School of Interdisciplinary Studies

Dr Benjamin Franks

Dr Benjamin Franks
  • Lecturer (Interdisciplinary Studies)

telephone: 01387702055
email: Benjamin.Franks@glasgow.ac.uk


Research Interests

Interested in Marxist, anarchist, post-Marxist and post-anarchist political theory; film and cultural theory; and applied ethics especially in the fields of education and social research.

Research Projects

Co-editing and contributing to the collection Anarchism and Moral Philosophy (Palgrave). Published december 2011. Examing ideological hybrids such as 'post-anarchism' and 'tory' or 'conservative anarchism'.

Jump to: 2012 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2003
Number of items: 20.

2012

Franks, Benjamin (2012) Between Anarchism and Marxism: The beginnings and ends of the schism. Journal of Political Ideologies, 17 (2). pp. 207-227. ISSN 1356-9317 (In Press)

Franks, Benjamin (2012) Anarchism and Analytic Philosophy. In: Kinna, Ruth (ed.) The Continuum Companion to Anarchism. Continuum, London, pp. 53-74. (In Press)

2010

Franks, B. (2010) Anarchism and the virtues. In: Franks, B. and Wilson, M. (eds.) Anarchism and Moral Philosophy. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, UK, pp. 135-160. ISBN 9780230580664

Franks, B. (2010) Introduction: anarchism and moral philosophy. In: Franks, B. and Wilson, M. (eds.) Anarchism and Moral Philosophy. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, UK, pp. 1-10. ISBN 9780230580664

2009

Franks, B. (2009) Anarchism in Britain. In: Ness, I. (ed.) The International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest: 1500 to the Present. Blackwell, Oxford, UK. ISBN 9781405184649

Franks, B. (2009) Sabotage. In: Ness, I. (ed.) The International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest: 1500 to the Present. Blackwell, Oxford, UK. ISBN 9781405184649

Franks, B. (2009) Solidarity federation. In: Ness, I. (ed.) The International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest: 1500 to the Present. Blackwell, Oxford, UK. ISBN 9781405184649

Franks, B. (2009) Vanguards and paternalism. In: Jun, N.J. and Wahl, S. (eds.) New Perspectives on Anarchism. Lexington Books, Lanham, USA. ISBN 9780739132401

2008

Franks, B. (2008) Postanarchism and meta-ethics. Anarchist Studies, 16 (2). pp. 135-153. ISSN 0967-3393

2007

Franks, B. (2007) Postanarchisms: a critical assessment. Journal of Political Ideologies, 12 (2). pp. 127-145. ISSN 1356-9317 (doi:10.1080/13569310701284985)

2006

Franks, B., Harper, S., Murray, J. and Stevenson, L., (Eds.) (2006) The Quest for The Wicker Man: History, Folklore and Pagan Perspectives. Luath Press, Edinburgh, UK. ISBN 9781905222186

Franks, B. (2006) Peter Kropotkin. In: Cohen, M. (ed.) The Essentials of Philosophy and Ethics. Hodder Arnold, London, UK. ISBN 9780340900284

Franks, B. (2006) Rebel Alliances: The Means and Ends of Contemporary British Anarchisms. AK Press / Dark Star, Edinburgh, UK. ISBN 9781904859406

Franks, B. (2006) Social and lifestyle anarchism. In: Cohen, M. (ed.) The Essentials of Philosophy and Ethics. Hodder Arnold, London, UK. ISBN 9780340900284

Franks, B., Hanscomb, S. , and Harper, S. (2006) Interdisciplinarity and philosophy. Discourse: Learning and Teaching in Philosophical and Religious Studies, 6 (1). pp. 123-143. ISSN 1741-4164

MacLeod, D.V. (2006) Anthropological investigations: an innocent exploration of the Wicker Man culture. In: Franks, B. and Carpenter, G. (eds.) The Quest for the Wicker Man : History, Folklore and Pagan Perspectives. Luath Press, Edinburgh, Scotland, pp. 70-82. ISBN 9781905222186

2005

Murray, J., Franks, B,, Harper, S. and Stevenson, L., (Eds.) (2005) Constructing The Wicker Man: Film and Cultural Studies Perspectives. University of Glasgow, Crichton Publications, Dumfries, UK. ISBN 9780852618189

Franks, B. (2005) British anarchisms and the miners' Strike. Capital and Class, 87 . pp. 227-254. ISSN 0309-8168

Franks, B. (2005) Demotic possession. In: Murray, J., Stevenson, L., Harper, S. and Franks, B. (eds.) Constructing "The Wicker Man": Film and Cultural Studies perspectives. University of Glasgow, Crichton Publications, pp. 63-78. ISBN 0852618182

2003

Franks, B. (2003) Direct action ethic. Anarchist Studies, Volume (No. 1). pp. 13-41. ISSN 0967-3393

This list was generated on Thu May 24 12:09:21 2012 BST.

Undergraduate

  • Level 1: Philosophy 1M (Dumfries Convenor)
  • Level 2: Issues in Contemporary Society (Convenor)
  • Level 2: Philosophy 2M: Politics, Morality and Authenticity (Dumfries Convenor)   
  • Level 3: Freedom, Power & the State (Convenor)
  • Level 4: Power, Culture & Criticism (Convenor)
  • Level 4: Reading Class: Anarchisms (Supervisor)

Also teaches on:

  • Level 1: Text and Communication
  • Level 2: Argument-Rhetoric-Theory
  • Level 2: Health Care Policy
  • Level 3: Imagined Futures

Postgraduate

  • M. Litt: Making Ethical Judgements (co-convenor with Dr Sean Johnston)

Non-academic publications

Articles

'Lenin Reloaded: And engaged in friendly fire?', Variant, No. 31 (Spring 2008);  'Who or You to Tell me to Question Authority?: Radical Education in a proto-fascist era.', Variant, No. 29 (Summer 2007); ‘Behind, and beyond, the barricades’ in The Jewish Chronicle, 20 July, 2001; Occasional contributor to various campaign websites, ‘zines and papers, 1997 to date. 

Conferences

Delivered paper 'Anarchism and Marxism: The beginnings and ends of the schism….', Anarchist Studies Network (PSA Specialist Group) conference, September 2009.

Co-organised panels and delivered paper 'Anarchism, Post-Anarchism and Ethics' for the Anarchism and Moral Philosophy panel, Anarchist Studies Network (PSA Specialist Group) conference, September 2008.

Delivered paper 'Revolutionary Modesty' for the Re-Imaging Revolution panel, Anarchist Studies Network (PSA Specialist Group) conference, September 2008.

Delivered a plenary address 'Paternalism and vanguardism' at the Civil Rights, Liberties and Disobedience conference, Centre for the Study of International Governance, Loughborough University, July 2007.

Delivered conference paper 'Virtues and Anarchism: A non-essentialist account' at Alasdair MacIntyre's Revolutionary Aristotelianism: Ethics, Resistance and Utopia, held at London Metropolitan University, June 2007.

Delivered paper ‘Questioning Post-anarchism in the Age of Security’ at the Political Studies Association conference, Reading University, April 2006.  

Delivered paper ‘British Anarchisms and the Miners’ Strike’ at The Miners’ Strike 20 years On conference, University of Northumbria, June 2004.

Delivered paper ‘Conflict between Fascism and Anarchism in The Wicker Man’, The Wicker Man: Readings Rituals and Reactions conference, University of Glasgow Crichton Campus, July 2003.  

Organiser of the conference, The Wicker Man: Readings Rituals and Reactions conference, University of Glasgow Crichton Campus, July 2003.  

Delivered paper ‘The Direct Action Ethic’ at Alternative Futures and Popular Protest Conference, Manchester Metropolitan University, April 2001.

Chaired panel and delivered paper ‘Political violence and Direct Action’ at Representations of Violence, the Violence of Representation conference University of Nottingham, July 2000.

Delivered paper ‘Anarchist Revolutionary Subjects’ at the Conference of Socialist Economists, University of London, June 2000.

Delivered Paper ‘New Left/New Right’ at the Art Historians conference, Courthauld Institute, April 1996. 

Other information

Helped create websites for radical environmental and community groups, also written for non-commercial press. Been interviewed by the BBC and RTE discussing on his research on anti-capitalisms. Listed in Political Studies Association Media Register of Experts under Anarchisms, Direct Action and Political Theory. Keen football fan, supports a variety of useless teams, and writes occasionally for fanzines and fansites. Also enjoys cinema and live (if somewhat sickly) comedy.