Gabriel Kuhn

Gabriel Kuhn

Gabriel Kuhn (born 1972) is a political writer and translator based in Sweden.

Background

Born in Innsbruck, Austria, Kuhn lived in a variety of countries during his childhood and youth, including Turkey, England and the United States of America. In the 1980s, Kuhn became political.

I was politicized in the context of the German autonomous movement of the late 1980s. "Militant action", as we called it, was a given part of our politics. That included participating in black blocs (as most people know, black blocs are a product of the German autonomous movement), a generally confrontational attitude towards the police and other state representatives, and clandestine direct action (spraying graffiti, gluing locks, smashing windows, etc.). To this day, I do not question the legitimacy of such action in the context of social struggles.^[1]

Following post-secondary studies in Austria and the United States, Kuhn lived in the Middle East and the South Pacific Islands.^[2]

Since 2005, Kuhn has lived in Sweden. Kuhn holds a PhD in philosophy with a speciality in poststructuralism.^[3] His thinking has been influenced by classical anarchism and Anglo-American Cultural Studies. The key focus of Kuhn's political activity has been on bridging the gap between theory and practice. Kuhn's conception of community is one based on solidarity with oppressed peoples. Alongside his political and social involvement, Kuhn has in the past played soccer semi-professionally.^[4]

In 2010, Kuhn was forced to cancel a three-month speaking tour of the United States after being denied authorization to travel by United States. Kuhn believes he had been placed on the "No Fly List."^[5]

Work

Kuhn has been politically active since 1989, and his written work, developed in that context, is directed towards left-wing activists and scholars. In the 1990s, he worked for the Austrian autonomist journal TATblatt and with the Vienna anarchist publisher Monte Verita.^[6]

In 2000, Kuhn founded Alpine Anarchist Productions (AAP),^[7] a DIY publishing project that has released numerous pamphlets, many authored by Kuhn under different pseudonyms. The Anarchist Football (Soccer) Manual became the series' most popular work.

Since 2005, Kuhn has published extensively with German radical publisher Unrast Verlag. Tier-Werden, Schwarz-Werden, Frau-Werden. Eine Einführung in die politische Philosophie des Poststrukturalismus (2005) has become a standard left-wing introduction to poststructuralism, and the book Neuer Anarchismus in den USA. Seattle und die Folgen (2008), an annotated anthology of contemporary US anarchism, with translations from David Graeber and the CrimethInc. Collective to John Zerzan and Ward Churchill, was named "Book of the Year" by Berlin's Bibliothek der Freien.^[8] In Tötet den Bullen in eurem Kopf! Zur US-amerikanischen Linken, White Supremacy und Black Autonomy (2009), Kuhn also made texts by Greg Jackson and the Black Autonomy newspaper project available to a German audience.

Since 2008, Kuhn has been collaborating on various projects with PM Press. Life Under the Jolly Roger: Reflections on Golden Age Piracy (2010), continues his work on piracy. Sober Living for the Revolution: Hardcore Punk, Straight Edge, and Radical Politics (2010), is an anthology documenting the radical currents within the straight edge hardcore scene. Revolution and Other Writings (2010) by Gustav Landauer and Liberating Society from the State and Other Writings (2011) by Erich Mühsam are collections of writings by two of Germany's most influential anarchists. Soccer vs. the State: Tackling Football and Radical Politics (2011) explores the political dimensions of soccer from a left-wing perspective.

In addition, Kuhn has contributed to various zines and journals, from Germany's Direkte Aktion to Sweden's Brand.

Selected bibliography

• Women Pirates and the Politics of the Jolly Roger With Ulrike Klausmann und Marion Meinzerin. BlackRose, Montreal 1997 ISBN 978-1-55164-059-4 TB ISBN 978-1-55164-058-7
• Prison Round Trip by Klaus Viehmann. Translator. PM Press & Kersplebedeb, Oakland & Montreal 2009 ISBN 978-1-60486-082-5
• Life Under the Jolly Roger: Reflections on Golden Age Piracy PM Press, Oakland 2010 ISBN 978-1-60486-052-8
• Sober Living for the Revolution: Hardcore Punk, Straight Edge, and Radical Politics Editor. PM Press, Oakland 2010 ISBN 978-1-60486-051-1
• Revolution and Other Writings: A Political Reader by Gustav Landauer. Editor and translator. PM Press, Oakland 2010 ISBN 978-1-60486-054-2
• Liberating Society from the State and Other Writings: A Political Reader by Erich Mühsam. Editor and translator. PM Press, Oakland 2011 ISBN 978-1-60486-055-9
• Soccer vs. the State: Tackling Football and Radical Politics PM Press, Oakland 2011 ISBN 978-1-60486-053-5
• All Power to the Councils! A Documentary History of the German Revolution of 1918–1919 Editor and translator. PM Press, Oakland 2012 ISBN 978-1-60486-111-2
• Turning Money into Rebellion: The Unlikely Story of Denmark's Revolutionary Bank Robbers Editor. PM Press, Oakland 2014 ISBN 978-1-60486-316-1

References

External links

• Unrast author page
• Interview with Gabriel Kuhn about Sober Living for the Revolution (video)
• Alpine Anarchist Productions
• PM Press author page