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Anarchy Within the Matrix of Domination by Mariful Alam a Thes From Deconstruction to the Possibilities of Radical Alternatives: Anarchy within the Matrix of Domination by Mariful Alam A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Legal Studies Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario ©2012, Mariful Alam Library and Archives Bibliotheque et Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du 1+1 Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-94281-9 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-94281-9 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distrbute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non­ support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la these ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privee, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont ete enleves de thesis. cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. Canada Abstract This thesis critically explores contemporary anarchistic politics. In particular, it examines the relationship between anarchist theory and social transformation to see how it can offer scholars a new way to look at possibilities of anti-authoritarian alternatives to both the existing neo-liberal order, and to the failed State-communist programs o f the Twentieth century. What distinguishes the anarchist milieu is its emphasis on employing anti-hierarchical forms of social interaction within the methods o f organization. This practice manifests the very forms o f social relationships that activists hope to achieve in the longer term. In other words, anarchists are committed to the ethos o f preftguralive politics, which seeks to collapse the distinction between their means and ends. Thus, by closely exploring these prefigurative practices— spokescouncils, consensus decision­ making, and black bloc formations— it reveals and opens the doors to post-utopian possibilities of resistance and alternative ways o f being, although they remain imperfect and seemingly paradoxical. Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to thank my supervisor, Professor Nicolas Carrier, for his patience, guidance and support. I also would not have been able to complete this project without the emotional support and assistance from my dearest friends Amelia Edwards, Matthew McManus, Agnes Barr-Klouman, and Morgan Meloche. And finally, I would like to thank my family for being there for me during every step o f this tedious process. Table of Contents Abstract ...............................................................................................................................ii Acknowledgements.............................................................................................................iii Table of Contents................................................................................................................iv Introduction: The Wavering Radiant .............................................................................. 4 Chapter One: Breaking the Spell .....................................................................................11 1.1 Classical Anarchism ....................................................................................................... 12 2.2 The Emergence of a Post-Utopian Anarchism ......................................................... 28 Chapter Two: To Here Knows When: On Possibilities and Imagination..................52 2.1 Macro-Organization ....................................................................................................... 54 2.2 Micro-Organization ........................................................................................................ 67 Chapter Three: Behind the Black Mask ......................................................................... 82 3.1 (Social) Insurrection & Post-Utopian Resistance .....................................................84 3.2 The War Machine ....................................... 94 3.3 Theatre Machines ..........................................................................................................100 Conclusion: An Endless Transmission.......................................................................... 108 Bibliography..................................................................................................................... 118 INTRODUCTION THE WAVERING RADIANT "Paradox: to embrace Chaos is not to slide toward entropy but to emerge into an energy like stars, a pattern o f instantaneous grace— a spontaneous organic order completely different from the carrion pyramids of sultans, muftis, cadis & grinning executioners.” — Hakim Bey rom the Battle o f Seattle to the ongoing anti-austerity riots in Greece, the last Fdecade has seen a revival o f a global anarchist ‘movement of movements' on a scale that has been largely unseen since W orld War II. For most people, the terms ‘anarchy’ and ‘anarchism’ continues to evoke negative images o f senseless violence, chaos, and destruction by young masked-nihilists hell-bent on throwing petrol bombs and destroying private property. And indeed it is true that some activists do partake in such violent actions. However, the anarchist milieu is largely misunderstood, while its influence on a variety o f social movements throughout the twentieth century remains underappreciated.1 The aim o f my project is to critically explore contemporary anarchistic politics.2 In particular, 1 examine the relationship between anarchist theory and social transformation in order to see how it can offer social scientists a new way to look at possibilities o f anti-authoritarian alternatives to both the existing neo-liberal hegemonic order, and to the failed State-communist programs o f the Twentieth century. When I first began my research, 1 asked: What exactly is anarchism? What do anarchists perceive as domination? What are the possibilities o f emancipation and 1 These movements include, but are not limited to organized labour, feminist, LGBT, squatters, anti- nuclear, 1960’s student strikes, anti-globalization, environmental, animal liberation, occupy, among others. A detailed analysis on anarchism’s influence on new social movements can be found in Uri G ordon’s Anarchy Alive! (2008). 2 A ll subsequent references to contemporary anarchists are in reference to activists from the so-called Global North (North America, Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand). 4 resistance? How do anarchists envision social organization? And what are the possibilities o f living in an anarchic society? After starting my thesis, however, 1 realized that answering these questions was a difficult and daunting task, for there were no singular answers. Not only are there multiple traditions of anarchism— syndicalism, feminism, primitivism, communism, collectivism, and so on — but many activists, as Heather Gautney rightly points out, tend to eschews the very idea of formulating a general, all-encompassing idea o f social change (see Gautney 2012). Despite their differences, one can perhaps contend that those who identify with the anarchist milieu, no matter what tradition, seek to dismantle all forms o f social, political, and economic hierarchies and domination. Historically, anarchists perceived these systems o f domination — be it patriarchy, white supremacy, heteronormative hegemony, or capitalism— as gravitating from the centralized State. The objective for anarchists, then, was to directly abolish the State and its apparatuses, with the hopes o f replacing them with a horizontal-network o f autonomous, voluntary associations based on the principles o f direct democracy, solidarity, and mutual aid. Such a project, it was believed, would allow subjects to be emancipated from the constraints o f power, authority, and social control, allowing the liberated individual to freely explore alternative ways o f being. While today’s anarchists continue to organize around the basic tenets noted above, their epistemology differs sharply from those o f the past. Anarchists no longer locate their struggle against a singular, archaic power from which domination emanates. Rather, power is perceived to be fluid, occurring form
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