To mark PPE@10 this feature continues a series of posts to celebrate ten years of Progress in Political Economy (PPE) as a blog that has addressed the worldliness of critical political economy issues since 2014.
Immanuel Wallerstein placed anarchism as one of the four central ideologies of the world-system. However, anarchist movements/spaces have remained understudied by world-systems analysis. This oversight is particularly striking given the significant role anarchist and anarchistic movements have played in shaping global politics and social movements throughout history. In my Master’s dissertation, I addressed this gap by developing a multi-pronged framework to assess anarchist experiments across five key socio-economic dimensions: economy and food production, geopolitics, feminism, education, and healthcare.
In this blog post, I share the framework as developed for each dimension and discuss how anarchist principles can be applied to create alternative social structures to capitalist and oppressive ones. By focusing on these five dimensions, we can better understand the various creative approaches anarchist movements have taken to address social challenges and their potential for transformative change.
Anarchist Theory Across Five Socioeconomic Dimensions
I extensively reviewed anarchist literature for each socio-economic dimension, focusing on classical and contemporary anarchist thinkers. Using qualitative content analysis, I systematically coded vital concepts, ideas, and practices that emerged consistently across various anarchist texts. This process allowed me to distil core anarchist principles for each dimension. These principles are a benchmark against which we can compare the practices of different anarchist movements. Here, I present the fundamental principles of each socio-economic dimension.
Economy and Food Production
Anarchist theory on economy and food production offers a radical alternative to capitalist and state-controlled systems. Drawing from seminal works such as Petr Kropotkin’s ‘The Conquest of Bread’ and ‘Fields, Factories and Workshops’, it emphasises decentralisation, collective ownership, and local autonomy while rejecting hierarchical and profit-driven models. Contemporary scholars like Rob Knowles, Angela Wigger, and Alex Smolski have further developed these ideas. This approach seeks to create an economic system deeply embedded in society, prioritising human needs and ecological sustainability over market demands. The following key principles outline the anarchist vision for economy and food production:
- Non-Capitalist Economy: Anarchist movements should advocate for a non-capitalist economy characterised by not-for-profit production and workers’ control of the means of production. This principle rejects the accumulation of wealth and resources by individuals or corporations and promotes a system where production serves the community’s needs.
- Local Production: Goods should be produced and consumed within the community. Exports and external dependencies should be abolished, fostering self-reliance and reducing ecological footprint.
- Non-hierarchical internal organisation: Anarchist economies should be organised non-hierarchically, with democratic processes ensuring equal rights and responsibilities for all members. Decision-making structures should be established to empower individuals and prevent the concentration of power in the hands of the few.
- Federal External Organisation: While prioritising local autonomy, anarchist movements should build a federal system of external organisation. This involves forming cooperation networks and mutual aid between communities, allowing them to collaborate on larger-scale projects while maintaining independence.
- Integration of Women: Anarchist women should integrate women in all aspects of economic life and ensure they hold decision-making powers. This principle challenges traditional gender roles and promotes equality, recognising women’s vital contributions to community well-being.
- Delinking + Exile: Anarchist movements should seek to delink from the global capitalist system, creating spaces of exile that operate independently of dominant economic structures. This involves building self-sufficient communities that resist exploitation and maintain autonomy from external pressures.
Geopolitics
Anarchist geopolitics radically reimagines spatial relationships and power structures, challenging traditional state-centric and hierarchical models. This approach, rooted in the seminal works of Elisee Reclus, emphasises decentralisation, autonomy, and non-hierarchical organisation. With Simon Springer’s ‘Why A Radical Geography Must Be Anarchist’, contemporary scholars have further developed these ideas, contrasting capitalist and Marxist conceptions of geopolitical order. Anarchist geopolitics critiques existing power structures and proposes alternative ways of understanding and organising space, emphasising local autonomy while fostering global solidarity. The following key principles outline the anarchist vision for geopolitics:
- Prefigurative Politics: Anarchist movements should practice prefigurative politics by embodying the social and political structures they wish to see. This involves creating and maintaining autonomous zones and communities that operate independently of state control.
- Critical Knowledge Production: Anarchist geopolitics emphasises the importance of critical knowledge production, which involves disseminating information that supports the movement’s objectives. This principle challenges dominant narratives and power structures and promotes the movement’s goals and ideals. By fostering a culture of critical inquiry and open dialogue, anarchist movements can empower communities to resist oppressive systems.
- Rhizomatic Justice Network: An essential aspect of anarchist geopolitics, rhizomatic justice networks are characterised by mutual partnerships and non-hierarchical relationships. This involves building horizontal connections between communities and movements, facilitating cooperation across different contexts. By creating decentralised support networks, anarchists strengthen their capacity to challenge global power dynamics and promote social justice.
Feminism
Anarcho-feminism represents a radical approach to gender equality that goes beyond the scope of mainstream feminist movements. Emma Goldman (‘Anarchism and Other Essays’) and Lucy Parsons laid the groundwork for anarcho-feminism, combining anti-authoritarianism with critiques of patriarchy. Contemporary scholars like Chiara Bottici, Umaima Miraj, and Colin Wright have expanded these ideas. Anarcho-feminism combines anarchist principles of anti-authoritarianism and rejection of hierarchies with feminist critiques of patriarchy and gender-based oppression. This intersection creates a unique perspective that sees the liberation of women as inextricably linked to the dismantling of all forms of domination, including the state, capitalism, and other systemic oppressions. The following key principles outline the anarcho-feminist vision:
- Anti-Capitalist Critique: Anarcho-feminism presents a robust critique of capitalism, arguing that economic structures perpetuate gender inequality. Unlike arguments focused solely on social mobility, anarcho-feminists emphasise dismantling capitalist systems that exploit and marginalise women. This principle highlights the need for a holistic approach to feminism that simultaneously addresses economic and social injustices.
- Rejection of Patriarchy: Anarcho-feminism views patriarchy as intrinsically linked to capitalism and the state, forming a triad of oppression that must be dismantled. This principle emphasises the interconnectedness of these systems and the necessity of addressing them collectively to achieve genuine gender equality.
- Critique of Other Feminisms: Anarcho-feminism critiques liberal and neoliberal feminism for their limited focus on individual empowerment and social mobility within existing structures. It challenges the notion that gender equality can be achieved without fundamentally altering the economic and political systems that sustain inequality.
- Non-hierarchical organisation: Central to anarcho-feminism is the commitment to non-hierarchical organisation, which promotes democratic processes and rejects elitism. It advocates for inclusive and participatory decision-making structures that empower all individuals, regardless of gender, to contribute equally to social and political life.
Education
Anarchist education challenges the notion of neutral pedagogy, asserting that all education is inherently ideological. Francisco Ferrer’s ‘Modern School’ movement laid the groundwork for anarchist education, emphasising autonomy and non-hierarchy. In contemporary times, Judith Suissa’s work has further developed the philosophical foundations of anarchist pedagogy. Anarchist education aligns educational practices with anarchist autonomy, non-hierarchy, and direct action principles. It aims to cultivate critical thinking and resistance to oppressive structures. The following key principles outline the anarchist vision for education:
- Critique-based Theoretical Curriculum: Anarchist movements should build an explicitly anti-capitalist and anti-statist curriculum. This involves developing educational content that critically examines and challenges dominant economic and political structures, encouraging students to question and resist systems of oppression.
- Prefigurative Practical Curriculum: In addition to theoretical critique, anarchist education should engage students in activities and projects that embody the values of the desired future society, such as cooperative learning, community service, and participatory decision-making.
- Non-hierarchical Teacher-Student Relationship: Anarchist education should seek to dismantle traditional hierarchies between teachers and students, promoting dialogical action and controlled paternalism. This principle fosters an environment where educators and learners collaborate as equals.
- Non-hierarchical school structure: Anarchist education institutions should be organised non-hierarchically, with democratic processes and collective decision-making involving the entire community. This involves supporting the creation of schools where students, teachers, and community members work together to shape educational policies and practices
Healthcare
Anarchist healthcare radically reimagines medical practices and health systems, challenging capitalist societies’ hierarchical and market-driven approaches. Murray Bookchin’s works on social ecology emphasise the interconnectedness of human health with social and environmental factors. Contemporary authors like Ryan Essex and Marcus Hill have also explored applying anarchist principles to alternative healthcare systems, including for mental health and community care. Anarchist healthcare, thus, emphasises community-based, non-hierarchical structures prioritising solidarity, mutual aid, and holistic well-being over profit and medical authority. It seeks to empower individuals and communities to manage their health. The following key principles outline the anarchist vision for healthcare:
- Holistic Healthcare: Anarchist movements should advocate for a holistic approach to healthcare that critically examines capitalism’s role in producing health inequalities. They should emphasise preventative care and integration of social, environmental, and economic factors in health practices, aiming to address the root causes of health disparities rather than merely treating symptoms.
- Non-Categorical Language: An essential aspect of anarchist healthcare is using non-categorical language, which avoids labelling patients in ways that reinforce stigmas or hierarchies. Anarchist movements should promote a more inclusive and respectful approach to healthcare, recognising individuals as whole persons rather than reducing them to their medical conditions.
- Anti-statist: Anarchist healthcare systems should be based in the community and operate independently of state control. Movements should support the development of local health initiatives responsive to the community’s specific needs and contexts, fostering self-reliance and reducing dependency on state-run services.
- Non-hierarchical Organisation: Central to anarchist healthcare is the commitment to non-hierarchical organisation, where healthcare providers and patients engage in democratic, collective decision-making. Movements should create an environment of mutual respect and collaboration, empowering individuals to take an active role in managing their health.
Conclusion
By developing these frameworks, I have sought to provide a structured approach to understanding the complexities and potentials of anarchist movements. These frameworks are grounded in the principles of non-capitalist structures, decentralisation, anti-patriarchy, and non-hierarchical organisation and offer a lens through which to evaluate the effectiveness and sustainability of anarchist practices. In my dissertation, I applied them to three distinct case studies: the anarchists in the Spanish Civil War, the Zapatistas, and Rojava. Each movement provided unique insights into applying anarchist principles with different historical and cultural contexts.
While the Spanish Civil War anarchists ambitiously sought to establish a society based on anarchist ideals, their efforts were often constrained by external repression and internal contradictions. In contrast, the Zapatistas and Rojava have demonstrated a more consistent adherence to anarchist principles across all dimensions, showcasing their potential to inspire social change. For those intrigued by how these modern movements have aligned more closely with anarchist ideals than their historical counterparts, my dissertation delves deeper into the intricacies of these comparisons. It reveals how the Zapatistas and Rojava have successfully navigated the challenges of repression and maintained their commitment to anarchist praxis.
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