MACMILLAN Jean Grave and the Networks of French Anarchism, 1854-1939 (Palgrave Studies in the History of Social Movements)

Product Description  This biography charts the life and fascinating long militant career of the French anarchist journalist, editor, theorist, writer, campaigner and educator Jean Grave (1854-1939), from the run up to the 1871 Paris Commune to the eve of the Second World War. Through Grave, it explores the history of the French and international anarchist communist movement over seven decades: its “heroic period” (1880-1890s), shaken by terrorist violence and intense repression, the emergence of syndicalism, national and international solidarity campaigns, the divisions over the First World War, and post-war division and relegation. Through Grave, a “sedentary transnationalist,” the study investigates the networked and transnational organisation of the anarchist movement, addressing the paradox of Grave’s international influence alongside his deep rootedness in Paris by emphasizing the movement’s global print culture and staggering circulations. Review ‘Constance Bantman's lively account of the 'Pope of Anarchism', Jean Grave, captures Parisian and international anarchism before the shattering blows of the First World War. Painters, plotters and poets flowed through the newspaper office of this 'sedentary' transnational anarchist. Mountainous first-rate research is turned into an enjoyable read in this book.’ ―Carl Levy, Professor, Department of Politics and International Relations, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK From the Back Cover This book explores the life of Jean Grave, one of the leading figures of the early twentieth-century French and international anarchist movement. It offers a new approach to understanding the activist networks through which the ideas and writings of Grave and his contemporaries were shared. Unlike other biographies of Grave, this book focuses on these personal and activist relationships, and the workings of these groups, circles and networks - from the very local to the global. Based predominantly in Paris, Grave can be seen as a remarkable example of immobile transnationalism, in which a very active and thriving print culture served as the prime medium for supporting contacts. Presenting a new perspective on Grave's life, the author presents a re-reading of the French anarchist movement in the years leading up to, during and after the First World War. It offers a new methodological approach to researching the history of political networks, particularly in their transnational ramifications, their role in the formation of social movements and activism, and their interplay with print culture.  About the Author Constance Bantman (FRHistS) is a former student of the Ecole Normale Supérieure and a Senior Lecturer in French at the University of Surrey, UK. She has published extensively on anarchist transnationalism, with a focus on France and Britain, and is the author of The French Anarchists in London 1880-1914. Exile and Transnationalism in the First Globalisation (LUP, 2013).