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
What is Socialist Feminism? (1970)
By coining the term “socialist feminism,” members of the group aimed to encompass the way that capitalist realities negatively impacted women–rather than aiming to demolish the family structures that oppressed women and…
Women! Join Our Celebration of Independence – Bread and Roses (n.d.)
This document is a call to action, urging women to join a movement led by Bread and Roses, a socialist women’s liberation group, on International Women’s Day in Boston, Massachusetts. The flyer presents a declaration of…
Statement for International Women’s Day Demonstration – Judy Clark (n.d.)
This statement by Judy Clark, a member of the Weather Underground and May 19th Communist Organization, celebrates International Women’s Day and advocates for direct action against U.S.-led imperialism. She rejects reform…
Congolese Independence Speech by Patrice Lumumba (1966)
Given by Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba shortly after the independence of the Republic of Congo in 1966, the Congolese Independence Speech was most praised for its critique of colonialism and imperialism. Withi…
Occupation of St. Paul’s Cathedral (London)
“…incidents of urination and defecation on the land outside the cathedral had continued. This was harmful to the life of the cathedral. Employees were now often engaged in cleaning up after these incidents, which, said…
The Cochabamba Water Wars: An Interview with Oscar Olivera (2011)
The Bolivian Water Wars were a series of protests and civil unrest against the privatization of water and rising water rates in the city of Cochabamba, primarily in 2000. This interview was conducted in 2011 with Oscar O…
Two, Three, Many Columbias by Tom Hayden (1968)
This speech given by Hayden during the Columbia take-over explains that students are protesting becuase they are opposed to the “fundamental institutions of society.” This protest was essentially disruptive because of it…
Statement From Vestas Workers on Their Factory Occupation (2009)
On July 20, 2009, workers of the Vestas Wind Systems factory in Newport, Isle of Wight, occupied the factory after finding out that more than 525 jobs from both the Isle of Wight and the Southampton factories were moving…
The Negro and Language – Frantz Fanon (1952)
In this chapter of one of his most important works, Frantz Fanon establishes the way that identity is manifested through language, and the way that language is perceived by others in a way that enables them to push ident…
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…
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…
Open Letter – Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine and Columbia Jewish Voice for Peace (2023)
This document is an open letter authored by Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine and Columbia Jewish Voice for Peace condemning Israel’s actions as settler-colonialism and apartheid, while expressing solidari…
Speech by Guillermo Suarez at an Anti-Klan Conference (1981)
This is a transcript of a speech by Guillermo Suarez, a member of the Movimiento de Liberacion Nacional, a national Puerto Rican and Chicano/Mexicano organization. In his 1981 address, Suarez highlighted the need to resi…
¡Si me permiten hablar! (Let me speak!) 1977
Written by Domitila Barrios De Chungara, the exploitation within Bolivian mines is revealed as well as the subsequent female-led protests against inequitable capitalist accumulation.
Our Lives are at Stake – Shell Strike (1973)
This pamphlet tells the story of the United States Shell Strike in 1973. It includes descriptions of working conditions, exploitation of workers, and the strike itself.
Art Front Magazine (1937)
The Art Front was a magazine first published by the Artists Union of New York as a response to Nelson Rockefeller’s destruction of a mural by Diego Rivera in 1934. Politically, the Artists Union and the magazine were ali…
Statement by Al-Fateh to the United Nations General Assembly (1968)
In October 1968, Al-Fateh delivered a statement at the 23rd session of the General Assembly of the UN. In this statement, Al-Fateh compared the Palestinian resistance movement to those against German occupation during WW…
Women and Revolution Issue 1 (1971)
Initially a newspaper started by the Sparticist League of the San Francisco Bay Area, this first issue of Women and Revolution is meant to serve as a manifesto for women’s liberation. The Sparticists are still an active…
To the Peoples of the World – Zapatistas (2021)
This letter – written on January 1, 2021 – includes a description of what unites the people of the Zapatista movement and agreements to keep the struggle active.