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Recent articles by Carl Eugene Stroud
Propaganda, solidarity, education 1 comments How do you say especifismo in English? 0 comments Revolutionary Group Praxis in Social Anarchism 2 comments Recent Articles about North America / Mexico Anarchist movementIn Support of “Turning the Tide” Aug 02 23 El movimiento Apr 25 23 Are Anarchists Socialists? Feb 18 20 A Companion to the English Translation of Social Anarchism and Organisation
north america / mexico |
anarchist movement |
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Saturday October 09, 2021 04:20 by Carl Eugene Stroud
This is a companion to Social Anarchism and Organisation by the Anarchist Federation of Rio de Janeiro. All of the references are to only that text which has become essential reading for social anarchists today. This article summarizes, paraphrases and interprets the original. It is meant to be an addition to the English language discourse on especifismo and social anarchism generally, as well as the FARJ text in particular. There is a link to an audio version with a slideshow presentation at the end.
“political practice in different camps requires that the anarchist organisation divides itself into fronts, which are the internal groups that carry out social work” (43). If political space is not intentionally occupied by anarchist militants, it will inevitably be occupied by other ideological forces which may or may not coincide with the revolutionary aims of the class struggle. These forces could potentially defend the status quo from inside the movement, promote reforms within the oppressive system, and/or co-opt the movement for opportunistic political gains. The various fronts of a specific anarchist organization can specialize in their point of engagement, allowing them to hold positions that would be impossible for larger, popular organizations to maintain (43). The specific anarchist organization has responsibilities ranging from education to social work, necessitating a constant study of theory and modification of strategy. This is work done by individuals, using the tool of the specific political group, not on their own. Militants need to be educated mutually by each other or this ideological and theoretical unity will inevitably be short lived. However, during this perpetual education process, there have to be constant efforts made by the active minority to stay connected to and part of popular, less ideologically specific, social groups (41). Libertarian Socialism: Perpetuating Equality and Promoting Egalitarianism Revolution brings about the end of one thing and necessitates the beginning of something else, but the objective of building a new society cannot really be distinguished from the work of destroying the old regime. The practice of developing and transforming society today has to be combined with a theoretically specific long-term objective. Social anarchism attempts to solve this problem by using the distant horizon to orient immediate action and inform short-term priorities. In this way, libertarian socialism is a universal guiding point for particular instances of struggle. The need to take political positions today is related to the universal and abstract final objective, just as the actions of mass movements are indistinguishable from the actions of individuals (22). A libertarian socialist society would consist of the organizing of equals interested in perpetuating equality and promoting egalitarianism. By contrast, under a capitalist regime, equality and rights are principles that will inevitably be interpreted by the controlling elite, in courts and in workplaces. Since capitalist society organizes itself around the interests of private property, all relations in society begin to define themselves through that lens. This means that in disputes between bosses and employees, a capitalist state will predictably side with the interests of property because wealth perpetuates capitalism and ensures the privileged rights of capitalists within the state. This, in turn, protects the state from being overtaken by the rich since they have no need to sabotage the legal veil of neutrality established by representative democracy (25). If there were no centralized state power, the people would have to take charge of the economic and political decisions of society themselves, but who exactly are “the people?” In Social Anarchism and Organisation, the Federação Anarquista do Rio de Janeiro (FARJ) defines the self-managers of society as workers and consumers, asserting that: “The workers create the social product and the consumers enjoy it. In these two functions, mediated by distribution, the people are responsible for economic and political life, having to decide what to produce, and the consumers what to consume. The local structures of libertarian socialism in which workers and consumers [organize] themselves are the workers’ and consumers’ councils” (25). This establishes three domains of the future economy to be coordinated by these councils: the production, the distribution, and the consumption. No one person made (or developed the knowledge necessary to make) the property that supposedly belongs to an elite few. This is also true in regard to the implementation of this property, which, for the worker or the peasant, is a lived experience. In cultivating the land, just as in utilizing private means of production, labor deserves its share of the value that is produced. However, the material lives of the exploited classes are not protected by property rights. People who do not own property are keenly aware of the direct use value of their personal possessions. Whether it’s the roof over their heads or the clothes on their backs, thoughts of possessions occupy their fears and their dreams. And for the exploited, possessions include jobs because quantified work, broken up into increments of time, can itself become a possession when converted into money. Currently, however, possession is an insufficient basis for organizing society because, under capitalism, in addition to personal possessions, some people also own property which itself earns money, simply through its use and existence. This is something that possessions cannot do. Collectivization in a communist society would be an extension of personal possession to the point of abolishing private property (25). A revolutionary transformation in society will not be a seamless process. Overall production in the global economy will inevitably be affected. So, the people will have to solve the problems of production in a socialist system by using technology, not to benefit owners through reduction of labor costs, but instead, to meet the consuming needs of society without occupying the time (and therefore the life) of exploited workers. In a libertarian socialist society, thanks to the elimination of artificially fabricated unemployment and the reduced demands on workers created by labor-saving technology, people will be freed up to spend their time doing a kind of work that they find rewarding. In their free time, some people will choose to occupy themselves with politics and democratic decision making; other people may spend their free time solving the logistical problems of organizing a complex, federalized society; but everyone will have the freedom to spend their time as they see fit, without fear of coercion or retribution (27-28). In describing this society, FARJ explains that: “[…] all those that are able to would need to work, there no longer being unemployment, and the work would be able to be performed in accordance with personal ability and disposition. People will no longer be obliged to accept anything under threat of experiencing want and not attaining their minimum living conditions. Children, the elderly and those unable to work will be assured a dignified life without depravation, all their needs being met. For the most tedious tasks or those perceived as unpleasant, in some cases, there could be rotations or alternations. Even in the case of the carrying out of production, where the co-ordination of some specialists is needed, rotations in function and a commitment to the training of other workers with similar skills will also be necessary for more complex tasks” (24). Rotating and alternating tasks, sharing responsibilities, and mentoring are all examples of the dynamic participation that will be needed in reorganizing society. The priorities of the revolution cannot be inflexible and uncompromising, even if it is expected of militants to remain diligent and principled. Today, if it is a radical proposal that workers receive just compensation for their labor, then it is obvious that a communist final objective, that of distributing the benefits of production based on need, remains beyond the scope of most people’s imagination, much less their priorities. We must be dynamic and develop workable plans for immediate gains, and it is in the process of realizing these gains that we will develop the political unity and social force necessary to realize the ambition of a mass revolutionary movement (27). Bibliography Federação Anarquista do Rio de Janeiro - FARJ, Social Anarchism and Organisation, trans. Jonathan Payn, (Brazil: 1st FARJ Congress, August 2008). |
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As a result of these meetings and debates, we are proud to finally announce the existence of Prairie Struggle Organization based in Regina. To hopefully start a dialogue with anarchists in the west of Canada and beyond, we feel it important to let you know why anarchist politics in Regina are taking this direction. M1 Mayday Statement 23:54 Mon 30 Apr 0 comments Since May 1, 2006 we have seen a slow opening up of mass struggles on a scale not seen in recent memory, amplified by the silent economic crash in 2008. From the massive day without an immigrant to the historic Arab Spring; the Wisconsin workers uprising to the prisoners strikes in Georgia and California; Occupy Wall Street to the rallies for Justice for Trayvon Martin; General strikes of students in Chile and Quebec and of workers in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. People committed to real change cannot help but feel the wind in our sails. 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Jeff Jones of the Weather Underground wrote the forward. This excerpt is from Neither Washington Nor Stowe: A Libertarian Socialist Manifesto. the excerpt is the full table of contents for Dispatches. more >>Press Advisory- N.Y. City Anarchist Bookfair Apr 16, 2016 Jan 04 NYC Anarchist Bookfair Collective 1 comments NYC ANARCHIST BOOKFAIR - 10th anniversary Prairie Struggle is Dead and the Struggle Continues Jun 03 Regina Collective 1 comments As much as this pains those who have participated in the anarchist communist experience between 2011 and 2014 in the Canadian prairies, today, Prairie Struggle announces its official secession and subsequent disbandment. To this day, Prairie Struggle was the only specific platformist organization in the Canadians prairies. Though some may recall the existence of an anarchist communist group in Regina affiliated to the ACF (Anarchist Communist Federation of North America) in the 80s, organized anarchism in the prairies has had many difficulties, some of which the Prairie Struggle Project has failed to overcome. Despite its downfall, Prairie Struggle, for one last time, offers a look into the organization, its failures and its small victories. New Atlanta Anarchist Blog Nov 13 Heat Index 0 comments Announcing the Heat Index blog at www.heatindexatl.info Workers Solidarity Alliance Holds 2012 Continental Conference Aug 23 Workers Solidarity Alliance 0 comments A post-conference report from the Workers Solidarity Alliance's 2012 Gathering in St. Louis MO M1 Mayday Statement Apr 30 First of May Anarchist Alliance 0 comments Since May 1, 2006 we have seen a slow opening up of mass struggles on a scale not seen in recent memory, amplified by the silent economic crash in 2008. From the massive day without an immigrant to the historic Arab Spring; the Wisconsin workers uprising to the prisoners strikes in Georgia and California; Occupy Wall Street to the rallies for Justice for Trayvon Martin; General strikes of students in Chile and Quebec and of workers in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. People committed to real change cannot help but feel the wind in our sails. People are rising and refusing, struggles are igniting, common ground is revealing itself, we are beginning to feel and take back our power, everywhere. |