Good texts on autonomism?

[Skyhilist]

So I've become intrigued with autonomism recently and would like to learn more about it. I was wondering if anyone might be able to recommend some good texts for someone who is fairly new to it.

Also, this is probably going to make me sound very stupid, but I sometimes have a lot of difficulty understanding and interpreting older texts because the way language is manipulated doesn't quite match up with the way I hear language in the 21st century and so I often have to read things over and over before even getting it (silly, I know). Are there any texts that delve into theory but also are good at putting things in layman's terms?

Thanks

[The Feral Underclass]

Fire and Flames is a good book. It's about the history of the German autonomist movement. It's really interesting and goes into ideas and tactics etc.

[The Feral Underclass]

It's also very easy to read.

[Sasha]

I think if you use the search function you get a ton of threads where there are good recommendations.

[The Feral Underclass]

I asked an autonomist friend of mine to give me some suggestions and this is what he replied with:

"We've just finished a reading group here in Manchester doing some of the Operaismo stuff, the origins of autonomist marxism. We've got a reading list on our tumblr - Operaismo - A ready group (http://operaismomanchester.tumblr.com/post/37780687772/operaismo-a-reading-group)

We reached the same conclusion lots of others have, that there were some key insights made but that there were also some flaws. Many of the Operaists were also quite dogmatic Leninists in some ways. Top three recommended articles.

1) Lenin in England by Mario Tronti. This is where Tronti clearly lays out his "Copernican inversion", that it is actually the working class and it's struggles which is the motor of development.

2) Theses on the Mass Worker and Social Capital - Silvia Federici and Mario Montano. This puts Tronti's thesis into practice and discusses the emergence of the mass worker in the factories of the 60's and 70's.

3) The Strategy of Refusal - Mario Tronti. Tronti develops a politics against work here (a clear split from Marxist-Leninism). Panzieri (the predecessor to Operaismo) also develops this anti ML politics in a few articles on machinery and state planning.
and one for good luck

4) The Refusal of Work - Porto Maghera Workers. Really readable article written by a workers committee in a chemical plant near to Venice. Really clear expression of an anti-work politics."

[ed miliband]

re: operaismo, autonomia, etc. whilst the list tat reproduces above is good, it might be best to read something that places these texts in their historical context first, in which case i recommend robert lumley's 'states of emergency':

http://libcom.org/history/states-emergency-cultures-revolt-italy-1968-1978

steve wright's 'storming heaven' is a classic, but not as an introductory text:

http://libcom.org/library/storming-heaven-class-composition-struggle-italian-autonomist-marxism-steve-wright

this long, critical review of wright's book, and harry cleaver's 'reading capital politically' (an "autonomist" reading of 'capital') is worth a read:

http://www.prole.info/texts/automarx.html

george katsiaficas' 'the subversion of politics' is also good, covering italian operaismo up to the movement of '77 and beyond, but also the german autonomen, etc. just avoid the parts where he tries to get theoretical, 'cos it's the worst kind of confused academic wanking.

'fire and flames' by geronimo, which tat recommends above, is also available on libcom:

http://libcom.org/library/fire-flames-history-german-autonomist-movement

oh, should you want to read a lot of the primary texts, i recommend the semiotext(e) anthology 'autonomia: post-political politics' which has a lot of stuff tat mentions above in it and much more. it's also beautifully designed. semiotext(e) put out on the german scene, called, i think 'the german issue' but it's a lot more confused.

[Sasha]

The subversion of politics book is available as a free download on the writers website: http://www.eroseffect.com/books/subversion.html

[Sasha]

This is a good history of the dutch autonomous movement written from a autonomist perspective: http://thing.desk.nl/bilwet/Cracking/contents.html

[The Douche]

I stongly recomend the semiotext(e) book "autonomia" that ed mentioned.

Its hardback, and very well put together, and its only $15! http://www.amazon.com/Autonomia-Post-Political-Politics-Semiotext-e/dp/1584350539/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1370869003&sr=1-1&keywords=autonomia

[The Feral Underclass]

I stongly recomend the semiotext(e) book "autonomia" that ed mentioned.

Its hardback, and very well put together, and its only $15! http://www.amazon.com/Autonomia-Post-Political-Politics-Semiotext-e/dp/1584350539/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1370869003&sr=1-1&keywords=autonomia

Yeah, it's a mighty fine book.