AK Thompson’s classic Black Bloc, White Riot (2010) offered a provocative account of the anti-globalization protests that emerged in 1999 and outlined the effect of the movement on the white, middle-class kids who were swept up in it over the following decade. The book has been called “a manifesto” by George Katsiaficas (author of Subversion of Politics) and “important stuff” by Bernardine Dohrn of Weather Underground fame. Ten years after its first publication, the lessons of the political moment Thompson explored in Black Bloc, White Riot are newly relevant in the struggle against Trump-era politics and global fascist resurgence today.

This seminar with AK Thompson will provide an opportunity to revisit the arguments about representation, whiteness, violence, and the political presented in Black Bloc, White Riot and to reflect on their significance for radical left forces navigating the current terrain.