Anarchist Cybernetics: Control and Communication in Radical Politics

by Thomas Swann

Overview

From Occupy, to the Indignados and the Arab Spring, the uprisings that marked the last decade ignited a re-emergence of participatory democracy as a political ideal within organizations.

This pioneering book introduces cybernetic thinking to politics and organizational studies to explore the continuing development of this radical idea. With a focus on communication and how alternative social media platforms present new challenges and opportunities for radical organising, it sheds new light on the concepts of self-organization, consensus decision making, individual autonomy and collective identity.

Revolutionising the way in which anarchist activists and theorists think about organizations, this unprecedented investigation makes a major contribution to the larger discussion of direct democracy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781529208795
Publisher:	Bristol University Press
Publication date:	12/01/2021
Series:	Organizations and Activism
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	190
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x (d)

About the Author

Thomas Swann is a Lecturer in Political Theory at Loughborough University.

Table of Contents

2011: The Year Everything Nothing Changed.

Radical Left Social Movements and Communication Networks

Anarchism and Cybernetics. A Missed Opportunity Revisited

Control Part One ~ Tactics, Strategy and Grand Strategy

Control Part Two ~ The Individual and the Collective. Autonomy Through Organisation

Communication Part One ~ Noise, Overload and Communication in the Age of Social Media

Communication Part Two ~ Building Alternative Social Media from the Ground Up

Anarchist Cybernetics in Practice

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"This pioneering study brings cybernetics to bear on anarchism to interrogate the sustainability of radical democracy. The result is a masterclass in organisation theory and strategy which encompasses contemporary movement and social media analysis." Ruth Kinna, Loughborough University

"Swann's work on cybernetics and anarchism couldn’t be more relevant at this moment. It will inspire the design of more radical, democratic and self-organised post COVID-19 societies and political systems." Angela Espinosa, University of Hull

"Cybernetics can help bring about a fairer society, but in order to make it successful, we must create, regulate and produce ways of effective self-organisation. This book opens ways to achieve just that." Raul Espejo, President of World Organisation of Systems and Cybernetics