Anarchy:About: Difference between revisions

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[[File:CarebearStare.jpg|thumb|right|link=Anarchy:Community_portal|alt=Community Portal|[[Free_Skool:Readings|(Symbol Disambiguation)]]]]
==Contact==
==Contact==
In general, please email questions, suggestions, and feedback to [mailto:dfischer@riseup.net Dan].
In general, please email questions, suggestions, and feedback to [mailto:dfischer@riseup.net Dan].


If you see a mistake or misrepresentation, please contact us right away so that we can either correct it or set you up with an account so you can edit it yourself.
If you see a mistake or misrepresentation, please contact us right away so that we can either correct it or set you up with an account so you can edit it yourself.
== About This Website ==
This website is a resource for anyone to research and write about how and when anarchy can work. Anarchy, coming from the Greek words an (without) and archos (ruler) refers to a situation without domination, without coercive hierarchy.
We sort the examples by their scale and focus. The list of '''[[Main_Page#Societies|societies]] ''' encompasses federations of residential communities. The list of '''[[Main_Page#Communities|communities]] ''' includes communes, towns and neighborhoods small enough for people to make decisions at face-to-face meetings. The '''[[Main_Page#Movements and Uprisings|movements and uprisings]]''' category includes large-scale movements, rebellions, campaigns and mobilizations. The '''[[Main_Page#Organizations|organizations]]''' category includes groups and their federations. '''[[Main_Page#Everyday Anarchy|Everyday anarchy]]''' lists anarchic projects and phenomena that exist all around us even in capitalist societies. Somewhat playfully, we add two further categories. In a nod to the naturalist Peter Kropotkin who saw cooperative activity as a factor of evolution, we add '''[[Main_Page#Nonhuman Anarchy|nonhuman anarchy]]''' to explore power relations in nonhuman animal and ecological communities. Lastly, we add the category of '''[[Main_Page#Fictional Anarchy|fictional anarchy]]''', which includes, for example, the planet Anarres from Ursula K. LeGuin's novel ''The Dispossessed''.
We also sort these examples into four main organizational categories: '''''Anarchism''''', '''''Anti-authoritarianism''''', and '''''Autonomous''''', and '''''Participatory'''''. See the [[Definitions]] page for explanations. By looking for anarchy beyond "big-A" Anarchist projects (although we're interested in those too!), we respond to Maia Ramnath's call in ''Decolonizing Anarchism'' to ''"locate the Western anarchist tradition as one contextually specific manifestation among a larger-indeed global-tradition of antiauthoritarian, egal­itarian thought/praxis"''.<ref>Maia Ramnath, ''Decolonizing Anarchism: An Antiauthoritarian History of India's Liberation Struggle'' (AK Press, 2011), 6.</ref>
In our articles, we try to explore how horizontal societies and communities deal with ''culture'', ''decisions'', ''economy'',  ''environment'', ''crime'', ''revolution'', and ''neighboring societies''. We do not claim or attempt to present evidence that anarchy is possible in all situations. Nor do we deny humans' innate potential for hierarchy and indeed for extreme cruelty. We present this resource for open-minded people to collaboratively explore the question of whether a horizontally-run world is possible and what this world might look like.
Many of the examples come from the following books and resources:
<blockquote>
[[An Anarchist FAQ]] (excerpt)
[[Anarchy in Action]] by Colin Ward
[[Anarchy Works]] by Peter Gelderloos
[[Cartography of Revolutionary Anarchism]] by Michael Schmidt
[[Demanding the Impossible: A History of Anarchism]] by Peter Marshall
[[Matriarchal Studies]] by Barbara Alice Mann and Heide Göttner-Abendroth
[[Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution]] by Peter Kropotkin
[[People_Without_Government:_An_Anthropology_of_Anarchy|People Without Government: An Anthropology of Anarchy]] by Harold Barclay
[[The Politics of Social Ecology: Libertarian Municipalism]] by Janet Biehl with Murray Bookchin (excerpt)
</blockquote>
The website started as a project by Dan Fischer and Capitalism vs. the Climate, now known as [http://capitalismvsclimate.org Dragonfly Climate Collective], with web development assistance from Diggity and [http://getlibre.org getlibre.org].
This wiki is done entirely by volunteers, and we encourage you to check our work and help us to constantly improve it. If you see misinformation, please contact us right away so that we can either fix it or assist you in setting up an account so you can edit the page directly. Additionally, if you are a member of an organization or another group described on this website, please feel free to send us information on current campaigns, and we will include it so that our readers will know how to get involved or participate in solidarity efforts.


==Note on colonialism and representation==
==Note on colonialism and representation==
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There are several dangers, however. First, we run a risk of misrepresenting non-European groups, of trying to fit them into categories where they may not belong or want to belong. As Peter Gelderloos puts it, "we could easily fall into the accustomed eurocentric pattern of manipulating and exploiting these other cultures for our own ideological capital." To try to avoid this pattern, we aim to quote and cite voices from the groups we study, and we make note of the biases that European authors carry when they/we write about colonized cultures. Moreover, we try point out that many of the groups we study are still involved in struggles against domination, and we include links for where readers can learn more and get involved in solidarity work. As Gelderloos writes, " After all, if we are inspired by certain other societies, shouldn’t we do more to recognize and aid their ongoing struggles?" See [[Editing_Guide#The_Tricky_Topic_of_Representation|"The_Tricky_Topic_of_Representation"]].
There are several dangers, however. First, we run a risk of misrepresenting non-European groups, of trying to fit them into categories where they may not belong or want to belong. As Peter Gelderloos puts it, "we could easily fall into the accustomed eurocentric pattern of manipulating and exploiting these other cultures for our own ideological capital." To try to avoid this pattern, we aim to quote and cite voices from the groups we study, and we make note of the biases that European authors carry when they/we write about colonized cultures. Moreover, we try point out that many of the groups we study are still involved in struggles against domination, and we include links for where readers can learn more and get involved in solidarity work. As Gelderloos writes, " After all, if we are inspired by certain other societies, shouldn’t we do more to recognize and aid their ongoing struggles?" See [[Editing_Guide#The_Tricky_Topic_of_Representation|"The_Tricky_Topic_of_Representation"]].


A second trap involves our inclusion on this website of "participatory" and "autonomous" examples that practiced and/or practice slavery, genocide, and other extreme forms of oppression. Some could argue that this website's inclusion of classical Athens, the New England town meetings, and the Zionist kibbutzim on this website is to whitewash these societies' violence against people they did consider citizens. We respond, however, that including those examples is important if we are to understand how horizontality can sometimes be put in the service of exclusivity and atrocity.
A second trap involves our inclusion on this website of "participatory" and "autonomous" examples that practiced and/or practice slavery, genocide, and other extreme forms of oppression. Some could argue that this website's inclusion of classical Athens, the New England town meetings, and the Zionist kibbutzim on this website is to whitewash these societies' violence against people they did not consider citizens. We respond, however, that including those examples is important if we are to understand how horizontality can sometimes be put in the service of exclusivity and atrocity.


= Our Culture is [http://freedomdefined.org Free Culture] =
= Our '''[[Culture|Culture]]''' is [http://freedomdefined.org Free Culture] =
* When we say "free" we mean freedom. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libre Libre], not simply [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gratis gratis].  Think [https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html free software], not the watered-down term, "open-source".
* When we say "free" we mean freedom. [[wikipedia:Libre|Libre]], not simply [[wikipedia:Gratis|gratis]].  Think [https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html free software], not the watered-down term, "open-source".
* We're proud [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker_%28programmer_subculture%29 hackers], people who enjoy "playful cleverness".  If you see that term here, [http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/hacker-howto.html#what_is know what it means before you criticize].
* We're proud [[wikipedia:Hacker_culture|hackers]], people who enjoy "playful cleverness".  If you see that term here, [http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/hacker-howto.html#what_is know what it means before you criticize].
* <strong>Our Equation: [[Project:Community_portal|You + Your Computer(s) == Empowerment &amp; Self-Defense]].</strong>
* <strong>Our Equation: [[Project:Community_portal|You + Your Computer(s) == Empowerment &amp; Self-Defense]].</strong>


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=== Ogg Theora Movie Player ===
=== Ogg Theora Movie Player ===
This website contains high-quality movies in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theora Ogg Theora format]. A current version of [http://www.videolan.org VLC Media Player] is recommended. For other options, refer to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theora#Playing_Theora this list].
This website once contained high-quality movies in [[wikipedia:Theora|Ogg Theora format]]. A current version of [http://www.videolan.org VLC Media Player] is recommended. For other options, refer to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theora#Playing_Theora this list].


=== PDF Viewer ===
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This website contains PDF documents. A current version of [http://live.gnome.org/Evince/Downloads Evince] is recommended for best compatibility. For alternatives, see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_PDF_software this comparison].
This website contains PDF documents. A current version of [http://live.gnome.org/Evince/Downloads Evince] is recommended for best compatibility. For alternatives, see [[wikipedia:List_of_PDF_software|this comparison]].


=== Newer Browser ===
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== Privacy ==
== Privacy ==
We're currently working on a detailed privacy statement.  One of the focuses of this wiki is privacy on the Web, so we take it very seriously.  Be sure that we don't share or sell your data, spam you, data-mine you, or other nasty practices practiced by entities like [http://foojbook.org/about/#whats-wrong Facebook].  However:
We're currently working on a detailed privacy statement.  One of the focuses of this wiki is privacy on the Web, so we take it very seriously.  Be sure that we don't share or sell your data, spam you, data-mine you, or other nasty practices practiced by entities like [[Wikipedia:Criticism_of_Facebook|Facebook]].  However:
# Search engines like Google may spider this website and archive information from it.
# Search engines like Google may spider this website and archive information from it.
# MediaWiki keeps detailed logs of edits to this wiki.  Even pages/edits that are deleted remain for a very long time (maybe indefinitely) and accounts are never deleted, just blocked.
# MediaWiki keeps detailed logs of edits to this wiki.  Even pages/edits that are deleted remain for a very long time (maybe indefinitely) and accounts are never deleted, just blocked.
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This website is powered by [http://mediawiki.org MediaWiki] and features icons based upon the [http://tango.freedesktop.org/Tango_Icon_Library Tango Icon Library].
This website is powered by [http://mediawiki.org MediaWiki] and features icons based upon the [http://tango.freedesktop.org/Tango_Icon_Library Tango Icon Library].


MediaWiki is [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software free software] available under the [http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html GNU General Public License]. Tango icons are available under the [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike license].
MediaWiki is [[wikipedia:Free_software|free software]] available under the [http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html GNU General Public License]. Tango icons are available under the [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike license].


All other content on this site is available under the [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike license], unless otherwise stated. Please contact [mailto:sean@cyberclear.cc Diggity] for copyright and licensing inquiries.
All other content on this site is available under the [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike license], unless otherwise stated. Please contact [mailto:sean@cyberclear.cc Diggity] for copyright and licensing inquiries.

Latest revision as of 15:38, 2 May 2024

Community Portal
(Symbol Disambiguation)

Contact

In general, please email questions, suggestions, and feedback to Dan.

If you see a mistake or misrepresentation, please contact us right away so that we can either correct it or set you up with an account so you can edit it yourself.

Note on colonialism and representation

Part of our goal with this website is to challenge Eurocentric conceptions of anarchy. Thus, we try to show that the European-derived Anarchist tradition sits within a much broader set of anti-authoritarian, participatory and autonomous practices around the world and throughout human history.

There are several dangers, however. First, we run a risk of misrepresenting non-European groups, of trying to fit them into categories where they may not belong or want to belong. As Peter Gelderloos puts it, "we could easily fall into the accustomed eurocentric pattern of manipulating and exploiting these other cultures for our own ideological capital." To try to avoid this pattern, we aim to quote and cite voices from the groups we study, and we make note of the biases that European authors carry when they/we write about colonized cultures. Moreover, we try point out that many of the groups we study are still involved in struggles against domination, and we include links for where readers can learn more and get involved in solidarity work. As Gelderloos writes, " After all, if we are inspired by certain other societies, shouldn’t we do more to recognize and aid their ongoing struggles?" See "The_Tricky_Topic_of_Representation".

A second trap involves our inclusion on this website of "participatory" and "autonomous" examples that practiced and/or practice slavery, genocide, and other extreme forms of oppression. Some could argue that this website's inclusion of classical Athens, the New England town meetings, and the Zionist kibbutzim on this website is to whitewash these societies' violence against people they did not consider citizens. We respond, however, that including those examples is important if we are to understand how horizontality can sometimes be put in the service of exclusivity and atrocity.

Our Culture is Free Culture

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To edit this wiki you must request an account, since we've been spammed too often already :/

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Ogg Theora Movie Player

This website once contained high-quality movies in Ogg Theora format. A current version of VLC Media Player is recommended. For other options, refer to this list.

PDF Viewer

This website contains PDF documents. A current version of Evince is recommended for best compatibility. For alternatives, see this comparison.

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Privacy

We're currently working on a detailed privacy statement. One of the focuses of this wiki is privacy on the Web, so we take it very seriously. Be sure that we don't share or sell your data, spam you, data-mine you, or other nasty practices practiced by entities like Facebook. However:

  1. Search engines like Google may spider this website and archive information from it.
  2. MediaWiki keeps detailed logs of edits to this wiki. Even pages/edits that are deleted remain for a very long time (maybe indefinitely) and accounts are never deleted, just blocked.
  3. We are hosted by DreamHost and can't make promises for them or guarantee they wouldn't submit to legal or police action. As far as we can tell, DreamHost is a privacy-respecting Web host.
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The Internet is a big place and information wants to be free. So, as a general rule, don't post anything potentially illegal or anything you wouldn't want made public.

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MediaWiki is free software available under the GNU General Public License. Tango icons are available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike license.

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