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Storming Heaven

Class Composition and Struggle in Italian Autonomist Marxism
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Storming Heaven traces the evolution of Italian workerist theory (operaismo) from its roots in the anti-Stalinist left of the 1950s through its peak twenty years later. It explores key themes such as refusal of work, class self-organisation, mass illegality and expanding revolutionary agency, illustrating how these practices remain influential globally today.

The book highlights the dynamic nature of class struggle central to workerist thought and examines its development alongside social movements. It offers a critical assessment of pioneering thinkers like Antonio Negri, Mario Tronti and Sergio Bologna.

This updated edition includes a new chapter on debates since 2002, alongside a fresh foreword and afterword.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$6199
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for readers interested in political theory, labour history, and leftist radical movements. Academics and students specialising in Italian politics, Marxism and social movements will find this invaluable.

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A history of Italian workerist theory, taking in Antonio Negri, Mario Tronti and Sergio Bologna

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Storming Heaven is the only book which looks at Italian workerist theory and practice, from its origins in the anti-Stalinist left of the 1950s to its heyday twenty years later. It focuses on the theme of workerism, or 'operaismo', which includes the refusal of work, class self-organisation, mass illegality and the extension of revolutionary agency, all of which are still practised today by workers across the world.

Emphasising the dynamic nature of class struggle as the distinguishing feature of workerist thought, Storming Heaven reveals how this form of radical politics developed alongside emerging social movements to great effect. It assesses the strengths and limitations of workerism as first developed by Antonio Negri, Mario Tronti, Sergio Bologna and others.

This edition includes a new chapter looking at the debates around operaismo and Autonomia since the book originally appeared in 2002, and is updated with a new foreword and afterword.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780745399904

Publisher: Pluto Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 20 July 2017

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Pluto Press

Edition: Second Edition

Contributors:

  • Foreword by Harry Cleaver
  • Afterword by Massimiliano Tomba
  • Afterword by Riccardo Bellofiore

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Width: 135.0mm

Height: 215.0mm

Weight: 382g

Pages: 304

About the Author

Steve Wright is Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Information Technology at Monash University. He is the author of the classic survey of Italian autonomist theory Storming Heaven (Pluto, 2017), now in its second edition. Harry Cleaver is Associate Professor Emeritus at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of Reading Capital Politically (AK Press; 2nd ed, 2000). Riccardo Bellofiore is Professor of Political Economy at the University of Bergamo. He is the co-editor of The Constitution of Capital: Essays on Volume I of Marx's 'Capital' (Palgrave, 2004). Massimiliano Tomba is in the Department of Political and Juridical Sciences and International Studies at the University of Padova. He is the author of Marx's Temporalities (Haymarket, 2014).

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