Dark, heavy, galloping crust from the streets of London. AGNOSY is back to present us with a ferocious beast of an album that can only be forged by the anger and frustration of living in today’s world. “When Daylight Reveals The Torture” aggressively attacks evils such the current rise of fascism and animal abuse. It intelligently and passionately touches on the Afrin invasion and the revolution in Rojava and shows nothing but utter disgust toward the arrogance of humankind’s lust for greed and power that will inevitably lead us down paths of war and environmental devastation.
AGNOSY – Live at SCUMFEST in London. 2011
While lyrically AGNOSY are much more politicly straight forward this time around than on previous releases, musically they have expanded on their sound to create a dark and moody atmosphere while at the same time staying crust as fuck. To say they know what they are doing would be an understatement from this band of vets whose members have played in HIATUS, HEALTH HAZARD, and BEGINNING OF THE END.
Long galloping intros are followed up by traditional d-beat, fierce solo’s are then meet with vicious vocals and pulverizing bass in a brilliant recording captured by Lewis Johns at The Ranch Production House and was mastered by Brad Boatright at Portland’s legendary Audiosiege. We then pressed on deluxe heavyweight 150-gram vinyl, printed on reverse board jackets, and included an 11in x 22in gatefold insert to bring you a high quality and truly epic record.
PROFANE EXISTENCE – PO BOX 647 – HUNTINGTON WV – 25711 – UNITED STATES
The legendary crust classic is now available once again!
Authorized and released in cooperation with MISERY, S.D.S., & MCR Japan & Remastered by Jack Butcher at Enormous Door Studio we are beyond proud to make one one the most rare and sought after crust records available once again.
Fuck the scavengers charging punks exuberant amounts of cash on ebay and discogs. We worked meticulously with both bands and with Jack at Enormous door to bring you an updated version that kicks major audio ass while maintaining the original authenticity.
Released on deluxe 150 gram vinyl. With an 11×11 inner sleeve. Black Paper Jacket. Reverse Board Jacket.
Earlier this year we re-issued this legendary LP and sold over 950 copies in just 4 short months. For this second pressing we pressed 490 copies on Krystal Clear & 485 on Grey Vinyl with Black Mist.
Crystal Clear (Bullet belt no included) Grey With Black Mist (Bullet belt no included) PROFANE EXISTENCE – PO BOX 647 – HUNTINGTON WV – 25711 UNITED STATES
Stench crust the way it was meant to be played!
The UK crust scene of the 1980’s inspired band after band but no other band has ever reincarnated the sound of that time as well as SWORDWIELDER. Quite simply if you like crust, then this the album you have waited decades for.
Review by Craig Hayes from “Your Last Rites”… Swordwielder – System Overlord Heavyweight punk fanatics take note: System Overlord is a fucking triumph. The long-awaited sophomore album from Gothenburg stenchcore band Swordwielder is a brooding behemoth, constructed from the filthiest and heftiest strains of punk and metal. System Overlord shimmers with apocalyptic visions, and it’s overflowing with all the grim atmospherics and intimidating intensity that defines consummate crushing crust.
Too much hype? No way… And no apologies, either. Swordwielder deal in definitive stenchcore on System Overlord, and much like their full-length debut, 2013’s Grim Visions of Battle, the band’s latest release is a knockout. Swordwielder’s harsh, gruff and dark sound owes a significant debt to old school icons like Amebix, Axegrinder, Deviated Instinct, and Antisect, and they mix and mangle their influences and leave ’em to rot on the battlefield.
Plenty of hammering rage drives System Overlord tracks like “Violent Revolution,” “Savage Execution” and “Cyborgs,” and thundering epics like “Corrupt Future” and “Northern Lights” exhibit subtler strengths, mixing guttural growls and clean vocals with crashing percussion and dirge-laden riffs. Connoisseurs of corpse-dragging crust will love the brute-force belligerence of “Absolute Fear,” “Nuclear Winter,” and “Second Attack,” which rain down like merciless mortar barrages. As a rule, all of System Overlord‘s mammoth tracks chug and churn with grinding muscle, while reeking of squalor and decay.
Swordwielder exudes tightly coiled aggression from start to finish here—songs rise from the ashes of desolation, and resounding calls for action and resistance ring loud. If you’re a fan of heavy-hitters like Fatum, War//Plague, Carnage, Zygome, Cancer Spreading or (insert your favorite hefty crust crew here), System Overlord‘s trampling tempo and strapping sound are bound to appeal.
WILT combine old school metal and crust in a perfect hybrid that very few others have ever achieved. Prepare for a LP thats equal parts galloping d-beat crust reminiscent of bands like HELLSHOCK, and INSTINCT OF SURVIVAL, meets old school death metal in the vein of BOLT THROWER, MEMORIAM (old) SEPULTURA.
Here is a track from the upcoming LP
“Sermon for the Bootlickers”
Despite the inculcation of helplessness within each there remains great power. Ill at ease with such makes us ill. Learn to see the hand that feeds for what it is. You’ve been fooled if you think you’ve got no power. Refuse to be reduced to a consumer you’re a human being. Define yourself by more than wealth. Define yourself as a human. You don’t need what you’re being sold. Bend your knee to no authority but your own mind. You have the power to avoid the gilded trap. Avarice is what you’re conditioned for. Break the mold discover what’s really valuable to you.
WILT will be on in Europe this July / August will ELECTROZOMBIES From Chile
Wed, July 12 Hanover / Germany / Confirmed Thu, July 13 Bremen Fri, July 14 Mulhem / Germany / Confirmed Sat, July 15 Gent, Belgium / CrustPicnic / Confirmed Sun, July 16 Paris / France or Amsterdam / Nederland July 18 North-East France or West Germany July 19 Freiburg / Germany TBC July 20 Winterthur / Switzerland Fri, July 21 Zurich / Switzerland Sat, July 22 Biel / Switzerland July 23 Lausanne or Geneva / Switzerland
July 24 Geneva / Switzerland or Grenoble france
July 25 Treviso (or Milano or Bologna or Verona) / Italy
July 26 Ljubljana Slovenia Confirmed
July 27 No Sanctuary chilling day
Fri, July 28 NoSanctuary Confirmed
Sat, July 29 NoSanctuary Confirmed
July 30 Ilirska Bistrica/Slovenia or Vienna/Austria or Budapest/Hungary.
July 31 Wiena / Austrai or Budapest or / Slovakia
August 1 Brno / Czech Republic.
August 2 Prague / Czech Republic
August 3 Finsterwalde / Germany TBC
Fri, August 4 Leipzig / Germany TBC
Sat, August 5 Berlin / Germany / confirmed
August 6 Dresden
August 7 Wroclaw / Poland
August 8 Warsaw / Poland
August 9 Poznan / Poland
August 10 Szczecin/Poland TBC
Fri, August 11 Rostock / confirmed
Sat, August 12 Hamburg TBC
For this in the Seattle or surrounding area you can catch WILT this Saturday April first at Highline Bar with NOOTHGRUSH from Oakland.
Brace yourself for one of the most uncompromising hard hitting and politically outspoken records of this era. STORM OF SEDITION are an anti-civilization anarchist crust punk band based out of Victoria BC. Sharing members with the mighty ISKRA you can definitely expect some serious blackened crust, and yes a huge metal influence is prevalent however STORM OF SEDITION are a bit more reminiscent of bands like CONTRAVENE & NAUSEA. “Decivilize” brings a heavy anarcho punk dynamic to the table combined with over the top blackened crust grind thats littered with blistering solo’s, insanely powerful drumbeats, and thought productive lyrics that challenge our current state of human civilization. All in all this is an absolute monster of a release!
Comes with a 12 page booklet containing lyrics, notes, and song explanations.
STORM OF SEDITION WILL TOURING THE WEST COAST THIS SUMMER!!!
Keep you eye’s peeled for a list of tour dates soon!
Listen to the song “Disconnect” here…
Living a domesticated existence Starves people of meaning in their lives Everyone feels the void beneath the surface Of everyday activities and routines
Miserable, exploited, mass populations Feeding the industrial systems endless hunger Treated like machines, living beings Enslaved and kept passive in a technological noose
We live in these cages Made of concrete, glass, and steel A functioning human made hell Complete with natural scenery
Yet there is no community Deprived of connection with real people Technology perpetuates alienation But promises to connect us
And fill the void in our lives In constant need of escape and distraction From this fucking ugly world Technology creeping into our lives
Pop culture, pacifying shit Endless distractions to curb dissent A society of lonely domesticated beings Attempting social interaction behind a digital screen
Clinging to the feeling of connectedness Personalized profiles, mass communication tools Monitored and funded by pigs Spying on people, on movements While corporations profit off government control Microsoft, apple, fedbook Endless lists of corporations Infiltrating our everyday lives The NSA, the CSE Databases created from what you share Information for incrimination Millions of people on terrorist watch lists Technology’s a weapon used against us
Its function is to propel their ability To efficiently exploit us and the natural world While doing so capitalizing off selling us Gadgets to distract us from the lives we live and hate
Turn off that shit, enter the real world You are not connected You are alone staring into a fucking a screen
Get outside, meet with real people! Even if we use these tools We must never forget
Technology is a system created by and for those in power And it will only exist with Division of labor, exploitation, and death
Becoming connected through technology Is a sick fucking joke
PROFANE EXISTENCE RECORDS – PO BOX 647 – HUNTINGTON WV – 25711 – UNITED STATES
11-16-13
Trenton, NJ – Backroom at The Championship Bar
Toxic Holocaust, Ramming Speed, In Defence, Paralysis, Valacar, Midnite Hellion
-Matthias Joyce
Tonight was In Defence’s first gig with Toxic Holocaust and Ramming Speed, and it was definitely a night to remember. I am exhausted from drinking, moshing, and eating, and I’ve got to write this review as quickly as I can—the last few nights I’ve been up until five or six in the morning writing these bastards, and if tomorrow night is anything like tonight, I’m going to need some extra rest and energy.
We left Philadelphia around 2 PM, and made it to The Championship Bar in Trenton, New Jersey in under an hour. We bummed around Trenton for a couple of hours, taking in some sights and enjoying the warm weather. Ben Crew and I were goofing around in a convenience store, and Ben decided to purchase a gallon of whole milk… I knew this was something sinister right off the bat, so I pulled out my camera and turned it on right as we walked out the front door. Ben told me he was going to attempt ‘The Vegan Challenge’—I have no fucking clue what ‘The Vegan Challenge’ is, and I don’t think Ben did, either)—and without preamble began to chug the entire gallon. He got about ¾ of the way through then suddenly sprayed milk everywhere, threw the carton down, and said, “fuck it, I guess I lose.”
Once we arrived back at the venue, we finally met the guys in Toxic Holocaust andRamming Speed. I talked to Nick Rage, Toxic’s drummer, about their song “Bitch” being used in the T.V. show ‘Sons of Anarchy,’ and we were able to catch the opening local acts:Paralysis & Valacar were awesome old-school thrash (played by young kids, too!), andMidnite Hellion laid down some epic, symphonic power-metal. In Defence put on their tightest performance so far on this tour, and when people weren’t moshing for some of their crazier numbers, I started up a couple of circle pits and got people ready for Toxic Holocaust and Ramming Speed.
Ramming Speed went on around 9:30, and instantly brought the place down with their unique blend of death-thrash, combining intense grooves with stomping mosh riffs. Toxic Holocaust went on shortly thereafter, and it was absolutely my favorite performance I’ve seen of theirs: they played tight as hell, the crowd was energetic and excited, and the overall atmosphere was intimate and incredible. It’s one thing to see a band you love in a huge, sold-out venue, but it’s something else entirely to see that same band destroy a medium-sized room, then exit the stage to a rush of fans and autograph-seekers.
We stood around drinking Yuengling and bullshitting with Toxic Holocaust and Ramming Speed after the show, and the members of both those bands are really relaxed and down-to-earth. I helped Nick Rage load Toxic’s gear out, then went and shotgunned a couple beers with Ramming Speed in their handicap-bus-turned-tour-van. In Defence hit the road back to Philadelphia around 1:30 AM, and we got back to Loopy’s house around 2 AM. I would write more about how awesome tonight was, but honestly I’m wiped out and ready to drink the rest of this Hamm’s and go to bed. Tomorrow is our 2nd day with Toxic Holocaust and Ramming Speed, and if tonight was any indicator, it will be a fucking rager. Thanks for reading, I will post again tomorrow when my wits are gathered. Stay safe, and nuke that fucking cross.
11-15-13
Philadelphia, PA – Lava Library/Community Center
In Defence, Propellers, Coffin Dust
-Matthias Joyce
I know that tour-mode has started to set in when I honestly have to think hard about where I woke up this morning. We didn’t get to sleep until late last night in Columbus, Ohio, and I was next on the rotation to drive this morning… I awoke feeling disoriented and mentally fogged, but managed to slap myself into consciousness with cold water and an early dosage of The Ramones and Rotten Sound.
I drove most of the morning/afternoon, and we reached Philadelphia around 8 PM. The venue In Defenceplayed at tonight is known as Lava, a volunteer-run library and community center maintained by local punks. One wall is completely lined with puzzles, albums, fiction novels, and books about anarchy—seriously, the ‘politics’ section was fucking incredible—and there was ample room for people to mosh and socialize. Behind the area where the bands were setting up was a Scooby Doo-style secret door, set flush into the wall around it and hardly visible. Instructed to enter this door, we found a small kitchen, slightly run-down but stocked with an antique cast iron stove and an entire pot of amazing vegan chili. We ate a ridiculous amount—I wasn’t even hungry, and ended up having seconds—and we thanked Rob vigorously for being such a great cook and host.
The first band to play was Coffin Dust, a wildly unique grind/death/thrash band with an insanely fast drummer and melodic, shredding riffs in the vein of Skeletonwitch or Rotten Sound. In Defence followed, and I’ve found myself subconsciously singing along to all of their songs, even as I distractedly ran around trying to film, take photos, and man the merch table during their set. Rob’s band Propellers closed the show, delivering a tasteful blend of grind and hardcore punk. People raged out throughout the night, and we left feeling satisfied and ready to relax.
After the show, we headed across the city to stay with a former In Defence guitarist, Loopy. He has one of the coolest houses I’ve ever stayed at on a tour, with a huge collection of animal bones, shark teeth, and a newly-acquired human skull, alongside framed tour riders from bands such as Metallica and Doomtree. Loopy is an incredible sound technician, who has worked with bands such as Baroness, Doomtree, and Municipal Waste. He entertained us with stories from his various travels, and reminisced on some of the early days of In Defence.
I took a small break from writing this to stand outside for a moment; downtown Philadelphia is off in the distance, it’s about 50 degrees and raining, and really I couldn’t be any happier. It hasn’t even been a week since we left Minneapolis, but the anticipation to meet up with Toxic Holocaust and Ramming Speed has built steadily, and tomorrow we finally head to New Jersey to join their tour… we are all excited as hell. Thank you for anyone who has been reading these blogs: I’m trying my best to juggle photography, videography, and written documentation of the tour (along with my duties as a roadie/merch guy), and getting my method down has been an arduous process, to say the least. I’ll update again tomorrow, after our first show with TOXIC FUCKING HOLOCAUST and RAMMING (FUCKING) SPEED. Cheers, and thanks again for reading.
11-14-13
Columbus, OH – Café Bourbon Street
In Defence, Checkmate, Putrid Cause, Hairy Lips
-Matthias Joyce
I’m typing this from the floor of some guy name Mattard’s house while Hulk Hogan’s ‘No Holds Barred’plays on VHS in the background. As per usual, Kevin and I are the last ones awake, drinking Natural Ice and talking about vintage wrestling (this has been a prevalent theme so far on this tour). I got thrown into a pole whilst trying to mosh holding a video camera tonight, and my back is killing me. I’m going to see if I can’t set a record writing this as fast as possible—apologies in advance.
In Defence woke up this morning at The Harrison House in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and spent the morning watching Botchamania and standing over Kevin’s sleeping body holding a giant fucking medieval sword. We eventually roused him by playing Manowar loudly next to his head, and got on the road around 3 PM.
Highlights of the road to Ohio were two kids walking along the side of the road wielding crowbars, and hearing Jeff Nicholas, In Defence’s drummer, talk about some kid in his high school who was expelled from school for letting goats into the principals office to shit all over peoples transcripts…then came back on graduation day to blast Bruce Springsteen’s‘Born in the USA’ on a boombox outside the school.
We arrived at Mattard’s house around 8 PM, and immediately began poring over his extensive VHS collection. The guys from Putrid Cause came over,and we watched some Jean Claud Van Damme movie that sucked pretty badly (he didn’t slow-mo roundhouse anyone until the last 5 fucking minutes of the movie). Departing shortly after, we headed to Café Bourbon Street in Columbus, where we watched ‘The Decline of Western Civilization’ on a small tube TV at the bar and drank Black Label with some local punks. I haven’t seen that documentary in years, and it was a great precursor for the rest of the night.
Hairy Lips, a hardcore/metal crossover band, played first, followed by Putrid Cause, an awesome hardcore punk band that would’ve made G.G. Allin proud—their singer got buck naked and threw himself into the crowd, and went on about “trying not to fucking die” in-between songs.Checkmate, a female-fronted hardcore band, played second-to-last, and In Defence went on when everyone was absolutely ready to mosh and destroy the place (which they did). During In Defence’s set, I bought some cute girl a beer and talked to her for a bit, and was hitting things off fairly well… only to get sucked into a tightly-knit circle pit moments later, dropping my beer and phone in the process—better luck next time. In Defence played a few throwbacks, including ‘Call More Dudes’, and people were moshing and partying like crazy. This was definitely the most fun show on tour so far, with a great response and rad people (aside from some guy who started ripping on Star Wars, and was promptly told to shut the hell up by a disgruntled merch guy who will remain anonymous).We got back to Mattard’s place in time to watch this incredible Hulk Hogan movie, and as I type this entry, Kevin and I are discussing the virtues of being perpetually alone, avoiding morbid obesity, and imagining people you don’t like floating in space and experiencing rapid decompression. I have to wake up in about 5 hours and start off the drive to Philadelphia, so I’d best wrap this up. Only one more day ‘til we meet up with Toxic Holocaust and Ramming Speed, and we’re all getting pretty fucking excited. As always, thank you for reading my inane bullshit. -Matthias Joyce
for more photos, updates, etc: www.facebook.com/matthiasjoyce
Tour Journal, 11-12-13
In Defence, Gonzo Violence, “Richardson” Richardson, Minimum Wage Assassins
-Matthias Joyce
Today I left Minneapolis, MN with In Defence for a month-long tour. In 3 days we’ll be meeting up withToxic Holocaust and Ramming Speed, and continuing along the east coast to play some ridiculous shows and drink tons of beer.
I write this first passage from the living room floor of Derek Martha, gracious host and drummer for Midwest grind fucks Minimum Wage Assassins and Mass Murder Messiah. It’s four in the morning, I’ve been awake for nearly twenty-four hours straight, and we’ve just finished stuffing ourselves with Triscuits and Old Milwaukee… I think this is unequivocally the right moment to start a tour journal.
I met up with In Defence around two in the afternoon on Tuesday, November 12th, 2013, and we spent a good hour practicing our Tetris skills packing gear and merchandise into the back of the van. Before leaving Minneapolis, we dropped a cool hundred bucks in EBT money on groceries (hope the feds aren’t reading this), and stood around awkwardly while an irate woman demanded her beet stalks back from the cashier. (“You don’t throw those away, I use those! They’re organic; I eat them!”)
We got on the road shortly thereafter, only to get stuck in traffic immediately upon leaving. Our drive to Dekalb, Illinois took all day, although this early on in the tour it was difficult to be impatient with traffic jams and roadwork. We arrived at the 7th Street Space around 10 PM, and had all of twenty minutes to set up before In Defence went on—Gonzo Violence and “Richardson” Richardson delivered some blisteringly intense grindcore, but damn, you motherfuckers played for like seven minutes combined.
In Defence tried out some new antics for this small DIY show, and Ben Crew made sure to get his lines right about The Police—not the guys who arrest middle-school kids for bringing matches to class, the dudes who wrote the creepiest song of the 20th century, ‘I’ll Be Watching You’—before proceeding with the rest of the set. I sold a few merch items during In Defence’s set, and while confusedly attempting to organize the money and item checklist, had the entire merch table toppled onto me during ‘Boom Box Crew.’ I think this is something I’ll get used to as the tour progresses.
Minimum Wage Assassins rounded out the bill, and Derek was kind enough to let us crash at his place after word. Following a rousing viewing of ‘Freeway,’ the rest of the band crashed out, leaving Kevin Alter, Derek and I to discuss the art of film behind Hulk Hogan’s Suburban Commando—truly one of the finest pieces of cinema ever created.
I know this entry was a bit lengthy (insert Butthead laugh here, uhuhuh), but I’ve got to start somewhere. Tomorrow we eat breakfast at Burrito Loco, then head to Fort Wayne, Indiana. We meet up with Toxic Holocaust and Ramming Speed on November 16th in Trenton, New Jersey, and ‘excitement’ is an understatement. Thanks for reading, and for being a dorky metal-head who finds this stuff interesting—I assume if you’ve done the former, you’re probably the latter.
Nov 20th “the Maritime “ Appleton WI/ gouger, Deathwish, Atalla
Nov 21st “East Wing “ Kansas City MO / with vomit assault
Nov 22nd “Rabb Ranch” NO THANKS FEST 7 Emory TX just hanging out .
Nov 23 “Rabb Ranch” NO THANKS FEST 7 Emory TX This is the day we play with THOU
Haggz /Kallohonka /Colonia /Doom Siren /Communion /Scaphe /Dethrone
Steel Bearing Hand /Dead to a Dying World /Barghest /Recreant/Sabbath Assembly
The Causalities / Negative Approach Destruction campaign tour
Nov 25” The Fubar” St. Louis, MO/ with Negative Approach , The Casualties
Nov 26 “Hoosier Dome” Indianapolis, IN/with Negative Approach , The Casualties
Nov 27 “Reggies” Chicago, IL / with Negative Approach , The Casualties
Nov 29 “Mac’s Bar” Lansing, MI /with Negative Approach , The Casualties
Nov 30 “Waiting Room” Buffalo, NY/ with Negative Approach , The Casualties
Dec 01 “The Foundry” Lakewood, OH/ with Negative Approach , The Casualties
Dec 03 “123 Pleasant Street “ Morgantown, WV/ with Negative Approach , The Casualties
Dec 04 “Voltage” Philadelphia, PA /with Negative Approach , The Casualties
Dec 05 “The Church” Boston, MA /with Negative Approach , The Casualties
Dec 06 “Europa” Brooklyn, NY Ti / with Negative Approach , The Casualties
Dec 07 “Cherry St. Station” Wallingford, CT / with Negative Approach , The Casualties
Dec 08 “TBA” Pittsburg PA
Dec09 “Elimination chamber” Huntington WV /with Appalachian Terror Unit
Dec 10th “the unholy hole” Ann Arobor MI with Snafu,Girth ,scum,p.a.w.n.
It is with great enthusiasm that we are announcing the 2013 speaking tour for anthropologist, unschooler, and anarchist Layla AbdelRahim. Layla will be touring with her new book Wild Children – Domesticated Dreams through various communities in the Cascadian Bioregion.
We are still booking dates. If you wish to organize a speaking engagement with Layla in your community please get in contact: prideandunity@hotmail.com
Tour dates so far:
Tuesday October 8, 5:30-7:00
Kwantlen Polytechnic University Surrey BC, Unceded Coast Salish Territories Crime and Reward from an Anarcho-primitivist Perspective.
Saturday October 12, Venue TBA
Vancouver BC, Unceded Coast Salish Territories The Insidious and Resilient Narratives of Domestication: Pitfalls to Watch for in Autonomous Learning Zones.
Tuesday, October 15, 7pm,
Camas Books – 2620 Quadra St,
Victoria BC, unceded Lekwungen Territories What’s in a Class? On Reproduction of Gender, Species, and Ethnicity as Categories for Labour and Consumption.
Friday, October 18, 7pm
University of Victoria Victoria BC, Unceded Lekwungen Territories The Ship of Fools as a Place of Spectacle, Healing, and Education where the Wild are Sent to Die.
Still seeking dates in Portland, Olympia, Eugene, and Seattle.
Full presentation descriptions:
——————————————————————————
Crime and Reward from an Anarcho-primitivist Perspective.
George Zimmerman’s acquittal in the shooting death of Black teenager, Trayvon Martin, this summer came as a surprise to many mostly because the civilised believe words and focus on language rather than on praxis and consequences. Namely, civilised people see the judicial system with its verbose process of trial as a system of justice and in the eyes of those involved in Zimmerman’s trial, there was “no evidence beyond reasonable doubt” that Zimmerman acted within the confines of the American law. The question thus was not whether killing someone was wrong, the problem that was to be resolved in this system of justice was whether the killer had the right to kill.
In this lecture, Layla AbdelRahim discusses the civilized premises that construct the human animal as predatory and thus centers murder in anthropology itself and reinforces the predatory narrative. Furthermore, this predation is structured by the classificatory system of civilized epistemology that categorizes groups of living and nonliving beings, whether human or not, as “resources” and “consumers” thereby excluding whole groups and immense suffering from the public discourse on justice. And as discussed in her book, Wild Children – Domesticated Dreams: Civilization and the Birth of Education, this predatory narrative is reinforced by both the medical sector and the system of education.
The Insidious and Resilient Narratives of Domestication: Pitfalls to Watch for in Autonomous Learning Zones.
Not only has the hierarchical project of domestication and civilization existed for the past ten thousand years, it has been expanding globally, engulfing more and more territories and bringing the world to a state nearing the brink of collapse of biodiversity and self-sustainability. This colonizing project has not been accepted passively. It has met strong ideological, epistemological, socio-economic, and physical resistance on both individual and social levels. Nonetheless, civilization has reached an epidemic level largely owing to its misconstruction of “knowledge” about human nature and the world. In her research, Layla AbdelRahim applies concepts from biology, anthropology, ethology, and sociology to examine the mechanisms by which socio-cultural narratives and material cultures reproduce themselves through domesticated bodies, minds, and desires. In this workshop, Layla will identify these mechanisms of perpetuating domesticated “unknowledge” and will engage a discussion on resistance to its narrative.
How do we know the world? How do we relate to the world and to our knowledge of it? Today, most people around the world believe that we cannot learn how to live in the world without having gone to school and received an “education”. However, what is this “education”? What is its content, its method, or its purpose?
Education is a systemic production, reproduction, and transmission of specific socio-economic constructs about humans, society, and the world. These constructs are then passed on as “knowledge”, which ensures the coexistence of epistemological classes as socio-economic classes in a hierarchical paradigm. Civilised science prioritises Cartesian thinking that divorces “reason” from “emotions” precisely because empathy with the exploited, the suffering, or the consumed will interfere with the project Civilisation.
In this conversation, Layla will discuss the underlying premises in scientific thinking about the world as a system of domestication of human and nonhuman resources for production, reproduction, consumption, and ultimately devastation.
The Ship of Fools as a Place of Spectacle, Healing, and Education where the Wild are Sent to Die.
The Medieval European allegory of the Ship of Fools was more than a metaphor or a literary ruse to critique the Church and the state. In Madness and Civilization, Michel Foucault argues that this trope was also a real socio-political tactic used to cleanse the civilised space by isolating the “mad” or the “unreasonable” from “society”. For civilisation, “reason” has two constituents: raison d’être and sanity. The sane are here defined as those existing for the purpose of domestication in a “natural” food chain hierarchy. In this sense, “society” consists of those working for the “reason” of domestication and socio-economic hierarchy, exploitation, and consumption and those who cannot or refuse to abide by the domesticator’s definition of their reason for existence are either sent to sanatoriums, hospitals, or other correctional facilities to be cured or killed.
Drawing from the research conducted for her book, Wild Children – Domesticated Dreams: Civilization and the Birth of Education (2013), Layla AbdelRahim discusses schools and children’s culture as spaces of such isolation and “correction”: where the wild raison d’être to dream and to exist for one’s own, known or unbeknownst to self purpose is extinguished and where the child is taught to exist to serve as a human resource in the chain of exploitation of nonhuman resources.
RIFLE DIET heads out in support of their new 7″ “Abuse Begets Abuse” this August. If you live in or near one of the listed cities make sure to check them out. If you can’t make it but want to pick up their 7″ CLICK HERE
Profane Existence 