Happy New Year from the Zed Collective

Zed Books announces a new partnership.

Happy New Year from the Zed collective
Happy 2015!  We've got tons to look forward to this year and plenty to keep us busy here at Zed.  We're excited to officially announce our new partnership with the University of Chicago Press, who will now be our main distributor for North America.  As well as this, in February, we will be a hosting an evening of collective thinking at Bloomsbury's Horse Hospital.  'The Coming Insurrection in Publishing: self management, digital content and social change' will kick off a discussion about the future of publishing.  Our panel consists of: Eric Hazan, publisher at La Fabrique and author of First Measures of the Coming Insurrection (Zed Books, May 2015) Michael Bhaskar, author of The Content Machine: Towards a Theory of Publishing from the Printing Press to the Digital Network Fredrico Campagna, author of The Last Night: Anti-Work, Atheism and Adventure Kika Sroka-Miller and Kim Walker, Commissioning Editors at Zed Books Below are some highlights we are looking forward to in 2015, enjoy!
First Measures of the Coming Insurrection Eric Hazan and Kamo Available May 2015 We have witnessed a beginning, the birth of a new age of revolt and upheaval. In North Africa and the Middle East it took the people a matter of days to topple what were supposedly entrenched regimes. Now, to the west, multiple crises are etching away at a 'democratic consensus' that has, since the 1970's, plagued and suppressed any sparks of revolutionary potential. It is time to prepare for the coming insurrection. In this bold and beautifully written book, Eric Hazan and Kamo provide a short account of what is to be done in the aftermath of a regime's demise: how to prevent any power from restoring itself and how to reorganise society without a central authority and according to the people's needs. Arguing that neither the reshuffling of political leadership, in the guise of 'democratic transition' or 'constitutional progress', nor a 'transition period', classically advocated by 20th century communists, between a capitalist social order and a communist horizon will do, First Measures of the Coming Insurrection is more than the voice of a new generation of revolutionary, it is the manual for the coming, global revolution.
The Racket A rogue reporter vs. the masters of the universe Matt Kennard Available April 2015 While working at the Financial Times, investigative journalist Matt Kennard uncovered a scam - a deception and rip-off of immense proportions. Kennard's unbridled access over four years to the crème de la crème of the global elite left him with only one conclusion: the world as we know it is run by a squad of cigar-smoking men with big guns, big cash and a reach much too close to home. But, through encounters with high-profile opponents of the racket, such as Thom Yorke, Damon Albarn, Gael Garcia Bernal and others, Kennard shows that human decency remains. Now it's time for the world's citizens to also uncover the racket.
The PKK Coming Down from the Mountains Paul White Available May 2015 The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) is infamous for its violence. The struggle it has waged for Kurdish independence in south-eastern Turkey has cost in excess of 40,000 lives since 1984. Less known, however, is the fact that the PKK now embraces a non-violent end to the conflict, with its leader Abdullah Öcalan having ordered his fighters to ceasefire and engage in a negotiated peace with the Ankara Government. Whether these tentative attempts at peacemaking mean a long-term end to the bloodshed remains to be seen, but either way the ramifications for Turkey and the wider region are potentially huge. Charting the ideological evolution of the PKK, as well as its origins, aims and organizational setup, Paul White provides the only authoritative and up-to-date analysis of one of the most important non-state political players in the contemporary Middle East.
Thank You, Madagascar The Conservation Diaries of Alison Jolly Alison Jolly Available March 2015 Madagascar is one of the world's natural jewels, with over ninety per cent of its wildlife found nowhere else on Earth. Few people knew it better than the pioneering primatologist and conservationist, Alison Jolly. Thank You, Madagascar is her eyewitness account of the extraordinary biodiversity of Madagascar, and the environment of its people. At the book's heart is a conflict between three different views of nature. Is the extraordinary forest treasure-house of Madagascar a heritage for the entire world? Is it a legacy of the forest dwellers' ancestors, bequeathed to serve the needs of their living descendants? Or is it an economic resource to pillage for short-term gain, to be preserved only to deliver benefits for those with political power? Exploring and questioning these different views, this is a beautifully written diary and a tribute to Madagascar.
Zed's 2014 Highlights
	Assata: An Autobiography republished with foreword from Angela Davis and launch event at Black Cultural Archives After more than a decade of civil rights activism with the Black Panthers and the Black Liberation Army, Assata was convicted for the murder of a New Jersey state trooper in 1973.  Escaping from maximum security prison in 1979, she has been a fugitive ever since.  In 2013 she became the first ever woman to make the FBI's most wanted terrorist list. The Assata: An Autobiography book launch not only a beautiful evening of music, readings and spoken word, but opened up a powerful debate between Zena Edwards, Daniel Maitlin and Esther Stanford-Xosei in a panel chaired by Akala. They passionately voiced their opinions on black struggle, the dangers of being a revolutionary, concepts of democracy and on physical resistance. Watch the launch here.
	A Kingdom In Crisis  banned in Thailand as a threat to 'stability, order and good morality' Back in November, Andrew MacGregor Marshall's A Kingdom in Crisis: Thailand's Struggle for Democracy in the Twenty-First Century was banned by Thailand's National Police General Somyot Poompanmoug, carrying with it a potential jail sentence and a fine of 60,000 baht (£1,160). The book gives a comprehensive analysis of the current crisis in Thailand, noting that Freedom of Speech is routinely denied, democracy is looking increasingly distant, and many Thais fear that the death of current King, Bhumibol Adulyadej, will unleash even greater instability. A Kingdom in Crisis was launched 12th November at London's Frontline Club. The panel consisted of author Andrew MacGregor Marshall along with two academics, Eugénie Mérieau and Claudio Soppranzetti, and labour rights activist Junya 'Lek' Yimptasert.  Mérieau argued that he is not committed to the survival of the institution, whilst Soppranzetti noted that A Kingdom in Crisis is "saying out loud what we are all thinking."  Yimprasert, who joined the panel via Skype also argued that 'the monarch contradicts with democracy.' Watch the discussion here
	Critique. Influence. Change. Series Launched The Critique. Influence. Change. series launched this year and brings together pivotal texts by notable academics and activists from Zed Books’ publishing of the last thirty-five years. Paradigm-changing when first published, these books have retained and often grown in their relevance. Over time, their calls for the rejection of neoliberal economics and policies - be that in the developing world then or developed world now - their vision for a world of greater equality, and their advocacy of alternatives to global capitalism have lost none of their importance. On the contrary, read again with hindsight they offer clear alternatives and calls to action. Each title has been prefaced by a leading scholar in its field. Beautifully designed, and available at an attractive £12.99 for the first time, these books constitute a library for change for students, activists and the politically passionate. Watch the launch here.
Best of 2014
	ZED DIGITAL ACADEMIC INSPECTION COPY SERVICE Teaching academics wishing to consider a Zed title as an essential text or recommended reading for students on relevant courses can now request access to an online digital reading copy of published books. Simply follow the link from the individual book pages on www.zedbooks.co.uk, register with the service and you can have access for up to three books simultaneously for the period of a month. We hope you will find the system simple and efficient. If you have any difficulties contact rights@zedbooks.net
Zed Books is a critical and dynamic publisher, run as a cooperative and committed to increasing awareness of important international issues and to promoting diversity, alternative voices and progressive social change. We publish on politics, development, gender, the environment and economics for a global audience of students, academics, activists and general readers.

zed books