Synopses & Reviews
Abudullah Öcalan was the most wanted man in Turkey for almost two decades until his kidnapping and arrest in 1999. He has been in prison ever since. He is the founder of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK). From 1984, under his leadership, the PKK fought for an independent Kurdish state in southeast Turkey. In a sustained popular uprising, tens of thousands of PKK guerrillas took on the second largest army in NATO.
Since his imprisonment, Öcalan has written extensively in Kurdish history. This book brings together his writings for the first time. Breathtaking in scope, it provides a broad Marxist perspective on ancient Middle Eastern history, incorporating the rise of the major religions (Islam, Christianity, and Judaism), and defining the Kurdish position within this, from the ancient Sumerian civilization through the feudal age, the birth of capitalism, and beyond.
"Very readable. It is a tour-de-force."
---Ghada Talhami, D. K. Pearsons Professor of Political, Lake Forest College
"We would expect Abudullah Öcalan to write a political treatise. Instead, he has penned a monumental history of the ancient Near East that offers a grand vision. . . . This is the first truly postcolonial history of Mesopotamia."
---Randall H. McGuire, Professor of Anthropology, Binghamton University
Synopsis
Venezuela has become a huge source of hope and inspiration for the Left throughout the world. Some see it as a shining example of how to begin building a successful socialist state, but Western leaders see it as a dangerous enemy and accuse President Hugo Chavez of being a dictator. This book reveals the truth by examining the country from the ground up.
Iain Bruce explores the political changes underway in Venezuela at the level of the lives of ordinary people. Through grassroots investigations and extended interviews, he explores a series of key transformations: a new social economy around a network of cooperatives; workplace democracy; popular education; radical agrarian reform; participatory budgets and community planning. The result is a clear picture of everyday life in Venezuela.
No other book on the country has this level of detail; it will be a key text for students of Latin American politics and social movements and of interest to anyone following the fortunes of the Bolivarian Revolution.
Synopsis
The prison writings of Kurdish freedom fighter and PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan
About the Author
Abdullah Ocalan is in prison in Turkey serving a life sentence. He was the leader of the Kurdish revolutionary party, the PKK. He was eventually kidnapped while abroad in 1999, and has been in prison in Turkey ever since.
Table of Contents
Preface *Translator's introduction *SECTION 1: SLAVE-OWNING SOCIETY AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF CIVILISATION *Introduction *The birth of civilisation on the banks of Tigris and Euphrates *The historical role of Sumerian civilisation *Permanent effects of Sumerian civilisation *Some methodological problems concerning historical development and expansion *The expansion and maturity of slavery *Tribal confederations, local and territorial states *Resistance to slaveholder civilisation and its reform *Medes