Mark Leier is a Canadian historian and, since 1994, a professor of
working class
The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...
and
left-wing
Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
history at
Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a public research university in British Columbia, Canada, with three campuses, all in Greater Vancouver: Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, and Vancouver. The main Burnaby campus on Burnaby Mountain, located from ...
(SFU). From 2000 to 2010, he was the director of the Centre for Labour Studies at Simon Fraser.
Leier was born in
Ladner, British Columbia
Ladner is a part of the City of Delta, British Columbia, Canada, and a suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia. It was created as a fishing village on the banks of the Fraser River.
Named for Thomas and William Ladner, who came to the area in 1868 ...
. Prior to attending university, Leier was employed in various professions, including as a union carpenter and as a member of the
Canadian Union of Public Employees
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE; french: Syndicat canadien de la fonction publique, links=no; french: SCFP, link=, label=none) is a Canadian trade union serving the public sector – although it has in recent years organized workpl ...
. He earned his PhD in History from
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Memorial University of Newfoundland, also known as Memorial University or MUN (), is a public university in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, based in St. John's, with satellite campuses in Corner Brook, elsewhere in Newfoundland and ...
(MUN) in 1992.
Politically
anarchist
Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not neces ...
, Leier's books have mostly reflected on
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
's history of labour radicalism. His first book, ''Where the Fraser River Flows: The Industrial Workers of the World in British Columbia'' (1990) deals with the development of
industrial unionism
Industrial unionism is a trade union organizing method through which all workers in the same industry are organized into the same union, regardless of skill or trade, thus giving workers in one industry, or in all industries, more leverage in ...
in the province. ''Red Flags and Red Tape: The Making of a Labour Bureaucracy'' (University of Toronto Press) deals with the institutionalization of a non-revolutionary labour movement. In ''Rebel Life: The Life and Times of Robert Gosden, Revolutionary, Mystic, Labour Spy'' (1999), Leier examines the life of an
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), members of which are commonly termed "Wobblies", is an international labor union that was founded in Chicago in 1905. The origin of the nickname "Wobblies" is uncertain. IWW ideology combines genera ...
member (or "Wobbly") turned police labour spy. His fourth book, ''Bakunin: The Creative Passion'' is a political biography of the 19th-century Russian anarchist,
Mikhail Bakunin
Mikhail Alexandrovich Bakunin (; 1814–1876) was a Russian revolutionary anarchist, socialist and founder of collectivist anarchism. He is considered among the most influential figures of anarchism and a major founder of the revolutionary ...
.
As part of the Graphic History Collective, he helped produce ''May Day: A Graphic History of Protest''.
A former folk singer, Leier is also known for bringing a
banjo
The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...
to his history classes.
Works
*''Where the Fraser River Flows: The Industrial Workers of the World in British Columbia''. Vancouver: New Star, 1990.
*''Red Flags and Red Tape: The Making of a Labour Bureaucracy''. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1995.
*''Bakunin: The Creative Passion''. New York: Seven Stories Press, 2009.
*''Rebel Life: The Life and Times of Robert Gosden''. Vancouver: New Star, 1999.
Rev. Ed., 2013.
References
External links
Mark Leier's page at Simon Fraser UniversityReview of ''Bakunin: A Biography''by
Kirkpatrick Sale
Kirkpatrick Sale (born June 27, 1937) is an American author who has written prolifically about political decentralism, environmentalism, luddism and technology. He has been described as having a "philosophy unified by decentralism" and as being " ...
in ''
The American Conservative
''The American Conservative'' (''TAC'') is a magazine published by the American Ideas Institute which was founded in 2002. Originally published twice a month, it was reduced to monthly publication in August 2009, and since February 2013, it has ...
''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leier, Mark
Canadian anarchists
Canadian biographers
Male biographers
20th-century Canadian historians
Canadian male non-fiction writers
Historians of anarchism
Labor historians
Industrial Workers of the World members
Simon Fraser University faculty
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Historians of British Columbia
Historians of the Industrial Workers of the World
People from Delta, British Columbia
21st-century Canadian historians