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Paradoxes of Utopia: Anarchist Culture and Politics in Buenos Aires 1890-1910
Paradoxes of Utopia Anarchist Culture and Politics in Buenos Aires 18901910 Author:Juan Suriano When the Argentine economy collapses in 2001, many were surprised by the factory takeovers and neighborhood assemblies that resulted. But worker's control and direct democracy have long histories in Argentina, where from the late nineteenth century and well into the twentieth, anarchism was the main revolutionary idealogy of the labor movement a... more »nd other social struggles.
Most histories of anarachism in Argentina tend toward dry analyses of labor politics, lists of union acronyms, and the like, For Juan Suriano, that's just one part of the story. This book gives us an engaging look at fin de siecle Buenos Aires that brings to life the vibrant culture behind one of the world's largest anarchist movements: the radical schools, newspapers, theaters, and social clubs that made revolution a way of life. Cultural history in the best sense, Paradoxes of Utopia explores how a revolutionary idealogy was woven into the ordinay lives of tens of thousands of people, creating a complex tapestry of symbols, rituals, and daily practices that supported--and indeed created the possibility of the Argentine labor movement.« less