Anarchism

Anarchism can refer to any of a range of political views, characterized by a rejection of authority in various forms.

Issue and Movement Anarchisms

The philosophical schools above are often combines with pressing issues, such as environmentalism or feminism. Also, popular authors will sometimes coin a term to describe new interpretations (e.g. post-left anarchism and small-A anarchism) or combine anarchism with other special interests (e.g. crypto-anarchism and spiritual anarchism.) Some of these are outlined below.

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Black anarchism

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Black anarchism opposes the existence of a state and subjugation and domination of people of color, and favors a non-hierarchical organization of society. Black anarchists seeks to abolish white supremacy, capitalism, and the state. Theorists include Ashanti Alston, Lorenzo Komboa Ervin, and Sam Mbah.

Related Topics:
White supremacy - Ashanti Alston - Lorenzo Komboa Ervin - Sam Mbah

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Ecological anarchism

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Ecological anarchism (also known as eco-anarchism or green anarchism) generally is a belief in deep ecology, direct action against earth destroying institutions and systems, and generally a critique of industrial capitalism, although generally not against civilization per se.

Related Topics:
Deep ecology - Direct action - Civilization

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There is a significant anarchist element to the environmental movement, including those that are known as eco-anarchists and green-anarchists. Eco-anarchism is generally a broad term that broadly refers to anarchists engaged in the earth liberation movement. The largest segment of 'eco-anarchists' is the Earth First! movement, a network of various collectives formed along anarchist principles. Earth First! generally engages in direct action and eco-defense, such as tree sitting and 'locking down'. In the modern anarchist movement, eco-anarchists generally adhere to deep ecology, which is a worldview that embraces biodiversity and sustainability. Eco-feminism is also sometimes considered the form of eco-anarchist feminism.

Related Topics:
Anarchist - Environmental movement - Eco-anarchists - Green-anarchists - Earth First! - Direct action - Deep ecology - Eco-feminism

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Anarcho-primitivism

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Anarcho-primitivism is an anarchist critique of industrial civilization, and of the alienation that technology, progress, etc., have created between people and the natural world. Primitivists generally associate oppressive structures of hierarchy with the rise of agriculture, specialization of tasks or division of labor, the production of surplus and the first city-states. Anarcho-primitivists point to the anti-authoritarian nature of many 'primitive' or hunter-gatherer societies throughout the world's history, as examples of anarchist societies, but do not generally make them a "blueprint" for the future.

Related Topics:
Civilization - Alienation - Technology - Progress - Division of labor

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The primitivist tendency has connections to environmental movements such as Earth First! and the Earth Liberation Front. Writers often associated with the current are Fredy Perlman, John Zerzan and John Moore, and to some extent Theodore Kaczynski (the Unabomber) and Derrick Jensen.

Related Topics:
Earth First! - Earth Liberation Front - Fredy Perlman - John Zerzan - John Moore - Theodore Kaczynski - Unabomber - Derrick Jensen

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Some assert that anarcho-primitivism is not a form of anarchism. For example, Brian Oliver Sheppard, in Anarchism Vs. Primitivism, says: "In recent decades, groups of quasi-religious mystics have begun equating the primitivism they advocate (rejection of science, rationality, and technology often lumped together under a blanket term "technology") with anarchism. In reality, the two have nothing to do with each other."

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Anarcha-feminism

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Anarcha-feminism is a kind of radical feminism that espouses the belief that patriarchy is a fundamental problem in some societies. Feminist anarchism, or anarcha-feminism (a term allegedly created during the 1960s' second-wave feminism), views patriarchy as the first manifestation of hierarchy in human history; thus, the first form of oppression occurred in the dominance of male over female. Anarcha-feminists then conclude that if feminists are against patriarchy, they must also be against all forms of hierarchy, and therefore must reject the authoritarian nature of the state and capitalism.

Related Topics:
Radical feminism - Patriarchy - Second-wave feminism - Hierarchy

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Anarcho-primitivists see the creation of gender roles and patriarchy a creation of the start of civilization, and therefore consider primitivism to also be an anarchist school of thought that addresses feminist concerns. Eco-feminism is often considered a feminist variant of green anarchist feminist thought.

Related Topics:
Civilization - Eco-feminism

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Anarcha-feminism was inspired early 20th-century authors and theorists such as Emma Goldman and Voltairine de Cleyre, although even early first-wave feminist Mary Wollstonecraft held proto-anarchist views. In the Spanish Civil War, an anarchist feminist group, Mujeres Libres ("Free Women"), organized to defend both anarchist and feminist ideas.

Related Topics:
Emma Goldman - Voltairine de Cleyre - Mary Wollstonecraft - Spanish Civil War

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In the modern day anarchist movement, many anarchists, male or female, consider themselves feminists, and anarcha-feminist ideas are growing. The publishing of Quiet Rumors, an anarcha-feminist reader, has helped to spread various kinds of anti-authoritarian and anarchist feminist ideas to the broader movement.

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Christian anarchism

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Christian anarchism is the belief that there is only one source of authority to which Christians are ultimately answerable, the authority of God as embodied in the teachings of Jesus. Christian anarchists therefore feel that earthly authority such as government, or indeed the established church do not and should not have power over them. Christian anarchists are pacifists and oppose the use of all physical force, both proactive and reactive. Christian anarchists advocate nonviolent tax resistance to oppose war, state aggression and imperialism. Many Christian anarchists oppose profiting from economic transactions and state capitalism.

Related Topics:
Christians - God - Jesus - Government - Pacifists - Nonviolent - Tax resistance

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Christian anarchists believe that freedom from earthly authority will only be guided by the grace of God if individuals display compassion for others and turn the other cheek when confronted by violence. Its adherents believe this quest for freedom is justified spiritually and quote the teachings of Jesus, some of whom are critical of the existing establishment and church. They believe all individuals can directly communicate with God and will eventually unify in peace under this one God.

Related Topics:
God - Turn the other cheek - Establishment

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The most famous advocate of Christian anarchism was Leo Tolstoy, author of The Kingdom of God is Within You, who called for a society based on compassion, nonviolent principles and freedom.

Related Topics:
Leo Tolstoy - The Kingdom of God is Within You

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Insurrectionary anarchism

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Insurrectionary anarchism is critical of formal anarchist labor unions and federations. Instead, insurrectionary anarchists advocate informal organization, including small affinity groups, carrying out acts of resistance in various struggles, and mass organizations called base structures, which can include exploited individuals who are not anarchists. Here, Wolfi Landstreicher writes some of the basis points of its praxis.

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Insurrectionary anarchism is not an ideological solution to all social problems, a commodity on the capitalist market of ideologies and opinions, but an on-going praxis aimed at putting an end to the domination of the state and the continuance of capitalism, which requires analysis and discussion to advance. We don’t look to some ideal society or offer an image of utopia for public consumption. Throughout history, most anarchists, except those who believed that society would evolve to the point that it would leave the state behind, have been insurrectionary anarchists. Most simply, this means that the state will not merely wither away, thus anarchists must attack, for waiting is defeat; what is needed is open mutiny and the spreading of subversion among the exploited and excluded. Here we spell out some implications that we and some other insurrectionary anarchists draw from this general problem: if the state will not disappear on its own, how then do we end its existence? It is, therefore, primarily a practice, and focuses on the organization of attack...The State of capital will not “wither away,” attack is the refusal of mediation, pacification, sacrifice, accommodation, and compromise.

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Alfredo M. Bonanno, an Italian insurrectionary anarchist also had a great impact on this specific tendency, writing such works as "Armed Joy," "The Anarchist Tension," and others. In the US, Willful Disobedience, Killing King Abacus, and other magazines caused interest in insurrectionary anarchism to grow. Although insurrectionary anarchists are generally interested in class struggle anarchism, in the US, many insurrectionary anarchists consider themselves to be primitivists, or green anarchists, as well.

Related Topics:
Alfredo M. Bonanno - Primitivists

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Post-anarchism

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The term post-anarchism was originated by Saul Newman in his book "From Bakunin to Lacan: Antiauthoritarianism and the Dislocation of Power" to refer to a theoretical move towards a synthesis of classical anarchist theory and poststructuralist thought. In this sense it has similarities with post-Marxism associated with Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffee. Subsequent to Newman's use of the term, however, it has taken on a life of its own and a wide range of ideas including autonomism, post-left anarchy, situationism, post-colonialism and Zapatismo have been suggested for inclusion under the rubric. Others have argued that the term "poststructuralist anarchism" is preferable in order to maintain an unbroken link with the anarchist heritage.

Related Topics:
Poststructuralist - Ernesto Laclau - Autonomism - Post-left anarchy - Situationism - Post-colonialism

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By its very nature post-anarchism rejects the idea that it should be a coherent set of doctrines and beliefs. As such it is difficult, if not impossible, to state with any degree of certainty who should or shouldn't be grouped under the rubric. Nonetheless key thinkers associated with post-anarchism include Saul Newman, Todd May, Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari.

Related Topics:
Saul Newman - Todd May - Gilles Deleuze - Felix Guattari

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The Postanarchism Clearinghouse is probably the best place to start for anyone wanting to find out more.

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Post-left anarchy

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Post-left anarchy (anarchy often used instead of "anarchism" to avoid the connotations of doctrine that the -ism suffix brings) is a more recent current in anarchist thought that seeks to distance itself from the traditional "left" - communists, liberals, social democrats, etc. - and to escape the confines of ideology in general. It has rapidly developed since the fall of the Soviet Union, which many view as the death of authoritarian leftism. It is not an independent "movement" as such but rather a critical way of thinking about anarchist ideas.

Related Topics:
Ideology - Soviet Union

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Post-leftists argue that anarchism has been weakened by its long attachment to contrary "leftist" movements and single issue causes (anti-war, anti-nuclear, etc.). It calls for a synthesis of anarchist thought and a specifically anti-authoritarian revolutionary movement outside of the leftist milieu. It often focuses on the individual rather than speaking in terms of class or other broad generalizations and shuns organizational tendencies. Total individual liberation is a key focus, rather than merely economic liberation.

Related Topics:
Anti-war - Anti-nuclear

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Important groups and individuals associated with Post-left anarchy include: CrimethInc, the magazine and its editor Jason McQuinn, Bob Black, and others. For more information, see Infoshop.org's Anarchy After Leftism section, and the Post-left section on anarchism.ws.

Related Topics:
CrimethInc - Jason McQuinn - Bob Black

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Small 'a' anarchism

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The term "small 'a' anarchism" has been used in two different, but not unconnected contexts.

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Dave Neal posited the term in opposition to big 'A' Anarchism in the article Anarchism: Ideology or Methodology?. While big 'A' Anarchism referred to ideological Anarchists, small 'a' anarchism was applied to their methodological counterparts; those who viewed anarchism as "a way of acting, or a historical tendency against illegitimate authority." As an anti-ideological position, small 'a' anarchism shares some similarities with post-left anarchy, while Neal's insistence that it entails a rejection of the idea that there can be an "ultimate Truth" recalls the poststructuralist turns of post-anarchism (see above).

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David Graeber and Andrej Grubacic offer an alternative use of the term, applying it to groups and movements organising according to or acting in a manner consistent with anarchist principles of decentralisation, voluntary association, mutual aid, the network model, and crucially, "the rejection of any idea that the end justifies the means, let alone that the business of a revolutionary is to seize state power and then begin imposing one's vision at the point of a gun." http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=41&ItemID=4796 Graeber and Grubacic do not offer a comprehensive list of groups within this rubric, but suggest that it includes the likes of autonomism, Zapatismo and radical democracy. It should be stressed that many of these groups do not describe themselves as "anarchist", perhaps deliberately, and are grouped instead on the basis of what they do, implying that the criteria for inclusion are similar to those articulated by Neal.

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It is unclear how far the term has been picked up by the wider anarchist movement, but it does help to clarify and begin to explain some of the conflicts and disagreements within contemporary anarchism.

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Crypto-anarchism

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Crypto-anarchism is a philosophy that expounds the use of strong public key cryptography to enforce privacy and therefore individual freedom. Crypto-anarchists aim to create virtual communities where everyone is absolutely anonymous or pseudonymous.

Related Topics:
Philosophy - Public key - Cryptography - Privacy - Freedom - Anonymous - Pseudonymous

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Technological anarchism

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Some anarchists see information technology as the way to replace hierarchy, defeat monopoly, and prevent war, and support culture jamming in particular as a way to do so. Some writers — particularly Iain M. Banks, who has written quite extensively in the science fiction genre about The Culture, a futuristic society which has disposed of government — have theorised that anarchism would be inevitable with the technological advances that would make travelling and living in space plausible http://www.cs.bris.ac.uk/~stefan/culture.html. The Electro-anarchy Collective poses a similar theory that technological power will naturally overthrow human government (although some question their anarchist credentials, claiming that technological governance is no less oppressive than human governance).

Related Topics:
Information technology - Culture jamming - Iain M. Banks - Science fiction - The Culture - Travelling

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It has also been argued that the free software movement is an example of anarchic organization, this being an example not of hierarchical business, but of voluntary association for the production of a good.

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See also Crypto-anarchism and Cypherpunk.

Related Topics:
Crypto-anarchism - Cypherpunk

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Utopian anarchism

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A Utopian anarchist believes, primarily, that nothing is static, everything is relative, and constantly affecting everything else. However, purpose is important, as is progress of purpose, and progress towards fulfillment of purpose. A Utopian anarchist is always thinking of the end desire, and makes decisions through life keeping this context in mind.

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Much stress is put upon developing education and evolution. Through free association, a complex web of desires and goals will be strived for, each influencing and perhaps assisting one another in our paths.

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The system strives for perfection, through unified diversity. Any static system will have flaws, and flaws fester. If one brushes one's teeth the same way every day, what happens to the missed spot?

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Some critics perceive a lack of safety in the absence of enforced moral judgment. One Utopian anarchist response would be to consider this an issue with ego and desire for personal power and appreciation.

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Spiritual Anarchism

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Spiritual Anarchism, or Divine Anarchy, was originally expressed by the political revolutionary, poet and yogi Sri Aurobindo during the First World War in a series of articles published in the Arya, and later made available in two books, The Human Cycle and The Ideal of Human Unity. The exaggerations of both individualistic and communistic streams of anarchist thought are harmonized by going beyond the vital and intellectual foundations of most other schools of anarchism and rooting itself firmly in the spiritual realization and dynamic perfection of the individual and universal godhead in the race.

Related Topics:
Sri Aurobindo - First World War

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A spiritual anarchist holds that a perfect form of social organization can only be achieved by governing our individual and collective life by a higher light than the intellectual reason, a deeper law of solidarity and oneness than emotional or mental bonds of association.

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It is a spiritual, an inner freedom that can alone create a perfect human order. It is a spiritual, a greater than the rational enlightenment that can alone illumine the vital nature of man and impose harmony on its self-seekings, antagonisms and discords. A deeper brotherhood, a yet unfound law of love is the only sure foundation possible for a perfect social evolution, no other can replace it. But this brotherhood and love will not proceed by the vital instincts or the reason where they can be met, baffled or deflected by opposite reasonings and other discordant instincts. Nor will it found itself in the natural heart of man where there are plenty of other passions to combat it. It is in the soul that it must find its roots; the love which is founded upon a deeper truth of our being, the brotherhood or, let us say,?for this is another feeling than any vital or mental sense of brotherhood, a calmer more durable motive-force,?the spiritual comradeship which is the expression of an inner realisation of oneness. For so only can egoism disappear and the true individualism of the unique godhead in each man found itself on the true communism of the equal godhead in the race; for the Spirit, the inmost Self, the universal Godhead in every being is that whose very nature of diverse oneness it is to realise the perfection of its individual life and nature in the existence of all, in the universal life and nature. ?Sri Aurobindo, The Human Cycle

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