Left Book Club have published a new version of ‘The Political Thought of Abdullah Öcalan’, originally released by Pluto Press in 2017. The book provides a comprehensive insight into the revolutionary ideas of one of the most influential thinkers in the contemporary Middle East. This collection brings together Öcalan’s writings and shows how his ideas have transformed the political landscape of Kurdistan and beyond.
Left Book Club’s new version includes a foreword by Dilar Dirik and an afterword by the late David Graeber.
“Abdullah Öcalan seems to have done a better job writing with the extremely limited resources allowed him by his jailers than authors like Francis Fukuyama or Jared Diamond did with access to the world’s finest research libraries,” Graeber said.
Describing the book, Left Book Club said it “explores Öcalan’s core ideas of anti-colonialism, women’s liberation, radical democracy and ecology. It shows how these principles form the basis of a new social model struggling to survive against religious extremism and state violence. Readers will gain a profound understanding of Öcalan’s thoughts on the Kurdish question, gender equality and the future of nationhood, as well as the practical application of his ideas in the ongoing Rojava revolution.”
“This book is an indispensable resource for those seeking to understand the theoretical underpinnings of one of the most significant political movements in the Middle East. It provides essential insights for anyone involved in the anti-colonial struggles of the 21st century and offers a blueprint for a radically democratic society,” the publisher added.
Abdullah Öcalan, the founding leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), has been imprisoned on İmralı Island Prison since 1999. He has been held in absolute isolation for the last 39 months of his 25-year detention to date. During his isolation on İmralı Island, Öcalan has written more than 10 books that have revolutionised Kurdish politics.
Dilar Dirik, who wrote the new version’s foreword, is a researcher and writer involved in the Kurdish women’s struggle. Dirik has written numerous articles on the Kurdish women’s struggle for freedom and spoken at many international conferences. Her works analyse in depth the impact of Öcalan’s ideas on women’s liberation and democratic confederalism. Actively reading Öcalan and encouraging others to do so is a form of breaking the quarantine imposed on a NATO hostage whose ideas have shaped in concrete and tangible ways countless real-life efforts to build an alternative world, Dirik told Medya News.
David Graeber, who wrote the afterword, was a renowned anthropologist and activist. He died suddenly from necrotic pancreatitis, possibly linked to COVID-19, in 2020. His book ‘Debt: The First 5000 Years’ was widely acclaimed and he conducted extensive research on economic theories and social movements. Graeber was a strong supporter of the Rojava revolution and played a crucial role in bringing global recognition to Öcalan’s ideas. His works provide a broad perspective on alternative economic models and social organisation.
