Webs of Power: Notes from the Global Uprising. New Society, the publishers, have graciously prepared this pdf which is yours as a free download. If you feel like showing us some love in return, we encourage donations to Earth Activist Training. The book itself is part of their New Catalyst collection, available in print or Ebook form.
Winner of a 2003 Nautilus Award,
in the “social change” category.
Webs of Power is a call to re-conceive our political and economic systems at the very deepest levels. Writing from the front lines, Starhawk chronicles the global justice movement sparked by Seattle’s 1999 anti-World Trade Organization protest. An activist in many of the major peace and justice movements of our times, Starhawk continues to be deeply involved as a direct action participant and trainer in the anti-globalization movement. (For the latest, see her writings on the WTO Cancun mobilization.)
The book is divided into “Actions” and “Visions.” In Part I, Starhawk begins with a direct-action perspective of what really happened in Seattle and provides an overview of the complex political and economic powers that the anti-globalization movement opposes. Recounting the blow-by-blow events of the critical confrontations faced by the anti-globalization protestors after Seattle, Prague, Brazil, Quebec, Genoa, Starhawk discusses police brutality, the Black Bloc versus the pacifists, and the magic of solidarity.
In Part II, Starhawk spins a vision of the future of the anti-globalization movement. Drawing on her twenty years of experience as an activist, ecofeminist, and Witch, she explores the debate between violent and nonviolent tactics; the definition of an economy of true abundance; and how we can transform our rage and despair, face our fears, and renew our spirits while acting to change the world.
Webs of Power is available both as an Ebook and in print form. Follow this link for the Ebook version page.
Order the print version: please support independent bookstores! You can order copies from your local bookstore or from 100Fires.com.
Alternately, you can order the print version directly from New Society Publishers.
“For those like myself, who all too often find themselves supporting from the sidelines, Webs of Power is a persuasive account of why we should increase our level of involvement. For those like the author, who are drawn to the frontlines of the actions, it is a powerful affirmation, a reminder that change comes only with effort. And for those in power who continue to hide behind police barricades, Webs of Power is a wake-up call, a reminder that not everyone is content to live in a world ruled by corporate interests.”– Cincinnati Magazine
We have a separate page featuring a review by Jennie Ruby, from the feminist newspaper Off Our Backs.
“With almost daily scandals involving political, business, and religious figures, it’s a godsend to find voices that still resonate with truth, vision, and honest action. Starhawk is one of those voices, a wise and incisive speaker for our times. Her newest book eloquently captures the social and political forces, emerging philosophies, and personal stories that have coalesced into a worldwide movement advocating sovereignty for the earth over the tyranny of global corporations.” –NAPRA ReView
NAPRA is a trade association for publishers and retailers, which followed up its rave review by giving Webs a 2003 Nautilus Award at Book Expo America. Michael Weaver, director of the Nautilus Awards at the publishing trade organization NAPRA, commented that Webs is “an amazing blend of intelligence, heart, and spirit, the perfect convergence of the personal with the global, and easily the best of Starhawk’s non-fiction to date.”
Praise for “Webs of Power”:
The grave danger we are in — of enslavement, worldwide, by the insatiably greedy — is so complex only a witch could fully comprehend, analyze, and write a spell to get us out of it. I am serious. Enter Starhawk (thank Goddess!) and Webs of Power. This book tells us all we need to know about the chasm gaping at our feet. Visionary ropes are thrown in the hope that we will have sense and soul enough to swing ourselves across. A must and soonest read.
— Alice Walker, author of The Color PurpleSince the anti-WTO protests in Seattle, a dispersed and diverse global movement has better understood itself in the mirror of Starhawk’s writings. Her essays consistently, and miraculously, combine how-to practicality with poetry and inspiration. She presents the best face of social justice and dares us to live up to it.
— Naomi Klein, author of No LogoW is a must reading for all who would take part in the essential revolution of our time: the transition from a suicide economy to a life-sustaining civilization.
— Joanna Macy, author of Widening Circles
