Disruption has been critical to the emergence of new subjects and subjectivities. Here you will find documents by subjects who rejected their given roles, descriptions, and functions in order to redefine themselves on new terms.
All
Black
Students
Colonized
Queer
Latino
Indigenous
Women
Workers
Subjects Redefined
All
Pre-Modern
1700-1830s
1840-1945
1946-1989
1990-2010
2011-Present
Brochure by the Weather Underground (1969)
This is an organizing pamphlet written by the Weather Underground for a November 15, 1969 anti-war demonstration.
Stanford “Disorientation Guide” (2005)
Published in 2005 by student activists, this Stanford University “Disorientation Guide” did an in depth analysis of the history of Standford Unviersity in relation to racism, sexism, and capitalism.
Fadwa El Guindi’s “Veiling Resistance” (1999)
Contemporary veiling reflects Muslim women’s resistance to Western ideologies and colonial legacies. This essay disrupts dominant Western perceptions of Islamic culture and gender norms.
President of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians Letter to the Chairman of the Town of Lac du Flambeau – John Johnson Sr. (2023)
This letter, written in December of 2023 by the President of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, John Johnson Sr., to the Chairman of the Town of Lac du Flambeau, Matt Gaulke, communicated that th…
In Defense of the Right to Political Secession for the Afro-American Nation: Papers and Resolutions from the School on the Afro-American National Question (1982)
These excerpts primarily discuss the Marxist-Leninist perspective on the “Afro-American National Question,” arguing that Afro-Americans in the Black Belt region of the Southern U.S. constitute an oppressed nation with th…
A Storm and a Prophecy – Subcomandante Marcos (1992)
The first written essay by Subcomandante Marcos serving as “tour guide” to the state of Chiapas, desecrated by years of extractive neoliberalism. Written a year and a half before the Zapatista uprising, it outlines all…
Alison Murray’s “Debt-Bondage and Trafficking: Don’t Believe the Hype” (1998)
1990s sex workers disrupted sensationalized anti-trafficking narratives by asserting their agency and reshaping global debates on labor, migration, and women’s rights.
Poems for Workers (1920s)
This document is an anthology of poems written for the working class and dedicated to the workers’ struggle.
“We are Power” – John Trudell (1980)
John Trudell, an active member of the indigenous struggle, gave this speech on July 18, 1980 at the Black Hills Survival Gathering. In his speech, he speaks of oppression, power, and liberation.
Prisoners in Revolution – Roger Boberg, Jaan Laaman, John Yancey, and Richard Williams (1975)
This statement, written by revolutionary prisoners at New Hampshire State Prison in 1975, serves as a response and further discussion of the Weather Underground’s “Prairie Fire”, aiming to provide a deeper examination…
Organizing the Unemployed in the Bronx in the 1930s (1949)
This document is Rose Chernin’s account of the disruption and organizing of the unemployed through the formation of Unemployed Councils. They organized disruptions at places such as grocery stores and organized rent stri…
The Feminization of Earth First! (1992)
In this document, Judi Bari describes her experiences as a woman in Earth First!. It explores the relationship between feminism and eco-radicalism – eco-feminism.
Defy The Draft – 1967
Students join protesters in New York to show off their right to have freedom of speech by defying the Vietnam draft with the burning of draft cards
Ania Loomba’s “Dead Women Tell No Tales”
Representations of the sati-widow from the colonial era to the postcolonial period uncover deep fractures in the colonial, patriarchal, nationalist, and feminist systems that tried to define her.
See Red Women’s Workshop (1972)
In 1972, See Red Women’s Workshop was founded as a feminist organization committed to combatting sexist images of women in the media by replacing them with more empowering alternatives. Feminist activist came together to…
“Political and Armed Struggle” Al Fatah (1974)
“Political and Armed Struggle” was a pamphlet published in 1974 by Al-Fatah. This pahmplet explains the organization, aims, and tactics ofthe party. It illustrates the tie between armed and political struggles against op…
The Sixties Speak to the Eighties (Redstockings, 1983)
The Redstockings are a radical feminist group that emerged partly out of the Women’s Liberation Movement. In this speech, Kathie Sarachild, a prominent activist and leader within the Redstockings, reflects on her time sp…
Native Alliance for Red Power Newsletter (1969)
This newsletter was published in June/July 1969 in Vancouver by the Native Alliance for Red Power (NARP). It includes writing from the NARP and the American Indian movement (AIM) about tactics of indigenous power such as…
Political Prisoners, Prisons, and Black Liberation (May 1971)
In this document, Angela Y. Davis begins with a discussion of unjust laws and black resistance. After historical analysis, Davis begins to discuss the judicial system and the political prisoner. This document ends with a…