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Anarchist Theorizing and Organizing in Edmonton University of Alberta Radical Politics in a Conservative Capital: Anarchist Theorizing and Organizing in Edmonton by Robert Michael Martin Hlatky A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of Sociology ©Robert Michael Martin Hlatky Spring 2014 Edmonton, Alberta Permission is hereby granted to the University of Alberta Libraries to reproduce single copies of this thesis and to lend or sell such copies for private, scholarly or scientific research purposes only. Where the thesis is converted to, or otherwise made available in digital form, the University of Alberta will advise potential users of the thesis of these terms. The author reserves all other publication and other rights in association with the copyright in the thesis and, except as herein before provided, neither the thesis nor any substantial portion thereof may be printed or otherwise reproduced in any material form whatsoever without the author's prior written permission. Abstract This thesis will investigate anarchism as a political philosophy and a social movement in Edmonton, Alberta. This will involve analyzing the ways local anarchists have interpreted anarchist theory as well as ways they have publicly advanced anarchism and participated in projects which practice anarchist values. This study will utilize ten semi-structured interviews with local self-identified anarchists regarding the approaches through which they have negotiated the numerous, and sometimes contradictory, anarchist theories, including the ways this influences their beliefs and actions. The interviewees’ narratives will be supplemented with the history of the development of anarchism in Edmonton, which will consist of studying local anarchist groups’ activities and purposes, as well as describing public events and literature printed in the city. Utilizing social movement theory, this study will determine if the anarchists in Edmonton constitute a sustained social movement. Keywords: anarchism, Edmonton, social movements, prefigurative politics, activism Acknowledgements Writing is a collective process. First I would like to thank my thesis committee for their guidance: Dr. Sourayan Mookerjea (supervisor); Dr. Trevor Harrison (internal member) and Dr. Kathleen Lowrey (external member), for their constructive input and support. This thesis would not be possible without the interviewees and their perspectives and experiences which provided the substance of my research. Each interviewee enhanced my effort to map out the anarchist movement in Edmonton. I would specifically like to thank Eugene Plawiuk and Malcolm Archibald for being interviewed and agreeing to have their contributions publically recognized. I would like to thank the groups I have directly interacted with, including the Edmonton branch of the Industrial Workers of the World, Thoughtcrime Ink, Black Cat Press and the Edmonton Anarchist Bookfair collective. I also acknowledge that the individuals I have spoken with at anarchist bookfairs, workshops and demonstrations have helped shaped this project. I would also like to thank my proofreading team, which consisted of my parents, Robert and Judith, and my partner, Erin, whom I particularly want to thank for being the first to listen and critique my ideas and drafts. Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction……………………………………………………………1 Alberta and Canada in Context……………………………………………2 Purpose of Research……………………………………………………….6 Chapter 2: Literature Review: Anarchist Theory and Practice in Context………11 Anarchism as a Political Philosophy……………………………………..11 Social Movements and Forms of Anarchist Organizations ……………..27 Chapter 3: Methodology…………………………………………………………33 Methods…………………………………………………………………..34 Insider-Outsider Status…………………………………………………...41 Chapter 4: Anarchist Theorizing: Interviewees’ Perspectives…………………...43 Interviewees’ Background and Perspectives…………………………….45 Chapter 5: Anarchist Groups and Projects in Edmonton………………………...77 Anarchist Organizations, Collectives, Affinity Groups and Projects……79 Anarchistic and Non-Anarchist Groups………………………………...112 Chapter 6: Analysis……………………………………………………………..121 Is There an Anarchist Movement in Edmonton?……………………….121 Interviewees’ Interpretations of Issues Concerning Anarchism………..131 Power Dynamics: Leaders in a Leaderless Movement?..………………142 Chapter 7: Conclusion…………………………………………………………..147 Future of Anarchism in Edmonton……………………………………..147 Limitations of Research and Future Directions………………………...150 Endnotes.………………………………………………………………………..154 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………....155 Appendix………………………………………………………………………..170 1 Chapter 1: Introduction Anarchist theories and practices have been taken up in a variety of different places around the world, though they are often understudied in local contexts. This lack of academic research on anarchism includes anarchist projects in Alberta, Canada. Most people in Edmonton, the capital of Alberta, are unaware of the local anarchist organizations; nonetheless, there is a considerable amount of anarchist activity in the city. In addition to individuals who identify with and advocate anarchism, there are anarchist groups, public events and numerous outlets for the production and distribution of anarchist literature in Edmonton and across Canada. Anarchism has become increasingly influential for social movements (Graeber, 2002). “Few social movements in North America have enjoyed as strong a revival in the twenty-first century as anarchism has experienced” (Shantz, 2010, p.1). In the past two decades anarchism has experienced a resurgence, which I will demonstrate has also occurred in Edmonton. The first Edmonton anarchist groups formed in the 1970s, but the expansion of local anarchist activity coincided with the rise of the alter-globalization movement in the 1990s, which can largely be seen as a response to the implementation of neoliberal politics. To date, there has not been an academic study of anarchism in Edmonton, and I am familiar with only two works which discuss anarchism in Edmonton.1 Even at the Edmonton Anarchist Bookfair, which attracts approximately one thousand people and over a dozen groups selling anarchist inspired material, there has been no literature specifically concerning anarchism in Edmonton. Additionally, the 2 University of Alberta’s print and online libraries, as well as the Edmonton Public Library, do not have any material concerning anarchism in Edmonton. Alberta and Canada in Context At first anarchism in Alberta may seem surprising. Alberta can be portrayed as the most conservative province in Canada. The Government of Alberta has been consecutively ruled by a majority Progressive Conservative Party for over four decades. No other provincial government in the country has held such solid political dominance. Albertan political parties on the centre and on the left are largely unorganized, unlike other provinces where these parties are governing. At the time of writing, there is only one non-conservative Member of Parliament in Alberta. The development of the tar sands in Northern Alberta has likely created political inertia, where the incomes and tax revenues are higher than the per capita Canadian average, ensuring security from social discontent. The Alberta government receives more revenue from the tar sands than from taxpayers; subsequently Alberta has the lowest taxes in Canada, making Albertans content with authoritarian policies and also resulting in one of the lowest voter turn-outs in North America (Nikiforuk, 2008). Nonetheless, Edmonton can be viewed as an island of liberalism in Alberta, since the majority of non- conservative MLAs, and the only non-conservative MP, represent the city.2 When considering Canadian radical protest movements, it is likely that provinces other than Alberta come to mind. The 2012 Quebec student strike witnessed one of the largest protests in Canadian history, wherein students protested tuition hikes making education less accessible. These protests had a 3 substantial amount of anarchist influence in terms of the emphasis on direct action and the demand for free education, something over two dozen countries offer. Anarchists in the mass media are often portrayed as violent protesters, exemplified by several large Canadian demonstrations. The 2010 G20 protests in Toronto witnessed tens of thousands of protesters. The police response resulted in the largest mass arrest in Canadian history, although the vast majority were released without charges. The Toronto police chief blamed violent anarchists for the destruction of property during the protests (CBC News, 2010, June 26). The April 2000 Quebec City Carnival against Capitalism also attracted tens of thousands of protesters, including many anarchists. This event opposed the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas, in which 34 heads of state from the Americas met, and the protests succeeded in delaying and shortening official meetings. As David Graeber (2009) reported, the city surrounding the summit site was a chemical cloud for two days with tear and smoke gas. These protests are in contrast to Alberta, which has not had demonstrations of this scale nor degree of militant tactics. The one minor exception was the 2002 G8 protests in Kananaskis and Calgary, which attracted several thousand protesters, which is the only time I am aware that black bloc tactics have been used in Alberta. Edmonton’s Early Anarchist Encounters The first record of an anarchist visiting Edmonton
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