In this Book
- Exquisite Rebel: The Essays of Voltairine de Cleyre -- Anarchist, Feminist, Genius
- Book
- 2005
- Published by: State University of New York Press
summary
Emma Goldman called Voltairine de Cleyre “the most gifted and brilliant anarchist woman America ever produced.” Yet her writings and speeches on anarchism and feminism—as radical, passionate, and popular at the time as Goldman’s—are virtually unknown today. This important book brings de Cleyre’s eloquent and incisive work out of undeserved obscurity. Twenty-one essays are reprinted here, including her classic works: “Anarchism and the American Tradition,” “The Dominant Idea,” and “Sex Slavery.” Three biographical essays are also included: two new ones by Sharon Presley and Crispin Sartwell, and a rarely reprinted one from Emma Goldman.
At a time when the mainstream women’s movement asked only for the right to vote and rarely challenged the status quo, de Cleyre demanded an end to sex roles, called for economic independence for women, autonomy within and without marriage, and offered a radical critique of the role of the Church and State in oppressing women. In today’s world of anti-globalization actions, de Cleyre’s anarchist ideals of local self-rule, individual conscience, and decentralization of power still remain fresh and relevant.
Table of Contents
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- Acknowledgments
- pp. xiii-xiv
- Part I Biographical Essays: Three Views of Voltairine de Cleyre
- Priestess of Pity and Vengeance
- pp. 3-16
- Voltairine De Cleyre
- pp. 29-44
- Part II Loving Freedom: Anarchism without Adjectives
- Introduction
- pp. 47-50
- Why I Am An Anarchist
- pp. 51-66
- Events Are the True Schoolmasters
- pp. 83-88
- Anarchism and American Traditions
- pp. 89-102
- A Correction
- pp. 103-106
- Part III Wild Freedom: A Passion for Liberty and Justice
- Introduction
- pp. 109-110
- The Dominant Idea
- pp. 111-124
- Crime and Punishment
- pp. 125-146
- In Defense of Emma Goldman
- pp. 147-158
- Part IV Neither Gods nor Superstitions: Freethought and Religion
- Introduction
- pp. 161-164
- The Economic Tendency of Freethought
- pp. 165-178
- Secular Education
- pp. 179-188
- Part V No Authority but Oneself: The Anarchist Feminist Philosophy of Autonomy and Freedom
- Introduction
- pp. 191-194
- Those Who Marry Do Ill
- pp. 195-206
- The Case of Woman Versus Orthodoxy
- pp. 207-220
- The Woman Question
- pp. 221-224
- Sex Slavery
- pp. 225-238
- The Political Equality of Women
- pp. 239-244
- Part VI Not Another Brick in the Wall: Nonauthoritarian Education
- Introduction
- pp. 247-250
- Modern Educational Reform
- pp. 251-266
- Part VII Breaking the Chains: Changing Society through Direct Action
- Introduction
- pp. 269-270
- Direct Action
- pp. 271-286
- The Eleventh of November, 1887
- pp. 287-294
- Our Present Attitude
- pp. 295-298
- Part VIII The Political Is the Personal: Anarchist Esthetics
- Introduction
- pp. 307-308
- Literature the Mirror of Man
- pp. 309-324
Additional Information
ISBN
9780791485064
DOI
MARC Record
OCLC
63167784
Pages
348
Launched on MUSE
2012-01-01
Language
English
Open Access
No