This book provides a re-assessment of Kropotkin's political thought and suggests that the 'classical' tradition which has provided a lens for the discussion of his work has had a distorting effect on the interpretation of his ideas. By setting the analysis of his thought in a number of key historical contexts, Ruth Kinna reveals the enduring significance of his political thought and questions the usefulness of those approaches to the history of ideas that map historical changes to philosophical and theoretical shifts. One of the key arguments of the book is that Kropotkin contributed to the elaboration of an anarchist ideology, which has been badly misunderstood and which today is too often dismissed as outdated. This sympathetic but critical analysis corrects some popular myths about Kropotkin's thought, highlights the important and unique contribution he made to the history of socialist ideas and sheds new light on the nature of anarchist ideology.

A major contribution to anarchist scholarship... Kropotkin: Reviewing the Classical Anarchist Tradition will be useful for students and researchers in history, geography, and political theory and will serve as an important prompt to question current commonplace narratives of, and assumptions about, anarchism. -- Federico Ferretti, University College Dublin * Journal of Historical Geography *
This is one of the most important intellectual studies of Kropotkin for many decades. By placing him within the context of the history of ideas and political philosophy, Ruth Kinna tackles the history of anarchism itself and demonstrates that models of classical anarchism, new anarchism and post-anarchism have limited explanatory purchase for our understanding of Kropotkin's thought. This is a crucial addition to the literature on anarchism and postanarchism and is highly recommended reading for students and academics alike. -- Carl Levy, Goldsmiths, University of London

Ruth Kinna is Professor of Political Theory at Loughborough University. She has published widely on the history of anarchist ideas and on nineteenth century socialist and anarchist thought.