Resisting Militarism: Direct Action and the Politics of Subversion (Advances in Critical Military Studies)

In the past 15 years, anti-militarist activists in the UK have auctioned off a tank outside an arms fair, superglued themselves to Lockheed Martin’s central London offices and stopped a battleship with a canoe. They have also challenged militarism on an everyday level in many other ways. This book tells the story of their resistance. It explores why anti-militarists take part in such actions, considers the politics of different tactics and examines the tensions and debates within the movement. __Resisting Militarism__ draws on a range of critical theoretical traditions including anarchist, feminist, postcolonial, poststructural and queer theory. These are engaged to both animate and interrogate anti-militarist politics, with particular emphasis placed on activists’ use of prefigurative direct action. As it explores the multifaceted, imaginative and highly subversive world of anti-militarism, the book also makes two overarching arguments. First, that anti-militarists can help us to understand militarism in novel and useful ways. And secondly, that the methods and ideas used by anti-militarists can be a potent force for radical political change. An intimate study of the imaginative, subversive and often highly mischievous world of British anti-militarismEngages with groups including Campaign Against Arms Trade, Stop the Arms Fair, the Space Hijackers. Smash EDO and the Plowshares MovementDraws on a range of critical traditions including poststructuralism, feminism, queer theory, postcolonialism and anarchismDevelops a new account of the nature and limits of militarism, as understood from the perspective of its opponentsMakes a case for the radical and ethical potential of prefigurative direct actionIn the past 15 years, anti-militarist activists in the UK have auctioned off a tank outside an arms fair, superglued themselves to Lockheed Martin's central London offices and stopped a battleship with a canoe. They have also challenged militarism on an everyday level in many other ways. This book tells the story of their resistance. It explores why anti-militarists take part in such actions, considers the politics of different tactics and examines the tensions and debates within the movement.As it explores the multifaceted, imaginative and highly subversive world of anti-militarism, the book also makes two overarching arguments. First, that anti-militarists can help us to understand militarism in novel and useful ways. And secondly, that the methods and ideas used by anti-militarists can be a potent force for radical political change In the past 15 years, anti-militarist activists in the UK have auctioned off a tank outside an arms fair, superglued themselves to Lockheed Martin's central London offices and stopped a battleship with a canoe. They have also challenged militarism on an everyday level in many other ways. This book tells the story of their resistance. It explores why anti-militarists take part in such actions, considers the politics of different tactics and examines the tensions and debates within the movement. As it explores the multifaceted, imaginative and highly subversive world of anti-militarism, the book also makes two overarching arguments. First, that anti-militarists can help us to understand militarism in novel and useful ways. And secondly, that the methods and ideas used by anti-militarists can be a potent force for radical political change. -- Publisher In the past 15 years, UK anti-militarist activists have auctioned off a tank outside an arms fair, superglued themselves to Lockheed Martin's central London offices and stopped a battleship with a canoe. They have also challenged militarism in many other everyday ways. This book explores why anti-militarists resist, considers the politics of different tactics and examines the tensions and debates within the movement. As it explores the multifaceted, imaginative and highly subversive world of anti-militarism, the book also makes two overarching arguments. First, that anti-militarists can help us to understand militarism in new and useful ways. And secondly, that the methods and ideas used by anti-militarists can be a potent force for radical political change. This volume explores why anti-militarists resist, considers the politics of different tactics and examines the tensions and debates within the movement. It argues that anti-militarists can help us understand militarism in new and useful ways, and that that the methods of anti-militarists can be a potent force for radical political change This book explores why anti-militarists resist, considers the politics of different tactics and examines the tensions and debates within the movement. It argues that anti-militarists can help us understand militarism in new and useful ways, and that that the methods of anti-militarists can be a potent force for radical political change. Resisting Militarism Copyright Contents Acknowledgements LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Introduction 1 Anti-Militarist Direct Action 2 Conceptualising Militarism 3 Feminist and Queer Anti-Militarism 4 Agents of Security 5 Resisting Security 6 Contestations 7 Diversity 8 Dis/Obedience 9 Regimes Conclusion List of Interviews References Index