Violence, resistance, and social transformation in anarchist thought and practice

ABSTRACT

Dating to the nineteenth century, anarchism has been commonly associated with violence and revolutionary upheaval. Yet, there have also been a number of nonviolent anarchists, including those that set up social work projects, alternative organizations, or those that advocated for educational or spiritual transformation. To date, violence and its relation to anarchism remain vague. This study analyzes a sample of historical and contemporary anarchists (N = 56) along with their respective viewpoints and experiences with violence and its alternatives. It discovers several tendencies inherent to violence rejection and acceptance in anarchism. These findings raise implications for anarchism and its relation to social work.

KEYWORDS:

• Religion
• spirituality
• ethics
• community
• anarchism

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. See the following links -www.transhackmeeting.org; http://twil<i.pula.org; http://fazan.org; https://archive.org/stream/ReaderTalkOnAnarchism/talks_about_anarchism_djvu.txt; http://creatiuecommons.0rg/licenses/by-5a/3.O/deed.sr (some of which are now likely inactive).

2. https://www.dropbox.com/s/ssm5nbpopswwtj1/Violence%20and%20Nonviolence%20in%20Anarchism%20Appendix%20.docx?dl=0.

3. This is not to say that noteworthy anarchists such as D. Day were the only contributors to help oppressed groups in time of hardship. Those such as Ida Bell Wells had monumental roles in the abolitionist movement as well as the woman's rights movement. Wells’ organization was no less important than Day’s in promoting social equality.

Additional information

Funding

This publication was created with the financial support of the Anglo-American University, Project No. AAU-2018-1.