This book explores how recent revolts, social unrest and calls for systemic change, question and alter established structures. The contributors offer a dialogue between a wide range of new critical synergies and interdisciplinary perspectives on revolts and revolutions, from outright political coup d’états to ‘alternative’ cultural revolts and revolutions that have emerged through art, media, sexuality, subcultures and institutions such as universities, hospitals and financial institutions.

This co-edited collection of essays (with Martin Fredrkisson) points to how revolts, social unrest and revolutions are ever present in our everyday lives. Since the Arab Spring (2011) call for systemic change have continued to spread, from the anti-austerity street marches in Europe and the progressive ‘No Borders’ global movement, to protests against neoconservative and xenophobic populist movements. In this sense revolts take many shapes and forms and as such are not confined solely to attempts to overthrow governments and other less dramatic interventions in national and international contexts. Technological, economic, social and cultural revolutions are continually emerging, sometimes openly, sometimes covertly and incrementally. This volume of essays offers a range of critical perspectives on this expanded nature of revolt, revolution and resistance. Altintzoglou's contribution to the volume consists in co-writing the Introduction, editing half of the chapters, and contributing a chapter (‘Deflowered Revolution: An Ethical Examination of the Neo-Liberal Tactics of Pacification’).

‘Deflowered Revolution’ expands the general discussion of revolt to an analysis of the way in which the reproduction of social reality not only suppresses the possibility of change, but also releases latent potentialities, which confront the agent with the possibility of defining and claiming his or her own freedom. In turn, this notion of political responsibility is also examined through an assessment of ‘looting and politics’ in relation to the riots of a few years ago, questioning the extent to which it is possible to find political agency in such seemingly de-politicised acts.