Hostis 2: Beyond Recognition

by Various

Herein lay a series of engagements and debates that are perfect for the journal format. Where lay the dangers of visibilty? What is the terrain by which cruelty (towards comrades and enemies) makes sense? How does vengeance inform a discussion about how to end patriarchy? What are the limits of war discourse?

Anyway, this fantastic issue contains some material that has sprung up online first. Beyond Recognition features

Five Theses on the Politics of Cruelty
A Letter to the Editor – Mary Nardini Gang
A Cautious Reply
La guerre veritable / The Real War - Anonymous
Contre l'état d'urgence, l'urgence de prendre la rue - Anonymous
Notes on People Who Have Been Surveilled by the Police or the State Asked to Take A Picture That Reveals Nothing About Them - Gabriel Saloman
The Tyranny of Imagery: Or, How to Escape the Zoopraxiscope - Anonymous
No Selves to Abolish: Afro-Pessimism, Anti-Politics, and The End of the World - K. Aarons
Peak Panik - Helge Peters and Johannes Büttner

141 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2016

About the author

Various is the correct author for any book with multiple unknown authors, and is acceptable for books with multiple known authors, especially if not all are known or the list is very long (over 50).

If an editor is known, however, Various is not necessary. List the name of the editor as the primary author (with role "editor"). Contributing authors' names follow it.

Note: WorldCat is an excellent resource for finding author information and contents of anthologies.

Reviews

[xDEAD ENDx · Rating 4 out of 5]

Significantly better than the first issue.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Facebook now offers 56 gender options - promising liberation through digital technology whilst weaving a web of control ever more tightly - 56 prison cells to choose from every morning.

But still no unlike (or hate) button!

[clinamen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big improvement on the first issue of this journal. This second installment builds upon the theses on the politics of cruelty introduced in the first Hostis while taking the broader themes of recognition and representation as its focus. While the last publication featured a few duds (I'm looking at you, Global Shade), this one is far more consistent and developed in its ideas, featuring a number of thought-provoking essays worth reprinting in this volume. Of particular note are K. Aaron's 'No selves to abolish' - a dialogue between Afropessimism and the politics of representation - the anonymous second essay in the 'Tyranny of Imagery' series, and a few interesting projects incorporating a visual element, including an anti-representational photo made up of 'non-selfies'. Like the first volume, it would have benefited from additional editing and proofreading, but beyond these relatively minor concerns, this polemical experiment in heretical communism largely succeeds in improving on its predecessor and developing a unique voice deserving of reading and discussion.