Lucien van der Walt (born 8 September 1972) is a South African writer, professor of Sociology and labour educator. His research engages the anarchist/

syndicalist Syndicalism is a revolutionary current within the left-wing of the labor movement that seeks to unionize workers according to industry and advance their demands through strikes with the eventual goal of gaining control over the means of pr ...

tradition of Mikhail Bakunin and

Peter Kropotkin Pyotr Alexeyevich Kropotkin (; russian: link=no, Пётр Алексе́евич Кропо́ткин ; 9 December 1842 – 8 February 1921) was a Russian anarchist, socialist, revolutionary, historian, scientist, philosopher, and activis ...

; trade unionism and working class history, particularly in southern Africa; and neo-liberal state restructuring. He currently teaches and researches at Rhodes University in the

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha. The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in ...

, South Africa, and previously worked at the

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( o ...

. His 2007 PhD on anarchism and syndicalism in South Africa in the early 1900s won both the international prize for the best PhD dissertation from the Labor History journal, and the

Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) is Pan-African research organisation headquartered in Dakar, Senegal. The current President of CODESRIA is Dzodzi Tsikata. Background CODESRIA was established in 197 ...

prize for best African PhD thesis. Van der Walt is also involved in union and workers' education, including for the DITSELA workers education institute, and a coordinating and teaching role in the

Global Labour University The Global Labour University (GLU) is an international network of universities, trade unions, NGOs and the International Labour Organisation. It was initiated in 2002 and offers master's programs, academic certificate programs and Massive Open ...

, the former National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa 'Social Theory' course at the

, the former

Workers Library and Museum The Workers' Library and Museum was a non-profit labour service organisation (LSO) active in Johannesburg, South Africa between 1987 and the early 2000s. The organisation provided a meeting and learning centre for labour activists as well as stud ...

, the political schools of the

South African Unemployed Peoples' Movement The South African Unemployed Peoples' Movement is a social movement with branches in Durban, Grahamstown and Limpopo Province in South Africa. It is often referred to as the Unemployed People's Movement or UPM. The organisation is strongly critical ...

and the current Eastern Cape short course program for metal workers' unions at Rhodes University. He is the 'former head' of media for the

Anti-Privatisation Forum The Anti-Privatisation Forum (APF) was established in Johannesburg in July 2000 by activists and organisations involved in two key anti-privatisation struggles: the struggle against iGoli 2002, and the struggle against Wits 2001 at Wits University ...

(APF), a coalition of social movements,Dale McKinley, 2010, ''Transition's Child: The Anti-Privatisation Forum (APF)'', Johannesburg: South African History Archive, p. 111, available at http://www.saha.org.za/publications/anti_privatisation_forum.htm which was established in Johannesburg in July 2000 by activists and organisations involved in two key anti-privatisation struggles: the struggle against iGoli 2002, and the struggle against Wits 2001 at Wits University.

Books

* Kirk Helliker and Lucien van der Walt (eds.), 2018, ''Politics at a Distance from the State: Radical and African Perspectives'', London, New York: Routledge, 172pp. * Lucien van der Walt, 2014, ''Negro E Vermelho: Anarquismo, Sindicalismo Revolucionário ePpessoas de cor na África Meridional nas Décadas de 1880 a 1920'', São Paulo: Editora Faísca, 103pp. * Steven J. Hirsch and Lucien van der Walt (eds.), 2014, (foreword by Benedict Anderson), ''Anarchism and Syndicalism in the Colonial and Postcolonial World, 1870–1940: The Praxis of National Liberation, Internationalism, and Social Revolution'', Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers, Studies in Global Social History, paperback edition with new material, i–lxxvi,510pp. * Lucien van der Walt and Michael Schmidt, 2013,''Schwarze Flamme: Revolutionäre Klassenpolitik im Anarchismus und Syndikalismus'', Hamburg: Edition Nautlius, 560pp. * Steven Hirsch and Lucien van der Walt, 2010, ''Anarchism and Syndicalism in the Colonial and Postcolonial World, 1870–1940: The Praxis of National Liberation, Internationalism, and Social Revolution'', Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers,Studies in Global Social History, lxxiv+434pp. * Southern Africa editor, 2009, ''International Encyclopaedia of Revolution and Protest'', New York: Blackwell. * Lucien van der Walt and Michael Schmidt, 2009, ''Black Flame: The Revolutionary Class Politics of Anarchism and Syndicalism'', Edinburgh and Oakland, CA: AK Press, 500pp.

References

External links

Blog with papers and PDFs by Lucien van der Walt, on neo-liberal restructuring, class struggles, trade union strategy, and anarchism/ syndicalism
{{DEFAULTSORT:van der Walt, Lucien 1972 births Anarchists Anarchist theorists Anarcho-syndicalists Historians of anarchism Living people Platformism Rhodes University academics University of the Witwatersrand alumni White South African people