What comes to your mind upon the mention of the term anarchism? What elements of anarchism do you know about? Let’s dig in and find out more about this topic.
By the end of this topic, you are expected to;
Anarchism refers to an anti-authoritarian political and social philosophy that rejects hierarchies deemed to be unjust and advocates their replacement with self-governed, self-managed societies that are based on voluntary, cooperative institutions. These institutions are mainly described as stateless societies, despite the fact that several authors have defined them more specifically as distinct institutions that are based on non-hierarchical or free associations. The central disagreement between anarchism and other ideologies is that anarchism holds the state to be undesirable, harmful and unnecessary.
Anarchism is normally placed at the far-left of the political spectrum. Most of its legal philosophy and economics show anti-authoritarian interpretations of collectivism, mutualism, syndicalism, participatory economics or communism. Anarchism does not give a fixed body of doctrine from one certain worldview, instead, many anarchist traditions and types exist and the varieties of anarchy are very divergent. The schools of thought of anarchists may vary fundamentally and support anything that ranges from complete collectivism to extreme individualism. Anarchism strains have mainly been divided into categories of individualistic anarchism and social anarchism.
The major elements in the definition of anarchism include;
ANARCHIST SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT
As stated earlier, these schools of thought had been generally put in two groups of historical traditions. These groups are social anarchism and individualist anarchism, which have different evolution, values, and origins. Anarchism’s individualist wing emphasizes negative liberty (opposition to the state or social control over the individual). Those on the social wing put emphasis on positive liberty to achieve one’s potential and argue that people have needs that the society ought to fulfill. They also recognize the equality of entitlement.
Another thought is philosophical anarchism. This refers to the theoretical stance that a state lacks moral legitimacy without accepting the imperative of revolution to eliminate it.
CLASSICAL
Communist and collectivist anarchism, as well as anarcho-syndicalism, are considered to be forms of social anarchism. Individualism and mutualism were the other anarchist currents that are notable through the 19th and early 20th centuries. Social anarchism sees private property as a source of social inequality and therefore rejects it. It puts emphasis on mutual aid and cooperation.
MUTUALISM
Mutualistic anarchism deals with the voluntary contract, free association, credit, and currency reform, federation and reciprocity. Mutualism has been characterized and said to be ideologically situated between collectivist and individualist forms of anarchism.
COLLECTIVIST ANARCHISM
This is also known as anarcho-collectivism or anarchist collectivism. This is a revolutionary form of anarchism that is commonly associated with Johann Most and Mikhail Bakunin.
At the center of collectivist anarchism is the belief of the potential that humankind has for solidarity and goodness which will flourish once oppressive governments are abolished.
ANARCHO-COMMUNISM
It is also known as libertarian communism, communist anarchism, and anarchist-communism. This is a theory of anarchism advocating for the abolition of the private property, state, money, and markets while still retaining respect for personal property.
ANARCHO-SYNDICALISM
It is also known as revolutionary-syndicalism. This is a branch of anarchism that focuses on the labor movement. Other notable forms of anarchism include individualistic anarchism, anarcha-feminism, anarcho-capitalism, and contemporary anarchism.
