Who Do We Trust?: Power, Solidarity and Anti-Authoritarianism

“Inspirational, nuanced and wise—a wake-up call to re-imagine social structures through cooperative action and mutual aid” Jonathan Purkis, author of Driving With Strangers“A compelling framework with which to analyze transforming our lives for the better” Shuli Branson, author of Practical AnarchismDistrust is in the air—of politicians, corporations, and the institutions that claim to protect us. Trust is often seen as the foundation of a better society—but better for whom? While some forms of radical trust can foster survival, resistance, and movement-building, others entrench inequality and uphold the domination of elite groups.Who Do We Trust? shatters conventional wisdom, revealing how trust in hierarchical institutions perpetuates inequality and consolidates power among the elite. Drawing on examples from the war on Gaza, the rise of the MAGA movement, police violence, and the global response to refugees, Dana Williams challenges us to question who truly deserves our trust and who doesn’t.This bold, timely exploration unearths social relationships, cultures of resistance, and the urgent fight to reclaim trust from those who exploit it.Dana M. Williams is Professor of Sociology at California State University, Chico, and the author of Black Flags and Social Movements and co-author of Anarchy and Society. Read more