AUT: Anarchism & Conflicts

[Jamal Hannah <jah@xxxxxxx>]

On Sun, 19 Dec 1999, rc-am wrote:

> but there is a question i want to ask, and you might be able to help:  can
> you (or maybe chucko) outline to me a little what the major debates amongst
> anarchists over the last few years have been?  is the issue of
> violence/non-violence a biggy?  or technology?  or?
>
> Angela

The major debates in the anarchist movement have been, at least in the US,
about Organization. Some anarchists would like to have anarchists belong
to formal organizations with paid membership and a statement of
principles. Others (seems like most) feel that it's best that we stick to
small, informal groups and keep it at that.

There was a problem a few years ago with anarchism drifting too far
towards postmodernism and away from class struggle.  This problems seems
to have now been resolved as all anarchists recognize capitalism as the
enemy, it's just that some place different priority on fighting it.

There also was a debate about class struggle organizing verses personal
lifestyle change... as with the above, this seems to have been reolved.

There is now a lot of attacks, however, from the "lifestylist" branch of
anarchism, perticularly Anarchy magazine, on "workerist" anarchists.  I
think this is mostly anger over a book that Murray Bookchin wrote called
"Social Anarchism or Lifestyle Anarchism: An Unbridgeable Chasm"... the
shrill denounciations are going so far as to attack anarcho-syndicalism,
Noam Chomsky, and anything associated with the traditional anarchist
position.  I dont know if this "post leftist" anarchy will catch on or if
it will simply alienate Anarchy magazine from most anarchists, who dislike
infighting.

There are other debates too.. anarcho-syndicalism vs. anarcho-communism,
and the debate around the anarchist "Platform", but these are mostly
acedemic.

In Europe, the anarcho-syndicalist movement has split several times over
the issue of collaboration with the government in a limited way.
It is a very difficult issue to resolve because on one hand, we could have
a larger movement if we collaborated with the government a little and
became more "mainstream"... but on the other hand, if we stuck strongl;y
and rigidly to our principles, we could live outside contradiction, yet
has a small and innefectual movement.

Anyway, thats the way I've seen things...

 - Jamal




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