Donatella Di Cesare - The Time of Revolt

1 Cover

2 Title Page The Time of Revolt Donatella Di Cesare Translated by David Broder polity

3 Copyright Page Copyright Page Originally published as Il tempo della rivolta © Bollati Boringhieri editore, Torino, 2020 This English edition © Polity Press, 2022 Polity Press 65 Bridge Street Cambridge CB2 1UR, UK Polity Press 101 Station Landing Suite 300 Medford, MA 02155, USA All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-4838-5 ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-4839-2 (paperback) A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Control Number: 2021939487 by Fakenham Prepress Solutions, Fakenham, Norfolk NR21 8NL Printed and bound in Great Britain by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon The publisher has used its best endeavours to ensure that the URLs for external websites referred to in this book are correct and active at the time of going to press. However, the publisher has no responsibility for the websites and can make no guarantee that a site will remain live or that the content is or will remain appropriate. Every effort has been made to trace all copyright holders, but if any have been overlooked the publisher will be pleased to include any necessary credits in any subsequent reprint or edition. For further information on Polity, visit our website: politybooks.com

4 Quote Quote My hope is the last breath … My flight is revolt, My heaven the abyss of tomorrow. Heiner Müller, ‘The Angel of Despair’ 1

5 The Right to Breathe

6 The Constellation of Revolts

7 Between Politics and Police

8 Occupations: From the Factories to the Squares

9 Bella ciao : Notes of Resistance

10 A Spectral Era

11 In Search of the Lost Revolution

12 What Does Revolt Mean?

13 The Individual’s Cry – and the Wounds of History

14 Spartacus’s Day after Tomorrow

15 The Limits of Public Space

16 The Right to Appear

17 A Volte-Face on Power

18 Prefigurations

19 An Existential Tension

20 If Dissent is a Crime

21 The New Disobedients

22 Anonymous’s Grin

23 On Invisibility: A Show of Self-Concealment

24 Masks and Zones of Irresponsibility

25 Leaks

26 Resident Foreigners: The Anarchist Revolt

27 Barricades in Time

28 Bibliography

1 Cover

2 Table of Contents

3 Begin Reading

1 iii

2 iv

3 vii

4 viii

5 1

6 2

7 3

8 4

9 5

10 6

11 7

12 8

13 9

14 10

15 11

16 12

17 13

18 14

19 15

20 16

21 17

22 18

23 19

24 20

25 21

26 22

27 23

28 24

29 25

30 26

31 27

32 28

33 29

34 30

35 31

36 32

37 33

38 34

39 35

40 36

41 37

42 38

43 39

44 40

45 41

46 42

47 43

48 44

49 45

50 46

51 47

52 48

53 49

54 50

55 51

56 52

57 53

58 54

59 55

60 56

61 57

62 58

63 59

64 60

65 61

66 62

67 63

68 64

69 65

70 66

71 67

72 68

73 69

74 70

75 71

76 72

77 73

78 74

79 75

80 76

81 77

82 78

83 79

84 80

85 81

86 82

87 83

88 84

89 85

90 86

91 87

92 88

93 89

94 90

95 91

96 92

97 93

98 94

99 95

100 96

101 97

102 98

103 99

104 100

105 101

106 102

107 103

108 104

109 105

110 106

111 107

112 108

113 109

114 110

115 111

116 112

117 113

118 114

119 115

120 116

121 117

122 118

123 119

124 120

125 121

126 122

127 123

128 124

129 125

130 126

131 127

132 128

133 129

134 136

135 137

136 138

137 139

138 140

139 141

140 142

141 143

Donatella Di Cesare

Translated by David Broder

polity

Originally published as Il tempo della rivolta © Bollati Boringhieri editore, Torino, 2020

This English edition © Polity Press, 2022

Polity Press

65 Bridge Street

Cambridge CB2 1UR, UK

Polity Press

101 Station Landing

Suite 300

Medford, MA 02155, USA

All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-4838-5

ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-4839-2 (paperback)

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021939487

by Fakenham Prepress Solutions, Fakenham, Norfolk NR21 8NL

Printed and bound in Great Britain by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon

The publisher has used its best endeavours to ensure that the URLs for external websites referred to in this book are correct and active at the time of going to press. However, the publisher has no responsibility for the websites and can make no guarantee that a site will remain live or that the content is or will remain appropriate.

Every effort has been made to trace all copyright holders, but if any have been overlooked the publisher will be pleased to include any necessary credits in any subsequent reprint or edition.

For further information on Polity, visit our website: politybooks.com

My hope is the last breath …

My flight is revolt,

My heaven the abyss of tomorrow.

Heiner Müller, ‘The Angel of Despair’ 1

1 1 Heiner Müller, ‘Three Angels’, in Gerhard Fischer (ed.), The Mudrooroo/Müller Project. Kensington: New South Wales University Press, 1993, p. 45.

Revolt is breaking out all over the world. It flares up, it peters out, then it continues its spread once more. It crosses borders, it rocks nations, it agitates continents. A glance at the map of its sudden outbreaks and countless eruptions reveals its intermittent advance across the bumpy political landscape of the new century. Its vast scale is matched only by its intensity. Its topography outlines a landscape in which confrontation turns to opposition, discord and open struggle. Protests spread, acts of disobedience multiply, and clashes intensify. This is the time of revolt.

The blaze of revolt may seem short-lived, the event fleeting. But revolt ought not to be considered merely ephemeral. Through all its surges and retreats, it comprises a global phenomenon, and one which promises to endure. Not even the pandemic has been able to put out the flames. At a moment when many were already reflecting on the disappearance of the pólis and the loss of public space, revolt resurfaced, overwhelming and uncontainable. It surged forth from Buenos Aires to Hong Kong, from Rio de Janeiro to Beirut, and from London to Bangkok.