August 13, 2017: This syllabus is getting a lot of new reads from people after the fascists murdered Heather Heyer in Charlottesville. As a result, we feel obliged to point out that this was put together immediately following the November 2016 USA presidential election. There has been a lot of writing on fascism since that time, none of which is accounted for in this list.
This note is intended to begin a syllabus of readings, and a list of resources, for people new to antifascist organizing (post-Trump election liberals, often). This note was started before a comrade drew my attention to this excellent list published the day previously.
That list is far more encyclopedic and full than this is intended to be.
This list is intended to provide selected, entry-level, knowledge, terms, and analysis, as well as a bit of history, for those new to antifascist thinking or organizing.
Note that these articles often contain conflicting perspectives on the topics of fascism they consider. We do not endorse any particular perspective associated with any of the pieces referenced, but do consider them all useful to consider, in various ways.
Please comment with resources (links are especially appreciated); I’ll integrate them into this note.
- Encyclopedia Brittanica. 1946. Short video on “Despotism.”
- Gessen, Masha. “Autocracy: Rules for survival.”
Book-Length Treatments
- Berlet, Chip. “What is Fascism?”
- Passmore, Kevin. 2014. Fascism: A Very Short Introduction. Second Edition. [first edition is here in a free PDF]
- Paxton, Robert. 2004. The Anatomy of Fascism.
- Mann, Michael. 2004. Fascists.
- Hamerquist, Donald, J. Sakai, Chicago Anti-Racist Action, and Mark Salotte. 2002. Confronting Fascism: Discussion Documents for a Militant Movement.
- Berlet, Chip, and Matthew Lyons. 2000. Right Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort
- Zeskind, Leonard. 2009. Blood and Politics: The History of the White Nationalist Movement from the Margins to the Mainstream [LA Times Review]
Online Articles
What is Fascism? How To Recognize It?
- “On Fascism,” from Three Way Fight.
- Anti Defamation League’s Hate Symbols Database
- Hamerquist, Don. “Fascism & Anti-Fascism.”
- J. Sakai, “The Shock of Recognition: Response to Hamerquist’s ‘Fascism and Anti-Fascism.’” (excerpt from Confronting Fascism: Discussion Documents for a Militant Movement.
- Bring The Ruckus, “On ‘Fascism and Anti-Fascism’: A Review of Don Hamerquist’s Essay.”
- On the alt-right: “Calling them ‘alt-right’ helps us fight them.” by Matthew Lyons at ThreeWayFight.
- Davis, Angela. “Women, Race, and Class.”
- Jeltsen, Melissa. “This is not a love story: America’s Deadly Domestic Violence Problem.”
- Law, Vikki. “Where abolition meets action: women organizing against gender violence.”
- Brown, Jenny, and Erin Mahoney. “Abortion without Apology.”
- “Why are so many Black Transgender women being killed in Detroit?”
- What To Do If ICE Comes To Your Door
- How To Avoid an ICE arrest and sudden deportation
- The difference between ICE warrants
- Mapping Trump’s Coming War on Immigrant Sanctuary Cities
- Migra Map: Crowdsourced map of ICE raids
- Aviva Stahl, “First they came for the Muslims.” in the Washington Spectator.
- A report from the Brennan Center on the ‘Countering Violent Extremism” (CVE) law enforcement programs that focus almost solely on policing Muslims in America.
- As with this list itself, click here first, for a far more complete list on this topic, compiled by others as the #StandingRockSyllabus
- “Anti-Colonial & Anti-Fascist Action: ‘Make It Impossible For This System To Govern On Stolen Land’”
- “Accomplices Not Allies: Abolishing The Ally Industrial Complex.”
- Mire, Muna. “Towards a Black Muslim Ontology of Resistance.” in The New Inquiry.
- Militant Anti-Fascism: A Hundred Years of Resistance by M. Testa (Ebook free until 11/30 from AK Press)
- Rory McGowan. 2003. Claim No Easy Victories: An Analysis of Anti-Racist Action and its Contributions to the Building of a Radical Anti-Racist Movement.
- Three Way Fight: An Insurgent Blog on the Struggle against the State and Fascism.
- One People’s Project.
- Rural Organizing Project.
- Political Research Associates.
Twin Cities General Defense Committee 
Thanks.
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Your update says “There has been a lot of writing on fascism since that time, none of which is accounted for in this list.” I would be pleased if you could add the very best of that writing to that list
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Thanks, JLS. There is too much to get to quickly. Without wanting to push a particular perspective or analysis (broad, mass-based antifascism is our goal and we believe a requirement of a movement that will win), some quick references for ongoing reading and sources, especially since the election:
Three Way Fight
Political Research Associates
It’s Going Down is a good news service for antifa, and have a page for resources.
Finally, depending on your location, there may be a local antifa group that has a blog/website. Good luck.
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