for Education - The Anarchist Library

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TheAnarchistLibrary
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Oh No, Not the “A” word!
Proposing an “Anarchism”
for Education
Abraham DeLeon
AbrahamDeLeon
OhNo,Notthe“A”word!Proposingan“Anarchism”for
Education
2008
RetrievedonDecember22nd,2010fromERIConlinedatabase
UniversityofRochester,NewYork;MargaretWarner
GraduateSchoolofEducationandHumanDevelopment
theanarchistlibrary.org 2008

Contents
WhatDoIMeanbyAnarchistTheory?ABriefIntro-
ductionandSummary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Anarchist Strategies: Direct Action and Sabotage in
theEducationalContext . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Where Do We Go From Here? Bridging Anarchist
TheoryandEducationfortheFuture . . . . . 28
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
3

Tong, Rosemarie Putman. 1998. Feminist Thought: A More Anarchist theory has a long-standing history in political
Comprehensive Introduction, 2nd ed. Boulder, CO: Westview theory, sociology, and philosophy. As a radical discourse,
Press. anarchist theory pushes educators and researchers towards
Ward, Colin. 1982. Anarchy in Action. London: Freedom new conceptualizations of community, theory, and praxis.
Press. Early writers, like Joseph Proudhoun and Emma Goldman,
Zinn, Howard. 1971. “Introduction: The Art of Revolution.” to more contemporary anarchists, such as Noam Chomsky,
In Read,Herbert. Anarchy & order: Essays in politics, edited by have established anarchist theory as an important school of
HerbertRead,ix—xxii.Boston:BeaconPress. thought that sits outside the Marxist discourses that have
  dominatedtheradicalacademicscene.Today,anarchistshave
been responsible for staging effective protests (specifically,
Seattle,1999)andhaveinfluencedautonomousgroupslikethe
Animal Liberation Front in their organizational and guiding
philosophies.Interestingly,anarchismisglaringlyabsentfrom
theliteratureineducationaltheoryandresearch.Inthisarticle,
I highlight aspects of anarchist theory that are particularly
applicabletoeducation,andalsoestablishesspecificwaysthat
anarchist theory can inform one’s own educational praxis.
Specifically,Iemploytheanarchistframeworkofdirectaction
and micro-level strategies, such as sabotage, that challenge
people to resist the oppressive practices found in institutions
today.
The word anarchy unsettles most people in the Western
world;itsuggestsdisorder,violence,anduncertainty.Wehave
good reason for fearing those conditions, because we have
been living with them for a long time, not in anarchist soci-
eties… but in exactly those societies most fearful of anarchy
— the powerful nation-states of modern times. Howard Zinn
(1971,ix)
In education, critical scholars and teachers have made
significant gains in critical pedagogy that demonstrates the
oppressive nature of schooling in contemporary capitalist so-
cietieswhilesimultaneouslytryingtolinkthiswithclassroom
practice or with the building of alternative schooling struc-
tures (Anyon 2005; Apple 2000, 2004a; Apple and Beane 2007;
Darder, Baltodono, and Torres 2003; Freire 1970, 1985; Giroux
36 5
1988; Irwin 1996; Kanpol 1999; Kincheloe 2004; McLaren Naples, Nancy, and Desai, Manisha, eds. 2003. Women’s Ac-
2006; Mercogliano 1998; Shor 1992; Spring 1998). However, tivism and Globalization: Linking Local Struggles and Transna-
this theory has not rigorously engaged anarchist critiques, tionalPolitics.NewYork:Routledge.
philosophies, and tactics. Although anarchist theory contains Rikowski,Glen.2001.TheBattleinSeattle:ItsSignificancefor
arichhistoryofdissentagainstinstitutionalizedhierarchies,it Education.London:TufnellPress.
remainsglaringlyabsentintheeducationalliterature(DeLeon Riley-Taylor, Elaine. 2002. Ecology, Spirituality & Education:
2006;Rikowski2001;Suissa2006).JudithSuissa(2006),oneof CurriculumforRelationalKnowing.NewYork:PeterLangPub-
the few authors to actively engage anarchist thought in the lishing.
educational context, asserts that anarchist theory is, “absent Rocker,Rudolph.1989.Anarcho-Syndicalism.London:Pluto
from texts on the philosophy and history of educational Press.
ideas — even amongst those authors who discuss ‘radical’ Romanowski,Michael.2008.“EndangeringDemocracywith
or ‘progressive’ education” (1). This absence is extremely High-StakesTesting.”SchoolAdministrator.65:48–49.
problematic and may limit the possibilities in realizing and Routledge,Paul.2005.“ReflectionsontheG8:AnInterview
workingtowardsanewpost-capitalistfuture. withGeneralUnrestoftheClandestineInsurgentRebelArmy
Arisingfromtheideathatcollectivitiescouldformwithout (CIRCA).”ACME:AninternationalE—journalforcriticalgeog-
the need of a coercive and hierarchical State, anarchists have raphy.3:112–120.
envisionedasocietybasedoncooperation,socialjustice,com- — .in press. “A Relational Ethics of Struggle: Embodi-
munityparticipation,andmutualaid.Tobeexplicit,anarchist ment,Affinity, and Affect.” In Contemporary Anarchist Studies:
theory does not represent lawless disorder, violence, oppres- An introductory Anthology of Anarchy in the Academy, edited
siveindividualism,andchaos,despiteattemptsbymainstream by Randall Amster, Abraham P.DeLeon, Luis Fernandez,
media outlets and the police to vilify anarchists (See Borum AnthonyJ.Nocella,andDericShannon.NewYork:Routledge.
andTilby2004foranexampleofthischaracterization).Alexan- Shannon, Deric. in press. “As Beautiful as a Brick Through
derBerkman(2003),inhisearly20thcenturypolemicaltreatise a Bank Window: Anarchism, the Academy, and Resisting Do-
on the nature of anarchism, effectively dispels the myths sur- mestication.” In Contemporary Anarchist Studies: An Introduc-
roundinganarchistthoughtandactions. tory Anthology of Anarchy in the Academy, edited by Randall
Amster, Abraham P. DeLeon, Luis Fernandez, Anthony J. No-
Itisnotbombs,disorder,orchaos.
cella,andDericShannon.NewYork:Routledge.
Itisnotrobberyandmurder.
Sheehan,S´ean.2003.Anarchism.London:ReaktionBooks.
Itisnotawarofeachagainstall.
Shor, Ira. 1992. Empowering Education: Critical Teaching for
Itisnotareturntobarbarismortothewildstate
SocialChange.Chicago:UniversityofChicagoPress.
ofman[sic].
Spring, Joel. 1998. A Primer of Libertarian Education. Mon-
Anarchismistheveryoppositeofallthat(xv,italics
treal,Canada:BlackRoseBooks.
original).
Suissa,Judith.2006.AnarchismandEducation:APhilosophi-
Anarchism, simply defined, is a body of political thought calPerspective.London:Routledge.
that seeks to abolish and challenge rigid hierarchies (like the
6 35
Kropotkin,Peter.2002.Anarchism:ACollectionofRevolution- State), rethink and dismantle capitalist ideological structures,
aryWritings.NewYork:DoverPublications. disrupt modes of forced coercion, build a society based on
Leistyna, Pepi. 2007. “Neoliberal Nonsense.” In Critical Ped- communist aspirations, free people’s desires from historically
agogy: Where Are We Now? edited by Peter McLaren, and Joe oppressive social norms, and create organic and communal
Kincheloe,97–126.NewYork:PeterLang. societies based on mutual aid and social justice (Berkman
Loewen,JamesW.2005.LiesMyTeacherToldMe,2nded.New 2003; Bowen and Purkis 2004; Chomsky 2005; Guerin 1970;
York:TheNewPress. Rocker1989;Sheehan2003).Althoughtherearemoreindivid-
Martin,Gregory.2002.“WhatIsToBeDone?TowardaRev- ualizedformsofanarchisttheory,IagreewiththelateMurray
olutionary Praxis.” Journal of Critical Inquiry Into Curriculum Bookchin (1999), who argued, “unless socialism is an integral
andInstruction.3:42–45. part of anarchism, then anarchism becomes selfindulgence”
May,Todd.1994.ThePoliticalPhilosophyofPoststructuralist (125) because of its sole focus on individual desires rather
Anarchism.UniversityPark,PA:PennsylvaniaStateUniversity thanthelargercommunityinwhichtheindividualissituated
Press. within. Thus, the anarchism I subscribe to is also tied to an
McLaren, Peter. 1997. Revolutionary Multiculturalism: Peda- agenda for social justice that situates the discourse outside of
gogies of Dissent for the New Millennium. Boulder, CO: West- the individual. According to anarchists, rigid state structures
viewPress. need to be dismantled; people need to reconceptualize how
— . 2002. “Marxist Revolutionary Praxis: A Curriculum of theydefinecommunity,andalsochallengetheideologiesthat
Transgression.”JournalofCriticalInquiryIntoCurriculumand emerge froma profit-based and commercialized society.Thus,
Instruction.3:36–41. Ihavetwomainobjectivesinthisarticle.
— . 2005. Capitalists and Conquerors: A Critical Peda- The first one is to highlight the larger theoretical issues
gogy Against Empire. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield within anarchism1 that are applicable to education. These
Publishers. include critiques of the State, hierarchies, institutionalized
—.2006.LifeinSchools:AnIntroductiontoCriticalPedagogy power structures, illegitimate authority, and the development
intheFoundationsofEducation,5th ed.NewYork:Longman. of autonomous organizations and groups. This article will
McLaren, Peter, and Kincheloe, Joe, eds. 2007. Critical Peda- hopefully begin a dialogue about the applicability of anar-
gogy:WhereAreWeNow? NewYork:PeterLang. chism in education while challenging critical pedagogues to
Mercogliano, Carolyn. 1998. Making It Up as We Go Along: engage anarchist critiques of the State and its various institu-
The Story of the Albany Free School. Portsmouth, NH: Heine- tions. Second, I highlight anarchist strategies of direct action,
mann. defined by Richard Day (2004) as, “communities of various
Morland, David. 2004. “Anti-Capitalism and Poststructural- sorts working together in a circulation of struggles that are
ist Anarchism.” in Changing Anarchism: Anarchist Theory and simultaneously against capitalism and for the construction
Practice in a Global Age, edited by Jonathan Purkis and James
Bowen, 23–39. Manchester, England: Manchester University
1Becauseofthediversityofanarchistthought,whenIrefertoanar-
Press.
chism,Iactuallymeananarchisms,andthisbetterrepresentsthediversethe-
oreticaltraditionsthatanarchisttheoryencompasses.
34 7
of alternatives to it” (735). Although direct action will be the JamesBowen,163–180eds. Manchester,England: Manchester
guidingframeworkinmydiscussionofanarchistpraxis,Iwill UniversityPress.
also point to more micro-level strategies of resistance that Goldman, Emma. 1969. Anarchism and Other Essays. New
anarchists have historically used, such as sabotage. Sabotage York:DoverPublications.
literally means disruption and should be utilized to interrupt Goodwin,JeffandJasper,James.2003.TheSocialMovements
thecurriculumeducatorsaregiven,thehigh-stakesteststheir Reader:CasesandConcepts.NewYork:BlackwellPublishing.
students are subjected to, and a framework for moving their Gould,Stephen.1996.TheMismeasureofMan.NewYork:W.
resistanceoutsideoftheschoolwalls. W.Norton&Company.
However, sabotage and other anarchist strategies have Gribble, David. 2004. “Good News for Francisco Ferrer —
not been fully theorized in the context of education and HowAnarchistIdealsinEducationHaveSurvivedAroundthe
classroom practice, as critical pedagogy has been the domi- World.” In Changing Anarchism: Anarchist Theory and Practice
nant discourse for radical pedagogies in education. Although in a Global Age edited by Jonathan Purkis and James Bowen,
steeped in neo-Marxist thought, critical pedagogy can better 181–198.Manchester,England:ManchesterUniversityPress.
inform anarchist pedagogies as it has been rooted in schools Guerin,Daniel.1970.Anarchism.NewYork:MonthlyReview
and classroom practice and anarchist theory adds to this Press.
tradition more salient examples of praxis and resistance, a Horton, Miles, and Freire, Paulo. 1990. We Make the Road
fundamental critique of hierarchical systems like the State, By Walking: Conversations on Education and Social Change.
and questions, more radically, the institutions of capitalism Philadelphia:TempleUniversityPress.
and the relationship to these economic, social, and cultural Hursh,David.2007.“AssessingNoChildLeftBehindandthe
systems. Also, anarchists have been historically involved in RiseofNeoliberalEducationPolicies.”AmericanEducationalRe-
many radical political struggles. Fromthe Russian Revolution searchJournal.44:493–518.
and the Spanish CivilWar; Paris, 1968; Seattle, 1999; Genoa, —.2008.High-StakesTestingandtheDeclineofTeachingand
2001; and other direct action initiatives, such as feeding Learning: The Real Crisis in Education. Lanham, MD: Rowman
the homeless (Food Not Bombs;www.foodnotbombs.net), &Littlefield.
reclaiming the streets from racist organizations (Anti-Racist Irwin,Judith.1996.EmpoweringOurselvesandTransforming
Action; www.antiracistaction.us/pn/), anarchist networking Schools: Educators Making a Difference. Albany: State Univer-
organizations (such as Northeastern Federation of Anarchist- sityofNewYorkPress.
Communistwww.nefac.net),andradicalautonomousenviron- Kanpol, Barry. 1999. Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction, 2nd
mental groups (such as the Animal Liberation Front [ALF];2 ed.Westport,CT:Bergin&Garvey.
www.animalliberationfront.com), anarchists have pushed Kincheloe,Joe.2005.CriticalPedagogyPrimer.NewYork:Pe-
for a more humane and just world (Best and Nocella 2004, terLangPublishing.
2006; Bowen 2004; Chomsky 2005; Day 2004, 2005; Goaman Kohl, Herbert. 2005. She Would Not Be Moved: How We Tell
2004; Rikowski 2001; Rocker 1989). These groups risk incar- the Story of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. New
York:NewPress.
2www.animalliberationfron.com
8 33
Day, Richard. 2004. “From Hegemony to Affinity: The Polit- ceration, defamation, and some are even labeled “terrorist”
ical Logic of the Newest Social Movements.” Cultural Studies. organizations (Best and Nocella 2004, 2006). Despite this,
18:716–748. anarchism has gained popularity because of the insistence of
— . 2005. Gramsci is Dead: Anarchist Currents in the Newest anarchists on techniques that challenge the State, capitalism,
SocialMovements.London:PlutoPress. and oppressive social conditions here and now (Bowen and
DeLeon, Abraham. 2006. “The Time for Action is Now! Purkis 2004; Rikowski 2001). Even with this popularity, there
AnarchistTheory,CriticalPedagogy,andRadicalPossibilities.” have been few attempts in bringing anarchist theory into the
The Journal of Critical Education Policy Studies, 4. Accessed discussion surrounding education, although there have been
1.25.2008.Ferguson,Ann.2000.“ResistingtheVeilofPrivilege: successful examples of anarchist-inspired schooling projects
Building Bridge Identities as an Ethico-Politics of Global and pedagogies (Antliff 2007; Gribble 2004; Suissa 2006). De-
Feminisms.” In Decentering the Center: Philosophy for a Mul- spite this, “anarchism is rarely taken seriously by academics,
ticultural, Postcolonial, and Feminist World, edited by Uma anditsadvocatesinthepoliticalarenaaregenerallyregarded
Narayan and Sandra Harding, 189–207. Bloomington: Indiana as a well-meaning but, at worst, violent and at best a naïve
UniversityPress. bunch”(Suissa2006,1).
Foucault,Michel.1995.DisciplineandPunish:TheBirthofthe Although my own radical “roots” lie in a neo-Marxist
Prison.NewYork:RandomHouse. framework of economic and cultural critique, I find anarchist
— . 2000. Power: Essential Works of Foucault, 1954–1984, conceptions of direct action, autonomous organization, and
editedbyPaulRabinow.NewYork:TheNewPress. commitment to anticapitalism invigorating in a time when
Freire, Paulo. 1970. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: radical theory is relegated mostly to the halls of academia
HerderandHerder. (Day 2004, 2005; Morland 2004; Rikowski 2001). Also, neo-
—.1985.ThePoliticsofEducation:Culture,Power,andLiber- Marxist theory has very little applicability in the context
ation.Westport,CT:BerginandGarvey. of street politics and social protest because of its privileged
Giroux, Henry. 1988. Teachers as Intellectuals: Toward a natureinacademia.Itsoften“detached”wayofobservingand
CriticalPedagogyofLearning.SouthHadley,MA:Berginand critiquing capitalist economic, social, and cultural forms does
Garvey. not resonate with activists who are risking bodily injury and
— . 2004. The Terror of Neoliberalism: Authoritarianism and incarcerationinchallengingthesesamestructures.Anarchism
theEclipseofDemocracy.Boulder,CO:ParadigmPublishers. is not only philosophically rooted in anticapitalist direct
Giroux, Henry and Searls Giroux, Susan. 2004. Take Back action, but it also provides ideas and inspiration for groups
Higher Education: Race, Youth, and the Crisis of Democracy in lookingtochallengehegemonicpracticesinthesehierarchical
thePost-CivilRightsEra.NewYork:PalgraveMacmillan. systems. Thus its applicability for education is timely in the
Goaman, Karen. 2004. “The Anarchist Traveling Circus: Re- current neo-liberal order of high-stakes testing and No Child
flections on Contemporary Anarchism, Anti-Capitalism, and Left Behind (NCLB; Apple 2004b; Hursh 2007, 2008; Leistyna
theInternationalScene.”InChangingAnarchism:AnarchistThe- 2007).
oryandPracticeinaGlobalAgeeditedbyJonathanPurkisand
32 9
What Do I Mean by Anarchist Theory? A Bookchin,Murray.1999.Anarchism,Marxism,andtheFuture
Brief Introduction and Summary oftheLeft:InterviewsandEssays,1993–1998.Oakland,CA:AK
Press.
Anarchistsandanarchismarewidelymisrepresentedbythe Borg,Mary O’Malley, Plumlee, Patrick and Stranahan, Har-
popular media and mainstream research. Anarchism and be- riet.2007.“PlentyofChildrenLeftBehind:High-StakesTesting
inglabeledananarchistcarrieswithitseriousimplications.As and Graduation Rates in Duval County, Florida.” Educational
mentioned earlier, violent, destructive, dangerous, and chaotic Policy,21:695—716.
are some of the descriptors that have been used to describe Borum,RandyandTilby,Chuck.2004.“AnarchistDirectAc-
and categorize anarchist actions historically (Berkman 2003; tions: A Challenge for Law Enforcement.” Studies in Conflict
BorumandTilby2004;Bowen2004;Chomsky2005;Day2004; andTerrorism,28:201–223.
Goaman 2004; Sheehan 2003). Although some of the methods Bowen,James.2004.“MovingTargets:RethinkingAnarchist
thatanarchistsusemaystartleoralarmpeople(destroyingcor- Strategies.”InChangingAnarchism:AnarchistTheoryandPrac-
porate property responsible for environmental destruction or ticeinaGlobalAgeeditedJohnPurkisandJamesBowen,117–
confrontingpolicebrutalityatprotests),theyhavebeenquite 128.Manchester,England:ManchesterUniversityPress.
effective in calling attention to their causes (Day 2005). What Bowen, James, and Purkis, John. 2004. “Introduction: Why
separatesanarchisttheoryfromotherradicaltheoriesofliber- Anarchism Still Matters.” In Changing Anarchism: Anarchist
ation? Theory and Practice in a Global Age, edited by John Purkis
Anarchists contend that the State, in any form, inhibits the and James Bowen, 1–19. Manchester, England: Manchester
abilityforpeopletobuildcommunitiescenteredonsocialjus- UniversityPress.
ticeandmutualaid.TheState,withitsofficialdiscourses,appa- Chomsky,Noam.2005.ChomskyonAnarchism.Oakland,CA:
ratuses,punitivemeasures,andhierarchicalorganization,does AK Press. Cole, Mike. 2008. Marxism and Educational Theory:
not allow human beings the ability to coexist peacefully with OriginsandIssues.London:Routledge.
their environment or participate in how they are governed in Cot´e,Michael,Day,Richard,anddePeuter,Greig,eds.2007.
material ways (Berkman 2003; Chomsky 2005; Guerin 1970). UtopianPedagogy:RadicalExperimentsAgainstNeoliberalGlob-
States and their protective measures (such as the military or alization.Toronto,Canada:UniversityofTorontoPress.
police) are structured to oppress and subvert individual and Crimethinc.2001.DaysofWar,NightsofLove:Crimethinkfor
group rights, especially those from nondominant groups. As Beginners.Salem,OR:CrimethInc.
JosephProudhonargued,theStatefunctionsto,“limit,control, —.2005.RecipesforDisaster:AnAnarchistCookbook.Salem,
[and] subordinate the individual and subject him [sic] to the OR:CrimethInc.
generalpurpose…throughitscensorship,itssupervision,and Crocco,MargaretandCostigan,Arthur.2007.“TheNarrow-
itspolicetheStatetriestoobstructallfreeactivityandseesthis ingofCurriculumandPedagogyintheAgeofAccountability:
repression as its duty” (quoted in Guerin 1970, 15). The State UrbanEducatorsSpeakOut.”UrbanEducation.42:512–535.
orders, corrects, judges, assesses, assimilates, coopts, indoctri- Darder, Antonia, Baltodono, Mario, and Torres, Roberto.
nates, executes, authorizes, and conducts a number of other 2003. The Critical Pedagogy Reader. New York: Routledge-
Falmer.
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