1. LG359 Western Political Thought Dr Ken McDonagh School of Law and Government

2. Overview: What is Anarchism? Back to Dennis… Anarchism: Main ideas Anarchisms Past and Present The future of anarchy or the anarchy of the future?

3. Back to Dennis and King Arthur

5. Main ideas = ‘without rule’ Goal of freedom/autonomy Opposition to authority  Abolish the state  and/or capitalism & private property, organised religion, ‘civilisation’/industrial society, the patriarchal family

6. Main ideas Fundamentally positive view of human nature – Rational, reasonable – Cooperative And the ‘state of nature’  what should replace authority? – Spontaneous (benign) order will (re)emerge – federal system of autonomous communities, workers’ coops etc. – open-ended

7. Historical Phases 2 main phases: 1. 19 th Century-1930s: Influenced by Liberalism & Marxism individualism vs. collectivism 2. Origins late ’60s, but esp. ‘90s-date – Some influences from earlier anarchism – But also from ‘new social movements’ + anti- globalization – Postmodernism/post-structuralism – Eastern philosophy & spirituality, New Age ideas

8. 19 th Century-1930s Anarcho-communism Dominant form of anarchism – Bakunin & Kropotkin 1864-71 International Workingmen’s Association/First International  split between Marxist vs. anarchists both want to abolish capitalism, private property & clericalism & replace with communism but anarchists: – opposed to hierarchical party organisation – want immediate statelessness – & immediate communism

9. 19 th Century-1930s Anarcho-communism Collectives preferably small to enable direct democracy Anarcho-syndicalism = dominant variant of anarcho-communism Syndicates prefigure communist society Revolutionary subject = the union Direct action (strikes, boycotts, sabotage)  general strike & spontaneous mass revolution Popular in Russia, France, Italy, Spain

10. 19 th Century-1930s Individualist Anarchism Ultra-liberalism? The Sovereign Individual – Primacy of the individual & individual freedom  incompatible with the State = major difference with liberalism Marginal - no major movement associated with it

11. 19 th Century-1930s Individualist Anarchism  Libertarianism Moral – Godwin & Stirner – William Godwin: 'There is but one power to which I can yield a heartfelt obedience, the decision of my own understanding, the dictates of my own conscience.' – Max Stirner: The Ego and His Own (1845) - Individual should act as he so chooses, regardless of laws, social conventions/morality  Conflicts between individuals can be resolved through reason Economic – Benjamin Tucker, Josiah Warner: the ‘invisible hand’ of the market can guarantee freedom & replace need for political authority

12. Contemporary Anarchism Socialist anarchists/libertarian socialists (anarcho-communists) Other Variants of anarchism: – Anti-civilisation anarchists (e.g. Zerzan) – Eco-anarchists – individualist or collectivist (e.g. Bookchin’s communalism) – Post or post-structuralist anarchists Anarchist-influenced social movements…

13. Contemporary Anarchism Gordon: ‘As the defining orientation of prominent activist networks, anarchism today is the principal point of reference for radical social change movements in the North’ But radically altered Protest movements influenced by some anarchist ideas – but not ‘anarchist’ per se? Most do not call themselves anarchist – ‘autonomous’, ‘anti-authoritarian’, ‘horizontal’

14. Contemporary ‘Anarchism’ Gordon: 3 core ideas 1. Opposition to all forms of domination Multi-issue politics of overlapping oppressions Influence of ant-globalization movement No one form of domination is prior

15. Contemporary ‘Anarchism’ 2. Direct action – Tactics As shun conventional, electoral politics Some violent But mostly peaceful – Classic methods: general strike, protests, marches, occupations, civil disobedience, boycotts – Newer methods: sit-ins, carnivals, flash mobs, ‘temporary autonomous zones’, Reclaim the Streets Emphasis on unconventional, disruptive and/or playful actions, concern with space

16. Contemporary ‘Anarchism’ 2. Direct action in Organisation/Culture Prefiguration: ‘Be the change you want to see in the world’ – communal living, social centres, consensus-based decision-making – ‘hollow out’ capitalism/modern society – Also has advantages now… ‘lifestyle anarchism’ & subcultures  individualist? Small-scale, non-hierarchical, leaderless – anti-hierarchical organisations

17. Contemporary ‘Anarchism’ 3. Open-ended goals: ‘no post-revolutionary resting point’ Influence of – ‘movement of movements’/ant-globalization movement  ideological diversity – postmodernism Gordon: a ‘political culture’ rather than an ideology: an ‘extrapolation from ‘cultural codes’

18. The future of anarchy or the anarchy of the future? Is anarchism a viable political force? Can a social movement avoid prescriptions about the shape of future authority and succeed? Can a bottom up society sustain a complex technological industrial base?