Everything about Post-left Anarchy totally explained
Post-left anarchy is a recent current in
anarchist thought that promotes a critique of anarchism's relationship to traditional
leftism. Some post-leftists seek to escape the confines of
ideology in general. Post-left anarchy is marked by a focus on social insurrection and a rejection of leftist social organisation. It has rapidly developed since the fall of the
Soviet Union, which many view as the death of
authoritarian leftism.
Arguments
The left, even the revolutionary left, post-leftists argue, is anachronistic and incapable of creating change. Post-left anarchy offers critiques of radical strategies and tactics which it considers antiquated: the demonstration, class-oriented struggle, focus on tradition, and the inability to escape the confines of history. The book
Anarchy in the Age of Dinosaurs, for example, criticizes traditional leftist ideas and classical anarchism while calling for a rejuvenated anarchist movement. The
CrimethInc. essay "Your Politics Are Boring as Fuck" is another critique of "leftist" movements:
» "Why has the oppressed
proletariat not come to its senses and joined you in your fight for world liberation? ... [Because] they know that your antiquated styles of protest — your marches, hand held signs, and gatherings — are now powerless to effect real change because they've become such a predictable part of the status quo. They know that your
post-Marxist jargon is off-putting because it really is a language of mere academic dispute, not a weapon capable of undermining systems of control..."
Some
post-anarchists have come to similar conclusions, if for different reasons. In
From Bakunin to Lacan,
Saul Newman remarks:
» "There is a certain litany of oppressions which most radical theories are obliged to pay homage to. Why is it when someone is asked to talk about radical politics today one inevitably refers to this same tired, old list of struggles and identities? Why are we so unimaginative politically that we can't think outside of this 'shopping list' of oppressions?" (p. 171)
Conflicts with leftism
Advocates of post-left anarchy 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 authoritarian leftist milieu. It sometimes focuses on the individual rather than speaking in terms of
class and in some cases shuns organizational tendencies in favor of attempts at absence of hierarchy, with some attention paid to the idea that informal, unstructured groups tend to create informal hierarchies.
The authoritarian left, post-leftists argue, is anachronistic and incapable of creating change. Several post-leftists have also argued that an essential element of authoritarian leftism is a reliance on "compulsory moralism". Such socialized
value judgements perpetuate
alienation and an inability on the part of individuals to think critically. Post-leftists believe that anarchism necessitates organic, subjectively derived self-theory.
Proponents and detractors
Groups and individuals associated with Post-left anarchism include
CrimethInc.,
Jason McQuinn, Bob Black, and the magazines and
Green Anarchy. The ideas associated with post-left anarchy have been criticized by other anarchists, notably
Murray Bookchin, whose polemic,, attacks these recent trends in anarchist thinking, and advocates a traditional focus on class struggle.
Bob Black wrote a book in response to Bookchin's arguments called
Anarchy After Leftism, an important post-leftist work. Anarcho-communists have also criticized post-leftist thinking.
Related topics
Further Information
Get more info on 'Post-left Anarchy'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://post-left_anarchy.totallyexplained.com">Post-left anarchy Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
