“Either extermination root and branch, or absolute equality. There can be no compromise. This the last great battle of the West.” – W.E.B. Du Bois. (Photo: CM Battey / Library of Congress)
Audrea Lim is coeditor with Andrew Hsiao of The Verso Book of Dissent. In this interview, she provides some insight into how quotations of dissent were picked from more than three millennia. She also discusses her own favorite passages.
Mark Karlin: As a coeditor with Andrew Hsiao of The Verso Book of Dissent, how did you choose quotations of dissent stretching back to 1800 BCE?
Audrea Lim: It was a long, collective process. We sought suggestions from Verso comrades, collaborators and friends; we asked scholars of different eras and regions about dissenting voices that history has overlooked; and we combed through archives, histories and reference books for interesting, rousing quotes. From this massive trove, we chose a mix of historically significant, eloquent and unusual expressions of dissent. The book is far from comprehensive, but I’d like to think that it’s a broad, varied mosaic of how the powerless have fought for liberation through history and all around the world.
Why is it of importance that in 2017, we view the perspective of dissenters dating back so long ago?
I think if we care about history (or watch movies set in ancient Egypt, China or Greece), it’s important to remember that many voices and experiences have been erased from the standard narratives. Incredibly, many of these people were fighting similar enemies as we are today (patriarchy, dictators, corrupt politicians). I also think there’s value in…