Non-anarchist Anarchisms and Anarchisms of Non-anarchist Origin in Contemporary Political Thought (original) (raw)

(with J. Chapman), Anarchism and Political Philosophy An Introduction, Nomos Vol 19 Anarchism

Part I recognizes diversity of thinking appropriately by offeri several contrasting perspectives on anarchism. We open with Joh P. Clark's effort at definition. He discerns a theme common to all varieties of anarchist thought. "In both social and individualist anarchism. .. the view prevails that people have a great potential for voluntaristic action, and ability to overcome the use of violence and coercion." Of particular concern to Clark is that a definition take account of historical movements as well as theoretical formula tions. By considering both theory and practice, he says, the error of treating anarchist doctrines as inherently unrealistic and Utopian is avoided. "The distinctive characteristic of anarchist programs is that they institute an immediate movement in the direction of voluntarism and antiauthoritarianism." Central to Clark's defini tional analysis, then, is the idea that anarchism is just as much a call to action as it is a critique of the established order. In the next chapter, James M. Buchanan presents quite a different interpretation. In apparent contradistinction to Clark's

Anarchism and Philosophy: A Critical Introduction

Brill's Companion to Anarchism and Philosophy, ed. Nathan Jun, 2017

For use by the Author only | © 2018 Koninklijke Brill NV Disputes over the meaning of "anarchism" are sometimes reducible to disputes over specific definitions-as when Jones defines anarchism as a philosophy that rejects all authority as such, whereas Smith defines it more narrowly as a philosophy that regards all states as illegitimate. In this case, Jones and Smith agree on the general kind of which anarchism is a particular instance but disagree about how it differs from all other instances of that kind. This is in marked contrast with disputes over whether anarchism should be considered an ideology,4 a political philosophy,5 a social system,6 a theory of organization,7

Political Theory and History: The Case of Anarchism

The Journal of Political Ideologies, 2015

This essay critically examines one of the dominant tendencies in recent theoretical discussions of anarchism, postanarchism, and argues that this tradition fails to engage sufficiently with anarchism's history. Through an examination of late nineteenth-century anarchist political thought--as represented by one of its foremost exponents, Peter Kropotkin--we demonstrate the extent to which postanarchism has tended to oversimplify and misrepresent the historical tradition of anarchism. The article concludes by arguing that all political-theoretical discussions of anarchism going forward should begin with a fresh appraisal of the actual content of anarchist political thought, based on a rigorous analysis of its political, social, and cultural history.

Contemporary Anarchism as an Alternative to the Dominant Narrative about the Western World

Politeja, 2022

The subject of this article is anarchism interpreted as a form of opposition and an alternative to the dominant narrative about the contemporary Western world. The aim of the article is to indicate the areas that shape the dominant narrative about the world and the methods and arguments used by anarchists in attempts to disrupt this narrative by creating their own narrative. The author formulated a hypothesis according to which European anarchism defined the idea of freedom in opposition to the concept of freedom inherent in liberal democracy and consumerism, redefined democracy, criticized the tendencies inherent in modern politics, such as European integration and militarism, as well as the spread of economic patterns inherent in neoliberalism and materialistic and consumerist attitudes of modern societies. The method used to verify this hypothesis is an aspectual analysis carried out in the context of the above mentioned problems on the basis of program documents, propaganda texts and journalism of the contemporary anarchist movement in Europe.

Review: Anarchism Revisited: A New Philosophy

Diacritics, 1978

One can well see how, beneath all the democratic and socialistic phrases and promises of Herr Marx's programme, there survives in his State everything that contributes to the truly despotic and brutal nature of all States, whatever their forms of government, and that in the last resort, the People's State so strongly recommended by Herr Marx, and the aristocratic-monarchic State maintained with such skill and power by Herr Bismarck, are completely identical in the nature of both their internal and external aims. Externally there is the same deployment of military power, which means conquest; internally, there is the same employment of armed forces, the last argument of all threatened political powers, against the masses who, tired of always believing, hoping, accepting and obeying, rise in rebellion.-Michael Bakunin GCS: It is not often our privilege to write on writers recently treated by Newsweek, Playboy (frangais), Der Spiegel, Time: Bernard-Henri L6vy,

Anarchism - Essay for The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Social and Political Movements

The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Social and Political Movements, 2013

Anarchism refers to a tradition of social and political thought that in the 1860s emerged as an organized political force. Since then, anarchism has inspired protests, organizations and movements, mainly in Europe, Russia and the Americas, but also in other parts of the world. While it may be difficult to talk of ‘one’ anarchist movement, a distinct anarchist current within the history of the labor movement can be identified as well as anarchist tendencies and groups within other social movements. The term ‘anarchy’ comes from the Greek an-arkhos, meaning ‘without a leader or ruler’. It was first used in a positive sense, being identified as the ideal form of government, in Pierre- Joseph Proudhon’s (1809-1865) What Is Property? (1840). Proudhon, Mikhail Bakunin (1814-1876) and Pyotr Kropotkin (1842-1921) pioneered a broad tradition which has developed in a variety of forms. These range from varying interpretations of how to organize society in economic terms to the more basic distinction between social anarchism and currents farther removed from collective action (e.g. philosophical, individualist, and spiritual anarchism) as well as more specific variations around forms of organization, of action, the use of violence, and so on. In spite of this rich variety, anarchism can be identified by its strong commitment to individual freedom and sovereignty, the opposition to any form of oppression, domination and authority, the promotion of voluntary, decentralized and non-hierarchical associations, and the use of forms of direct action that prefigure a freer society with more solidarity and respect for individual self government.

Anarchism as the road to peace and order

Several misconceptions that have surrounded anarchism gave it an eerily glow and associated it with malevolent concepts, blood, and violence. Firstly, it is sometimes synonymized with anarchy. Secondly, there is an assumption that all tendencies of anarchism are socialist (on the left of the political spectrum.) That is, theoretically at least, untrue. The purpose of this paper is to clear this misconception: the misleading similarity in the two concepts of anarchy and anarchism, and in doing so will also be clarifying the stance of extreme right-wing anarchism. As such, the paper will be exploring the claim that anarchism is connected to disorder and chaos, through arguing that while some anarchists were revolutionary and advocated a violent upheaval of the state as the only path to freedom, there are more peaceful anarchist tendencies, also known as anarcho-pacifism which seek to abolish the state for the greater good to achieve peace and order. The paper will do so through a discourse analysis of several original texts for prominent anarchists such as Emma Goldman, Petr Kropotkin, and Pierre Joseph Proudhon. The paper will first seek to define anarchism. It will then begin exploring the several writings of anarchists who promoted human development and the harmonizing of the society and individual. The paper will then use this to denounce individualist anarchism as anarchist at all. The paper will also explore the various commonalities between communism and anarchism to prove its affiliation with political economy and commitment to equality; as opposed to the after-thought notion of equality found in other ideologies such as classical liberalism.

Anarchism: A Conceptual Approach

2018

Anarchism is by far the least broadly understood ideology and the least studied academically. Though highly influential, both historically and in terms of recent social movements, anarchism is regularly dismissed. Anarchism: A Conceptual Approach is a welcome addition to this growing field, which is widely debated but poorly understood. Occupying a distinctive position in the study of anarchist ideology, this volumeauthored by a handpicked group of established and rising scholarsinvestigates how anarchists often seek to sharpen their message and struggle to determine what ideas and actions are central to their identity. Moving beyond defining anarchism as simply an ideology or political theory, this book examines the meanings of its key concepts, which have been divided into three categories: Core, Adjacent, and Peripheral concepts. Each chapter focuses on one important concept, shows how anarchists have understood the concept, and highlights its relationships to other concepts. Although anarchism is often thought of as a political topic, the interdisciplinary nature of Anarchism: A Conceptual Approach makes it of interest to students and scholars across the social sciences, liberal arts, and the humanities.