In Militarized Global Apartheid Catherine Besteman offers a
sweeping theorization of the ways in which countries from the global
north are reproducing South Africa's apartheid system on a worldwide
scale to control the mobility and labor of people from the global south.
In January, 2026, World BEYOND War will be holding a weekly discussion each of four weeks of the book Militarized Global Apartheid with the author Catherine Besteman.
When you register for the club, we will send you your choice of a paperback, kindle, Google Play eBook, or Kubo eBook.
We'll let you know which parts of the book will be discussed each week along with the Zoom details to access the discussions.
When:
For one hour on January 7, 14, 21, and 28, 2026, beginning at UTC
17:00, which is 7:00 a.m. in Honolulu, 9:00 a.m. in Los Angeles, 11:00
a.m. in Mexico City, 12:00 noon in New York, 6:00 p.m. in Yaoundé, 6:00
p.m. in Berlin, 8:30 p.m. in Tehran, 10:30 p.m. in New Delhi. It is the
next day at 6:00 a.m. in Auckland.
Where: Zoom (details to be shared upon registration).
This is a small group series with limited space of up to
approximately 18 people. Sign up to reserve your spot. We look forward
to reading and discussing this important book with you!
About the Book:
Exploring the different manifestations of global apartheid, Besteman
traces how militarization and securitization reconfigure older forms of
white supremacy and deploy them in new contexts to maintain this
racialized global order. Whether using the language of security,
military intervention, surveillance technologies, or detention centers
and other forms of incarceration, these projects reinforce and
consolidate the global north's political and economic interests at the
expense of the poor, migrants, refugees, Indigenous populations, and
people of color. By drawing out how this new form of apartheid functions
and pointing to areas of resistance, Besteman opens up new space to
theorize potential sources of liberatory politics.
Praise for the Book:
“Catherine Besteman's wonderfully capacious framework for
understanding the myriad lines of division and modes of domination that
compose the contemporary global order is both intellectually satisfying
and politically urgent.” - Michael Hardt, coauthor of Assembly
“Militarized Global Apartheid does more than just
describe the system and strategies that are in place to gate the North
from the South.... [It] is not simply a description of violent border
regimes, it is a challenge for all of us to reflect on our own
relationship to them.” - Georgina Ramsay, PoLAR
"Besteman makes a laudable effort to diagnose our current
and emerging international relations through extensive dialogue with
anthropological literature on militarism, migration, and borders. . . .
[T]his book contributes to a critical view of our recent history and
future possibilities. I expect that its insights will guide a renewed
understanding of globalization for many years, focusing strongly on
military power relations between the global north and south." - José
Hildo de Oliveira Filho, Anthropological Notebooks
About the Author
Catherine Besteman is Francis F. Bartlett and Ruth K. Bartlett Professor of Anthropology at Colby College and author of Making Refuge: Somali Bantu Refugees and Lewiston, Maine, also published by Duke University Press.
It's not too late to join the December Book Club too:
Book Club: Flying Through Life
In December 2025, World BEYOND War will be holding a weekly discussion each of four weeks of the book Flying Through Life: From Fighter Pilot to Peace Activist with its author Richard Moody.
When you register for the club, we will mail you a signed copy of the book.
We'll let you know which parts of the book will be discussed each week along with the Zoom details to access the discussions.
When:
For one hour on Monday December 8, 15, 22, 29, and 2025, beginning at
UTC 19:00, which is 9 a.m. in Honolulu, 11 a.m. in Los Angeles, 1 p.m.
in Mexico City, 2 p.m. in New York, 8 p.m. in Yaoundé and Berlin, and
10:30 p.m. in Tehran, and
. . . the next day, Tuesday, at 6 a.m. in Sydney and 8 a.m. in Auckland.
Where: Zoom (details to be shared upon registration).
This is a small group series with limited space of up to
approximately 18 people. Sign up to reserve your spot. We look forward
to reading and discussing this important book with you!
About the Book:
Towards the end of his career as a fighter pilot with the British Royal
Navy, Richard Moody became an ardent Peace Activist and Quaker. This book is
the story of his conversion. In today's world of militarization and slaughter,
Richard's diametric experiences have made him a uniquely compelling voice in
the struggle for peace. Through his story, Richard hopes readers will learn
that peace through diplomacy is vital for the survival of societies worldwide.
Praise for the Book:
"The
author has written a fascinating and thought-provoking account of a
rich and varied life. Starting with a childhood in post-war South
Africa, he vividly describes a Naval career beginning with a posting on
the Royal Yacht followed by the visceral thrill of flying jet fighters
off aircraft carriers, resulting on one occasion with an ejection into
the Pacific. A subsequent spell in insurance broking is enlivened with
tales of skiing in South America and hiking in the Rockies and the UK.
His subsequent decision to become a peace activist is well-argued and he
frequently condemns US foreign policy, although the latter might be
controversial for some. His eloquent description . . . shows an
enquiring and thoughtful mind and provides a fitting and practical
contribution to his peace activism. All in all, a thoroughly recommended
read." —online reviewer
"I've known Richard for 40 years, so I
knew a lot the stories -- Top Gun, South Africa, the Queen's Yacht --
and he's a very good spinner of yarns. What I most appreciated, however,
was the chapter (11) on his conversion from a military mindset to peace
activism. It was something that happened gradually. The first person
mentioned who influenced him was the Rev. Ernest Gordon, the retired
dean of Princeton University Chapel who had his own conversion as a
Japanese POW. It was described in "Through the Valley of the Kwai." Then
there was the Rev. Bob Moore of the Coalition for Peace Action In
Princeton, among others who led him to Quakerism and a life-changing
commitment to peace and justice." —online reviewer
In Solidarity,
World BEYOND War
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