Bob Black (anarchist)
Bob Black | |
|---|---|
 Black in 2011 | |
| Born | January 4, 1951 |
| Occupation | Author |
| Notable work | The Abolition of Work (1985) |
Robert Charles Black Jr. (born January 4, 1951) is an American anarchist best known for his 1985 essay The Abolition of Work. He is often identified as a post-leftist anarchist, having coined the term itself.
Early life and education
Robert Charles Black Jr.[1] was born on January 4, 1951 in Detroit, Michigan and attended the Oak Park High School until 1969.[2] He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan in 1973, a Master of Arts (MA) in Jurisprudence and Social Policy from the University of California, Berkeley in 1984, an MA in Criminal Justice from the University at Albany, SUNY in 1992, and a Master of Laws in Criminal Law from the University at Buffalo in 2005.[3]
Writings
The Abolition of Work (1985)
Black is best known for his 1985 essay The Abolition of Work[4] which demands the abolition of work on the argument that it inherently causes suffering.[5] In this widely read and influential essay,[6] Black defines work as "forced labor, that is, compulsory production"[7] and presents an alternative social system where such work is instead turned into "play" that would generate "production of use-values" through "delightful play-activity".[8]
Anarchy after Leftism (1997)
Black is believed to have coined the term "post-left anarchism" (or post-leftism) in his book Anarchy after Leftism,[4] which focuses primarily on criticizing Murray Bookchin. In opposition to what Bookchin presents as "social anarchism", Black accuses him of using Marxist arguments and attempting a hierarchical system incompatible with anarchist principles.[9] Instead, Black advocates a post-leftist form of anarchism which rejects left-wing politics broadly and even ideology itself. The book is often considered a seminal work of post-leftism and Black a key defender of post-leftist anarchism.[10]
References
- ^ Black 1992, p. 96.
- ^ Black 1992, pp. 109–110.
- ^ Wilson & Kinna 2012, pp. 332–333.
- ^ a b Wilson & Kinna 2012, p. 333.
- ^ Forde, Elaine (October 15, 2020). Living Off-Grid in Wales: Eco-Villages in Policy and Practice. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. p. 50. ISBN 978-1-78683-659-5.
- ^ Kinna, Ruth (October 29, 2013). "Anarchism". Oxford Bibliographies Online. Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/obo/9780199756384-0059. ISBN 978-0-19-975638-4. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
- ^ Cholbi, Michael (2023). "Philosophical Approaches to Work and Labor". In Zalta, Edward N.; Nodelman, Uri (eds.). The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2023 ed.). Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
- ^ Sandoval 2018, p. 5.
- ^ Firth 2019, p. 501.
- ^ Curran, G. (October 31, 2006). 21st Century Dissent: Anarchism, Anti-Globalization and Environmentalism. Springer. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-230-80084-7.
Bibliography
- Black, Bob (1992). Friendly Fire. Brooklyn, New York: Autonomedia. ISBN 978-0-936756-89-9. OCLC 1149183159. OL 8413875M.
- Levy, Carl; Adams, Matthew S., eds. (2019). The Palgrave Handbook of Anarchism. Cham: Springer International Publishing. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-75620-2. ISBN 978-3-319-75619-6.
- Firth, Rhiannon. "Utopianism and Intentional Communities". In Levy & Adams (2019), pp. 491–510.
- Sandoval, Marisol (April 2018). "From passionate labour to compassionate work: Cultural co-ops, do what you love and social change". European Journal of Cultural Studies. 21 (2): 113–129. doi:10.1177/1367549417719011. ISSN 1367-5494.
- Wilson, Matthew; Kinna, Ruth (June 28, 2012). "Key Terms". In Kinna, Ruth (ed.). The Bloomsbury Companion to Anarchism. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 978-1-4411-4270-2.