My heart is utterly broken over the news that my good friend and comrade David Graeber has passed away. It is impossible to process this... it seems completely unreal. There is simultaneously too much to say and no words, but let me attempt a few:
One cannot overstate the significance of David's contribution to struggles for justice in the US, UK and many other parts of the world. Millions of people have learned from and been shaped by his writing, teaching, and example.
His analysis was as clear as it was courageous. He was unflinching and incorruptible. There was no myth he would not question, no hegemony he would not expose. He saw through every ruse that the powerful have going.
The integrity of his politics was evident in his friendships too. He was serious about solidarity. He supported every picket that happened at LSE, and always backed up his comrades. Whenever I've faced hard times, I have known I could count on David's cheery support.
He was just getting going. More than once I have wondered about what he will write about next, what big intervention he'll make, how he'll change how we all see the world...
...and as the world gets darker and more unstable, with inequality rising and climate breakdown upon us, there was some comfort in knowing that he would be with us to face it, to help make sense of it with his sharp insights and good humour, and to help figure out what to do.
David is an ancestor now. And the ancestors guide us.
Rest in power.
Rest in power.
