I highly recommend "An Anarchist FAQ" :
https://www.anarchistfaq.org/afaq/index.html
This FAQ is what turned me to an Anarchist.
Are you an Anarchist? The answer might surprise you!
Rules:
See also:
I highly recommend "An Anarchist FAQ" :
https://www.anarchistfaq.org/afaq/index.html
This FAQ is what turned me to an Anarchist.
Seconding this.
AFAQ gives overviews on topics with a lot of quoting from books and essays. It often notes that a book is 'essential reading' for a certain topic.
So it's not only an informative read in itself, it's a great source for people looking for reading recommendations.
Awesome, thanks! Sounds a lot like what I've been looking for
You may join local IWW, help with local food not bombs, go to some anarchist bookfair near you etc. About theory, there is a website called the anarchist library with a lot of books concerning anarchism for free!
Thanks for the tips! I've found a mutual aid group in my city and apparently there's a food not bombs chapter here too. I've looked through the anarchist Library a few times but their search function isn't the greatest and being pretty new to leftist ideology, anarchism in particular, a lot of the authors are completely unfamiliar to me. I'm not sure if what I'll be digging into is any good and/or too much for me to wrap my head around. I was hoping to find the general consensus among anarchists of where to start, what to look into, etc. so id be able to read more confidently and with most of the basics covered
I haven't read any anarchist books myself yet, but I have read plenty of shorter texts I found online (mostly from The Anarchist Library).
Here are a few I found to be worth a read (in no particular order):
Since you already read The Conquest of Bread I decided to leave out most of Kropotkin's shorter texts, as I assume that you should already be familiar with his ideas and principles.
Although not anarchists, I still find many libertarian Marxists to be pretty insightful as well (some may as well be Anarchists in denial). Anton Pannekoek's and Rosa Luxemburg's works being some I really enjoy reading.
I also have What is Anarchism? (by Alexander Berkman) and Anarcho-Syndicalism (by Rudolf Rocker) standing on my bookshelf, but I haven't gotten around to reading them quite yet. If they sound interesting enough you could give them a try.
Thanks! I'll check them out
first off, I'm a Marxist but y'all are my comrades, so my suggestions are coming from the outside but these are a couple pieces I used when I was finding my feet politically. These are a couple of the works that I found that make a compelling case for anarchism.
https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/errico-malatesta-anarchy
https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/petr-kropotkin-mutual-aid-a-factor-of-evolution and anything else Kropotkin, sounds like you read the bread book and liked it (it's a banger)
https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/anonymous-desert
https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/dean-spade-mutual-aid (haven't read this one but heard good things)
Thank you, I appreciate it! I'm not 100% an anarchist but I've really become enamored with the concept and wanted to dive deeper. It scratches that social libertarian itch that a lot of other leftist ideologies don't spend a lot of time on (at least in my reading so far)
It really does. That is one upshot of anarchism for sure, it provides a framework for individual liberty that right-libertarianism kind of falls flat on by allowing corporate power to influence individuals as a stand-in for a state. Marxism also doesn't scratch that itch, you have to buy in to the need for a balance between the rights of the individual and the rights of the collective (which then come back around and benefit the individual, if all things go according to plan)
On Anarchism, Noam Chomsky.
Fan of Bookchins work myself. I would suggest googling him, and if you're into podcasts: give srsly wrong a listen. Its libertarian socialist thought broken down in a podcast with skits and well humored education/interviews. Their discord also has a fantastic bookclub with live readings and discussion.
An aside, but you should consider crossposting this to !anarchism101@lemmy.ca - it could use the posts!
EDIT: It could use more subscribers, too, of course!
Can do!
In addition to the great suggestions others have already provided, check out Emma Goldman's writings if you haven't already. They might appeal to you and she has some interesting takes.
Here's a good starting point: http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_Archives/goldman/GoldmanCW.html
Sweet, thanks!
My only suggestion is that much of Errico Malatesta's writings are better than Conquest of Bread. Don't take Conquest of Bread too seriously, in my opinion.
Good youtube channels would be nice too. So far i just know of submedia
Noncompete is pretty good, but posts infrequently. They have a sizeable backlog though. He's an intersectionalist ancom if you're curious
Sweet, thanks
Hey, someone posted some more comments in this thread and while I was here I thought of your comment. I just found zoe baker, she's a PHD in anarchism and I've liked a lot of her content. You may be interested in it as well
Thanks! Ill search for her work
I also recommend Renegade Cut, Andrewism and Think That Through.
Sandströms anarchist accounting and most stuff by Öcalan.
I found "At The Café" dialogues by Malatesta to be a very entertaining yet insightful reas, especially when it comes to discussions among leftists about power structures.
Sounds interesting, I'll check it out!
What is Property by Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
The Conquest of Bread by Peter Kropotkin
Luigi Galleani
Emma Goldman
There's a lot. I could make a more comprehensive list when I get done with work, if you'd like.
Awesome, thank you! I'd be happy to hear any other recommendations you have. I'm reading an anarchist programme by Malatesta next, then it's on to anarchy by Malatesta. I might dive a bit deeper into David Graeber's works after that. Bullshit Jobs was fascinating
Some more I thought of, by no means a comprehensive list though. Just what I've read on the subject that appealed to me as I was studying anarchism as a political philosophy.
Statism and Anarchy by Mikhail Bakunin
Anarcho-syndicalism: Theory and Practice by Rudolf Rocker
Mutual Aid by Kropotkin
Trotsky discusses anarchism in Marxism and Ararchism
Nestor Makhno has some interesting writings
Chomsky is good
Émile Armand has some good writings on Individualist Anarchism (he's very anti-conflict though, which I tend to disagree with)
Lastly, something I would strongly recommend if you're new to anarchist thought and philosophy is Anarchism: Arguments For and Against by Albert Meltzer.
I am leaving out tons of great writings and writers/philosophers/theorists (and theories)/poets/etc...
There is a lot out there. Let me know if you have any questions!
Awesome, I appreciate it! Especially the inclusion of something that would seem to have (at least some) criticisms of anarchism. I've been having trouble finding good faith critiques of leftist thought be it Marxism, anarchism, Maoism, etc. Searching "criticism of x" usually results in right wing hit pieces
I’m digging anarchists’ more hands on, pragmatic approach to politics
I saw this post from /all...
But isn't the entire point of anarchy no government, how exactly do you think thats "hands on"?
Or is this one of those things where people have invented new definitions for existing terms like saying the USSR was communist?
There are many disagreeing takes on everything from folks who identify as anarchist, but "no government" doesn't mean "nothing the government does should be done at all."
Instead the idea is to foster organization of society such that relationships of domination are minimized. Some frame this as the development of a much more active and empowered "civil society" of negotiation, production, and problem solving that, in its approach, is fundamentally at odds with and hampered by the authority-oriented organizational model of government.
And the notion of direct action emphasizes the difference between petitioning representatives to change the world on one hand, with taking up responsibility for action and organization yourself on the other.
I think what they mean by hands on is most likely direct action. That would include going to protests and participating in projects of mutual aid.
how exactly do you think thats “hands on”?
It's really simple... the whole idea behind anarchism (and all libertarian socialist thought, for that matter) is to put the power of decision and action back into the hands of communities and not a bunch of far-removed and unaccountable political racketeers (which is essentially how anarchists view "formal" political establishments - and they are entirely correct in this view)
Or is this one of those things where people have invented new definitions
No. Nothing new about it... the meaning behind the term "socialism" (for instance) has always referred to a condition where the workers own the means of production. The big split in the left happened because Marxists believed the state could represent the workers - the Bakuninist anarchists believed the state would simply form a new "political elite" and simply become the new elite repressing the working class. This happened long before the Russian revolution... and subsequent events proved the anarchist side correct beyond a shadow of a doubt.
From my very limited understanding, anarchism can mean many things depending on your ideology and the context of conversation. When I mentioned it being more pragmatic and hands on, I meant in the sense of things like mutual aid or direct action. Instead of waiting for institutions to take the reins on social issues, you and a few buddies just do it instead. People are hungry? Then feed them. Homeless? Build shelters. That sort of thing.
There's also the idea of anarchism being less an ideology, and more a mode of activism. Challenging hierarchies to justify their existence and when they can't, working to dismantle them. I came across this talk by Noam Chomsky about anarchism that kind of made it click for me. That's about all I'm willing to say because I could be wrong or misinformed about these things; but that's where I was coming from.
Please See rule number 4 of this community and if this was really a naive question than please educate yourself about the very basics of Anarchism before posting in this community.
Oh and despite all its failings the USSR never claimed to be communist.
I think anarchism is more about removing hierarchies, including gender roles and man's domination of nature.
The issue is that a governing body is pretty much always formed after some time. Murray Bookchin was an anarchist for a while, before creating a new idea of communalism.
It's essentially the idea of hyper localization, and democratic self-governing of small communities. The communities then delegate an individual to discuss larger issues with neighboring communities.
Bookchin also analyzed previous anarchist rebellions to see how they failed and why. He identified one of the largest contributing factors was that once the previous government's politicians were overthrown, the anarchists refused to "take power" and preferred to do nothing.
While the anarchists did anarchy things, capitalists went right back into positions of power unchallenged. Which is why Bookchin was no longer in supportof anarchism and developed a new philosophy. Which is actually being tested right now in Rojava.
Chomsky is considered an anarchist but does talk about justified/unjustified hierarchies.
Pyter Kropotkin's Mutual aid and conquest of bread.
Both have somethings that are out dated. But both are very good for foundational understanding of anarchy.
He's not an anarchist, per se, but Noam Chomsky is always good to read. I heard Neal Stephenson's book The Diamond Age is about anarchy? As well as Kim Stanley Robinson's book Red Planet. Sadly, those are the only two I am aware of!