What is anarchism?

304 Pages·2017·2.51 MB·English

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What is anarchism? A
reflection on the canon and
the constructive potential of
its destruction
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• A Doctoral Thesis. Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements
for the award of Doctor of Philosophy of Loughborough University.
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Publisher: (cid:13)c Su(cid:4)reyya Evren Tu(cid:4)rkeli
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WHAT IS ANARCHISM?

A REFLECTION ON THE CANON AND THE CONSTRUCTIVE POTENTIAL OF ITS
DESTRUCTION

by

Süreyya Evren Türkeli

Doctoral Thesis

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements

for the award of

Doctor of Philosophy of Loughborough University

24 August 2012

© by Süreyya Evren Türkeli, 2012
ABSTRACT

Contemporary debates in anarchism, particularly the conceptual debates sparked by the
development of post-anarchism and those surrounding the emergence of the anti-
globalization movement, have brought an old question back to the table: what is
anarchism?

This study analyzes the canonical representations of anarchism as a political movement
and political philosophy in order to reflect on the ways in which that critical question, 'what
is anarchism?' has been answered in mainstream literature. It examines the way that the
story of anarchism has been told and through a critical review, it discusses an alternative
approach.

For this purpose, two seminal canon-building texts, Paul Eltzbacher’s The Great
Anarchists, and George Woodcock’s Anarchism have been identified and their influence is
discussed, together with the representations of anarchism in textbooks describing political
ideologies. The analysis shows how assumptions, biases, and hidden ideological
perspectives have been normalized and how they have created an ‘official history’ of a
political movement. In challenging the official account, this study highlights the exclusions
and omissions (third world anarchists, women anarchists, queer anarchism and artistic
anarchism) that have resulted in the making of the core.

The question of ‘how to tell the story of anarchist past’ carries us to the shores of
‘postmodern history’ where theoreticians have been discussing the relationship between
past and history and the politics of representation. The anarchism offered in this study
demands an engagement with a network-like structure of information rather than a linear,
axial structure.

Consequently, this study aims to show several layers of problems in the existing dominant
historical representation of one of the richest political ideologies, anarchism; and then to
discuss ways of representing the past and especially the anarchist past, to seek an answer
to a principal question: what is anarchism?

Keywords: Anarchism, postanarchism, postmodern anarchism, hypertextual history, queer
anarchism, anarcha-feminism, eurocentrism, art and politics.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This thesis took nearly five years of my life. There were times I totally forgot it, worked on
several other projects, and there were times I worked 7/24 on it. I started well before my
little one was born, and now he is 3 years old already!

In 2007, while I was struggling with life in Istanbul, as someone who doesn't even have a
undergradute degree, it was quite something to receive an email telling I will be granted
with a scholarship for a doctoral thesis. That was a wonderful opportunity for working on
anarchism. So I would first like to thank those who made this possbile: Ruth Kinna and
Dave Berry.

Ruth Kinna then became my supervisor and we shared a special adventure on this
experimental route. She was brave, and open, and encouraged me to go further and
further. It would be even imaginable to complete such a project if she wasn't so deeply
ready to explore new ways of thinking.

I would also like thank Alex Pritchard, Duane Rousselle, Alun Munslow, Matt Wilson,
Jarmila Rajas, Saul Newman, Nalan Bahçekapılı and Moya Lloyd, Bezen Balamir Coşkun,
Altuğ Coşkun and Zeynepnaz, Hüseyin Nacak, Ayla Nacak and little Doğa...

Finally, I would like to thank my dearest Neval, for being a part of this project wholeheartly
together with me...
PREFACE (And Epilogue) 1
CHAPTER 1: FROM NEW/POST
ANARCHISM TO THE ORIGINS OF ANARCHISM 16
The Anti-Globalization Movement and Anarchism 16
New Anarchism 18
Postanarchism 20
Poststructuralism and May 1968 23
Postanarchism and Classical Anarchism 25
Postanarchism, Poststructuralist Anarchism & Postmodern Anarchism 27
CONCLUSION 35
CHAPTER 2: THE CANONICAL STORY ON ANARCHISM 37
REPRESENTING THE TRADITION 37
GEORGE WOODCOCK: THE POET 41
THE DESIRE TO PLEASE MARIE LOUISE 44
THE BOOK 48
THE ELTZBACHER SURVEY 49
THE REALIZATION OF THE ANARCHIST IDEA 50
ASSUMPTION AND NAMING POLICIES 52
HISTORY OF ANARCHISM AS IN HISTORY OF IDEAS 55
PROLOGUE 56
THE GALLERY 58
DESCRIPTION FIRST THEN ANALYSIS 60
THE MOVEMENT 63
THE FAILURE OF ANARCHISTS 66
CREATING 'OLD' ANARCHISM 67
ANARCHISM, AS ONE OF THE 'POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES' 69
Ian Adams's Anarchism in Political Ideology Today 70
Andrew Heywood's Anarchism 74
Andrew Vincent's Anarchism 76
ANARCHO-CAPITALISM AND TIMOTHY LEARY 79
CONCLUSION 80
CHAPTER 3: THERE AIN’T NO BLACK IN THE ANARCHIST FLAG!
RACE, ETHNICITY and ANARCHISM 83
EUROCENTRISM IN THE ANARCHIST CANON 84
THE FLOW OF THE ANARCHIST IDEA AROUND THE GLOBE 87
ANARCHISM AS A WORLD WIDE PHENOMENON 90
REPRESENTATIONS OF ANARCHIST CONNECTIONS 94
EUROPEAN HISTORY AS WORLD HISTORY 96
GLOBAL ANARCHIST NETWORK 97
THE EUROCENTRISM OF ANARCHIST HISTORIES 100
GLOBALIZATION OF EUROPEAN ANARCHISM 102
NON-WESTERN/THIRD WORLD ANARCHISMS 105
COLONIALISM, ANTI-COLONIALISM AND ANARCHISM 106
ETHNICITY AFTER 9/11 110
CONCLUSION 112
CHAPTER 4: WHAT THE HISTORY MISSED OUT 115
EXCLUSIONS IN THE CANON 117

WOODCOCK'S ANARCHIST ART 121
FASCINATED INSECTS AND ANARCHIST ART 125
THE STRUCTURING POINT FOR EXCLUSIONS 131
ANARCHISTS DRAWN TO ARTS 132
EXCHANGES 138
BECOMING-TRAMP 154
DISCOVERING STIRNER 156
ANARCHO-QUEER LINKS 161
CROSS POLLINATIONS 162
CONSTRUCTING AN ANARCHIST IDENTITY 164
FREE LOVE IN ANDALUSIA 166
FREE LOVE TO UNSETTLE THE NORMATIVITY 167
ANARCHIST SEX RADICALS 170
LAWRENCE versus TOLSTOY'S
'PERVERSE' HATRED OF 'SPONTANEOUS PASSION' 171
FREE LOVE COLONIES 175
FREE LOVE GETS STABBED! 176
THE ANARCHIST STRATEGY OF INVERSION 176
BEHAVING DIFFERENTLY 178
NETWORK OF DEFINITIONS 179
DE SADE: A FOUNDING FATHER OF ANARCHISM 180
TWO MAIN ANARCHIST VIEWS OF SEXUALITY 182
THE ASCETIC CAMP 183
PUNK IN THE ANARCHIST NETWORK 185
GLORIFYING PUKE 187
IS TRANSGRESSION TRANSGRESSIVE? 188
CONCLUSION 188
CHAPTER 5: HOW DO WE TELL A STORY?
DECONSTRUCTING HISTORIES OF ANARCHISM 191
CANONICAL/ALTERNATIVE NARRATIVES ON ANARCHISM 192
MULTI-SCEPTICAL HISTORY 194
METAHISTORY 195
WHITE BEFORE METAHISTORY 198
THE 'WHITEIAN REVOLUTION' AND FORM 200
CONVENTIONAL HISTORY 203
RECONSTRUCTIONISM, CONSTRUCTIONISM AND
DECONSTRUCTIONISM 203
REPRESENTING THE ANARCHIST PAST 206
PRODUCING A MEANING WITH HISTORY 209
A PARTICULAR ANARCHIST ‘TELLING’ 211
EXPERIMENTAL HISTORY 213
ANARCHIST ETHICS AND HISTORIOGRAPHY 214
POLITICS OF HISTORICAL WRITING 219
MODERNIST HISTORIOGRAPHY 221
CONCLUSION: TOWARDS A NEW ANARCHIST HISTORY 223
CHAPTER 6: FEELING ‘IN ANARCHISM’
A HYPERTEXTUAL APPROACH TO THE HISTORY OF ANARCHISM 226
A HISTORY OF HYPERTEXT 226
A-LINKS 227
ALWAYS 228
ALTERNATIVE PRACTICES AND DOMINANT PRACTICES 228
ANARCHISM 229
ANARCHISM AS AN ALTERNATIVE MODERNISM 229
ANARCHISMS 230
ART FOSTERING ANARCHY 232
BEGINNING 233
CÉZANNE 234
CONSTRUCTIVE 234
DECENTERABLE & RECENTERABLE 236
ESPERANTO 236
EUROCENTRISM IN ANARCHIST HISTORIES 237
EUROPE 237
FEMINISM AS AN ANARCHISTIC MOVEMENT 238
FLEXIBLE 239
FORM 239
FUTURE DOMINATIONS 240
GLOBAL ANARCHISM 240
HIERARCHY 241
HYPERMEDIA OR HYPERTEXT 241
HYPERTEXT 242
INFRASTRUCTURES OF RESISTANCE 244
LEAVING THE STATE 244
LINKS 245
MAY 68 247
MODES OF ANARCHIST PRACTICE 248
NEW WRITING SPACE 248
NIETZSCHE 248
NO SINGLE ENEMY 249
NODE 249
OSUGI 250
PATTERN 251
PERSONAL AND POLITICAL 252
POSTANARCHISM 252
POSTSTRUCTURALISM AND HYPERTEXT 252
QUEERING ANARCHISM 253
REVOLUTION AS PROCESS 253
SEXOLOGY 255
SINGING 255
THE UNSPEAKABLE ANARCHIST MOOD 255
THIS CHAPTER 257
TRAVELLING ANARCHIST 258
ULTIMATE DECENTRALIZATION 258
WORLD ANARCHISM 259
Bibliography 262
PREFACE (And Epilogue)

I began this research with the intention of working on post-anarchism. Before applying for
the doctoral programme in Loughborough University, I wrote numerous articles on
postanarchism in Turkish and in our postanarchist publication collective in Istanbul, we
produced several related publications.1 We also translated a great deal of postanarchist
work into Turkish to let the Turkish readers read as much postanarchist oriented material
as possible. Yet I began to see some differences in my approach to postanarchism and
the politics of postanarchists in the English-speaking world. These differences became
evident in the representations of Third World anarchisms and the history of anarchism. At
the 46th annual conference of the Political Studies Association (PSA) which took place at
the University of Reading in 2006, I presented a paper on ‘Post-anarchism and The Third
World’2 to discuss some of these issues. I applied to Loughborough University with the
intention of writing a PhD on the same subject.

But things changed in the process of writing. What I ended up with is a dissertation that
deals mainly with historical representations of anarchism: an inquiry into anarchist
histories; a critique of the way in which the story of anarchism has been told and a
discussion about the ways in which it should be told. In short, I finished with an inquiry into
‘what anarchism is’ and how should it be represented.

1 Some of them have been collected in my Aranan Kitap (Evren 2007); and some of them have been
collected in Bagbozumlari (Evren and Ogdul 2002). For a history of our post-anarchist publications in
Istanbul see my “Alternative Publishing Experiences in Istanbul” at
http://interfacejournal.nuim.ie/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/interface-issue-1-1-pp158-168-
Evren.pdf.
2 http://theanarchistlibrary.org/HTML/Sureyyya_Evren__Postanarchism_and_the__3rd_World_.html

1
What was the process of my thinking?

As you will see in Chapter 1, which both serves as an introduction to the thesis and to my
journey, I began by trying to understand the ‘postanarchist turn’ in 2000s, something which
I was already a distant part of. Working on the ‘postanarchist turn’ carried me to ‘new
anarchism’ and to the ‘anti-globalization movements of 2000s’. While working on that
chapter, together with a colleague and fellow postanarchist from Canada, Duane
Rousselle, I also prepared an anthology of postanarchist writings (published as Post-
Anarchism: A Reader, Pluto, 2011) and a special issue of a new journal on anarchist
studies (‘Post-Anarchism Today’ of Anarchist Developments in Cultural Studies, 2010).
Nevertheless, I dropped most of my work on post-anarchism from this thesis and in
Chapter 1 include only a general sketch of postanarchism (together with ‘new anarchism’
and the anti-globalization movement), its development in the millennial world political
scene and the debates prompted by the fundamental questions about anarchism that it
raised.

Post-anarchism was typically positioned against ‘classical anarchism’. Dwelling on debates
between postanarchists and classical anarchists led me in one direction and to one
principal conclusion: that we first need to discuss the historical representation of
anarchism before we take sides! To sit on the classical or postanarchist side of the fence
is to take for granted the very thing that should be questioned: the history of anarchism
and the representation of the anarchist past. I believe this is a crucial question for
anarchist politics today. It is also important to see how historical representation has had
and continues to have an influence on contemporary debates and politics.

2