Book : How to Blow Up a Pipeline by Andreas Malm
Synopsis : In this text, Malm makes an impassioned call for the climate movement to escalate its tactics in the face of ecological collapse. We need, he argues, to force fossil fuel extraction to stop—with our actions, with our bodies, and by defusing and destroying its tools. We need, in short, to start blowing up some oil pipelines. Offering a counter-history of how mass popular change has occurred, from the democratic revolutions overthrowing dictators to the movement against apartheid and for women’s suffrage, Malm argues that the strategic acceptance of property destruction and violence has been the only route for revolutionary change.
Reading Schedule :
Sunday 7th August – Preface and Chapter 1- Sunday 14th August – Chapter 2
- Sunday 21st August – Chapter 3
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Supplementary Material:
When Does the Fightback Begin? - Andreas Malm response to critics of How to Blow Up a Pipeline
Definitely agree on the Gandhi thing. Malm focuses on things that Gandhi did or said at various points of his life which doesn't really address the point being made regarding the struggle for independence in India. The much better argument to make is to just point out all the other people and groups who were active in India at the time and did engage in violence against the British. Malm does bring this up but it falls secondary to his other points about Gandhi.