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kshertz's review
informative
slow-paced
3.0
This was so much information! I think itโs meant for scholars and scholars only. Which is hard for me because I think these ideas of abolition take everyone and this leaves out the majority of the population. But I learned a ton and I hope to use this knowledge to help others understand abolition and the need to take down the institutions to build something better
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Slavery, Colonisation, and Forced institutionalization
bonkstrats's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
adrianlarose's review
5.0
some combo of intellectual and accessible. the writing is...somehow both academic *and* clear? it's such a rare combo. this is a collected book of her essays, so as you read through, you will see some repeated phrases, explanations, concepts that she was working on and developing at the time. The book is organized so that ideas and time (from what I can tell; not every essay has its publication date prominently noted...maybe it's hidden somewhere, but that'd be great on the first title page of each essay!) progress as you read through. I was reading this alongside Octavia's Brood (sci-fi by bipoc folk) and saw so many thru-lines.
seeceeread's review
4.75
๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก๐๐ฆ๐ง ๐๐๐ข๐๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐๐ฌ : ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ง๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ ๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป x Ruth Wilson Gilmore (2022)
๐ญ "Abolition is a fleshly and material presence of social life lived differently. Abolition is figuring out how to work with people to make something, rather than to erase something."
Recently, Gilmore was mistakenly credited for coining "prison industrial complex." Perhaps because she uses the term often, and passionately explains each part, as well as connections to Eisenhower's "military industrial complex." Myriad ideas (some built on others' intellectual shoulders, which she notes) to associate with this stunning thinker:
โข ๐ข๐ฟ๐ด๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ผ๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐: "Crisis, then, is organized abandonment's condition of existence ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ its inherent vice. To persist, systematic abandonment depends on the agile durability of organized violence."
โข ๐๐ป๐๐ถ-๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ: "The purpose and outcome of the anti-state state's crisis-fueled practice is to facilitate upward transfer of wealth, income, and political power from the relatively poor and powerless to the already rich and powerful."
โข ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ผ๐บ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ: "Marx: By mixing our labor with the earth, we change the external world and thereby change our own nature. That's what drama is; that's what geography is: making history, making worlds."
โข ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐น ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐๐: "The broad normalization of the belief that the key to safety is aggression."
โข ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐บ: "Capitalism requires inequality and racism enshrines it. [...] Racism, specifically, is the state-sanctioned or extralegal production and exploitation of group-differentiated vulnerability to premature death."
โข ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐พ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ need "stretch, resonance and resilience"
Gilmore asks fantastic questions! She often answers them, as well ... but her model of mature inquiry is valuable for itself. Footnotes and callouts clarify her intellectual peers and ... whew ๐ฅ The author bounces between colloquial and esoteric. I often changed my pace to better process and savor the specificity.
I might have enjoyed this ๐ด๐ญ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต๐ญ๐บ more had I engaged the text a small group of committed co-conspirators ... but as it is, I'm a lil enamored.
๐ญ "Abolition is a fleshly and material presence of social life lived differently. Abolition is figuring out how to work with people to make something, rather than to erase something."
Recently, Gilmore was mistakenly credited for coining "prison industrial complex." Perhaps because she uses the term often, and passionately explains each part, as well as connections to Eisenhower's "military industrial complex." Myriad ideas (some built on others' intellectual shoulders, which she notes) to associate with this stunning thinker:
โข ๐ข๐ฟ๐ด๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ผ๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐: "Crisis, then, is organized abandonment's condition of existence ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ its inherent vice. To persist, systematic abandonment depends on the agile durability of organized violence."
โข ๐๐ป๐๐ถ-๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ: "The purpose and outcome of the anti-state state's crisis-fueled practice is to facilitate upward transfer of wealth, income, and political power from the relatively poor and powerless to the already rich and powerful."
โข ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ผ๐บ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ: "Marx: By mixing our labor with the earth, we change the external world and thereby change our own nature. That's what drama is; that's what geography is: making history, making worlds."
โข ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐น ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐๐: "The broad normalization of the belief that the key to safety is aggression."
โข ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐บ: "Capitalism requires inequality and racism enshrines it. [...] Racism, specifically, is the state-sanctioned or extralegal production and exploitation of group-differentiated vulnerability to premature death."
โข ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐พ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ need "stretch, resonance and resilience"
Gilmore asks fantastic questions! She often answers them, as well ... but her model of mature inquiry is valuable for itself. Footnotes and callouts clarify her intellectual peers and ... whew ๐ฅ The author bounces between colloquial and esoteric. I often changed my pace to better process and savor the specificity.
I might have enjoyed this ๐ด๐ญ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต๐ญ๐บ more had I engaged the text a small group of committed co-conspirators ... but as it is, I'm a lil enamored.