en cada acto， cómo una invitación a considerar el potencial de nuestra vincularidad como la mayor fortaleza y a abrirle espacio a las comunas/colectivos cómo lugares de transformación cotidiana。Recomiendo， para la vincularidad， además de seguir con la lectura del comité invisible y su propuesta transformadora de concebir la escritura， visitar también al Consejo Nocturno que abona desde esta perspectiva ainstitucional y en potencia。 。。。more
Talita Soares
，
Occasionally very true - also， when it was true， it was true in an unusual way， which I liked。 Mostly annoyingly written。 I really don't think there will be an insurrection。 One of my favourite parts was the one about general assemblies， I had never thought of it that way！ People just want to talk - let them talk - stop thinking you have to decide everything right now。 I'm not sure if I believe in the power of human affection enough to be inspired by this book。 There are no communes。 Occasionally very true - also， when it was true， it was true in an unusual way， which I liked。 Mostly annoyingly written。 I really don't think there will be an insurrection。 One of my favourite parts was the one about general assemblies， I had never thought of it that way！ People just want to talk - let them talk - stop thinking you have to decide everything right now。 I'm not sure if I believe in the power of human affection enough to be inspired by this book。 There are no communes。 。。。more
Zoran Relic
，
Book has some interesting points of view from the "oppressed" side。 But in my opinion， the views are extremely narrow。 Going from points of view in history where the "oppressed" wanted to change things， but there are not enough arguments that can explain why things are as they are， and why human nature， from the anthropological point of view， is based on the oppression and exploitation of individuals for the account of few （the rich）。 Book has some interesting points of view from the "oppressed" side。 But in my opinion， the views are extremely narrow。 Going from points of view in history where the "oppressed" wanted to change things， but there are not enough arguments that can explain why things are as they are， and why human nature， from the anthropological point of view， is based on the oppression and exploitation of individuals for the account of few （the rich）。 。。。more
Kenny
，
Innervating as a work of post-left anarchy， The Coming Insurrection is filled with many pieces of practical knowledge that challenge the still-prevailing images of revolution which many leftists remain dogmatically committed to。 The authors of this work are either very well read， or live so purely the reality that others seek to articulate in political theory that no reading was necessary for them。 An invisible committee of spectres may as well have written this: Paul Virilio， Gilles Deleuze， Ca Innervating as a work of post-left anarchy， The Coming Insurrection is filled with many pieces of practical knowledge that challenge the still-prevailing images of revolution which many leftists remain dogmatically committed to。 The authors of this work are either very well read， or live so purely the reality that others seek to articulate in political theory that no reading was necessary for them。 An invisible committee of spectres may as well have written this: Paul Virilio， Gilles Deleuze， Carlos Marighella， Michel Foucault， and too many others to name。 If the authors must go by the denomination of an invisible committee， it is not because they are themselves unknown， but because they are diffuse and known everywhere in the way that the visible cannot be。 They are invisible like the ghosts of the dead for whom they speak， and like the will of a people that yearns for its freedom。 。。。more
Landon
，
classique
Lauteure_a_disparu
，
Même critique que pour A nos amis : c'est flou， grandiloquent et l'attitude "anti AG" a déjà eu des conséquences dramatiques : AG étudiantes sabotées pour soi-disant précipiter la révolution。 Le style poétique est divertissant， mais se perd dans des énumération de causes et de luttes sans jamais approfondir quoique ce soit sérieusement。 La question du sexisme est évacuée （on nous dit tout juste que " la virilité et la féminité ont tout de vieux costumes mités" "L’individu en miettes se sauve en Même critique que pour A nos amis : c'est flou， grandiloquent et l'attitude "anti AG" a déjà eu des conséquences dramatiques : AG étudiantes sabotées pour soi-disant précipiter la révolution。 Le style poétique est divertissant， mais se perd dans des énumération de causes et de luttes sans jamais approfondir quoique ce soit sérieusement。 La question du sexisme est évacuée （on nous dit tout juste que " la virilité et la féminité ont tout de vieux costumes mités" "L’individu en miettes se sauve en tant que forme grâce aux technologies «spirituelles» du coaching。 Le patriarcat， en chargeant les femmes de tous les pénibles attributs du mâle: volonté， contrôle de soi， insensibilité"。 。。。 incroyable， merci les probables hommes cis-hétéro qui ont dû écrire cet ouvrage， vous découvrez le féminisme 101） ; on évoque assez longuement les émeutes des banlieues mais sans parler du racisme de la gauche aussi （pas uniquement de la société bourgeoise！）。 Pourtant ces oppressions sont de puissants moteurs du capitalisme， et responsables de la désertions de nombreux-ses femmes et/ou racisé-es des milieux militants。 Par ailleurs， il y aurait d'un côté le monde capitaliste factice artificiel， et de l'autre la vraie vie， certes dans le futur， mais parfois située dans le passé。 Pour le Comité Invisible， nous sommes tou-te-s "déraciné-es" de notre propre vie （professionnelle， amicale， amoureuse etc。）， et non pas aliéné-es 。 Vous allez trouver que je chipote sur les termes， mais cela revient à idéaliser un passé （quand exactement？ le moyen-âge？） où l'on était enraciné-es correctement。 Attention， pas de faux procès， le Comité Invisible ne demande pas le ré-enraciment sur des bases raciales ou ethniques ; pas de "retourne dans ton pays" chez eux， quiconque fait partie de la Commune se ré-enracine dans la "vraie vie"， qui qu'il soit et d'où qu'il vienne。 N'empêche， cela revient à essentialiser le passé。 Si le CI parle bien de l'impérialisme destructeur （" Notre histoire est celle des colonisations， des migrations， des guerres， des exils， de la destruction de tous les enracinements。 C’est l’histoire de tout ce qui a fait de nous des étrangers dans ce monde， des invités dans notre propre famille"）， il se refuse à utiliser des termes pourtant bien pratique comme， justement， impérialisme， racisme， sexisme etc。 Bon， on ose "patriarcat"， "capitalisme" et "société marchande" mais c'est à peu près tout。 Parce que ça fait trop vielle gauche ennuyeuse？ Tant qu'à puiser dans le passé， pourquoi ne pas le faire dans la gauche révolutionnaire， au lieu de tout jeter aux orties sauf une sorte de romantisme？ A la différence qu'en place de roses （et de baisers comme cette andouille de Renaud）， les appelistes veulent jeter des molotov à la police。 Tant mieux！ Du reste， je ne suis pas convaincue。 。。。more
You Can't Own An Idea
，
Honestly; a wordy and pretentious call to arms from a post left insurrectionary pov。 I managed to learn a few things about France post 1968 I probably wouldn't have found out about unless I'd spoken to a Frenchman。 Such as; The Country "declares a state of emergency against fifteen-year-old kids" Having to inform the public that the drone flying over a protest was unarmed "Two ten year olds， in Chelles， charged with burning down a video game arcade。"Because of the very longwinded prose， much of Honestly; a wordy and pretentious call to arms from a post left insurrectionary pov。 I managed to learn a few things about France post 1968 I probably wouldn't have found out about unless I'd spoken to a Frenchman。 Such as; The Country "declares a state of emergency against fifteen-year-old kids" Having to inform the public that the drone flying over a protest was unarmed "Two ten year olds， in Chelles， charged with burning down a video game arcade。"Because of the very longwinded prose， much of the ideas in this text were lost on me。 However of the passages really stuck home for me in "I AM WHAT I AM";"The injunction， everywhere， to “be someone” maintains the pathological state that makes this society necessary。 The injunction to be strong produces the very weakness by which it maintains itself， so that everything seems to take on a therapeutic character， even working， even love。 All those “how’s it goings？” that we exchange give the impression of a society composed of patients taking each other’s temperatures。 Sociability is now made up of a thousand little niches， a thousand little refuges where you can take shelter。 Where it’s always better than the bitter cold outside。 Where everything’s false， since it’s all just a pretext for getting warmed up。 Where nothing can happen since we’re all too busy shivering silently together。 Soon this society will only be held together by the mere tension of all the social atoms straining towards an illusory cure。 It’s a power plant that runs its turbines on a gigantic reservoir of unwept tears， always on the verge of spilling over。"After the frankly forgettable following 6 "circles" The book really gets interesting when it stops talking about how to:"set aside the fantasy of the General Assembly and replace it with an assembly of presences" Or the honestly cringeworthy 2 times it seemed to make Autism。。。 jokes？[1]" What allows beings to love each other is also what makes them lovable， and ruins the utopia of autism-for-two。"[2]“post autistic economics”The actual "call to arms" is the books redeeming factor in my opinion。 The following are sections from the last 4 chapters I really liked;GET GOING:It’s useless to wait — for a breakthrough， for the revolution， the nuclear apocalypse or a social movement。 To go on waiting is madness。 The catastrophe is not coming， it is here。 We are already situated within the collapse of a civilization。 It is within this reality that we must choose sides。We’re setting out from a point of extreme isolation， of extreme weakness。 An insurrectional process must be built from the ground up。 Nothing appears less likely than an insurrection， but nothing is more necessary。FIND EACH OTHER:Organizations are attractive due to their apparent consistency — they have a history， a head office， a name， resources， a leader， a strategy and a discourse。 They are nonetheless empty structures， which， in spite of their grand origins， can never be filled。 In all their affairs， at every level， these organizations are concerned above all with their own survival as organizations， and little else。 Their repeated betrayals have often alienated the commitment of their own rank and file。 And this is why you can， on occasion， run into worthy beings within them。 But the promise of the encounter can only be realized outside the organization and， unavoidably， at odds with it。GET ORGANIZED:Some former MetalEurop employees become bank robbers rather prison guards。 Some EDF employees show friends and family how to rig the electricity meters。 Commodities that “fell off the back of a truck” are sold left and right。 A world that so openly proclaims its cynicism can’t expect much loyalty from proletarians。As for methods， let’s adopt the following principle from sabotage: a minimum of risk in taking the action， a minimum of time， and maximum damage。 As for strategy， we will remember that an obstacle that has been cleared away， leaving a liberated but uninhabited space， is easily replaced by another obstacle， one that offers more resistance and is harder to attack。As for serious obstacles， it’s wrong to imagine them invulnerable to all destruction。 The promethean element in all of this boils down to a certain use of fire， all blind voluntarism aside。 In 356 BC， Erostratus burned down the temple of Artemis， one of the seven wonders of the world。 In our time of utter decadence， the only thing imposing about temples is the dismal truth that they are already ruins。INSURRECTION:Jam everything — this will be the first reflex of all those who rebel against the present order。 In a delocalized economy where companies function according to “just-in-time” production， where value derives from connectedness to the network， where the highways are links in the chain of dematerialized production which moves from subcontractor to subcontractor and from there to another factory for assembly， to block circulation is to block production as well。Everything points， nonetheless， toward a conception of direct confrontations as that which pins down opposing forces， buying us time and allowing us to attack elsewhere — even nearby。 The fact that we cannot prevent a confrontation from occurring doesn’t prevent us from making it into a simple diversion。 Even more than to actions， we must commit ourselves to their coordination。 Harassing the police means that by forcing them to be everywhere they can no longer be effective anywhere。Every act of harassment revives this truth， spoken in 1842: “The life of the police agent is painful; his position in society is as humiliating and despised as crime itself。。。 Shame and infamy encircle him from all sides， society expels him， isolates him as a pariah， society spits out its disdain for the police agent along with his pay， without remorse， without regrets， without pity。。。 The police badge that he carries in his pocket documents his shame。” On November 21， 2006， firemen demonstrating in Paris attacked the riot police with hammers and injured fifteen of them。 This by way of a reminder that wanting to “protect and serve” can never be an excuse for joining the police。Take up arms。 Do everything possible to make their use unnecessary。 Against the army， the only victory is political。 。。。more
Seth Gibson
，
Yikes， I was worried at radical politics at the time of reading this one。 I could never be violent to this magnitude， nor disruptive in such a way。 I read it more out of a desire to have an answer to what a few were thinking and how I might respond。
Vince
，
This is not a review but I just think it's funny when I catch up on my course readings after finishing my essay last night on a performance I made with my housemate instead of studying to find one essay that PROMPTS for challenging the laws of estrangement dominating intimacy and explicitly overlaps with it by stating that "in the death of the couple， we see the birth of troubling forms of collective affectivity: sex is all used up and masulinity and feminity parade around in such moth-eaten clo This is not a review but I just think it's funny when I catch up on my course readings after finishing my essay last night on a performance I made with my housemate instead of studying to find one essay that PROMPTS for challenging the laws of estrangement dominating intimacy and explicitly overlaps with it by stating that "in the death of the couple， we see the birth of troubling forms of collective affectivity: sex is all used up and masulinity and feminity parade around in such moth-eaten clothes"， "becoming autonomous could just as easily mean learning to fight in the street， to occupy empty houses， to cease working， to love each other madly， and to shoplift"。 I really need to stop not doing the readings on time。 。。。more
Alex
，
'"I am what I am。" Never has domination found such an innocent-sounding slogan。''"What Am I，" then？ Since childhood， I've been involved with flows of milk， smells， stories， sounds， emotions， nursery rhymes， substances， gestures， ideas， impressions， gazes， songs， and foods。 What am I？ Tied in every way to places， sufferings， ancestors， friends， loves， events， languages， memories， to all kinds of things that obviously are not me。 Everything that attaches me to the world， all the links that constit '"I am what I am。" Never has domination found such an innocent-sounding slogan。''"What Am I，" then？ Since childhood， I've been involved with flows of milk， smells， stories， sounds， emotions， nursery rhymes， substances， gestures， ideas， impressions， gazes， songs， and foods。 What am I？ Tied in every way to places， sufferings， ancestors， friends， loves， events， languages， memories， to all kinds of things that obviously are not me。 Everything that attaches me to the world， all the links that constitute me， all the forces that compose me don't form an identity， a thing displayable on cue， but a singular， shared， living existence， from which emerges-at certain times and places-that being which says "1。" Our feeling of inconsistency is simply the consequence of this foolish belief in the permanence of the self and of the little care we give to what makes us what we are。''This new humanity requires a new economy that would no longer be a separate sphere of existence but， rather， its very tissue， the raw material of human relations。 It requires a new definition of work as work on oneself， a new definition of capital as human capital， a new idea of production as the production of relations， and consumption as the consumption of situations; and above all a new idea of value that would encompass all of the qualities of beings。 This burgeoning "bioeconomy" conceives the planet as a closed system to be managed and claims to establish the foundations for a science that would integrate all the parameters of life。 Such a science could make us miss the good old days when unreliable indices like GDP growth were supposed to measure the well-being of a people， but at least no one believed in them。''Training and learning。 What are we left with， having used up most of the leisure authorized by market democracy？ What was it that made us go jogging on a Sunday morning？ What keeps all these karate fanatics， these DIY， fishing， or mycology freaks going？ What， if not the need to fill up some totally idle time， to reconstitute their labor power or "health capital"？ Most recreational activities could easily be stripped of their absurdity and become something else。 Boxing has not always been limited to the staging of spectacular matches。 At the beginning of the 20th century， as China was carved up by hordes of colonists and starved by long droughts， hundreds of thousands of its poor peasants organized themselves into countless open-air boxing clubs， in order to take back what the colonists and the rich had taken from them。 This was the Boxer Rebellion。 It's never too early to learn and practice what less pacified， less predictable times might require of us。 Our dependence on the metropolison its medicine， its agriculture， its police-is so great at present that we can't attack it without putting ourselves in danger。 An unspoken awareness of this vulnerability accounts for the spontaneous self-limitation of today's social movements， and explains our fear of crises and our desire for "security。" It's for this reason that strikes have usually traded the prospect of revolution for a return to normalcy。 Escaping this fate calls for a long and consistent process of apprenticeship， and for multiple， massive experiments。 It's a question of knowing how to fight， to pick locks， to set broken bones and treat sicknesses; how to build a pirate radio transmitter; how to set up street kitchens; how to aim straight; how to gather together scattered knowledge and set up wartime agronomics; understand plankton biology; soil composition; study the way plants interact; get to know possible uses for and connections with our immediate environment as well as the limits we can't go beyond without exhausting it。 We must start today， in preparation for the days when we'll need more than just a symbolic portion of our nourishment and care。''As for deciding on actions， the principle could be as follows: each person should do their own reconnaissance， the information would then be put together， and the decision will occur to us rather than being made by us。 The circulation of knowledge cancels hierarchy; it equalizes by raising up。 Proliferating horizontal communication is also the best form of coordination among different communes， the best way to put an end to hegemony。' 。。。more
Julia
，
3。5/5Reads dramatic at times， but then again it was written by a group of angsty French alt-left youths。 I think I resonate more with the “attempt to dismantle & overthrow existing system then rebuild” school of thought as opposed to "riot til you die and escape the system altogether，" which is what was outlined in this manifesto more or less。 That being said I'm going to use this as an excuse to quote this hilarious tweet bc the formatting and general UX of goodreads absolutely blows: "what i w 3。5/5Reads dramatic at times， but then again it was written by a group of angsty French alt-left youths。 I think I resonate more with the “attempt to dismantle & overthrow existing system then rebuild” school of thought as opposed to "riot til you die and escape the system altogether，" which is what was outlined in this manifesto more or less。 That being said I'm going to use this as an excuse to quote this hilarious tweet bc the formatting and general UX of goodreads absolutely blows: "what i would give to be a french rioter。 just light up an arrondissement every so often before returning to my 10 month vacation with my mistress in a seaside Provençal town renowned for its aiolis" 。。。more
Griffin Alexander
，
From whatever angle you approach it， the present offers no way out。 This is not the least of its virtues。 From those who seek hope above all， it tears away every firm ground。 Those who claim to have solutions are contradicted almost immediately。 Everyone agrees that things can only get worse。 "The future has no future" is the wisdom of an age that， for all its appearance of perfect normalcy， has reach the level of consciousness of the first punks。This whole book has oddly come back around to rel From whatever angle you approach it， the present offers no way out。 This is not the least of its virtues。 From those who seek hope above all， it tears away every firm ground。 Those who claim to have solutions are contradicted almost immediately。 Everyone agrees that things can only get worse。 "The future has no future" is the wisdom of an age that， for all its appearance of perfect normalcy， has reach the level of consciousness of the first punks。This whole book has oddly come back around to relevance ten years later。 Shocks of recognition of our current moment litter every page。There is nothing more draining， nothing more fatal， than this classical politics， with its dried up rituals， its thinking without thought， its little closed world。。。What this war is being fought over is not the various ways of managing society， but irreducible ideas and irreconcilable ideas of happiness and their worlds。 We know it and so do the powers that be。。。 The past has given us far too many bad answers for us not to see that the mistakes were in the questions themselves。 。。。more
Baruch Amphetamine
，
Preliminaries: this is my first review， so I apologize for the brevity， and the illogical structure， but I hope this to be pithy。 Minor note: the reason I rated this a 4 instead of a 5， is because I don’t believe the way they take I=i is the only way to take it， as it is very useful for such systems as Fichte’s the “I exist insofar as it posits itself as I”; however， I did like their interpretation outside of that。 This whole book is a beautifully composed assemblage， written by many selves， rea Preliminaries: this is my first review， so I apologize for the brevity， and the illogical structure， but I hope this to be pithy。 Minor note: the reason I rated this a 4 instead of a 5， is because I don’t believe the way they take I=i is the only way to take it， as it is very useful for such systems as Fichte’s the “I exist insofar as it posits itself as I”; however， I did like their interpretation outside of that。 This whole book is a beautifully composed assemblage， written by many selves， ready to connect to other Machinic assemblages。 Very clearly influenced by Deleuze with analysis such as taking in aggregates of the Whole with the Whole。 The part about the vulnerability of capitalism couldn’t be more true today than when the book had been written， how covid-19 has wreaked havoc towards a global economy， and the internal antagonisms in the us are growing。 This book has useful assemblages to attach yourself to。 Favorite quote: “the catastrophe is the environment itself。” 。。。more
Nate Bohn
，
lucidly describes the 7 circles of our contemporary capitalist hell
Jake
，
It seems like everyone not on the Trump train nowadays is called a "radical leftist。" We're talking boring old neoliberals/neoconservatives like Joe Biden。 This little book can give the people a little taste of real radical politics so that words are used correctly。 The authors were arrested in France and this book was used in court as evidence of their terror。 Now， while entertained， I didn't buy it all but I agreed with certain points of advise。 For example， avoid activists as they are dead we It seems like everyone not on the Trump train nowadays is called a "radical leftist。" We're talking boring old neoliberals/neoconservatives like Joe Biden。 This little book can give the people a little taste of real radical politics so that words are used correctly。 The authors were arrested in France and this book was used in court as evidence of their terror。 Now， while entertained， I didn't buy it all but I agreed with certain points of advise。 For example， avoid activists as they are dead weight and will just talk your ear off。 Avoid organizations， and if your small group morphs into an organization it is time to break it up。 And they had a good point about the falsity of the so-called culture wars， since there isn't much culture left in the west aside from produce/consume/repeat and security over freedom。 If your wondering about these protesters setting things on fire， this book may help you understand。 Also it will help you stop calling everything under the sun "radical。" 。。。more
Tristan Searle
，
This manifesto is perfect exposure to the type of radical and ultimately nonsensical thinking of the far-left。 Basically， the argument "The Invisible Committee" is making is that work sucks， and we shouldn't have to do it （disregarding the fact that many people quite like their careers and would find life utterly boring without them）。 A regression to an agrarian society is implied， because the entire philosophy revolves around disrupting modern life， which is described as soul-sucking， regardles This manifesto is perfect exposure to the type of radical and ultimately nonsensical thinking of the far-left。 Basically， the argument "The Invisible Committee" is making is that work sucks， and we shouldn't have to do it （disregarding the fact that many people quite like their careers and would find life utterly boring without them）。 A regression to an agrarian society is implied， because the entire philosophy revolves around disrupting modern life， which is described as soul-sucking， regardless of the fact that in the twenty-first century， life has never been better for most people。 They advocate a disbanding of the police and suggest citizens can take up the mantle of maintaining order， ignoring the fact that police officers go through various forms of physical and mental training in order to effectively maintain order， as if it reasonable to assume that any citizen would be able to drop whatever they are doing at any given time and drive somewhere to assist in a domestic call， for instance， not to mention the fact that such citizens can just as easily abuse whatever authority such a position gives them as police officers are capable of now--indeed， more so。 （This distrust of law enforcement is a trend currently having disastrous result in society in 2020， although time should inevitably show that disbanding a police force does nothing but allow the many criminals and secretive anarchists in our society to go nuts。） Truly， there is not a whole lot of logic that holds this manifesto together other than some general philosophical points; it reads much like the ramblings of a Berkley graduate student who lacks the actual world experience to be able to identify what they're saying as nothing more than overly idealistic rhetoric。 I give the book two stars instead of one because although it is not very realistic， it is more well-written than it could have been， and occasionally manages to provide some decent insights on society。 。。。more
Melissa
，
I’ve had this book for awhile。 With everything going on in the US with riots and protestors and once it was being called a US insurrection I thought it was time to read it。 Yep！ It’s a playbook for all that happening in the US。 So many similarities。 Anyone who says it’s not organized has their head in the sand。
Jeff
，
The Coming Insurrection is an incendiary attack on contemporary society and leftist organizing， a call to arms against the state of everything， and what the authors describe as just the introduction of "a little order into the common-places of our time， collecting some of the murmurings around barroom tables and behind closed bedroom doors。 [。。。] It's enough just to say what is before our eyes and not to shrink from the conclusions" （28）。It's a polemic written against both liberal representation The Coming Insurrection is an incendiary attack on contemporary society and leftist organizing， a call to arms against the state of everything， and what the authors describe as just the introduction of "a little order into the common-places of our time， collecting some of the murmurings around barroom tables and behind closed bedroom doors。 [。。。] It's enough just to say what is before our eyes and not to shrink from the conclusions" （28）。It's a polemic written against both liberal representational politics， from the conservatism of electoralism to the ostensible radicalism of General Assemblies， as well as various forms of leftism， militant or otherwise。 The central question is: who （or what） are we invested in？ This book stands firmly with "each other" as an answer， calling for dense personal ties， support， and complicities as political strength and an unreadable terrain for any estranged political or social forces trying to exploit or dominate them。 What it lacks is much attention to the composition or texture of those personal ties along racial， class， or gendered lines。 The problem of violence or exploitation within those groupings is left unexamined。 If you've ever entered a radical space where accountability is rejected as itself violent or dominating， you'll know the problems this leads to。If you find yourself in a moment that feels insurrectionary， where tacit faith in institutions collectively turns into a sense of betrayal or when it's so obvious that they'll leave us to die in the hundreds of thousands so what's the point in them at all or when everyone else is finally ready to say "fuck it" with you， there's a lot that's valuable in this book that can help sketch a way forward。 。。。more
Chelsea Miller
，
Don’t agree with all this but do agree with some and the authors certainly got their point across very well。 I listened to this the （first？） weekend of the MN riots after the George Floyd murder， still on a stay at home order in Portland for the coronavirus pandemic and getting texts from my local government about a mandatory curfew due to local copycat riots。 This book basically describes all that’s going on。
Matthew Lowery
，
A Situationist manifesto for the 21st century: Against capitalism， against the state。 Written in a venomous but lyrical prose， appropriately total disdain for western society is communicated in both the text and the aura。 Subtextual references are made to certain thinkers （they reappropriate terminology from Deleuze & Guattari frequently， writing in terms of flows and multiplicities against representation）， but by and large this should be understood as a series of interconnected analyses of the A Situationist manifesto for the 21st century: Against capitalism， against the state。 Written in a venomous but lyrical prose， appropriately total disdain for western society is communicated in both the text and the aura。 Subtextual references are made to certain thinkers （they reappropriate terminology from Deleuze & Guattari frequently， writing in terms of flows and multiplicities against representation）， but by and large this should be understood as a series of interconnected analyses of the ills of market democracy。 The critical point they reach， and it is a crucial one， is that these crises are inherent in capitalism， they are co-existence with it; you can't have one without the other。 Even the climate crisis is being repackaged as yet another means of putting us to work in order to preserve the production of producers and consumers， of sustaining capitalism and the state yet again。 The problem I have with this text， though not one which I take to fatally undermine the arguments of this text， ultimately comes down to one of political praxis， which is of central concern to these anonymous French anarchists in this short book's later chapters。 They condemn Marxism for its failure to realise in practice what it advocated for in theory; yet the tactical micro-politics advocated for in this manifesto （a manifesto written， appropriately， in 2007） have evidently likewise failed to properly enact the results they have hoped for。 The successes of these micro-political actions - of communes， which Comité invisible place at the centre of their 'program'， of riots， self-organisation， the rejection of all forms of hierarchy and representation - have evidently failed to bring about any serious or fundamental changes in the character of western capitalism。 I look forward therefore to reading their more recent thoughts as I hope will be developed in To Our Friends and Now which might take stock， take account， of the limitations clearly faced by these tactics in the intervening years。A powerful， beautifully written， provocative manifesto burning with a hatred for the world and a hope that things could be better。Beyond this， a few passages stood out to me as particularly noteworthy。On subjectivity:"Contrary to what has been repeated to us since childhood， intelligence doesn't mean knowing how to adapt–or if that is a kind of intelligence， it is the intelligence of slaves。 Our inadaptability， our fatigue are only problems from the perspective of what aims to subjugate us。 They indicate rather a starting point， a meeting point， for new complicities。 They reveal a landscape more damaged， but infinitely more sharable than all the fantasy lands this society maintains for its purpose。 We are not depressed; we're on strike。" p。 34On the postmodernisation of work:"Here lies the present paradox: work has totally triumphed over all other ways of existing， at the same time as workers have become superfluous。 Cains in productivity， outsourcing， mechanization， automated and digital production have so progressed that they have almost reduced to zero the quantity of living labor necessary in the manufacture of any product。 We are living the paradox of a society of workers without work， where entertainment， consumption and leisure only underscore the lack from which they are supposed to distract us。 The mine at Carmaux， famous for a cenntury of violent strikes， has now been converted into Cape Discovery。 It's an entertainment 'multiplex' for skateboarding and biking， distinguished by a 'Mining Museum' in which methane blasts are simulated for vacationers。" p。 46On 'the environment':"There is no 'environmental catastrophe'。 The catastrophe is the environment itself。 The environment is what's left to man after he's lost everything。 Those who live in a neighborhood， a street， a valley， a war zone， a workshop–they don't have an 'environment'， they move through a world peopled by presences， dangers， friends， enemies， moments of life and death， all kinds of beings。 Such a world has its own consistency， which varies according to the intensity and quality of the ties attaching us to all of these beings， to all of these places。 It's only we， the children of the final dispossession， exiles of the final hour–who come into the world in concrete cubes， pick our fruits at the supermarket， and watch for an echo of the world on television–only we get to have an environment。 And there's no one but us to witness our own annihilation， as if it were just a simple change of scenery， to get indignant about the latest progress of the disaster， to patiently compile its encyclopedia。" p。 74On civilizational collapse:"The West is a civilization that has survived all the prophecies of its collapse with a singular stratagem。 Just as the bourgeoisie had to deny itself as a class in order to permit the bourgeoisification of society as a whole， from the worker to the baron; just as capital had to sacrifice itself as a wage relation in order to impose itself as a social relation–becoming cultural capital and health capital in addition fo finance capital; just as Christianity had to sacrifice itself as a religion in order to survive as an affective structure–as a vague injunction to humility， compassion， and weakness; so the West has sacrificed itself as a particular civilization in order to impose itself as a universal culture。 The operation can be summarized like this: an entity in its death throes sacrifices itself as a content in order to survive as a form。" p。 91 。。。more
Kene
，
Hm
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Coming Insurrection
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Coming Insurrection&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft