Post-Left Anarchism?

Chuck0 chuck at tao.ca
Thu Aug 15 17:45:14 PDT 2002


Dddddd0814 at aol.com wrote:
>
> >I don't doubt that where the analysis is actually coherent and consistent,
> >that the concerns are real. I'm just saying that they are not new. They
> >are not "post-" anything. This is what happens when radicals don't study
> >their radical history.
>
> But, my point is that "the left" is at a very particular moment of history.
> This moment may not be entirely unique, but it is specific. And the current
> usage of the term "post-leftism", however ridden with fallacy it may be, is a
> result of that history. "Post-leftism" did not emerge as a word uttered by
> God in heaven-- it has real origins here on earth, that need to be explained
> and accounted for.
>
> Otherwise I think I'm agreeing with everything you're saying.

"Post-leftism" in many senses is being talked about by many different political tendencies. It's even being talked about on the Left, although that discussion is different. See "Empire" for example.

For anarchists, post-Leftism has different implications. First, the Soviet Union is becoming a distant memory and M-L-M groups and parties have dwindled into insignificance. The anarchist movement in North America has grown exponentially in the past 5 years, partly due to the historical situation, but mostly because of the hard work of anarchists themselves. Post-leftism is also about asking questions about where anarchism should go and who on the Left we should work with. For example, you won't find many anarchists who are going to tail-end "united front" efforts by the sectarian parties.

This is one of the reasons why groups like the IAC are being rejected in activist circles. They represent the old M-L-M way of doing things. They are trying to fit their square peg into a vast net.

<< Chuck0 >>

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