Colin Ward and the Art of Everyday Anarchy PDF
Preview Colin Ward and the Art of Everyday Anarchy
COLIN WARD AND THE ART OF EVERYDAY ANARCHY Colin Ward and the Art of Everyday Anarchy is the first full account of Ward’s life and work. Drawing on unseen archival sources, as well as oral interviews, it excavates the worlds and words of his anarchist thought, illuminating his methods and charting the legacies of his enduring influence. Colin Ward (1924–2010) was the most prominent British writer on anarchism in the 20th century. As a radical journalist, later author, he applied his distinctive anarchist principles to all aspects of community life including the built environment, education, and public policy. His thought was subtle, universal in aspiration, international in implication, but, at the same time, deeply rooted in the local and the everyday. Underlying the breadth of his interests was one simple principle: freedom was always a social activity. This book will be of interest to students, scholars, and general readers with an interest in anarchism, social movements, and the history of radical ideas in contemporary Britain. Sophie Scott-Brown is a Lecturer in the Humanities at the University of East Anglia, UK. Routledge Studies in Radical History and Politics Series editors: Thomas Linehan, University of Ulster, and John Roberts, Brunel University The series Routledge Studies in Radical History and Politics has two areas of interest. Firstly, this series aims to publish books which focus on the history of move- ments of the radical left. ‘Movement of the radical left’ is here interpreted in its broadest sense as encompassing those past movements for radical change which operated in the mainstream political arena as with political parties, and past movements for change which operated more outside the mainstream as with millenarian movements, anarchist groups, utopian socialist communities, and trade unions. Secondly, this series aims to publish books which focus on more contemporary expressions of radical left-wing politics. Recent years have been witness to the emergence of a multitude of new radical movements adept at getting their voices in the public sphere. From those participating in the Arab Spring, the Occupy movement, community unionism, social media forums, independent media outlets, local voluntary organisations campaigning for pro- gressive change, and so on, it seems to be the case that innovative networks of radicalism are being constructed in civil society that operate in different public forms. The series very much welcomes titles with a British focus, but is not limited to any particular national context or region. The series will encourage scholars who contribute to this series to draw on perspectives and insights from other disciplines. For more information about this series, please visit: www .routledge .com / Routledge -Studies -in -Radical -History -and -Politics /book -series /RSRHP Making Cultures of Solidarity London and the 1984–5 Miners’ Strike Diarmaid Kelliher On the Chilean Social Explosion Maxwell Woods I Saw Democracy Murdered The Memoir of Sam Russell, Journalist Colin Chambers and Sam Russell Colin Ward and the Art of Everyday Anarchy Sophie Scott-Brown COLIN WARD AND THE ART OF EVERYDAY ANARCHY Sophie Scott-Brown Cover image: Colin Ward, Topping Out Ceremony, London, 1954 (courtesy of Harriet Ward, 2021) First published 2023 by Routledge 4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2023 Sophie Scott-Brown The right of Sophie Scott-Brown to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record has been requested for this book ISBN: 978-0-367-56753-8 (hbk) ISBN: 978-0-367-56930-3 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-003-10040-9 (ebk) DOI: 10.4324/9781003100409 Typeset in Bembo by Deanta Global Publishing Services, Chennai, India This book is for my parents, Lesley (teacher) and Steven (planner), and partner Matt (anarchist). With love. CONTENTS Acknowledgements x Abbreviations xi Introduction 1 Talking Colin Ward 1 Locating Ward’s Anarchism 3 Anarchist in Action 7 Methods and Sources 10 Notes 14 1 The Forward View 18 Wanstead, Childhood, and Youth 18 London: Sidney Caulfield 23 Notes 30 2 Sapper Ward 33 The Glasgow Anarchists 33 An Anarchist Education 36 The Freedom Press Trial 41 Notes 44 3 The Freedom Press Anarchists 1936–1945 47 Italian Anarchism and Spain and the World 47 Revolt! and War Commentary 54 Freedom – Through Anarchism? 60 Notes 62 viii Contents 4 Building and People 65 The People Act 66 Anarchism Past and Present 75 Notes 81 5 The Social Principle 84 Make Me an Offer 85 Re-Reading Anarchism 89 Conclusion 101 Notes 102 6 Domestic Anarchy 106 Re-Writing Anarchism 110 The Parish Pump and the Village Fete 115 Notes 119 7 Autonomy 126 1956 126 Anarchy: A Journal of Anarchist Ideas 132 Notes 140 8 A Journal of Anarchist Ideas 143 Harmony in Complexity? 146 Talking about Youth 153 Notes 158 9 Liberal Studies 160 Progressive Education 162 Garnett, Godwin, and Wandsworth Tech 166 Anarchist Schoolbooks 172 Notes 177 10 The Drone’s Tale 181 Environmental Education 181 Crafting the Hive 185 Every Possible Compromise? 190 Notes 198 11 Ramshackle Independence 202 Doing It Himself 202 (Excess) Property Is Theft 213 Notes 222 Contents ix 12 Categorically Ward 225 Arcadian Plots 227 Columns 234 Notes 241 Afterword: The Everyday Anarchist 244 Notes 251 Bibliography 253 Index 273
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