Faces masked, dressed in black, and forcefully attacking the symbols of capitalism, Black Blocs have been transformed into an anti-globalization media spectacle. But the popular image of the window-smashing thug hides a complex reality.

Francis Dupuis-Déri outlines the origin of this phenomenon, its dynamics, and its goals, arguing that the use of violence always takes place in an ethical and strategic context.

Translated into English for the first time and completely revised and updated to include the most recent Black Bloc actions at protests in Greece, Germany, Canada, and England, and the Bloc’s role in the Occupy movement and the Quebec student strike, Black Blocs lays out a comprehensive view of the Black Bloc tactic and locates it within the anarchist tradition of direct action.

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the National Translation Program for Book Publishing, an initiative of the Roadmap for Canada’s Official Languages 2013-2018: Education, Immigration, Communities, for our translation activities.

Francis Dupuis-Déri teaches political science at Université du Québec à Montréal and is the author of numerous books and articles about anarchism, including Who's Afraid of the Black Blocs? Anarchy in Action Around the World (Between the Lines, 2013). His father, Thomas Déri, is a former publisher, an editor and translator, co-founder of the Librairie du Québec bookstore in Paris, and former director of the Salon du livre book fair in Montreal.

Francis Dupuis-Déri's profile page