DOCSLIB.ORG

Rethinking Organizational Hierarchy, Management, and the Nature of Work with Peter Drucker and Colin Ward

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Rethinking Organizational Hierarchy, Management, and the Nature of Work with Peter Drucker and Colin Ward the author(s) 2014 ISSN 1473-2866 (Online) ISSN 2052-1499 (Print) www.ephemerajournal.org volume 14(4): 659-672 Rethinking organizational hierarchy, management, and the nature of work with Peter Drucker and Colin Ward J. Christopher Paskewich ‘Philosophical anarchism is a defensible position in theory. The only trouble with it is it never works.’ (Drucker, 2010: 40) ‘We have to build networks instead of pyramids.’ (Ward, 2008: 33) Peter Drucker (1909-2005) has always romanticized the role of the manager. For the so-called ‘father of management’, the manager ‘stands between civilization and barbarism’ by helping institutions make society’s resources productive (Beatty, 1998: 104-5). The manager is the one element that organizations cannot do without. The anarchist Colin Ward (1924-2010), however, viewed management as a coercive ‘technique’ that drained workers of spontaneity and initiative (Ward, 2008: 48). He did not fear that managers were not competent or knowledgeable – some might very well be both. The fear is that they forced those beneath them to behave passively and perform tasks solely to satisfy evaluation standards. Drucker and Ward are at odds on the role of the manager in organizational hierarchy. Comparing their ideas, however, shows some common ground, at least initially. Both of them seek an approach to organization that can solve society’s needs, but with less exploitation of those involved. Drucker tries to humanize capitalism by taming its excesses, but he ultimately admits the system can only allow minor reform. While Drucker is not so disgusted by capitalism that he rejects it, he finds himself at an impasse: seeking worker empowerment that does not seem possible within the boundaries of the capitalist organization. Ward shares Drucker’s misgivings about business and goes much further. While freer note | 659 ephemera: theory & politics in organization 14(4): 659-672 organizations can exist within a capitalist economy, he argues, they cannot themselves be capitalist. Ward would stress that Drucker’s impasse occurs because Drucker seeks an outcome that capitalism simply cannot provide, whatever the quality of the organization’s management. Ward shows how anarchist theory can provide organizations that actually accomplish goals of worker empowerment and involvement that Drucker sought. Ultimately we find that management theory cannot transcend its capitalist framework and offer workers a free organization. The coercion from management and the alienation of the workers will remain. Colin Ward, one of the great British anarchists of the twentieth century, is a useful representative of anarchism to explore when studying organizations. He wrote many stimulating essays and books, but his 1973 masterpiece – Anarchy in Action – criticizes managerial approaches to industrial production, offering instead actual examples of anarchist practice within organizations. His expertise was in architecture and urban policy, but his writings touched on self- determination in nearly every facet of society. He defined anarchists as: people who make a social and political philosophy out of the natural and spontaneous tendency of humans to associate together for their mutual benefit. (Ward, 2008: 24) His understanding of anarchism can be approached from two observations (Goodway, 2012: 316). The first is a response to a view from someone like Drucker: anarchism will never work. Ward observes that anarchism already exists and already works. People in every country around the world have created some spaces or groups that are self-determining and non-hierarchical. The focus here should be on expanding these spaces or adding to these groups. Much of his research was to document examples of autonomous action, that people might see how possible it is (White, 2007). The second observation he had was that people have been encouraged to misunderstand their own natures. Many might claim that we live in a dog-eat- dog world of constant competition: how could we ever shed our self-preserving ‘human nature’ to all work together in some anarchist utopia? Ward observes we already are working with each other with a high degree of cooperation. Any corporation would disintegrate if not for a sense of sharing and collaboration, at least in some areas. Here he follows Peter Kropotkin, the nineteenth century anarchist, and his idea of ‘mutual aid’ in evolution (Ward, 2008: 10). Those who survived were not always the fittest, but were those who worked together. Ward pushes his readers to expand these areas of cooperation in their own lives: to join self-determining groups and to build on the already-existing cooperation they have in their lives. 660 | note J. Christopher Paskewich Rethinking organizational hierarchy, management, and the nature of work Drucker and Ward have competing approaches to organizational culture and hierarchy. In a 1981 lecture, Drucker observes that organizational structure is best approached by one of two paths (2010: 83-4). The first path is that of the ‘constitutionalist’, which brings to mind the checks and balances or separation of powers in the American Constitution. This approach emphasizes an organization’s institutional restraints that limit wrongdoing and its institutional supports that encourage desirable outcomes. Drucker believes this approach was so prevalent during the twentieth century that it led to lopsided results (an over- reliance on limiting power through organizational structures) (2010: 84). To correct this dependence on organizational ‘constitutionalism’, Drucker focused more upon the second path: character formation. He calls it ‘the education of Christian princes’, a reference to a body of thought from political theory that is found in ancient authors like Plato, through medieval authors like Erasmus, and beyond into the Enlightenment era. He asks: how does one socialize people to work hard and be trusted to do the right thing? Drucker believes that this ‘formation of people’ needs to be carefully examined and applied, as it cannot be done without (2010: 84). The formation could occur through an organization providing training programs, through the organization’s culture, or through some outside source (like an MBA). Ward takes a very different approach here. He equates the ‘formation of people’ with brainwashing. While Ward does believe that a general tone of compassion and reason is needed in a community, he does not seek a carefully-crafted organizational culture. He would dismiss this as empty jargon designed by ‘out of touch’ managers. Ward’s rejection of the creation of an organizational culture gets to the heart of the anarchist critique of hierarchy. The state rules in an authoritarian way over citizens’ bodies (e.g. police force, incarceration, etc.), but also their minds (discouraging spontaneity, encouraging dependency, etc.). The state passes this authoritarianism to all hierarchical organizations throughout society (Ward, 2008: 33). This kind of oppression includes organizational culture, essentially a way to indoctrinate workers to function like robots. Ward’s view would be less interesting if the only criticism of organizational hierarchy and culture is that it removes autonomy. He sees another problem: hierarchical institutions rob people of initiative and efficiency (Ward, 2008: 35). It is not that organizations are oppressing workers so that they can get the most effective work from them. It is that organizations are ensuring they do not get the best work out of their workers by having such a hierarchy. When asking what keeps workers most productive, one faces two alternatives: a high degree of autonomy or a manager above who will keep him or her focused. Ward reasons that initiative and efficiency increase as autonomy increases because the ‘whole’ note | 661 ephemera: theory & politics in organization 14(4): 659-672 worker is being involved, not just a few isolated skills. Decision-making abilities become honed. Creative solutions and experimentation are tried out in practice. One invests more in a project that one has more control over. In practical terms, a worker closer to the project has a clearer sense of what the limitations are and what might be a waste of resources. Flattening pyramids into networks This approach to organizing is important to Ward because of the choice it makes – a choice away from more hierarchies and toward less hierarchies. Ward was a student of organizations and the way order can emerge in non-hierarchical situations. Instead of hierarchy, he prefers networks without a center that have shifting leadership (Ward, 2008: 33, 66). Instead of being reduced to passive robots, individuals in the work place may thus act as individuals, charting their own course. The wellbeing of workers mattered to Ward because he connected each individual decision we make in the workplace – or anywhere else – to whether society becomes more anarchistic. Rather than advocating immediate and violent revolution for an anarchist utopia, he wants to gradually expand the capacity and space for self-determination. David Goodway characterizes Ward’s views in stating that: [there is] a prolonged situation of dual power in the age-old struggle between authoritarian and libertarian tendencies, with outright victory for either tendency most improbable. (Goodway, 2012: 316, 320) Ward observed that an anarchist society will never be consented to by all of the people, thus the state will remain (White, 2007: 13-4). What people are able to do, however, is take on as much responsibility
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Brill's Companion to Anarchism and Philosophy
    Brill’s Companion to Anarchism and Philosophy Edited by Nathan Jun LEIDEN | BOSTON For use by the Author only | © 2018 Koninklijke Brill NV Contents Editor’s Preface ix Acknowledgments xix About the Contributors xx Anarchism and Philosophy: A Critical Introduction 1 Nathan Jun 1 Anarchism and Aesthetics 39 Allan Antliff 2 Anarchism and Liberalism 51 Bruce Buchan 3 Anarchism and Markets 81 Kevin Carson 4 Anarchism and Religion 120 Alexandre Christoyannopoulos and Lara Apps 5 Anarchism and Pacifism 152 Andrew Fiala 6 Anarchism and Moral Philosophy 171 Benjamin Franks 7 Anarchism and Nationalism 196 Uri Gordon 8 Anarchism and Sexuality 216 Sandra Jeppesen and Holly Nazar 9 Anarchism and Feminism 253 Ruth Kinna For use by the Author only | © 2018 Koninklijke Brill NV viii CONTENTS 10 Anarchism and Libertarianism 285 Roderick T. Long 11 Anarchism, Poststructuralism, and Contemporary European Philosophy 318 Todd May 12 Anarchism and Analytic Philosophy 341 Paul McLaughlin 13 Anarchism and Environmental Philosophy 369 Brian Morris 14 Anarchism and Psychoanalysis 401 Saul Newman 15 Anarchism and Nineteenth-Century European Philosophy 434 Pablo Abufom Silva and Alex Prichard 16 Anarchism and Nineteenth-Century American Political Thought 454 Crispin Sartwell 17 Anarchism and Phenomenology 484 Joeri Schrijvers 18 Anarchism and Marxism 505 Lucien van der Walt 19 Anarchism and Existentialism 559 Shane Wahl Index of Proper Names 583 For use by the Author only | © 2018 Koninklijke Brill NV CHAPTER 10 Anarchism and Libertarianism Roderick T. Long Introduction
    [Show full text]
  • Egoism and the Post-Anarchic: Max Stirner's New Individualism
    CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY SAN MARCOS THESLS SIGNATURE PAGE Tl IESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF Tl IE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE MASTER OF ARTS IN LITERA TUR.E AND WRITING STUDIES THESIS TJTLE: Egoism and the Post-Anarchic: Max Stimer's New Individualism AUTHOR: Kristian Pr'Out DATE OF SUCCESSFUL DEFEN E: May 911' 2019 --- THE THESIS HAS BEEN ACCEPTED BY THE THESIS COMMITTEE IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN LITERATURE AND WRITING STUDIES. Oliver Berghof August 5, 2019 TIIESIS COMMITTEE CHAIR DATE Francesco Levato 8/5/19 TIIESIS COMMITTEE MEMBER DATE Heidi Breuer �-11 THESIS COMMITTEE MEMBER DATE Pr’Out 1 Egoism and the Post-Anarchic: Max Stirner’s New Individualism Kristian Pr’Out Pr’Out 2 Table of Contents Preface 3 Chapter 1 Max Stirner: Biographers and Interpreters 13 Stirner and The Dialectic: A Genealogy of Liberalism 23 Fichte and the Unique One: Speaking the Intangible 32 Chapter 2 Stirner and the Case for Anarchism 39 Stirner’s Egoism Meets Classical Anarchism 48 Welsh’s Dialectical Egoism and Post-Anarchist Individualism 64 Chapter 3 May 1968 and Its Impact 67 Post-Anarchism: A Contemporary Theoretical Model 82 Narrative and the Critique of Modernity 89 ‘Ownness,’ Power, and The Material 92 Conclusion: A Revenant Returns 102 Bibliography 104 Pr’Out 3 Preface In the 19th century, the influence of Georg W. F. Hegel was widespread. His works influenced anarchists, communists, the moderately liberal, and the staunchly traditional. In Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit (1977), history operates in certain movements - namely, that of a world spirit that ushers in new and different epochs (6-7).
    [Show full text]
  • Anarchy and Anti-Intellectualism: Reason, Foundationalism, and the Anarchist Tradition Joaquin A
    Florida International University FIU Digital Commons FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations University Graduate School 6-23-2016 Anarchy and Anti-Intellectualism: Reason, Foundationalism, and the Anarchist Tradition Joaquin A. Pedroso [email protected] DOI: 10.25148/etd.FIDC000744 Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd Part of the Philosophy Commons, and the Political Theory Commons Recommended Citation Pedroso, Joaquin A., "Anarchy and Anti-Intellectualism: Reason, Foundationalism, and the Anarchist Tradition" (2016). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2578. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/2578 This work is brought to you for free and open access by the University Graduate School at FIU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of FIU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY Miami, Florida ANARCHY AND ANTI-INTELLECTUALISM: REASON, FOUNDATIONALISM, AND THE ANARCHIST TRADITION A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in POLITICAL SCIENCE by Joaquin A. Pedroso 2016 To: Dean John F. Stack, Jr. Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs This dissertation, written by Joaquin A. Pedroso, and entitled Anarchy and Anti- Intellectualism: Reason, Foundationalism, and the Anarchist Tradition, having been approved in respect to style and intellectual content, is referred to you for judgment. We have read this dissertation and recommend that it be approved. _______________________________________ Paul Warren _______________________________________ Bruce Hauptli _______________________________________ Ronald Cox _______________________________________ Harry Gould _______________________________________ Clement Fatovic, Major Professor Date of Defense: June 23, 2016 The dissertation of Joaquin A.
    [Show full text]
  • Gilles Deleuze
    P1: JZX 052184309Xagg.xml CY483-May-20521 83985 8 September 2, 2004 16:39 Gilles Deleuze An Introduction TODD MAY Clemson University iii P1: JZX 052184309Xagg.xml CY483-May-20521 83985 8 September 2, 2004 16:39 published by the press syndicate of the university of cambridge The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, United Kingdom cambridge university press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge cb2 2ru, uk 40 West 20th Street, New York, ny 10011-4211, usa 477 Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne, vic 3207, Australia Ruiz de Alarc´on 13, 28014 Madrid, Spain Dock House, The Waterfront, Cape Town 8001, South Africa http://www.cambridge.org C Todd May 2005 This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 2005 Printed in the United States of America Typeface itc New Baskerville 10/13.5 pt. System LATEX 2ε [tb] A catalog record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data May, Todd, 1955– Gilles Deleuze : an introduction / Todd May. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn 0-521-84309-x – isbn 0-521-60384-6 (pb.) 1. Deleuze, Gilles. 2. Philosophy, French – 20th century. I. Title. b2430.d454m39 2004 194–dc22 2004045891 isbn 0 521 84309 x hardback isbn 0 521 60384 6 paperback iv P1: JZX 052184309Xagg.xml CY483-May-20521 83985 8 September 2, 2004 16:39 Contents Acknowledgments page ix 1 How Might One Live? 1 2 Spinoza, Bergson, Nietzsche: The Holy Trinity 26 3 Thought, Science, and Language 72 4 The Politics of Difference 114 5 Lives 154 Further Reading 173 References 177 Index 181 vii P1: GDZ 052184309Xc01.xml CY483-May-20521 83985 8 September 3, 2004 11:16 1 How Might One Live? I How might one live? It’s an odd question, in some sense; a question we don’t ask ourselves very often.
    [Show full text]
  • Editorial: Postanarchism
    Editorial: Postanarchism SAUL NEWMAN Postanarchism is emerging as an important new current in anarchist thought, and it is the source of growing interest and debate amongst anarchist activists and scholars alike, as well as in broader academic circles. Given the number of internet sites, discussion groups, and new books and journal publications appearing on postanarchism, it is time that the challenges it poses to classical anarchist thought and practice are taken more seriously. Postanarchism refers to a wide body of theory – encompassing political theory, philosophy, aesthetics, literature and film studies – which attempts to explore new directions in anarchist thought and politics. While it includes a number of different perspectives and trajectories, the central contention of postanarchism is that classical anarchist philosophy must take account of new theoretical directions and cultural phenomena, in particular, postmodernity and poststructuralism. While these theoretical categories have had a major impact on different areas of scholarship and thought, as well as politics, anarchism tends to have remained largely resistant to these developments and continues to work within an Enlightenment humanist epistemological framework1 which many see as being in need of updating. At the same time, anarchism – as a form of political theory and practice – is becoming increasingly important to radical struggles and global social movements today, to a large extent supplanting Marxism. Postanarchism seeks to revitalise anarchist theory in light of these new struggles and forms of resistance. However, rather than dismissing the tradition of classical anarchism, postanarchism, on the contrary, seeks to explore its potential and radicalise its possibilities. It remains entirely consistent, I would suggest, with the libertarian and egal- itarian horizon of anarchism; yet it seeks to broaden the terms of anti-authoritarian thought to include a critical analysis of language, discourse, culture and new modalities of power.
    [Show full text]
  • "Political Postmodernity." Anarchism and Political Modernity. New York: Continuum, 2012
    Jun, Nathan. "Political postmodernity." Anarchism and Political Modernity. New York: Continuum, 2012. 155–186. Contemporary Anarchist Studies. Bloomsbury Collections. Web. 25 Sep. 2021. <http://dx.doi.org/10.5040/9781501306785.ch-006>. Downloaded from Bloomsbury Collections, www.bloomsburycollections.com, 25 September 2021, 23:20 UTC. Copyright © Nathan Jun 2012. You may share this work for non-commercial purposes only, provided you give attribution to the copyright holder and the publisher, and provide a link to the Creative Commons licence. 6 Political postmodernity Defi ning postmodernity One of my foremost goals has been to show that anarchism, both historically and theoretically, has constituted a movement beyond political modernity. At the highest level of generality, I have defi ned political modernity in terms of representation—representation of the subject, of society, of the world, of the relationships among them. To the extent that anarchism has distinguished itself chiefl y as a critique of, and alternative to, representation, to the extent that it has moved beyond the discourse of political modernity, it is fair to say that I have achieved this goal. But I want to go a step further and reiterate a claim I made earlier—namely, that anarchism is rightly termed the fi rst “postmodern” political philosophy. Rudolf Pannwitz, who was the fi rst to use “postmodern” as a sociological term de l’art in 1917, defi ned postmodernity as “nihilism and the collapse of values in contemporary European culture.” 1 If we generalize (and soften) Pannwitz’s defi nition a bit—such that “postmodern” refers only to what is generally opposed to, or stands outside, or moves beyond modernity— there is nothing anachronistic about calling the anarchists “postmodern,” especially in juxtaposition to what I identifi ed as characteristically “modern” in previous chapters.
    [Show full text]
  • K I R T LAN D I A, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History
    K I R T LAN D I A, The Cleveland Museum of Natural History September 2006 Number 55: J -42 T. WINGATE TODD: PIO~EER OF MODERN AMERICAN PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY KEVI~ F. KER~ Department of History The University of Akron. Akron. Ohio 44325-1902 kkern@ uakron.edu ABSTRACT T. Wingate Todd's role in the development of modern American physical anthropology \\as considerably more complex and profound than historians have previously recognized. A factor of the idiosyncrasies of his life and research. this relative neglect of Todd is symptomatic of a larger underappreciation of the field' s professional and intellectual development in the early twentieth century. A complete examination of Todd's life reveals that he played a crucial role in the discipline's evolution. On a scholarly le\·el. his peers recognized him as one of the most important men in the field and rarely challenged his yoluminous \Yj'itten output. which comprised a significant portion of the period's literature. On a theoretical leveL Todd led nearly all of his contemporaries in the eventual turn the field made away from the ethnic focus of its racialist roots and the biological determinism of the eugenics movement. Furthermore. he anticipated the profound theoretical and methodological changes that eventually put physical anthropology on its present scientific footing. His research collections are the largest of their kind in the world, and still quite actiYely used by contemporary researchers. Many of Todd' s publications from as early as the 1920s (especially those concerning age changes. grO\\th. and development) are still considered standard works in a field that changed dramatically after his death.
    [Show full text]
  • The Technology of Biopower: a Response to Todd May's "Foucault
    University of Richmond UR Scholarship Repository Philosophy Faculty Publications Philosophy 2005 The echnologT y of Biopower: A Response to Todd May's "Foucault Now?" Ladelle McWhorter University of Richmond, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarship.richmond.edu/philosophy-faculty- publications Part of the Philosophy Commons Recommended Citation McWhorter, Ladelle. "The eT chnology of Biopower: A Response to Todd May's "Foucault Now?"" Foucault Studies 3 (2005): 83-87. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Philosophy at UR Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Philosophy Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of UR Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. foucault studies © Ladelle McWhorter, 2005 ISSN: 1832-5203 Foucault Studies, No 3, pp. 83-87, Nov 2005 ARTICLE The Technology of Biopower A Response to Todd May’s “Foucault Now?” Ladelle McWhorter, University of Richmond Because the occasion for his essay was the inaugural conference of the newly formed Foucault Society in New York City in the spring of 2005, Todd May takes as his point of departure the question of whether Foucault’s work is valuable to the sort of people who have come together to form that society: philosophers, artists, political activists, and in general to concerned citizens today, twenty years after Michel Foucault’s death. As might be expected given the Society’s raison d’être, May answers this question in the affirmative. But exactly how is Foucault’s work still relevant? It is his answer to this latter question that is the philosophical substance of May’s address.
    [Show full text]
  • Understanding Alternative Media Power
    DEMOCRATIC COMMUNIQUƒ Understanding Alternative Media Power Mapping Content & Practice to Theory, Ideology, and Political Action Sandra Jeppesen Alternative media is a term that signifies a range of media forms and prac- tices, from radical critical media to independent media, and from grassroots autonomous media to community, citizen and participatory media. This pa- per critically analyzes the political content and organizational practices of different alternative media types to reveal the ideologies and conceptions of power embedded in specific conceptions of alternative media. Considering several competing conceptions of alternative media theory, including subcul- ture studies (Hebdige 1979), community media for social change (Rodríguez 2011), critical communication studies (Fuchs 2010), and radical media (Downing 2001), four distinct categories emerge: DIY media influenced by individualist ideologies and subcultural belonging; citizen media theorized by third-world Marxism and engaged in local community organizing; criti- cal media influenced by the Frankfurt School of critical theory and focused on global anti-capitalist content; and autonomous media influenced by social anarchism and rooted in global anti-authoritarian social movements. This synthesized taxonomy provides an important mapping of key similarities and differences among the diverse political projects, theories, practices and ideolo- gies of alternative media, allowing for a more comprehensive and nuanced Jeppesen, Sandra (2016). Understanding Alternative Media Power:
    [Show full text]
  • Becoming Disruptive an Interview with Lewis Call
    INTERSTITIAL JOURNAL LEWIS CALL INTERVIEW Becoming Disruptive An Interview with Lewis Call By the Editors of Interstitial Journal Lewis Call is Associate Professor of History at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. One of the founders of post-anarchism, Call has written extensively on post-structuralism, anarchism, political economy, science fiction, network technology, cultural studies, and sexuality. His book Postmodern Anarchism (2003) is considered a seminal work on the intersection of postmodernity and anarchism. He received the Distinguished Lecturer Award from the California Faculty Association (California Polytechnic chapter) in 2005 and his paper “Sounds Like Kinky Business to Me: Subtextual and Textual Representations of Erotic Power in the Buffyverse” won Slayage Journal's Mr. Pointy Award for Buffy Studies Scholarship in 2008. His most recent book, BDSM in American Science Fiction and Fantasy, was released in 2012. Your work on the intersection of post-structural political philosophy and anarchist theory led you, along with Saul Newman and Todd May, to develop a line of thinking that has come to be called 'post-anarchism', in which classical anarchist thought is coupled with postmodernism to critique Cartesian subjectivity and modernist essentialism. What prompted you to read post-structural and anarchist theory in conjunction with one another, especially with regard to the work of Nietzsche and Deleuze? I remember reading Michael Ryan's excellent Marxism and Deconstruction and thinking, "I want to do for anarchism what Ryan did for Marxism." I wanted to inject the anarchist tradition with a heavy dose of radical post-structuralist philosophy. I knew that anarchism was flexible and fluid enough to accept such an injection, and I thought the results might be interesting.
    [Show full text]
  • Changing Anarchism.Pdf
    Changing anarchism Changing anarchism Anarchist theory and practice in a global age edited by Jonathan Purkis and James Bowen Manchester University Press Manchester and New York distributed exclusively in the USA by Palgrave Copyright © Manchester University Press 2004 While copyright in the volume as a whole is vested in Manchester University Press, copyright in individual chapters belongs to their respective authors. This electronic version has been made freely available under a Creative Commons (CC-BY-NC- ND) licence, which permits non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction provided the author(s) and Manchester University Press are fully cited and no modifications or adaptations are made. Details of the licence can be viewed at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ Published by Manchester University Press Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9NR, UK and Room 400, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010, USA www.manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data applied for ISBN 0 7190 6694 8 hardback First published 2004 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Typeset in Sabon with Gill Sans display by Servis Filmsetting Ltd, Manchester Printed in Great Britain by CPI, Bath Dedicated to the memory of John Moore, who died suddenly while this book was in production. His lively, innovative and pioneering contributions to anarchist theory and practice will be greatly missed.
    [Show full text]
  • Postanarchism and Radical Politics Today
    Postanarchism and Radical Politics Today By Saul Newman In a recent series of exchanges between Slavoj Žižek and Simon Critchley, the spectre of anarchism has once again emerged. In querying Critchley’s proposal in his recent book, Infinitely Demanding1, for a radical politics that works outside the state—that take its distance from it—Žižek says: The ambiguity of Critchley’s position resides in a strange non sequitur: if the state is here to stay, if it is impossible to abolish it (or capitalism), why retreat from it? Why not act with(in) the state?.... Why limit oneself to a politics which, as Critchley puts it, ‘calls the state into question and calls the established order to account, not in order to do away with the state, desirable though that might be in some utopian sense, but in order to better it or to attenuate its malicious effects’? These words simply demonstrate that today’s liberal-democratic state and the dream of an ‘infinitely demanding’ anarchic politics exist in a relationship of mutual parasitism: anarchic agents do the ethical thinking, and the state does the work of running and regulating society.2 Instead of working outside the state, Žižek claims that a more effective strategy— such as that pursued by the likes of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela—is to grasp state power and use its machinery ruthlessly to achieve one’s political objectives. In other words, if the state cannot be done away with, then why not use it for revolutionary ends? One hears echoes of the old Marx-Bakunin debate that split the First International in the 1870s: the controversy of what to do about the state—whether to resist and abolish it, as the anarchists believed, or to utilise it, as Marxists and, later, Marxist-Leninists believed—has returned to the forefront of radical political theory today.
    [Show full text]