A British Anarchist Tradition: Herbert Read, Alex Comfort and Colin Ward

A British Anarchist Tradition focuses on three contemporary British theorists and practitioners, Herbert Read, Colin Ward, and Alex Comfort and looks at their interrelation, commonality, and collective influence on British radical thought.

The book aims to foster a greater understanding of anarchism as an intellectual response to 20th century developments and its impact on political thought and movements. For the first time, the work of these three writers is presented as a tradition, highlighting the consistency of their themes and concerns. To do so, the book shows how they addressed the problems faced by modern British society, with clear lines of political, literary, and intellectual traditions linking them. It also focuses on their contribution to the development of anarchist conceptions of freedom in the twentieth century.

A British Anarchist Tradition identifies an area of anarchism that deserves greater critical, scholarly attention. Its unique and thorough research will make it a valuable resource for anyone interested in contemporary anarchist thought, political theory, and political movements.

Carissa Honeywell is a Lecturer in Politics at Sheffield Hallam University, UK. She conducts research in the fields of political ideology and history of political ideas, as well as in utopian studies. She has presented her research on anarchism at conferences and workshops around the world and organized, in collaboration with Sheffield and Oxford universities, a conference that addressed the role of utopian thought in political ideology.