Contemporary anarchism

{{Short description|Present period of the anarchist movement}} {{Use American English|date=October 2024}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}} {{anarchism sidebar}} '''Contemporary anarchism''' within the [[history of anarchism]] is the period of the [[anarchist]] movement continuing from the end of World War II and into the present. Since the last third of the 20th century, anarchists have been involved in [[anti-globalisation]], [[Peace movement|peace]], [[Squatting|squatter]] and [[student protest]] movements. Anarchists have participated in armed revolutions, such as in those that created the [[Makhnovshchina]] and [[Revolutionary Catalonia]], and anarchist political organizations such as the [[IWA–AIT|International Workers' Association]] and the [[Industrial Workers of the World]] have existed since the 20th century. Within contemporary anarchism, the [[anti-capitalism]] of [[classical anarchism]] has remained prominent.<ref name=":0">{{cite journal|last=Jun |first=Nathan |date=September 2009 |title=Anarchist Philosophy and Working Class Struggle: A Brief History and Commentary |journal=WorkingUSA |volume=12 |number=3 |pages=505–519 |doi=10.1111/j.1743-4580.2009.00251.x |issn=1089-7011}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Williams |first=Dana M. |date=2018 |title=Contemporary Anarchist and Anarchistic Movements |journal=Sociology Compass |publisher=[[Wiley (publisher)|Wiley]] |volume=12 |number=6 |pages=4 |doi=10.1111/soc4.12582 |issn=1751-9020}}</ref>

Anarchist principles undergird contemporary left-wing radical social movements. Interest in the anarchist movement developed alongside momentum in the anti-globalisation movement,<ref name="Evren 2011, p. 1">{{cite book|last=Evren |first=Süreyyya |date=2011 |chapter=How New Anarchism Changed the World (of Opposition) after Seattle and Gave Birth to Post-Anarchism |editor-last1=Rousselle |editor-first1=Duane |editor-last2=Evren |editor-first2=Süreyyya |title=Post-Anarchism: A Reader |location=London |publisher=[[Pluto Press]] |pages=1 |isbn=978-0-7453-3086-0}}</ref> whose leading activist networks were anarchist in orientation.<ref name="Evren 2011, p. 2">{{cite book|last=Evren |first=Süreyyya |date=2011 |chapter=How New Anarchism Changed the World (of Opposition) after Seattle and Gave Birth to Post-Anarchism |editor-last1=Rousselle |editor-first1=Duane |editor-last2=Evren |editor-first2=Süreyyya |title=Post-Anarchism: A Reader |location=London |publisher=[[Pluto Press]] |pages=2 |isbn=978-0-7453-3086-0}}</ref> As the movement shaped 21st century radicalism, wider embrace of anarchist principles signaled a revival of interest.<ref name="Evren 2011, p. 2"/> Various anarchist groups, tendencies and schools of thought exist today, making it difficult to describe the contemporary anarchist movement.<ref>{{cite book|last=Franks |first=Benjamin |date=August 2013 |editor-last1=Freeden |editor-first1=Michael |editor-last2=Stears |editor-first2=Marc |chapter=Anarchism |title=The Oxford Handbook of Political Ideologies |location=Oxford |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |pages=385–386 |doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199585977.013.0001}}</ref> While theorists and activists have established "relatively stable constellations of anarchist principles", there is no consensus on which principles are core and commentators describe multiple "anarchisms" (rather than a singular "anarchism") in which common principles are shared between schools of anarchism while each group prioritizes those principles differently. Gender equality can be a common principle, although it ranks as a higher priority to [[anarcha-feminists]] than [[anarcho-communists]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Franks |first=Benjamin |date=August 2013 |editor-last1=Freeden |editor-first1=Michael |editor-last2=Stears |editor-first2=Marc |chapter=Anarchism |title=The Oxford Handbook of Political Ideologies |location=Oxford |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |pages=386 |doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199585977.013.0001}}</ref>

New currents which emerged within contemporary anarchism include post-anarchism and post-left anarchism. ''[[New anarchism]]'' is a term used by several authors to describe the most recent reinvention of anarchist thought and practice. What distinguishes the new anarchism of today from the new anarchism of the 1960s and 1970s, or from the work of Anglo-American based authors such as [[Murray Bookchin]], [[Alex Comfort]], [[Paul Goodman (writer)|Paul Goodman]], [[Herbert Read]] and [[Colin Ward]], is its emphasis on the global perspective. Essays on new anarchism<ref name="Graeber & Grubačić 2004">{{cite magazine|last1=Graeber |first1=David |author-link1=David Graeber |last2=Grubačić |first2=Andrej |author-link2=Andrej Grubačić |date=6 January 2004 |url=http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=41&ItemID=4796 |title=Anarchism, Or The Revolutionary Movement Of The Twenty-first Century |magazine=[[ZNet]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080317082822/http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=41&ItemID=4796 |archive-date=17 March 2008 |access-date=24 September 2020}}. Republished as PDF at [http://www.punksinscience.org/kleanthes/courses/UK04S/WV/Graeber-Grubacic.pdf Punks in Science]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723130708/http://www.punksinscience.org/kleanthes/courses/UK04S/WV/Graeber-Grubacic.pdf|date=23 July 2011}}.</ref> include [[David Graeber]]'s "New Anarchists"<ref name="Graber 2004">{{cite book|last1=Graeber |first1=David |author-link1=David Graeber |date=2004 |chapter=New Anarchists |editor-last=Mertes |editor-first=Tom |title=A Movement of Movements: Is Another World Really Possible? |edition=1st |location=London |publisher=[[Verso Books]] |isbn=9781859844687}}</ref> and [[Andrej Grubačić]]'s "Towards Another Anarchism";<ref>Williams, Leonard (31 August 2006). [http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p152623_index.html "The New Anarchists"] (Paper). Philadelphia: American Political Science Association. Retrieved 24 September 2020 – via the All Academic website.</ref><ref name="Grubačić 2007">{{cite book|last=Grubačić |first=Andrej |author-link=Andrej Grubačić |date=2007 |chapter=Towards Another Anarchism |editor-last1=Sen |editor-first1=Jai |editor-last2=Waterman |editor-first2=Peter |title=World Social Forum: Challenging Empires |edition=revised 2nd |location=Montreal |publisher=[[Black Rose Books]] |isbn=9781551643090}}</ref> other authors have criticized the term for being too vague.<ref name="Gee 2003">{{cite web|last=Gee |first=Teoman |date=2003 |url=http://www.alpineanarchist.org/r_new_anarchism.html |title='New Anarchism': Some Thoughts |website=Alpine Anarchist Productions |access-date=24 September 2020}}</ref>

Anarchists are generally committed against coercive authority in all forms, namely "all centralized and hierarchical forms of government (e.g., monarchy, [[representative democracy]], [[state socialism]], etc.), economic class systems (e.g., capitalism, [[Bolshevism]], feudalism, slavery, etc.), autocratic religions (e.g., [[fundamentalist Islam]], [[Roman Catholicism]], etc.), patriarchy, heterosexism, [[Supremacism#Racial|racial supremacy]], and imperialism." Anarchist schools disagree on the methods by which these forms should be opposed.<ref name=":0" /> The principle of [[equal liberty]] is closer to anarchist political ethics in that it transcends both the liberal and socialist traditions. This entails that liberty and equality cannot be implemented within the state, resulting in the questioning of all forms of domination and hierarchy.<ref>{{cite book|last=Egoumenides |first=Magda |date=2014 |title=Philosophical Anarchism and Political Obligation |location=New York |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing]] USA |pages=91 |isbn=9781441124456}}</ref> Contemporary news coverage which emphasizes [[black bloc]] demonstrations has reinforced anarchism's historical association with chaos and violence; however, its publicity has also led more scholars to engage with the anarchist movement, although contemporary anarchism favours actions over academic theory.<ref name="Evren 2011, p. 1"/><ref>{{cite journal|last=Williams |first=Leonard |date=2010 |title=Hakim Bey and Ontological Anarchism |journal=Journal for the Study of Radicalism |location=East Lansing |publisher=[[Michigan State University Press]] |volume=4 |number=2 |pages=110 |doi=10.1353/jsr.2010.0009 |jstor=41887660|s2cid=143304524 }}</ref>

== History == [[File:CNT-1mayo2010.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Members of the Spanish [[anarcho-syndicalist]] trade union [[Confederación Nacional del Trabajo|CNT]] marching in Madrid in 2010]] Anarchism was influential in the [[counterculture of the 1960s]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Shively |first=Charley |date=1990 |chapter-url=http://www.williamapercy.com/wiki/images/Anarchism.pdf |chapter=Anarchism |editor-last=Dynes |editor-first=Wayne R. |url=http://homoencyclopedia.com/wap/pdf/EOH-advertisement-2.pdf |title=Encyclopedia of Homosexuality |volume=2 |location=New York |publisher=Garland Publishing |pages=52 |isbn=0824065441 |access-date=24 September 2020 |via=the William A. Percy website and ''The Concise Encyclopedia of Homosexuality'' |quote=While not always formally recognized, much of the protest of the sixties was anarchist. Within the nascent women's movement, anarchist principles became so widespread that a political science professor denounced what she saw as '[[The Tyranny of Structurelessness]].' Several groups have called themselves 'Amazon Anarchists.' After the [[Stonewall Rebellion]], the New York [[Gay Liberation Front]] based their organization in part on a reading of [[Murray Bookchin]]'s anarchist writings. |archive-date=20 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120044747/http://homoencyclopedia.com/wap/pdf/EOH-advertisement-2.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Chorbajian |first=Levon |author-link=Levon Chorbajian |date=1998 |url=http://library.nothingness.org/articles/SA/en/display/268 |title=Book Review: The Spirit of the Sixties: The Making of Postwar Radicalism by James J. Farrell |journal=Social Anarchism |volume=26 |quote=Farrell provides a detailed history of the Catholic Workers and their founders Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin. He explains that their pacifism, anarchism, and commitment to the downtrodden were one of the important models and inspirations for the 60s. As Farrell puts it, 'Catholic Workers identified the issues of the sixties before the Sixties began, and they offered models of protest long before the protest decade. |access-date=24 September 2020 |via=The Library at Nothingness website}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Patten |first=John |date=2003 |url=http://www.katesharpleylibrary.net/dnckhs |title=Islands of Anarchy: Simian, Cienfuegos and Refract 1969-1987 - An Annotated Bibliography |edition=revised |location=London |publisher=Kate Sharpley Library |isbn=9781873605233 |quote=These groups had their roots in the anarchist resurgence of the nineteen sixties. Young militants finding their way to anarchism, often from the anti-bomb and anti-Vietnam war movements, linked up with an earlier generation of activists, largely outside the ossified structures of 'official' anarchism. Anarchist tactics embraced demonstrations, direct action such as industrial militancy and squatting, protest bombings like those of the First of May Group and Angry Brigade – and a spree of publishing activity. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604120204/http://www.katesharpleylibrary.net/dnckhs |archive-date=4 June 2011 |access-date=24 September 2020 |via=the Kate Sharpley Library website}}</ref> and anarchists actively participated in the [[protests of 1968]] involving students and workers revolts.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Epstein |first=Barbara |author-link=Barbara Epstein |date=1 September 2001 |url=http://www.monthlyreview.org/0901epstein.htm |title=Anarchism and the Anti-Globalization Movement |journal=[[Monthly Review]] |volume=53 |issue=4 |page=1 |doi=10.14452/MR-053-04-2001-08_1 |access-date=24 September 2020 |quote=Within the movements of the sixties there was much more receptivity to anarchism-in-fact than had existed in the movements of the thirties. [...] But the movements of the sixties were driven by concerns that were more compatible with an expressive style of politics, with hostility to authority in general and state power in particular. [...] By the late sixties, political protest was intertwined with cultural radicalism based on a critique of all authority and all hierarchies of power. Anarchism circulated within the movement along with other radical ideologies. The influence of anarchism was strongest among radical feminists, in the commune movement, and probably in the Weather Underground and elsewhere in the violent fringe of the anti-war movement.|url-access=subscription }}</ref> In 1968, the International of Anarchist Federations (IAF-IFA) was founded during an international anarchist conference held in [[Carrara]] by the three existing European federations, namely the [[Anarchist Federation (France)|French Anarchist Federation]], the [[Iberian Anarchist Federation]] and the [[Italian Anarchist Federation]] as well as the Bulgarian Anarchist Federation in French exile.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iisg.nl/archives/en/files/l/10760196.php |title=London Federation of Anarchists involvement in Carrara conference, 1968 Amsterdam |website=International Institute of Social History |date=19 December 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119000946/http://www.iisg.nl/archives/en/files/l/10760196.php |archive-date=19 January 2012 |url-status=dead |access-date=25 September 2020}}</ref> In the United Kingdom during the 1970s, this was associated with the [[punk rock]] movement as exemplified by bands such as [[Crass]] (pioneers of the [[anarcho-punk]] subgenre).<ref>{{cite book|last=McLaughlin |first=Paul |year=2007 |title=Anarchism and Authority |location=Aldershot |publisher=Ashgate |page=10 |isbn=9780754661962}}</ref>

The housing and employment crisis in most of Western Europe led to the formation of [[Intentional community|communes]], [[intentional communities]] and [[squatter]] movements like that of Barcelona. In Denmark, squatters occupied a disused military base and declared the [[Freetown Christiania]], an autonomous haven in central Copenhagen. The relationship between anarchism and punk, as well as squatting, has carried on into the 21st century. In ''Infinitely Demanding'', [[Simon Critchley]] wrote: "There is no doubt that 60s anarchism was libertarian and linked to the sexual revolution, liberation of the erotic instincts and what [[Herbert Marcuse]] called 'nonrepressive sublimation'. Yet, contemporary anarchism can be seen as a powerful critique of the pseudo-libertarianism of contemporary [[neo-liberalism]], where the sexual revolution has turned the culture industry into the sex industry – ask yourself, is there today anything less transgressive and more normalizing than pornography? One might say that contemporary anarchism is about responsibility, whether sexual, ecological or socio-economic; it flows from an experience of conscience about the manifold ways in which the West ravages the rest; it is an ethical outrage at the yawning inequality, impoverishment and disenfranchisment that is so palpable locally and globally."<ref>{{cite book|last=Critchley |first=Simon |author-link=Simon Critchley |date=2007 |title=Infinitely Demanding |location=London |publisher=[[Verso Books]] |pages=125 |isbn=9781781680179}}</ref>

Since the revival of anarchism in the mid-20th century,<ref name="revival">{{cite journal|last=Williams |first=Leonard |date=September 2007 |title=Anarchism Revived |journal=[[New Political Science]] |volume=29 |issue=3 |pages=297–312 |doi=10.1080/07393140701510160 |s2cid=220354272}}</ref> a number of new movements and schools of thought emerged, well documented in [[Robert Graham (historian)|Robert Graham]]'s ''[[Anarchism: A Documentary History of Libertarian Ideas]], Volume Two: The Emergence of the New Anarchism (1939–1977)''.<ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Graham |editor-first=Robert |date=2008 |url=https://libcom.org/files/Graham%20R%20(Ed.)%20-%20Anarchism%20-%20A%20Documentary%20History%20of%20Libertarian%20Ideas%20Volume%20Two%20-%20The%20Emergence%20of%20the%20New%20Anarchism%20(1939%20to%201977).pdf |title=Anarchism: A Documentary History of Libertarian Ideas, Volume Two: The Emergence of the New Anarchism (1939–1977) |location=Montreal |publisher=[[Black Rose Books]] |isbn=9781551643113 |access-date=24 September 2020}}</ref> Although feminist tendencies have always been a part of the anarchist movement in the form of [[anarcha-feminism]], they returned with vigour during the second wave of feminism in the 1960s. The American [[civil rights movement]] and the movement in [[Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War|opposition to the Vietnam War]] also contributed to the revival of North American anarchism. European anarchism of the late 20th century drew much of its strength from the [[labour movement]], and both have incorporated [[animal rights]] activism. Anarchist anthropologist [[David Graeber]] and anarchist historian [[Andrej Grubačić]] have posited a rupture between generations of anarchism, with those "who often still have not shaken the sectarian habits" of the 19th century contrasted with the younger activists who are "much more informed, among other elements, by [[Traditional knowledge|indigenous]], [[feminist]], [[ecological]] and [[Counterculture|cultural-critical]] ideas" and who by the turn of the 21st century formed "by far the majority" of anarchists.<ref name="Graeber & Grubačić 2004"/>

[[File:Facciamo breccia 2008 by Stefano Bolognini18.JPG|thumb|300px|Contemporary members of the [[Italian Anarchist Federation]] marching in Rome in 2008 in an [[anti-Catholic]] manifestation (the text translates as "free from dogmas, always heretics")]] Around the turn of the 21st century, anarchism grew in popularity and influence as part of the [[anti-war]], [[anti-capitalist]] and [[anti-globalisation]] movements.<ref name=rupert>{{cite book|last=Rupert |first=Mark |year=2006 |url=https://archive.org/details/globalizationint00rupe/page/66 |url-access=registration |title=Globalization and International Political Economy |location=Lanham |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield Publishers]] |page=66 |isbn=9780742529434 |access-date=24 September 2020 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> Anarchists became known for their involvement in protests against the meetings of the [[World Trade Organization]] (WTO), the [[Group of Eight]] and the [[World Economic Forum]]. Some anarchist factions at these protests engaged in rioting, property destruction and violent confrontations with police. These actions were precipitated by ''ad hoc'', leaderless and anonymous cadres known as [[black bloc]]s, although other peaceful organisational tactics pioneered in this time include [[affinity groups]], [[security culture]] and the use of decentralised technologies such as the Internet.<ref name=rupert/> A significant event of this period was the [[1999 Seattle WTO protests]].<ref name=rupert/> Many commentators have stated that the [[Occupy Wall Street]] movement has roots in anarchist philosophy.<ref>{{cite web |last=Graeber |first=David |title=Occupy Wall Street's anarchist roots |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2011/11/2011112872835904508.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111130052027/http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2011/11/2011112872835904508.html |archive-date=November 30, 2011 |access-date=February 26, 2012 |publisher=[[Al Jazeera English]]}}</ref><ref name="chronicle">{{cite journal |last=Berrett |first=Dan |date=October 16, 2011 |title=Intellectual Roots of Wall Street Protest Lie in Academe |url=http://chronicle.com/article/Intellectual-Roots-of-Wall/129428/ |url-status=live |journal=The Chronicle of Higher Education |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407092538/https://chronicle.com/article/Intellectual-Roots-of-Wall/129428/ |archive-date=April 7, 2014 |access-date=February 26, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Schneider |first=Nathan |date=December 20, 2011 |title=Thank You, Anarchists |url=http://www.thenation.com/article/thank-you-anarchists/ |url-status=live |journal=The Nation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306111723/https://www.thenation.com/article/thank-you-anarchists/ |archive-date=March 6, 2019 |access-date=March 3, 2019}}</ref><ref name="tnr">{{cite magazine |last1=Kazin |first1=Michael |date=November 7, 2011 |title=Michael Kazin: Anarchy Now: Occupy Wall Street Revives An Ideology |url=http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/97114/anarchy-occupy-wall-street-throwback |url-status=live |magazine=The New Republic |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111210045402/http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/97114/anarchy-occupy-wall-street-throwback |archive-date=December 10, 2011 |access-date=February 26, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Gibson |first=Morgan Rodgers |year=2013 |title=The 'Anarchism' of the Occupy Movement |journal=Australian Journal of Political Science |volume=48 |issue=3 |pages=335–348 |doi=10.1080/10361146.2013.820687 |s2cid=144776094}}</ref>

International anarchist federations in existence include the International of Anarchist Federations and the [[IWA–AIT|International Workers' Association]]. The largest organised anarchist movement today is in Spain, in the form of the [[General Confederation of Labor (Spain)|CGT]] and the [[Confederación Nacional del Trabajo|CNT]], with the CGT membership being estimated at around 100,000 in 2003.<ref>Carley, Mark (20 May 2004). [https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/report/2004/trade-union-membership-1993-2003 "Trade Union Membership 1993–2003"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407002543/https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/report/2004/trade-union-membership-1993-2003 |date=2022-04-07 }}. SPIRE Associates. Retrieved 24 September – via Eurofond. See also Carley, Mark (21 September 2009). [https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/report/2009/trade-union-membership-2003-2008 "Trade Union Membership 2003–2008"]. SPIRE Associates. Retrieved 24 September – via Eurofond.</ref> Other active [[anarcho-syndicalist]] movements include the [[Confédération nationale du travail|CNT–AIT]] in France, the [[Unione Sindacale Italiana|Union Sindicale Italiana]] in Italy, the [[Central Organisation of the Workers of Sweden]] and the [[Swedish Anarcho-syndicalist Youth Federation]] in Sweden, the [[Workers Solidarity Alliance]] in the United States and the [[Solidarity Federation]] in the United Kingdom. The revolutionary [[industrial unionist]] [[Industrial Workers of the World]], claiming 10,000 paying members and the International Workers' Association, an anarcho-syndicalist successor to the First International, also remain active. The International of Anarchist Federations was founded in 1968 during an international anarchist conference in Carrara by the three existing European anarchist federations of France, Italy, and Spain, as well as the Bulgarian Anarchist Federation in French exile. These organizations were also inspired by [[synthesis anarchist]] principles.<ref name="infoshop.org">The Anarchist FAQ Collective; McKay, Iain, ed. (2008). [http://www.infoshop.org/page/AnarchistFAQSectionJ3 "J.3.2 What are 'synthesis' federations?"]. ''An Anarchist FAQ''. '''I'''. Oakland: AK Press. {{ISBN|9781849351225}}. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101007160139/http://www.infoshop.org/page/AnarchistFAQSectionJ3|date=7 October 2010}}. Retrieved 24 September 2020 – via Infoshop.</ref> Currently, alongside the previously mentioned federations, the International of Anarchist Federations includes the [[Argentine Libertarian Federation]], the Anarchist Federation of Belarus, the Czech-Slovak Anarchist Federation, the Federation of German-speaking Anarchists in Germany and Switzerland, and the [[Anarchist Federation (Britain and Ireland)|Anarchist Federation]] in the United Kingdom and Ireland.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://i-f-a.org/ |title=IFA-IAF pagina oficial |trans-title=IFA-IAF official page |language=es |publisher=International of Anarchist Federations |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160808211742/http://i-f-a.org/ |archive-date=8 August 2016 |url-status=dead |access-date=26 January 2013 |via=the International of Anarchist Federations website}}</ref>

[[Platformism]] is an important current in international anarchism. Around thirty platformist and [[Especifismo|specifist]] organizations are linked together in the ''Anarkismo'' project, including groups from Africa, Europe, Latin America and North America.<ref name="Anarkismo statement">{{cite web|url=http://www.anarkismo.net/about_us |title=About Us |language=it |website=Anarkismo |access-date=24 September 2020}}. [http://www.fdca.it/pdf/abutleaf_it.pdf PDF version].</ref> At least in terms of the number of affiliated organisations, the ''Anarkismo'' network is larger than other anarchist international bodies such as the International of Anarchist Federations and the International Workers' Association. However, it is not a formal international and has no intention of competing with these other formations. Today, there are organisations inspired by [[Dielo Truda]]'s ''Organizational Platform of the General Union of Anarchists (Draft)'' in many countries, including {{lang|es|[[Federación Anarco-Comunista de Argentina]]}} and {{lang|es|Línea Anarco-Comunista}} in Argentina, the Melbourne Anarchist Communist Group and Sydney Anarchist Communist Trajectory in Australia, {{lang|pt-BR|Fórum do Anarquismo Organizado}} in Brazil, Common Cause (Ontario) and {{lang|fr|Union Communiste Libertaire}} (Quebec) in Canada, {{lang|es|Federación Comunista Libertaria}} and {{lang|es|Organización Comunista Libertaria}} (OCL) in Chile, {{lang|fr|[[Alternative Libertaire]]}} and {{lang|fr|[[Libertarian Communist Organization (France)|Organisation Communiste Libertaire]]}} in France, {{lang|it|Federazione dei Comunisti Anarchici}} in Italy, {{lang|es|Alianza de los Comunistas Libertarios}} in Mexico, {{lang|no|Motmakt}} in Norway, {{lang|es|Unión Socialista Libertaria}} in Peru, the [[Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Front]] in South Africa, Collective Action in the United Kingdom, Common Struggle/{{lang|es|Lucha Común}} in the United States and the Revolutionary Confederation of Anarcho-Syndicalists by the name of N. I. Makhno which is an international anarcho-syndicalist and platformist confederation with sections and individual members in Bulgaria, Georgia, Germany, Israel, Latvia, Russia and Ukraine. Organisations inspired by platformism were also among the founders of the now-defunct International Libertarian Solidarity network, and its successor ''Anarkismo'' network, which is run collaboratively by roughly thirty platformist and specifists organisations around the world.<ref name="Anarkismo statement"/>

[[File:Rojava Sewing Cooperative.jpg|thumb|left|Rojava is supporting efforts for workers to form cooperatives such as this sewing cooperative]] Anarchist ideas have been influential in the development of the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria, more commonly known as [[Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria|Rojava]], a ''de facto'' [[Permanent autonomous zone|autonomous region]] in northern Syria.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bufe |first1=Chaz |last2=Hedges |first2=Chris |last3=McHenry |first3=Keith |year=2015 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qmquCgAAQBAJ |title=Anarchist Cookbook |location=Tucson |publisher=See Sharp Press |page=85 |isbn=9781937276782 |access-date=24 September 2020 |via=Google Books}}</ref> [[Abdullah Öcalan]], a founding member of the [[Kurdistan Workers' Party]] who is currently imprisoned in Turkey, is an iconic and popular figure in Rojava and whose ideas shaped the region's society and politics.<ref name=utopia>{{cite news|last=Enzinna |first=Wes |date=24 November 2015 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/29/magazine/a-dream-of-utopia-in-hell.html |title=A Dream of Secular Utopia in ISIS' Backyard |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180228061325/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/29/magazine/a-dream-of-utopia-in-hell.html |archive-date=28 February 2018 |url-status=live |access-date=28 February 2018}}</ref>

While in prison, Öcalan corresponded with and was influenced by [[Murray Bookchin]], a [[social anarchist]] theorist and philosopher who developed [[Communalism (Bookchin)|communalism]] and [[libertarian municipalism]].<ref name=utopia/> Modelled after Bookchin's ideas, Öcalan developed the theory of [[democratic confederalism]]. In March 2005, Öcalan issued his "Declaration of Democratic Confederalism in Kurdistan", calling upon citizens "to stop attacking the government and instead create municipal assemblies, which he called 'democracy without the state{{'"}}.<ref name=utopia/>

[[Noam Chomsky]] stated that [[anarcho-syndicalism]], a [[classical anarchist]] school of thought that remains popular and relevant to contemporary anarchism, is "highly relevant to advanced industrial societies".<ref>Chomsky, Noam; Jay, Peter (25 July 1976). [https://chomsky.info/19760725/ "The Relevance of Anarcho-Syndicalism"]. ''The Jay Interview''. Retrieved 24 September 2020.</ref> Anarchism continues to generate many philosophies and movements, at times eclectic, drawing upon various sources and syncretic, combining disparate concepts to create new philosophical approaches.<ref>{{cite book|last=Perlin |first=Terry M. |date=1979 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mppLKlwHx7oC&q=Contemporary+_+Anarchism |title=Contemporary Anarchism |location=New Brunswick |publisher=Transaction Books |isbn=9781412820332 |access-date=24 September 2020 |via=Google Books}}</ref>

== Currents == === New anarchism === Self-avowed anarchist scholars such as [[David Graeber]] and [[Andrej Grubačić]] have written on trends within contemporary anarchism both individually and in collaboration. Writing together, their emphasis is upon a "global revolutionary movement" finding roots in anarchism as opposed to Marxism, and a new generation "much more interested in developing new forms of practice than arguing about the finer points of ideology."<ref name="Graeber & Grubačić 2004"/> Using the phrase "the '''new anarchists'''", Graeber elaborates upon practice with regard to globalization, "a 'new language' of civil disobedience", direct democracy, and prefigurative politics.<ref name="Graber 2004"/> Using the phrase ''another anarchism'', Grubačić situates contemporary anarchism in terms of its historical roots, and emphasizes its "anti-sectarian" nature, rejection of vanguardism, internationalism, decentralization, and direct democracy.<ref name="Grubačić 2007"/> Using the phrase ''new anarchism'', political scientist Leonard Williams seeks out an "anarchist metaphysic" of contemporary anarchism and emphasizes its anti-authoritarianism, pluralism, and its "theory of practice."<ref>{{cite web|title=Leonard Williams |url=https://users.manchester.edu/Facstaff/LAWilliams/index.htm |publisher=[[Manchester University]] |access-date=11 August 2021}}</ref> While stipulating a use of the phrase ''new anarchism'' that does "not specifically refer to David Graeber's use of the term here in his ''[[New Left Review]]'' article 'The New Anarchists'", Teoman Gee decries the associations of the phrase with anarchist practices that are anti-historical, polemical, or associated with superficial [[lifestyle anarchism]].<ref name="Gee 2003"/>

=== Post-anarchism === '''Post-anarchism''' is a revision of [[classical anarchism]] sometimes through the influence of [[post-structuralists]] such as [[Jean Baudrillard]], [[Gilles Deleuze]], [[Michel Foucault]], and [[Jacques Lacan]].<ref name=Kinnapost>{{cite book|last1=Kinna |first1=Ruth |author-link1=Ruth Kinna |year=2010 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WfFWDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA37 |chapter=Anarchy |editor-last=Bevir |editor-first=Mark |title=Encyclopedia of Political Theory |location=Thousand Oaks |publisher=[[SAGE Publications]] |page=37 |isbn=9781506332727 |access-date=24 September 2020 |via=Google Books}}</ref> Post-anarchism is a contested term, with its prefix "post-" referring to post-structuralism and/or [[postmodernism]], which themselves are contested terms.{{sfn|Franks|2007|p=129}} Many post-anarchist theorists (e.g., Jason Adams, [[Todd May (philosopher)|Todd May]], and [[Saul Newman]]) invoke post-structuralist writings. The postmodern aspect of post-anarchism involves rejection of universal values and grand theories in favor of plurality and hybridity.{{sfn|Franks|2007|p=130}} Philosopher Benjamin Franks identified three types of post-anarchism: (1) [[Lyotardian]] ''post''anarchism, which proposes replacing [[classical anarchist]] (revolutionary) tactics with those of post-structuralists; (2) redemptive ''post''anarchism, to incorporate post-structural theory into existing anarchist practices; and (3) postmodern anarchism, which applies anarchist approaches to globalized oppressions of the late 21st century.{{sfn|Franks|2007|pp=131–132}} Critics of post-anarchism argue that it ignores principles of [[class warfare]] and [[economic exploitation]], not producing political action.<ref name=Kinnapost/> [[Duane Rousselle]] and Saul Newman have advanced a psychoanalytic post-anarchism inspired by the writings of Jacques Lacan. Duane Rousselle's work brings together thinking from the [[Lacanianism]] of Jacques Lacan and [[Slavoj Žižek]] to outline a distinctive approach that takes seriously the political challenges of enjoyment or [[jouissance]].<ref name=Rousselle>{{cite book|last1=Rousselle |first1=Duane |year=2023 |url= https://www.amazon.com/Post-anarchism-Psychoanalysis-Seminars-Politics-Society/dp/B0BVT4B99N|title=Post-anarchism and Psychoanalysis: Seminars on Politics and Society |publisher=Independently Published |isbn=9798377450665}}</ref>

=== Post-left anarchism === '''Post-left anarchist''' thought critiques anarchism's relationship to traditional [[left-wing politics]], such as its emphasis on [[class struggle]], [[social revolution]], [[labor unions]], the [[working class]], and [[identity politics]]. Influenced by [[anti-authoritarian]] [[postmodern philosophy]], post-leftists reject [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]] [[rationalism]] and [[modernism]] and [[deconstruction|deconstruct]] topics such as gender. While a few advocate for armed [[insurrection]], most advocate for creating spaces and [[affinity group]]s to act freely within current society rather than fighting for a utopian ideal. In the United States, [[CrimethInc.]], ''[[Anarchy: A Journal of Desire Armed]]'', and ''[[List of anarchist periodicals|Green Anarchy]]'' are associated with '''post-leftism''', as are many [[primitivists]]. CrimethInc, which is influenced by [[situationism]], [[anarcho-punk]], and [[green anarchy]], argues for a [[DIY]] folk approach to everyday life, including [[refusal of work]], escaping [[gender role]]s, and [[straight edge]] lifestyle.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Marshall |first1=Peter |title=[[Demanding the Impossible: A History of Anarchism]] |date=1992 |isbn=978-0-00-217855-6 |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |location=London |df=mdy-all |chapter=Post-left Anarchy |pages=679–680}}</ref>

=== Postcolonial anarchism === '''Postcolonial anarchism''' critiques mainstream anarchism for minimizing race and the role of anticolonial liberation struggle.{{sfn|Kinna|2012|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=4yTNDwAAQBAJ&pg=RA1-PT336 345–346]}}{{sfn|Levy|Adams|2018|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=m7BhDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA679 679]}} It connects anarchism and other anti-authoritarian movements, such as that of indigenous and landless peoples.{{sfn|Kinna|2012|p=346}} The theoretical framework emerged from North American anarchists of color in the 1990s.{{sfn|Levy|Adams|2018|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=m7BhDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA679 679]}} In the work of Roger White, it is associated with opposing universal generalizations about the role of nationalism, class, and feminism in anarchism.{{sfn|Kinna|2012|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=4yTNDwAAQBAJ&pg=RA1-PT336 345–346]}}

== Writing == Prominent anarchist presses include [[AK Press]] and [[Freedom Press]]. AK Press, founded in 1990, is a collective based in [[San Francisco]] that publishes new and out-of-print works. Freedom Press, founded in 1886, is based in [[East London]] and operates a bookshop and online news in addition to publishing.{{sfn|Finnell|Marcantel|2010}}

Contemporary anarchist periodicals include ''[[Fifth Estate]]'', ''Perspectives on Anarchist Theory'',<ref>{{cite book | last = Ackelsberg | first = Martha |author-link=Martha Ackelsberg | title = Free Women of Spain | publisher = [[AK Press]] | location = Stirling | year = 2005 | isbn = 978-1-902593-96-8 |page=18 |quote=... anarchist publications such as ''Fifth Estate'', ''Perspectives on Anarchist Theory'', ''Social Anarchism'' and others continue to offer important commentary on and critique of contemporary politics and culture.}}</ref> and ''Green Anarchy''.{{sfn|Finnell|Marcantel|2010}}

The Institute for Anarchist Studies offers grants for writing and translating works related to anarchism.{{sfn|Finnell|Marcantel|2010}}

== See also == * [[Anarchism and the Occupy movement]] * [[Anarchist schools of thought]]

== References == {{reflist}}

== Bibliography == {{refbegin}}

* {{Cite journal |last1=Finnell |first1=Joshua |last2=Marcantel |first2=Jerome |title=Understanding resistance: An introduction to anarchism |journal=College & Research Libraries News |volume=71 |issue=3 |pages=156–159 |date=2010 |doi-access=free |language=en |doi=10.5860/crln.71.3.8341 |issn=2150-6698 |df=mdy-all }} * {{cite journal |last = Franks | first = Benjamin |title=Postanarchism: A critical assessment |journal=Journal of Political Ideologies | volume=12 | issue= 2 |date=June 2007 | pages = 127–145 |publisher=[[Routledge]] | doi = 10.1080/13569310701284985 | s2cid = 144787193 |issn=1356-9317| url = http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/4472/1/4472.pdf }} * {{Cite book |editor-last1=Kinna |editor-first1=Ruth |title=The Continuum Companion to Anarchism |date=2012 |isbn=978-1-4411-7212-9 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |series=Continuum Companions }} * {{Cite book |editor-last1=Levy |editor-first1=Carl |editor-last2=Adams |editor-first2=Matthew S. |title=The Palgrave Handbook of Anarchism |date=2018 |isbn=978-3-319-75619-6 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |df=mdy-all }}

== Further reading == {{refbegin}} *''The Individualist Anarchism of Early Interwar Germany'' (2018). Constantin Parvulescu. [[Babeș-Bolyai University]], Department of Cinematography and Media, Doctor of Philosophy {{refend}}

== External links == * Amster, Randall; ''et al.'', eds. (2009). [https://books.google.com/books?id=OhXi8bWmXsAC ''Contemporary Anarchist Studies'']. London: Routledge. {{ISBN|9780415474016}}. Retrieved 24 September 2020 – via Google Books. * Graham, Robert, ed. (2012). [http://robertgraham.wordpress.com/anarchism-a-documentary-history-of-libertarian-ideas-volume-three-the-new-anarchism-1974-2010/ ''Anarchism: A Documentary History of Libertarian Ideas, Volume Three: The New Anarchism (1974–2012)'']. Montreal: Black Rose Books. {{ISBN|9781551643366}}. Retrieved 24 September 2020 – via Robert Graham's Anarchism Weblog.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Contemporary Anarchism}} [[Category:History of anarchism]]