Outrageous Pamphleteers: A History Of The Communication Company, 1966-1967

By Evan Edwin Carlson, San Jose State University

Thesis, Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) Department
Summer 2012

[Incidental web browsing brought the following to my attention. Given that Mr. Carlson made good use of the research and historical materials on the Digger Archive, I felt that he would not object to my inclusion of his interesting history here. Indeed, after I tracked him down, Evan enthusiastically agreed. His work adds an important dimension to the history of the Digger movement. —Ed. 06 Aug 2013]

[Full text PDF here]

Abstract

The thesis examines the history of the Communication Company, a grassroots radical street press utilizing mimeograph technology and operating for and within the psychedelic hippie counterculture of San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury District from 1967-1968. The symbiotic relationship between the Communication Company and the Diggers, a street theater and anarchist collective that became a group of de facto social workers of the Haight, is discussed, demonstrating how the Communication Company fulfilled a critical role as the Diggers' outreach and information ministry. The products of the Com/co press were also examined within the context of the American radical pamphlet tradition. By exploring the cycle and activities of Com/co, the study sought to shed new light on the radical pamphlet tradition and the role it played in the 1960s counterculture.

Recommended Citation

Carlson, Evan Edwin, "Outrageous Pamphleteers: A History Of The Communication Company, 1966-1967" (2012). Master's Theses. Paper 4188. http://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/etd_theses/4188