Book presentation: “Anti-nihilism” by Arthur and Jarmo Berkhout

Arthur and Jarmo were involved in the occupation of the Maagdenhuis and are part of Mokum Kraakt. They recently published the book ‘Anti-nihilism’ about engagement in the twenty-first century. In this book they introduce you to philosophers such as Aimé Césaire, Walter Benjamin, and Achille Mbembe. With the help of these philosophers, they reflect on where activism should focus today in order to break from the “chronic emergency” of our time. Against crippling nihilism, they call for a “struggle for a social revolution that averts catastrophe and saves our future”. In this presentation they will tell how his book came about and why activism and philosophy go well together, and they will share experiences about how they themselves try to break through and put their ideas into practice. After a short presentation, there is plenty of time to discuss the book, the philosophical insights discussed in it and future plans for struggle and resistance inspired by it.