From Socrates to Antonio Gramsci, imprisoned philosophers have marked the history of thought and changed how we view power and politics. From his jail cell, Abdullah Öcalan has penned daringly innovative works that give profuse evidence of his position as one of the most significant thinkers of our day. His prison writings have mobilized tens of thousands of people and inspired a revolution in the making in Rojava, northern Syria, while also penetrating the insular walls of academia and triggering debate and reflection among countless scholars. So how do you engage in a meaningful dialogue with Öcalan when he has been held in isolation since April 2015? You compile a book of essays written by an international cast of the most imaginative luminaries of our time, send it to Öcalan's jailers, and hope that they deliver it to him.
There can be no boundaries or restrictions for the development of thought. Thus, in the midst of different realities—from closed prisons to open-air prisons—the human mind will find a way to seek the truth. Building Free Life stands as a monument of radical thought, a testament of resilience, and a searchlight illuminating the impulse for freedom.
Contributors include Radha D'Souza, David Graeber, John Holloway, Raúl Zibechi, Antonio Negri, Immanuel Wallerstein, Andrej Grubacic, Nazan Üstündag, Peter Lamborn Wilson, Norman Paech, Donald H. Matthews, Thomas Jeffrey Miley, Damian Gerber, Shannon Brincat, Patrick Huff, Ekkehard Sauermann, and Mechthild Exo.