Kick it Over (1982-1994)

Front cover of Kick it Over, Issue 34 - Food and Land issue. 

Radical Agriculture article in Kick it Over. 

Food not Bombs slogan and logo. 

The title of a permaculture article in Kick it Over. 

DEFINING KICK IT OVER (1994)

Kick it Over is an anarchist magazine that was published between 1982 and 2004 by the anonymous, underground Kick it Over collective in Toronto, Canada. Kick it Over is a highly sophisticated, organized political tool of resistance employing multiple visual and literary art forms to appeal to, educate, and mobilize a wide variety of readers—from those with no knowledge of anarchism to anarchist-identifying academics or long-term members of the Canadian anarchist community.

Issue 34, the Food and Land issue, was selected for study due to its special emphasis on border issues, radical agriculture, food production, and sustainability, though articles in this issue also explore topics ranging from queer rights activism to anarchist summer camps. Of particular importance to this specific issue is permaculture, affectionately coined the “revolution disguised as gardening” (72) by anarchist James Heckert, who argues that permaculture is an ethical design system for food production that is both sustainable and self-sufficient. 

Featured literary works representing the Food and Land issue’s main themes include:

• “Land Trusts: Land Held in Common”
• “Food not Bombs”
• “Permaculture: Focus on the Future”
• “Bread” (an anti-consumerist, anonymously contributed poem)

Noticeably absent from multiple artistic and literary contributions are author and artist names. While some are included, it is important to note that Kick it Over collective members remain unidentified in the magazine, and no official publication address is included. This veil of anonymity would have been a powerful tool protecting contributors from suspicion under government officials.

Despite the magazine’s longevity, many contributors and collective members will move through their lives without ever taking public credit or ownership for their artistic contributions.  

Title pulled from within the first few pages of Kick it Over demonstrating anarchist spirit found in the magazine. 

LET’S TALK ANARCHY

The International Encyclopedia of Political Science explains that anarchism is etymologically derived from two Ancient Greek words: αν, meaning “absence of,” and Aρχη′f, meaning “ruler” (73). In the most basic of terms, anarchism as a political philosophy denies all authority (Woodcock 11), or phrased more sharply, attacks authority as a fundamental principle in the construction of contemporary societal institutions. As such, argues renown anarchist scholar Jeff Shantz, anarchy “has formed the spectre that has haunted the dreamscapes of capitalist and statist authorities” (1) more so than any other political philosophy. Its implications are entirely dangerous to basic economic, political, and social structures contemporary society is built upon. Anarchism posits that systems of hierarchy, domination, and authoritarianism should be dismantled (Shantz 4). From an economic standpoint, anarchism asserts that integrated power systems like capitalism and consumerism represent forms of control and regulation over citizens (Shantz 5), and must destroyed. Anarchists believe that those eagerly participating in the capitalist, bourgeois civilization are enacting a systematization of power (Heckert 8) operating upon acquiescence of the masses.

So what would the Kick it Over collective members propose as social, political, and economic alternatives to contemporary institutions? Anarchists envision a society in which members possess their own means of production (Woodcock 21)— a society structured to afford all members autonomy, solidarity, and mutual help through social relations (Heckert 7). By freeing citizens from the shackles of authority and oppression, anarchism seeks to release members into a state of peace, justice and equality (Shantz 1). 

A photograph of a Food not Bombs protest displaying to readers active resistance. The exact location and date of the photograph remains unknown. 

SOCIAL, POLITICAL, AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF KICK IT OVER

Kick it Over, first published in 1982, draws its roots from the North American political and social turmoil of the 1950s and 1960s—influenced by the Vietnam War, Cold War (and coinciding calls for nuclear disarmament), student post-secondary revolts, the emergence of second wave feminism, and civil rights movements (Woodcock 387). Issue 34’s publication date of 1994 corresponds to the resurgence of North American anarchism seen in the early 1990s with alternative global justice movements. The 1990s, argues Shantz, brought to life young activists eagerly searching for alternatives to the exploitative and repressive structures of capitalism and hierarchical social organization they were born into (1). Considering this, Kick it Over is both a call to action and mapping of how to enact that political and social action. Anarchist scholar Jamie Heckert notes that:

“Bodies and bullets are real. Painfully real. The concrete does not self-organize into the Wall. No border, invented by human minds, asserts its own existence. No gun shoots itself. There is human action behind every border, every wall.” (72) 

Of course, Kick it Over is as concerned with taking action as it is with inaction—political acquiescence and the intellectual sedentariness (Heckert 72) giving rise to it. Kick it Over is meant to stir affect within the placated reader as much as it is meant to stoke the rage of the ardent activist.

The neatly organized Table of Contents in Kick it Over.

Kick it Over's glossy, colorful back page adheres to the expected format of a magazine's exterior. 

KICK IT OVER AS (RE)ACTION

Anarchism has historically been perceived by political and economic elites as threatening, and consequently, anarchism has been condemned by political elites who portray anarchism to be a “force of evil, chaos and harm” (Shantz 1). Contemporary anarchists are often represented in corporate media as political assassins or terrorists carrying forth the “inarticulate rage of the mob” (Shantz 1). Kick it Over would have been consciously produced with the highly attuned knowledge of anarchy’s unappealing reputation in contemporary society. As a result, the magazine stands as a reaction to skewed portrayals of anarchy—an effort to educate those unknowing in the readership. Kick it Over is, at the same time, a conformity to all of the basic features of a typical magazine—it has a glossy and colourful front cover, well-crafted and engaging articles employing humour and satire, and appealing graphics pepper the magazine. In this sense, Kick it Over’s historic struggle to present itself as apart from crass, base urges of the unrefined political agenda is more projected than anything else, and so is its insecurity at being perceived this way. The text must react to anarchy’s unflattering reputation by packaging itself as an organized, neatly presenting weapon. There are no angry tirades between these covers, no eschewing of page numbers or a table of contents—instead, there is a cogent effort to organize information presented in the magazine. Kick it Over is a careful political tool.

A feature article promoting the use of flyposters. 

The title of an autobiographical account (memoir) in Kick it Over. 

An anti-capitalist cartoon in Kick it Over. 

A detailed drawing a bread loaf accompanying a poem on food production. 

HISTORY OF ANARCHIST CREATIVE RESISTANCE

Anarchism as a political force has contributed to broad historical, cultural and literary art movements (Shantz 4), influencing publications like Kick it Over. Social movements like communism and socialism, argues Shantz, have been the impetus for new forms of literary production invented to express radical values (4). Antiliff explains that anarchists “create art in tandem with the transformation of society anarchically…interrogating it with this aspiration in mind” (14). In turn, art production within a culture is diversified. 

Contemporary anarchist creative resistance first developed internationally during communist mobilization of the 1930s, with the production of socialist folk and jazz music, realist art, and proletarian fiction (3). These movements paved the way for new artistic experiments in North America produced during the 1960s and 1970s. It was during this period that underground, leftist presses (often feminist in nature) began to thrive. Cultures of resistance supported the ideological needs of the counter-movements that produced them (Shantz 4).  Common themes found in anarchist creative resistance in both past and present art include: critiques of corporatization, the prison industrial complex, patriarchal norms and ecological destruction. Most importantly, common themes in anarchist creative resistance provide an interior glimpse into the desires and dreams of citizens imagining alternative ways of living (Shantz viii). Aligning with the anarchist commitment to expanding individual thought, and freeing oneself from oppressive institutions, anarchist creative resistance has been historically marked by experimentation with style and form (Shantz 10). In a magazine that holds political cartoons alongside flyposters, memoir alongside elaborate sketches, this tradition of experimentation is clear in the pages of Kick it Over. 

A hand-drawn graphic accompanying an article on queer anarchism. This particualr graphic takes inspiration from DIY culture and zine philosophy. 

ANARCHIST LITERARY AESTHETICS 

“Artistic forms, as words, sounds, images, or movements, symbolize our individual experiences of being human; they materialize our subjective versions of reality, and they contribute to new social forms by communicating our inner worlds to other members of society.”

                                                           - Herbert Read (From Nutting's "Art and Organicism" 82)

Anarchist aestheticism, coined by anarchist writer Herbert Read, argues that art which grows out of individual subjective experiences and is free from the constraints of conformity can constitute a revolution in expression (Nutting 82). This aestheticism is seen in the efforts of Kick it Over’s visual and literary art pieces. Anarchist aestheticism, stressing the creative capacities of all members in society, focuses on Do it Yourself (DIY) culture (Shantz 2). Expressive aesthetic practices draw upon punk styles, which emphasize personal freedom of the art producer (Shantz 2). DIY culture and punk influences give some aspects of Kick it Over its more “roughly hewn” and grassroots tone and layout. Anarchist art “names reality and describes reality” (Nutting 82), seen in Kick it Over’s political cartoons—art is key to human survival and is indistinguishable from everyday human existence. Read’s philosophy of anarchist art espoused this accessibility of art—for Read, art was meant to connect individuals to knowledge that would not normally have been accessible (Nutting 82). Anarchist aestheticism contends that as much as art may connect the artist or viewer/reader with the collective, communal anarchist instinct, so too will art provide insight into the self—and it is individual self-awareness and consciousness that anarchists believe will spark social revolution. Art is effective at transmitting political philosophy, anarchists claim, because art communicates aspects of human nature inherently tied to anarchy: imaginative capabilities, consciousness, and perceptiveness (Nutting 85). Anarchist aestheticism contends a confident philosophy of itself: “anarchist literature,” says Vittorio Frigerio, “expects to have an impact on the world” (1). 

A photograph of anarchists gathered at a summer camp. Though the date and location are unknown, the photograph is an example of the community Kick it Over was supporting in its creative resistance. 

The title of an article describing an writer's experience of anarchist summer camp. Similar to the photograph above, the article is catering to a specific anarchist readership. 

ANARCHIST LITERARY CULTURE AND COMMUNITY

The cultural and artistic expression of anarchy in the pages of publications like Kick it Over creates anarchist lifestyle solidarity (Shantz 6). Despite multiple names of contributors and artists purposefully excluded from the magazine under the guise of anonymity, a reader of Kick it Over understands that the magazine is a collaborative effort. Collectively produced works of art demonstrate a breaking free from “corporate re/production of culture and art, in both consumption and exchange” (Shantz 7). For the anarchist, cultural productions are designated for personal and community use, rather than for monetary gain. Consequently, works of art like Kick it Over are considered to be gifts, rather than capitalist objects (Shantz 7). Both DIY culture and punk culture align with anarchist artistic expressions encouraging this separation between capital and art. In capitalist, patriarchal society, individuals have little say over the creation of cultural products—commodities—that are consumed. The DIY, punk anarchist retains a high level of control over their garment or object, just as collective members producing the independently run Kick it Over would have had in terms of the magazine’s layout, design, and subject matter. While the average reader of a standard magazine is subject to the consumption and influence of advertisements, Kick it Over’s mocking “advertisements” satirize the coercive nature of actual advertisements. The reader of Kick it Over consumes an “advertisement” and flips over the page enlightened, rather than manipulated. Exposure to an anarchist publication like Kick it Over carries far-reaching cultural implications—more so than a reader’s simple exposure to satirical cartoons or artwork. Kick it Over prompts an alteration of the self that is shackled in authoritarian culture (Gifford 325). The subject matter explored in Kick it Over carries the potential to not only support anarchist literary culture, but to broaden mainstream, corporate conceptions of what constitutes consumer material, and more importantly, what constitutes the magazine as a text.

Cultural experimentation and exchange are key features of anarchist gatherings such as the Active Resistance conferences and numerous anarchist book fairs in Montreal (Shantz 7) where East-coast born Kick it Over would have been shared. Contemporary anarchist creative resistance is built to engage with the needs of the real, working-class community of anarchists, seen here in this article showcasing Anarchist Summer Camp, or in the Discussion Forum section of the magazine. Anarchist community would have been nurtured by its own creative resistance—by the art itself that is, in a sense, collectively produced under a singular political philosophy. Social organization of community for anarchists takes the form of communication, rather than regulation and control. Mutual aid, cooperation, and shared experience all are supported by literary and visual pieces of art like Kick it Over. Nuttig echoes Read when she notes that “words and symbols constitute the very fabric, the synthetic structure, of society” (90).  

An autobiographical account of a queer anarchist experience, entitled "A Canadian Dyke in the Deep South". 

QUEERING ANARCHIST CREATIVE RESISTANCE

“Here’s a queer proposal: the state is always a state of mind…it is self-consciousness, self-policing, self-promotion, self-obsession.”

 - Martha Ackelsberg (73)

What does queering anarchism entail? Anarchist scholar Martha Ackelsberg asks “isn’t anarchism enough of a bogeyman that any effort to ‘queer’ it would only make it more alien and irrelevant to mainstream culture?” (1). Queer anarchism parallels contemporary anarchist theory in that it draws links between strict political and economic hierarchies and fixed constructions of an individual’s gender and sexuality (Heckert, Shannon &Willis 1). Queered anarchism critiques identity and subjectivity construction, and examines how certain freedoms and privileges are stripped from an individual when forced to mold their identity according to heteronormative categorization. Queer anarchist cultural production is evident in Kick it Over’s autobiographical, long form feature “A Canadian Dyke in the Deep South”, which explores a Canadian activist’s journey into the United States to attend a series of queer rallies. The feature’s exploration of borders and land is well suited to the Food and Land issue of Kick it Over, but examining the subtleties of the article reveals a metaphor for anarchist queerness. Queer autobiography, states lesbian poet Daphne Marlatt, is the preoccupation of “a border crosser. Or a gender/genre crosser” (viii). Autobiography in particular offers the reader an opportunity to “queer”—to make strange—their conception of what defines (or undefines) anarchist creative resistance. To queer anarchism is to make the strange even stranger. Queering anarchism suggests that anarchy is malleable. Anarchy’s malleability evokes the agency and power of the anarchist’s ability to flex their autonomy within and over this political philosophy. Queer anarchism requires a self-reflexive activist in motion, one who is always performing critique.

Queerness, and its implicit crossing, unraveling, or deconstruction of identity, suggests “the creation of a new itself” (Heckert, Shannon & Willis 3) that creates alternative identities—just as anarchism promotes a destruction of oppressive political and social institutions in favour of alternative options for societal organization.