A People's History of Civilization

The American anarchist, primitivist philosopher, and author John Zerzan critiques agriculture-based civilization as inherently oppressive and advocates drawing upon the life of hunter-gatherers as an inspiration for what free society should look like. Subjects of his criticism include domestication, language, symbolic thought, and the concept of time.

This book includes sixteen essays ranging from the beginning of civilization to today’s general crisis. Zerzan provides a critical perspective about civilization.

A People’s History of Civilization includes chapters about:

Patriarchy

The City and its Inmates

War Enters the Picture

The Bronze Age

The Axial Age

The Crisis of Late Antiquity

Revolt and Heresy

Modernity Takes Charge

Who Killed Ned Ludd

Cultural Luddism

Industrialism and Resistance

Decadence

WWI

Civilization’s Pathological Endgame

In recent years, John Zerzan, co-editor of Black and Green Review, has successfully toured Europe to speak from his primitivist perspective regarding contemporary civilization.