Joel Olson

Joel Olson (1967–2012) was an American associate professor of political theory at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff and a social justice activist.

Biography Olson graduated in 2001 with a PhD in political theory from the University of Minnesota. Inspired by the work of abolitionists and African-American Sociologist W.E.B. Du Bois, his dissertation examined the interconnection between race and democracy. From his dissertation, he published his book The Abolition of White Democracy (2004, University of Minnesota Press). At the time of his death, he was building a theory of fanaticism or extremism that would explain the politics of Pro-Life assassins, abolitionists, green anarchists, and Al-Qaeda. The work was titled American Zealot: Fanaticism and Democracy in the United States.

Although a university professor, Olson rejected intellectual-worker and activist-theorist divides, engaging in politics on the streets, canvassing, building community support. Over his life, he worked in and helped found groups like Bring the Ruckus, Cop Watch, and the Repeal Coalition.

The following quote of Olson's was turned into a plaque on a memorial outdoor classroom between the buildings of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at NAU: "What is the most damage I can do, given my biography, abilities, and commitments, to the racial order and rule of capital?"

He and his wife Audrey Creed had three children.