Mission

Arts and culture as a means for radical change

Arts and culture are inherently political, and artists have long been integral to the revolutionary struggle, utilising their works as weapons to effect change. It is with this in mind that Carnation Press has been formed. We join the global movement fighting against the oppressive structures governing society. Art holds up a mirror to the society it depicts and challenges a dominant narrative. It empowers, teaches, and can serve as a medium for collective resistance. Art and culture can be powerful tools for the transformation of society into a more just and compassionate world.

Compassion and justice

There is no revolution without love. The Carnation Press is founded on a love of humanity and a desire for our collective liberation. Literature, arts, and storytelling have always been a form of love, a way of learning and understanding perspectives outside of our own, facilitating empathy and inspiring action. We shall act with a form of radical and revolutionary compassion and empathy first toward others, and let that inform our approach. We reject punitive methods and instead adhere to restorative and transformative justice, prioritising community building, rehabilitation, and collective solidarity as opposed to punishment and continued cycles of harm.

Progressivism

We are a progressive organisation, and as such, we are for the reform of society in the name of advancement for the people as a whole. We are against all forms of discrimination against a class of people, including but not limited to racism, misogyny, ableism, queerphobia, and any form of ethnoreligious hatred. We commit ourselves to the dismantling of the structures and systems upholding it, including but not limited to capitalism, imperialism, patriarchy, and racial or religious supremacy. We aim to foster a collective that encourages radical empathy and action, and facilitate works that are progressive, educational, and inspire people to act. Traditional publishing often excludes marginalised voices and upholds the hegemonic societal narrative. Therefore, we seek to be a part of a wave of change that highlights those often systemically excluded and narratives that challenge the dominant one.

Intersectionality

Intersectionality is the framework used to understand the various axes of oppression that intersect and overlap to continue the marginalisation of members of society. Taking a note from the Combahee River Collective and the Queers in Palestine statements, we commit ourselves to the struggle against racial, sexual, heterosexual, and class oppression and lend our support to other movements for social justice, including feminism, queer liberation, environmental justice, and disability justice. We promote intersectionality as a core value because we encourage the exploration of various identities across their overlaps and intersections through art, and believe that through these depictions, we can foster greater connection and empathy across societal lines. We adhere to feminist values and join the fight against the marginalisation of women and oppressed genders, aspiring for freedom from sexual violence, reproductive injustice, and patriarchy. We are for queer liberation and reject the performative usage of queer identity as a means to support imperialism and Western domination. We hope to look at and explore the queer history of the Malaysian (and Southeast Asian) region outside of Western imperialism’s oppression.

Anti-imperialism and anti-capitalism

We stand for the empowerment of the people against oppressive societal structures. We are for the liberation of oppressed nations in the Global South, including Africa, Asia, Latin America, Turtle Island, the Caribbean, and the Pacific​​​​. We condemn and detest forces of Western (American and European) imperialism, and their exploitation of the labour and resources of nations in the Global South. We are against the upper-class bourgeoisie and private corporations, coming from a long line of independent literary zines created as labours of artistic passion and love for the people. We recognise the link between capitalism and imperialism as forces valuing profit over humanity and driving forward the oppression of marginalised bodies and the planet. As a part of this stance, we are for the act of armed resistance against colonial or capitalist oppressors and stand in solidarity with those who choose to act as such.

Abolitionism

We recognise the police and armed forces as forms of state apparatus that are used to serve the capitalist and imperialist elite. We reject the state’s repression of radical movements in the name of law and order, and view the police and armed forces as enemies of resistance. Abolitionist literature has historically been a way to radicalise the masses and help educate and empower people to act.

Art by humans, and for humans

The Malaysian Carnation Press believes in the importance and value of art and the human experience. It is therefore that we condemn the usage of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in artwork, and will refrain from publishing works created with it. Our stance against AI is also informed by our knowledge and understanding of capitalism and environmentalism, as we recognise that the exploitation of natural resources to feed generative data centres harms both people and the environment.