Associational anarchism: Towards a left-libertarian conception of freedom

by Chris Wyatt

Overview

Associational anarchism presents a ground-breaking alternative to both liberal democracy and state socialism, derived from the ideas of Karl Marx and G. D. H. Cole. Uniting the public sphere of citizenship with the private sphere of production in a system of communal ownership, the book proposes a scheme of horizontal networks held together through libertarian politics. With no role for a centralised state, the functions of coordination and administration are fulfilled through pluralist self-governance. Political intermediation proceeds via a web of functional associations, which operate within a system of revitalised communities, while management is carried out through modes of self-regulation that embody the key anarchist values of equality, solidarity and mutual-aid.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781526171290
Publisher:	Manchester University Press
Publication date:	11/28/2023
Series:	Contemporary Anarchist Studies
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	429 KB

About the Author

Chris Wyatt is a Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of Brighton

Table of Contents

Introduction
Part I: A new genre of social anarchism
1 Freedom as Marxian-autonomy
2 Social anarchism: classical to contemporary
3 Anarcho-constitutionalism as associational anarchism
4 Bridging the Marxist-anarchist divide
Part II: Libertarian politics: social coordination through functional decentralisation
5 Legal authority beyond state imposition
6 Free federation
7 The organisational contours of an unorthodox mixed-economy
Part III: The associational anarchist conditions of liberty in the realm of necessity
8 Self-determination, self-realisation and negative freedom
9 Freedom in the guild system
10 Freedom in the guild system and beyond
11 The civic functional bodies
Conclusion: associational anarchism and human emancipation as developed selfhood
Index

Editorial Reviews

'Wyatt remains a leading theorist of anarchist political economy. [...] At a time when people increasingly search for new political directions (religious authoritarianism, escapist capitalist adventurism, egomaniacal Populism, and more), Wyatt offers potentialities rooted in freedom, decentralization, and cooperation.'
CHOICE: Recommended

'A learned, engaged and pertinent contribution to the philosophy of social anarchism, which clarifies important concepts such as freedom, autonomy and democracy, situating them back into the left-libertarian revolutionary tradition. Chris Wyatt draws expertly from a range of contemporary and historical sources, including the much-neglected guild socialism of G.D.H Cole. These are adapted and applied to defend and develop original – and sometimes provocative - insights into the appropriate forms of inter-personal relationships, social organisation and economic coordination. Associational Anarchism is a valuable work for anyone interested in, and working to bring about, less hierarchical pollical, economic and social arrangements.'

Benjamin Franks, Senior Lecturer in Social and Political Philosophy, University of Glasgow, and author of Anarchisms, Postanarchisms and Ethics

From the Publisher