Jean Grave and the Networks of French Anarchism, 1854-1939 (Palgrave Studies in the History of Social Movements)

This biography charts the life and fascinating long militant career of the French anarchist journalist, editor, theorist, writer, campaigner and educator Jean Grave (1854-1939), from the run up to the 1871 Paris Commune to the eve of the Second World War. Through Grave, it explores the history of the French and international anarchist communist movement over seven decades: its “heroic period” (1880-1890s), shaken by terrorist violence and intense repression, the emergence of syndicalism, national and international solidarity campaigns, the divisions over the First World War, and post-war division and relegation. Through Grave, a “sedentary transnationalist,” the study investigates the networked and transnational organisation of the anarchist movement, addressing the paradox of Grave’s international influence alongside his deep rootedness in Paris by emphasizing the movement’s global print culture and staggering circulations. Series Editors’ Preface Acknowledgements Contents List of Figures Chapter 1: Introduction: A Networking Anarchist Defining Anarchist Networks Grave’s Place in the Movement: The Gatekeeper of Anarchist Communism? Grave the Editor: Anarchist Print Cultures, Materiality and Community-Building Understanding “The Pope of rue Mouffetard” Pitfalls and Caveats Order of Exposition Chapter 2: The Making of an Anarchist (1854–1885) “My Childhood Was That of All Children of Workers” “Le Parti des Révoltés”: Grave and the Early 1880s Paris Anarchist Milieu Le Révolté and Anarchist Communities: Print Transnationalism, Ideological Differentiation and Police Repression Transnational Connections Leaving Geneva Conclusion Chapter 3: A Sedentary Transnationalist (1885–1892) The “Attic Philosopher”: 140 Rue Mouffetard and Militant Sociability La Révolte, a Journal of Anarchist Communism The Financial Life of a Radical Newspaper Complex Circulations and Transnational Networks A “Monitor of Anarchy”? Grave, Women and Feminism Conclusion: The Brink of Revolution Chapter 4: A Philosopher Among Criminals: Grave and The Era of Propaganda by the Deed (1892–1894) Legal Troubles, Act I. Propaganda by the Word and Its Perils: Pélagie Prison and the Conflict with the SGDL Grave, La Révolte and the Conspiratorial Imagination Legal Troubles, Act II. Moribund Society and the Trial of the Thirty The Trial of the Thirty, the Trial of Anarchy Conclusion: The Republic’s Anti-hero? Chapter 5: The Perils of Mainstreaming? (1895–c. 1905) Les Temps Nouveaux: Continuities and Editorial Innovation “Mon cher Grave”: Artistic and Literary Networks Expanding Horizons: Global Print Networks and the Emergence of an Anticolonial Consciousness Grave on Syndicalism and Individualism Grave as a Campaigner The Cancelled 1900 Paris Congress: Organisation and the Repression of Anarchism Conclusion Chapter 6: The Limitations of Print Activism (1905–1918) “A Sort of Family” Campaigning Globalising Anarchism From War Mobilisation to the Manifesto of the Sixteen The Manifesto of the Sixteen Conclusion Chapter 7: “Dreaming of Reorganising”: Isolation and (Self-)Memorialisation (1918–Present) Excommunication “Dreaming of Reorganising”: Networking Efforts The Post-mortem of the Heroic Period and the War (Self-)Memorialisation: An Honorary Republican? The Making of Historical Oblivion Conclusion: Grave’s Many Legacies Chapter 8: Conclusion: The Binding Ties of Anarchism Bibliography Archives Archives Nationales, Pierrefitte (AN) Archives de la Préfecture de Police, Pré St Gervais (APP) Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BNF) Centre d’Histoire Sociale (CHS), Paris Institut Français d’Histoire Sociale, Paris (IFHS) International Institut fur Sozial Geschichte, Amsterdam (IISG) State Archive of the Russian Federation, Moscow (GARF) Periodicals Cited Grave’s Theoretical Writings This is a selective list of key works cited in this book. A comprehensive inventory of Grave’s writings is available at https://cgecaf.ficedl.info/?mot39, accessed 22 July 2020 Printed Primary Sources Websites Hosting Digitised Anarchist Periodicals, Bibliographic and Biographical Resources Secondary Sources Index This book explores the life of Jean Grave, one of the leading figures of the early twentieth-century French and international anarchist movement. It offers a new approach to understanding the activist networks through which the ideas and writings of Grave and his contemporaries were shared. Unlike other biographies of Grave, this book focuses on these personal and activist relationships, and the workings of these groups, circles and networks - from the very local to the global. Based predominantly in Paris, Grave can be seen as a remarkable example of immobile transnationalism, in which a very active and thriving print culture served as the prime medium for supporting contacts. Presenting a new perspective on Grave's life, the author presents a re-reading of the French anarchist movement in the years leading up to, during and after the First World War. It offers a new methodological approach to researching the history of political networks, particularly in their transnational ramifications, their role in the formation of social movements and activism, and their interplay with print culture.