February 2011 update: As the Occupy Movement debates questions of nonviolence and diversity of tactics, I wanted to make available the essay I wrote some years ago, "Many Roads to Morning: Rethinking Nonviolence", in Webs of Power: Notes from the Global Uprising. New Society, the publishers, have graciously prepared this pdf which is yours as a free download. If you feel like showing us some love in return, we encourage donations to Earth Activist Training. The book itself is part of their New Catalyst collection, available in print or Ebook form -- see below.
Starhawk's
Writings
Webs
of Power
Winner
of a 2003 Nautilus Award,
in
the "social change" category.
Webs of Power is a call to reconceive our political and economic systems at the very deepest levels. Writing from the front lines, Starhawk chronicles the global justice movement sparked by Seattle's 1999 anti-World Trade Organization protest. An activist in many of the major peace and justice movements of our times, Starhawk continues to be deeply involved as a direct action participant and trainer in the anti-globalization movement. (For the latest, see her writings on the WTO Cancun mobilization.)
The book is divided into "Actions" and "Visions." In Part I, Starhawk begins with a direct-action perspective of what really happened in Seattle and provides an overview of the complex political and economic powers that the anti-globalization movement opposes. Recounting the blow-by-blow events of the critical confrontations faced by the anti-globalization protestors after Seattle, Prague, Brazil, Quebec, Genoa, Starhawk discusses police brutality, the Black Bloc versus the pacifists, and the magic of solidarity.
In Part II, Starhawk
spins a vision of the future of the anti-globalization movement. Drawing
on her twenty years of experience as an activist, ecofeminist, and Witch,
she explores the debate between violent and nonviolent tactics; the definition
of an economy of true abundance; and how we can transform our rage and
despair, face our fears, and renew our spirits while acting to change
the world.
Webs of Power is available both as an Ebook and in print form. Follow this link for the Ebook version page.
To Order the print version: please
support independent bookstores! You can order copies from 100Fires.com -- click on the banner below to
order Webs of Power:
Alternately, you can order the print version directly from New Society Publishers.
Reviews:
From a review in Cincinnati
Magazine: "For those like myself,
who all too often find themselves supporting
from the sidelines, Webs of Power
is a persuasive account of why we should
increase our level of involvement. For those
like the author, who are drawn to the frontlines
of the actions, it is a powerful affirmation,
a reminder that change comes only with effort.
And for those in power who continue to hide
behind police barricades, Webs of Power
is a wake-up call, a reminder that not everyone
is content to live in a world ruled by corporate
interests."
We have a separate page
featuring a
review by Jennie Ruby, from the feminist
newspaper Off Our Backs.
Reviewed in NAPRA
ReView: Sept/Oct 2002: "With almost
daily scandals involving political, business,
and religious figures, it's a godsend to
find voices that still resonate with truth,
vision, and honest action. Starhawk is one
of those voices, a wise and incisive speaker
for our times. Her newest book eloquently
captures the social and political forces,
emerging philosophies, and personal stories
that have coalesced into a worldwide movement
advocating sovereignty for the earth over
the tyranny of global corporations."
NAPRA
is a trade association for publishers and
retailers, which followed up its rave review
by giving Webs a 2003 Nautilus Award at
Book Expo America. Michael Weaver, director
of the Nautilus Awards at the publishing
trade organization NAPRA, commented that
Webs is "an amazing blend
of intelligence, heart, and spirit, the
perfect convergence of the personal with
the global, and easily the best of Starhawk's
non-fiction to date."
There is a Review
of Webs of Power that you can
read online at the site for Awakened
Woman Magazine. It is titled "Woven
in a New Design" -- check it out!
Praise for "Webs of Power":
The grave danger we
are in -- of enslavement, worldwide, by
the insatiably greedy -- is so complex only
a witch could fully comprehend, analyze,
and write a spell to get us out of it. I
am serious. Enter Starhawk (thank Goddess!)
and Webs of Power. This book tells
us all we need to know about the chasm gaping
at our feet. Visionary ropes are thrown
in the hope that we will have sense and
soul enough to swing ourselves across. A
must and soonest read.
-- Alice Walker, author
of The Color Purple
Since the anti-WTO protests in Seattle, a dispersed and diverse
global movement has better understood itself in the mirror of
Starhawk's writings. Her essays consistently, and miraculously,
combine how-to practicality with poetry and inspiration. She presents
the best face of social justice and dares us to live up to it.
-- Naomi Klein, author
of No Logo
Webs
of Power is a must reading for all
who would take part in the essential revolution
of our time: the transition from a suicide
economy to a life-sustaining civilization.
-- Joanna Macy, author
of Widening Circles
