Abolition Revolution (FireWorks #7)

Aviah Day, Shanice McBean

$20.95

Publication Date: November 20th, 2022

Publisher:

Pluto Press

ISBN:

9780745346519

Pages:

320

Description

An introductory guide to the roots and contemporary context of, and resistance to carceral politics in Britain

George Floyd's murder in Minneapolis triggered abolitionist shockwaves. Calls to defund the police found receptive ears around the world. Shortly after, Sarah Everard's murder by a serving police officer sparked a national abolitionist movement in Britain. But to abolish the police, prisons and borders, we must confront the legacy of Empire.

Abolition Revolution is a guide to abolitionist politics in Britain, drawing out rich histories of resistance from rebellion in the colonies to grassroots responses to carceral systems today. The authors argue that abolition is key to reconceptualising revolution for our times - linking it with materialist feminisms, anti-capitalist class struggle, internationalist solidarity and anti-colonialism.

Perfect for reading groups and activist meetings, this is an invaluable book for those new to abolitionist politics - whilst simultaneously telling a passionate and authoritative story about the need for abolition and revolution in Britain and globally.

About the Author

Aviah Sarah Day is a Black community organiser with Sisters Uncut and Hackney Cop Watch. The rest of her time is spent lecturing in Criminology at Birkbeck, University of London, organising in her trade union branch, and reflecting on how to build workers' power through anarcho-syndicalism.

Shanice Octavia McBean is a Black writer and activist in Sisters Uncut. She grew up in Handsworth, Birmingham, before moving to Tottenham. Describing herself as a revolutionary and Afro-Marxist, she has also organised in anti-racist groups and trade unions.

Praise for Abolition Revolution (FireWorks #7)

'A powerful analysis of the transformative potential of the abolitionist project. Day and McBean show why we must go beyond shifting a few dollars around to directly challenge the logics of capitalism, racism and patriarchy at the heart of the carceral state'
Alex S. Vitale, author of 'The End of Policing'

'Vibrantly chronicles the cultural and political landscape of abolitionist practices in the UK. Day and McBean weave a powerful array of analysis, histories and voices - from organisers, scholars, unionists and/or incarcerated people - to offer profoundly necessary historical lessons that formulate the pathways that shape our abolition feminist revolutions'
Erica R. Meiners, co-author of 'Abolition. Feminism. Now.'

'Aviah Sarah Day and Shanice Octavia McBean speak with such eloquence, conviction and passion that readers will want to join their struggle for abolition revolution. Their trenchant and concrete analysis of the criminalisation of the Black and Asian youth, of carceral white bourgeois feminism, gentrification, police and state violence make essential reading. Let's heed their call for an abolitionist future'
Francoise Vergès, author of A Decolonial Feminism

'Not only does this superlative book expertly dismantle the dogmas of liberal anti-racism and carceral feminism which reproduce the systems of power, it also points the way forward to a post-abolitionist future in a meticulous, clear-headed way. Highly recommended'
Silvia Federici, author of 'Caliban and the Witch'

'A thorough, engaging and important read - that held me through new information whilst never sacrificing depth. I'm so glad this book exists!'
Travis Alabanza, award winning writer, performer and theatre maker

'An essential contribution to the debate on strategies for effective political action against systems of criminalisation. A must for read for activists and those who seek a deeper understanding of the development of international abolitionist movement and its relevance to radical and revolutionary politics today'
Leila Howe, founding member of the Race Today Collective

'An energising, and timely contribution to global debates about abolition and the growing interest in the UK in building on the organising and resistance to state violence and challenging the racism, misogyny and harms of policing and incarceration. A book to help us imagine and develop a world without carceral injustice but transformative social and racial justice.'
Deborah Coles, Director of INQUEST

'This book adds to the excellent emerging literature about police, prison and border abolition in a UK specific context. Abolition Revolution is very special because McBean and Day combine deep theoretical and historical knowledge with practical organising experience, specifically in the context of violence against women and austerity. If you feel that there must be a better way to deal with harm and violence then this book is for you.'
Yara Rodrigues Fowler, ‘Guardian’