Situationist International Anthology

by Ken Knabb (Editor)

Literary Nonfiction. Politics. Critical Theory. Art. In 1957 a few European avant-garde groups came together to form the Situationist International. Picking up where the dadaists and surrealists had left off, the situationists challenged people's passive conditioning with carefully calculated scandals and the playful tactic of detournement. Seeking a more extreme social revolution than was dreamed of by most leftists, they developed an incisive critique of the global spectacle-commodity system and of its "Communist" pseudo-opposition, and their new methods of agitation helped trigger the May 1968 revolt in France. Since then although the SI itself was dissolved in 1972 situationist theories and tactics have continued to inspire radical currents all over the world. The SITUATIONIST INTERNATIONAL ANTHOLOGY, generally recognized as the most comprehensive and accurately translated collection of situationist writings in English, presents a rich variety of articles, leaflets, graffiti and internal documents, ranging from early experiments in "psychogeography" to lucid analyses of the Watts riot, the Vietnam War, the Prague Spring, the Chinese Cultural Revolution and other crises and upheavals of the sixties. For this new edition the translations have all been fine-tuned and over 100 pages of new material have been added."

Genres: Philosophy, Theory, Nonfiction, Politics, Art, History, Essays

532 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Ken Knabb (b. 1945) is an American radical writer and translator, particularly known for his translations of Guy Debord and the Situationist International. His works include The Relevance of Rexroth (1990), the Situationist International Anthology (1981), and the collection Public Secrets (1997). More recently, Knabb has written extensively on the Occupy movement. He holds a bachelor's degree from Shimer College in Chicago, where he enrolled via the early entrance program. (from Shimer College Wiki)

Reviews

[A.D. Jameson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most important books ever made, because the SI was one of the most important artistic/political movements of all time. I return to this endlessly, and the subtlety of the thought it contains never ceases to amaze. Not to mention, there's so much practical advice! "Theory of the Dérive" has one of the most important essays in my life.

[xDEAD ENDx · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this when I was 18, and it's just as exciting to read now as a jaded curmudgeon. As two points of reflection:

1. Wow, SI texts read so much more fluidly now that I have a grasp on the whole canon. I imagine about 80% of the references went over younger-me's head: I had no grasp of Hegel, Marx, etc., tenuous understanding of Algeria, Vietnam, the Paris Commune, and certainly no methodology for reading with dialectical rigor (that's tongue in cheek, FYI). These roughly 500 pages went by with ease, which probably says quite a bit about how I've "heard it all before" BUT ALSO I now have life experiences that echo and reflect the same issues. History repeats, alas.

2. The things I find exciting are noticeably different, yet still the same, due to being on the opposite side of the threshold. As a teenager, the SI presented me with the idea that I could live life the way I wanted, with a nearly-infinite number of paths I could take from that point forward. The adventurism (AKA "lifestylism") could be the force that takes me day by day into the unknown. Fast forward to the present day, and of course that didn't play out the way it could have. I'm more tied to my habits (work, home life, etc.) but still have that yearning to explore in my time off (yes, yes, the critique of leisure time, I'm aware). Let's be real though, none of the SI actually lived this way either, yet some of those they denounced did (a certain urban cowboy on the lam, riding with desperados in the southwest comes to mind...).

All of this is to say: I actually prefer the writings and activities of the early SI rather than the later. Detournment, the derive, psychogeography; these are regular activities for (temporary) escape (and these things are even better when you're able to escape concrete hell). The later SI, by contrast, is so /political/ while also denouncing politics. The most boring parts of this anthology are the writings on Egypt, Palestine, Vietnam, etc. (Watts is still cool, Paris '68 is still cool), but I don't know if that's because I'm so temporarily and geographically removed. By the end it's clear that Debord is the de facto leader and voice of the SI, and it's a bit heart-wrenching how he's struggling to escape but is so locked in that he can't make his departure without it being an endless series of communiques.

If nothing else, the witty graffiti is perfect for your next tweet.

[Malcolm · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Situationists occupy a key place in 20th century politics - not because they were all the big or all that successful in their political actions, but because they sit in a nexus that links art, culture and political activism, link to punk, surrealism and anarchism, and have become romanticised as a vital force in the excessively romanticised events in Paris in May 1968. Their political critiques of consumer life, of urban realities and power, and their notion of the the 'situation' as a political action remain powerful and woven through much of the politics of the era since. This is an important and valuable as well as fairly comprehensive collection of much of their work with the exception of their separately published books - Society of the Spectacle and so forth. Some of this is great, some however has lost its power in the passage of time to remain little more than a useful archive of the era.

[Severin M · Rating 3 out of 5]

An accessible collection, but ultimately lacking in justification for the texts chosen with major oversights in the topics covered, and an over focus on the latter side of the SI (but paradoxically not its decay and disbandment) which stresses result over process and encourages an uncritical approach to the SI.

[Brendan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is by far the most complete collection of Situationist writings in English. Chronologically arranged, this provides a fantastic, near-comprehensive portrait of the organization and their effects on the world.

[Landon · Rating 5 out of 5]

🔥 🔥 🔥

[Rheuben Bundy · Rating 5 out of 5]

this anthology is one of the best looks at the situationists, their methods, their critiques, and their understandings, that is extant today. While i didn't like knabbs introduction to the text, in that he used it as a platform to discuss why other translations were terrible, rather that discussing the what and why of the group itself, it is still one of the best looks at the group i have ever seen.

[Joe Donohue · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best part is the end where the journalists attempt to explain what was happening in France during the May 1968 events. The Americans were unmatched in their ignorance. They thought that the riots were caused by situational ethics -- as if a psychological topic could cause riots. The American press was writing confidently about matters that were beyond them.

It just goes to show you: the more you know a topic, the less you will like the press coverage of it.

[Tosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the one to get for those who want to step into the world of the Situationists. I took this book with me to Japan as well. I sort of kept it as 'my' bible of sorts. A fascinating document of a certain time that is still with us.

[Tedopon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was reading this during 911. Interesting that it's a scathing critique of consumer society. Good, complex and long collection of treatises and seminars and international meetings of the group from the mid to late 20th century.

[Nate D]

http://www.bopsecrets.org/

[Boozebabyexperience · Rating 5 out of 5]

not to over use the phrase in a positive manner, but this book is a slap in the face.

[Isham Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third indispensable Situationist text after Guy Debord's Society of the Spectacle and Raoul Vaneigem's Revolution of Everyday Life.

[Amir Merksamer · Rating 3 out of 5]

nice introduction to SI

[Ryan]

there some really good essay!

[Stuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love it but I need a study circle to help me get through it without losing my shit. anyone?