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internet resources Joshua Finnell and Jerome Marcantel Understanding resistance An introduction to anarchism uccinctly stated, anarchy is opposition to funding provided by the hosting institution. Sauthority. Throughout history, and across This dichotomy, however, has been slowly the globe, anarchists of all stripes have been eroding over time with the onset of open actively writing, protesting, and working source software and operating systems. against authority in various forms: political, Both individual and institutional collections economic, and social. During this time, various tell the story of the anarchist movement through- individuals have been collecting and archiving out history and today. However, grouping the the wealth of anarchist material in the form existing collections of anarchist material together of posters, books, flyers, and speeches. Given is to ignore the complexity and divergence of the diversity of thought within anarchism, in- thought to be found within the movement. The dividual archives vary in scope and breadth. breadth, focus, and sustainability of a particular However, each of these archives shares a collection stems from the individual strain of common belief in the importance of preserv- anarchist thought the archivist espouses. Each ing the historical record of anarchist ideas and collection is defined for what it excludes, more practices for future adherents and researchers. so than what material it includes. As a movement based in anti-authoritarian philosophy, many of these archives cannot be Definitions/terminology found within educational institutions or muse- In practice, anarchism is an umbrella term for ums. The Anarchist Archives Project, founded a number of different theoretical approaches to in 1982 and consisting of more than 12,000 anarchist practice. While principled resistance items, is but one example of the number of to all forms of domination and authority is independent archival collections. Independent what unites anarchists, different groups iden- collections hold a distinct advantage over insti- tify different sources of oppression as having tutional archives in that many are maintained a greater effect than others, and hence em- by anarchists active within the movement. phasize different forms of resistance. Broadly From personal connections, these indi- speaking, anarchism can be divided into social viduals have direct access to pamphlets and and individual forms. ephemera often published for the expressed Social anarchism places an emphasis on purpose of local distribution. Cataloging stan- egalitarianism, mutual aid, and either collec- dards and accessibility are often secondary to tivizing (anarcho-collectivists) or abolishing the compilation of material. Also, individual ar- (anarcho-communists) private property. Ad- chives are often abandoned due to constraints ditionally, anarcho-syndicalists maintain that on time and money. Institutional collections, participatory (self-managed) labor unions are on the other hand, tend to be more specific essential to bringing this about. to historical figures or periods, such as social or labor movements. The advantage to many Joshua Finnell is the humanities liaison librarian at of these archives is the accessibility created Denison University, e-mail: [email protected], Jerome Marcantel is assistant professor of library science through finding aids and catalog records. In and electronic resources librarian at McNeese State addition, institutional archives tend to be more University, e-mail: [email protected] sustainable in the long-term due to annual © 2010 Joshua Finnell and Jerome Marcantel C&RL News March 2010 156 march10b.indd 156 2/24/2010 9:21:26 AM Unlike their social counterparts, individu- ample sources. A complete bibliography ac- alist anarchists stress the importance of the companies the FAQ, which is divided into individual liberty from forms of collectivism, four sections: anthologies of anarchist authors; which they tend to see as limiting the freedom books by anarchists and other libertarians; of the individual. While most social anarchists books about anarchism, anarchists, and an- view capitalism as a source of domination, archist history by nonlibertarians; and books anarcho-capitalists see nothing wrong with by nonanarchists/libertarians. Access: http:// capitalism, and advocate the abolition of the infoshop.org/faq/index.html. State in order for individuals to pursue their • Anarchist Studies Network. A specialist freedom within the market. group within the Political Studies Association Despite their respective differences, social- of the United Kingdom, this organization hosts ist and individualist anarchists have frequently conferences, workshops, gatherings, and often influenced one another, resulting in the devel- puts out call for proposals. Although focused opment of new schools of thought in the late on anarchist movements within the United 20th century. Women and minorities, identify- Kingdom, an anarchist yellow pages is includ- ing with their unique social status as a target ed to locate local chapters around the globe. of oppression, have incorporated anarchist Of particular strength are the basic reading thought into various programs for libera- lists, providing an anarchist approach to topics tion, resulting in anarcho-feminism, anarchist ranging from Art History to Philosophy. Ac- people of color (APOC), and lesbian, gay, cess: http://anarchist-studies-network.org.uk/. bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) anarchism. • Wikipedia Anarchism Portal. This Inspired by the environmental movement, portal is an updated guide to the various eco-anarchism emphasizes a return to simpler, branches and concepts in anarchism, and can environmentally conscious forms of social be useful in locating organizations, schools organization, while the more radical anarcho- of thought, and literature. The guide seeks to primitivism identifies domestication and tech- be as broad in its coverage and depth. The nology as a source of oppression, advocating discussion tab will be of particular interest to a return to a hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Post-left those interested in how material is added or anarchists share many of the concerns of social edited on the site. Access: http://en.wikipedia. anarchists, but reject the fixation on labor as org/wiki/Portal:Anarchism. a locus of organization, instead advocating a drop-out lifestyle. Individual archives While historically anarchism has often been • Anarchy Archives. Constructed by associated with violence, certain currents, such Dan Ward, political science professor at Pitzer as insurrectionary anarchism, advocate an ac- College, the Anarchy Archives provide full- tive campaign of violence against property as text access to the collected works of major a source of oppression. Others, like Christian anarchists throughout history. In addition, a anarchists, reject the use of violence and insist wide variety of full-text anarchist pamphlets on principled nonviolence. and periodicals from the early 20th century are available for browsing. Though not exhaustive General guides in scope, the Web site also provides links to • Anarchist FAQ. Created in 1995 as critical commentary on the anarchist move- a refutation of libertarian-anarchism, this ment. Access: http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/ site is an in-depth inquiry into the history, anarchist_archives/index.html. movement, and philosophical underpinnings • Library at Nothingness. A new library of anarchism. The FAQ is divided into sev- focusing on collecting works in the fields of eral sections answering the most commonly social anarchism, poetry, and Situationist- asked questions of the anarchist movement. related literature. Content from the journals Individual sections are extensive and provide Potlatch, Internationale Situationniste, and March 2010 157 C&RL News march10b.indd 157 2/24/2010 9:21:26 AM Social Anarchism, as well as individually 1990s. Access: http://www.iisg.nl/collections published works are hosted in this archive. /anarchism/highlights.php. Access: http://library.nothingness.org/. • New York University’s Tamiment • Quiver Distro. The primary focus of Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Ar- this archive is to supply publications to com- chives. Focusing on 20th-century anarchists, munity libraries and individuals for distribu- this collection contains the collected works tion and dissemination. Materials range from of Murray Bookchin and Alexander Berkman. full-text books, journal articles, prison survival In addition to collected papers, the archive manuals, and posters. Access: http://www. contains court transcripts and legal docu- anti-politics.net/distro/. ments from the Alexander Berkman trial and • Spunk Library. Last updated in 1999, the oral histories from the American Left. Access: Spunk Library consists of fanzines, pamphlets, http://www.nyu.edu/library/bobst/research books and portions of books, articles, mani- /tam/anarchism_guide.html. festos, quotations, interviews, bibliographies, • The Emma Goldman Papers. Affiliated reviews, posters, and other material, both with the University of California-Berkeley, this in-print and out-of-print, with an emphasis archive is dedicated to the American anarchist on anarchism. Although Spunk is no longer and feminist, Emma Goldman. With an empha- adding new material, literature and zines from sis on education and promotion, the project regional anarchists organizations not found has produced a microfilm edition of Gold- elsewhere may be accessed in

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