Diasporic journalism and radical networks

Abstract

At the dawn of the twentieth century, one of the most dynamic but forgotten communities of transnational journalistic innovators were the “libertarian-socialists.” Known more commonly today as “anarchists,” these deeply maligned and misrepresented propagandistic rebels were rooted in the old print-culture traditions of the transatlantic abolitionists and the republican movements of the mid-nineteenth century; yet, their historically specific use of periodicals represents a unique tactical deployment of newspapers in service to a decentralized and diasporic social movement. As such, the anarchist press is a critical subject of study for students of transnational journalism, highlighting the medium’s capacity to transform working-class migrant-chains into a cohesive and resilient globe-spanning social-network that was seen as a serious threat by the leaders of finance, government, and industry.